From Shortland Street to Virgin River; who is New Zealand actor Martin Henderson, and is he married?

He’s become quite the heartthrob after his appearance in ‘Virgin River,’ but long-time New Zealand television viewers might simply remember Martin Henderson as the son of a hospital receptionist - equally still a heartthrob back then, gracing trading cards and literature regarding New Zealand long-running soap opera.

Henderson once again returns to the Netflix romantic drama as J​​ack Sheridan, a local bar owner and former U.S. Marine, who suffers from PTSD, and the love interest of the show’s main character, Melinda "Mel" Monroe (played by Alexandra Breckenridge), a nurse practitioner and midwife who recently moved to Virgin River from Los Angeles.

‘Virgin River’ was a hit when it arrived on the streaming giant in 2019, with the second season earning high praise from critics, resulting in an average score on aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes of 90% for its second season, going as far as to call the show “gentle as a babbling brook—and just as exciting, for better or worse—Virgin River's sophomore season offers up more of the comfort viewing that fans have come to crave.”

The less said about the average score for the third season, the better.

But as we’ve come to discover, what critics think isn’t a hit is wholly different than what fans think about a series and viewing numbers have been strong that Netflix has ordered a fifth season of the series, beginning this month - with Henderson offering a glimpse of what his fanbase can expect after swooning them with a recent image on Instagram in his homeland

Who is Martin Henderson?

Martin Henderson is a New Zealand actor whose journey in the entertainment industry began in the late 1980s. He was born on October 8, 1974, in Auckland, New Zealand. Henderson's early career included roles in New Zealand television series like "Strangers" in 1989 and later a breakout role in his homeland at Stuart Neilson in the long-running soap opera ‘Shortland Street’ which helped him gain initial recognition in his home country. Henderson then crossed the ditch to star in a range of Australian dramas, including ‘Home and Away’ and ‘Echo Point.’

His breakout moment on the international stage came with his role in the horror film ‘The Ring’ (2002), directed by Gore Verbinski. In the film, he portrayed the character Noah Clay, a pivotal role that thrust him into the Hollywood spotlight. ‘The Ring’ was a major success and significantly elevated Henderson's profile in the industry. Following this breakthrough, he continued to work in various films, including the action movie ‘Torque’ (2004) and the drama ‘Little Fish’ (2005). He recently appeared in the trope-twisting grindhouse horror ‘X’ in 2022 as a porn director with a moral compass, Wayne Gilroy.

Martin Henderson's career continued to flourish, and he ventured into American television, making appearances in popular shows. One of his notable television roles was as Dr. Nathan Riggs in the hit medical drama series ‘Grey's Anatomy.’ Henderson portrayed Dr. Riggs for multiple seasons, further establishing his presence in the American television landscape.

Is Martin Henderson married?

According to Hello, while the actor has never been married, he has been linked to a number of stars over the years. At the moment, he is said to be dating a New Zealand-based interior designer. It's not known when the couple, who reportedly are living together on Great Barrier Island, first met but they have been together since last year it seems.

It seems that the two are pretty serious as Martin has even begun to share photos featuring Penny's children on his Instagram account. A previous photo showed Martin driving a truck down a muddy road with two young boys sitting in the car.

What is Martin Henderson’s net worth?

Although there are no exact figures for Martin Henderson’s net worth, a number of sources have provided details that for his role in ‘Grey's Anatomy,’ Henderson earned a salary of $100,000 USD per year, with some estimates stating his net worth is around $6m USD - but those are only estimated.

When does ‘Virgin River’ Season 5 screen in the United Kingdom?

‘Virgin River’ Season Five begins its run on Netflix on September 7 2023 in the United Kingdom.