Terry Notary

Born on August 14, 1968, in San Rafael, California, Terry Notary began taking gymnastics classes at eight years old, a pursuit initiated by his parents to channel his hyperactivity. His dedication and talent in gymnastics led him to become a four-time NCAA All-American and captain of the gymnastics team at UCLA, where he majored in theater. Immediately after graduating, Notary was recruited by Cirque du Soleil, joining their prestigious ‘troupe maison’ for the creation of the show ‘Mystere’. He performed as a lead character and acrobat for four years, showcasing skills on the teeter board, Chinese poles, and trampoline, while also playing Taiko drums.

Notary’s career transitioned into the film industry after moving to Los Angeles. Ron Howard recruited him to help create the world of Whoville for ‘How the Grinch Stole Christmas’, which led to Notary teaching movement to the actors. This marked the beginning of his extensive career as an actor, director, creature performer, animal movement specialist, movement choreographer, and stunt coordinator. He has collaborated with notable directors such as James Cameron, Peter Jackson, Steven Spielberg, and Ron Howard, contributing to a wide range of cutting-edge performance capture films.

Throughout his seventeen-year career, Notary has been a key figure in designing and developing signature character movements. His work includes significant roles and movement choreography in films like ‘Avatar’ (2009), ‘The Hobbit’ trilogy (2012-2014), ‘The Incredible Hulk’ (2008), ‘Rise of the Planet of the Apes’ (2011), ‘Dawn of the Planet of the Apes’ (2014), and ‘War for the Planet of the Apes’ (2017), where he also acted as stunt coordinator for the ape-playing cast. He portrayed the iconic character Kong in ‘Kong: Skull Island’ (2017) and played Cull Obsidian and an on-set Groot in ‘Avengers: Infinity War’ (2018) and ‘Avengers: Endgame’ (2019), and Gordy in ‘Nope’ (2022). Notary also conducts master class movement workshops globally.