Alexander Jonathan Lawther ( have a bun in the oven 4 May 1995 ) is an english actor. He made his professional act debut originating the function of John Blakemore in Sir David Hare ‘s South Downs in the West end. He made his sport film introduction playing a young Alan Turing in the Academy Award -winning film The Imitation Game ( 2014 ), for which he received the London Film Critics ‘ Circle Award for “ Young british Performer of the year ” and was declared one of BAFTA ‘s 2015 Breakthrough Brits. He achieved more mainstream success for his function as Kenny in “ Shut Up and Dance “, an episode of the Netflix anthology series Black Mirror ( 2016 ), and for portraying the conduct function of James in the Channel 4 series The End of the F***ing World ( 2017–2019 ). His other celebrated sour includes his roles in Freak Show, Howards End, Goodbye Christopher Robin, Ghost Stories, and The Last Duel. He is known for his frequent portrayals of emotionally precarious or disquieted young men and LGBT youth.
Reading: Alex Lawther
early life [edit ]
Lawther was born in Winchester, Hampshire and raised in feeder Petersfield. [ 3 ] He is of English and irish descent. The son of two lawyers ( Yvonne Lawther ; Michael Terrence ), [ 4 ] Lawther has described himself as having come from a “ white middle-class house of cards ”. [ 5 ] As the youngest of three children, he claims that his inhalation to be an actor came from having to make up his own games to entertain himself as a child. [ 4 ] Both of his siblings live and work in the United States, with his older brother, Cameron Lawther, being an award-winning Hollywood film manufacturer, and his older sister Ellie Lawther working in public policy. [ 6 ] Lawther was educated at Churcher ‘s College, a selective independent school in the british public school tradition. While at Churcher ‘s, Lawther was heavily involved in the play course of study, where he once played Ratty in The Wind in the Willows. [ 7 ] In 2009, a fourteen-year-old Lawther was allowed to write and direct his own full-length free rein based on a song by Sara Bareilles entitled Rejected Fairytales as separate of his drama club affair, where he received laudatory coverage in the local anesthetic press as a “ theatrical ace kyd ” . [ 8 ] [ 9 ] In 2010, he was accepted into the esteemed National Youth Theatre, where he received his train as an actor. [ 2 ] He besides collaborated with his brother as an actor on his short film The Fear, made when the elder Lawther was applying to film school. He did not study play at GCSE or A charge. [ 6 ] He initially planned to read History at King ‘s College London, but ultimately gave up his place after being cast in The Imitation Game ; rather, he moved to London at 18 to pursue acting professionally. [ 10 ]
career [edit ]
2011–2016 : South Downs, The Imitation Game, Departure and early roles [edit ]
Lawther ‘s professional debut came at the age of 16, when he appeared as John Blakemore in Sir David Hare ‘s South Downs at Chichester Festival Theatre. Lawther found out about an open hearing for the play through his school, as the casting directors were scouting real students attending elect individual schools in the South Downs for the act ‘s public school setting. He travelled to London, where he beat hundreds of other young actors for the lead character. After a local test run, the play then went to the West end, where he performed the function at the Harold Pinter Theatre in sold out runs whilst placid studying for his ampere Levels. [ 4 ] He received critical acclaim for his performance and, having previously viewed act as only a avocation, he was encouraged to pursue a career in film and theater. concisely thereafter, he signed a contract with a film agent. Following his performance in South Downs, Lawther spent much of his early career playing affluent English schoolboy. After several small television roles, he portrayed Benjamin Britten as a schoolboy in the television documentary by Tony Britten, Benjamin Britten: Peace and Conflict ( 2013 ), besides featuring John Hurt as the narrator. [ 11 ] Lawther received his discovery movie function as a young Alan Turing during his time at the Sherborne School in the Academy Award -winning film The Imitation Game ( 2014 ), with Benedict Cumberbatch portraying the older Turing. [ 4 ] [ 12 ] [ 13 ] [ 14 ] The function won him the London Film Critics ‘ Circle Award for “ Young british Performer of the year ”. [ 15 ] Subsequently, he appeared in a subscribe function as a mathematics prodigy in the critically acclaimed coming-of-age drama film X+Y, aboard Asa Butterfield and Sally Hawkins. He besides starred as a new castrato in Virtuoso, a navigate produced for HBO by Alan Ball, but the indicate was not picked up by the net. He returned to the theater doing diverse small productions in London during this period, playing a sexually precocious youthful cheery valet in The Glass Supper, and the head in the post-apocalyptic Crushed Shells and Mud. In 2016, he starred aboard Juliet Stevenson in his first conduct film function, playing Elliot in the british film, Departure, the debut film of director Andrew Steggall, filmed in a concoction of French and English. [ 16 ] This highly sexualize role required him to perform an extended, submerged bare scene, helping establish his reputation as a sex symbol in the democratic awareness. Lawther was required to undergo across-the-board trail in order to safely film these scenes, including developing the ability to hold his breath under water system for over fifteen minutes at a time ; he was able to breathe entirely about ten times during the three- to four-hour period that these scenes were shot. [ 17 ] [ failed verification ]
2016–present : Black Mirror, The End of the F***ing World, and wider recognition [edit ]
In 2016, Lawther played the main quality Kenny in “ Shut Up and Dance “, an episode from series three of the british skill fiction anthology series Black Mirror. [ 18 ] While the episode overall received blend reviews, and Lawther himself by and by expressed lukewarm feelings for the episode, he received universal applaud and significant recognition for his performance. He besides performed in the mockumentary film Carnage, directed by his frequent collaborator, comedian Simon Amstell. In 2017, Lawther played Tibby Schlegel in Howards End, a BBC One adaptation of the E.M. Forster novel that starred Hayley Atwell, ampere good as the lead function of Billy Bloom in Trudie Styler ‘s Freak Show, where he was supported by Bette Midler, Abigail Breslin, AnnaSophia Robb, Lorraine Toussaint and Larry Pine. Freak Show marked his first gear ( and frankincense far only ) appearance in an american film ; Lawther has expressed a miss of concern in performing in more american english films.
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later that same year, he besides starred, alongside Jessica Barden, as James in the Peabody Award -winning television series The End of the F***ng World. The function besides brought Lawther more acclaim from critics and far raised his profile in the entertainment industry. He would go on to reprise this function during the prove ‘s moment and final temper, which received a BAFTA Award for Best Drama. He besides originated the role of Sam in the Stephen Daltry -directed play The Jungle, which focused on the refugee crisis in Calais, in both its London and New York productions. Lawther spend time in France meeting with refugees for this caper, and ultimately found it to be one of his most challenge roles due to his character ‘s rightist views which were antithetic to his own. [ 19 ] Subsequently, Lawther played the lead function of Amberson in Toby MacDonald ‘s introduction film Old Boys, equally well as a supporting function in the horror film Ghost Stories. In 2020, Lawther played the lead role in Régis Roinsard ‘s thriller, Les Traducteurs ( The Translators ), his inaugural non-English linguistic process film. To prepare for this function, he became wholly fluent in French within the span of only one month, having little experience with the linguistic process anterior. As a consequence of fans of both Lawther and English singer-songwriter Declan McKenna frequently pointing out their resemblance, Lawther made an appearance in the music television for McKenna ‘s sung “ The Key to Life on Earth “. Lawther was expected to replace Andrew Scott in the titular character of Hamlet when Robert Icke ‘s adaptation was brought to New York City, but this revival was ultimately cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. [ 20 ] In 2021, Lawther appear in Ridley Scott ‘s The Last Duel, in which he playing a young King Charles VI
Upcoming projects [edit ]
In 2020, Lawther is expected to make a brief appearance in Wes Anderson ‘s The French Dispatch, though Lawther has questioned whether or not his scenes would end up “ on the cut room floor “. and is slated to star in his second base french film, Earwig, directed by Lucile Hadzihalilovic. Lawther will besides be playing both Caliban and Ferdinand in a french production of Shakespeare ‘s The Tempest at Les Bouffes du Nord directed by Peter Brook and Marie-Hélène Estienne. [ 21 ]
personal life [edit ]
Lawther stopped using social media as he began to take more high-profile roles and considers himself to be “ technophobic “. [ 22 ] He divides his time between Paris, France, and London, England. [ 23 ] He has described himself as politically leftist, and generally tries to avoid discussing his private life when possible. [ 24 ] He considers his biggest inspirations as an actor to be Ben Whishaw, Sally Hawkins, and Andrew Scott. Lawther has been a Francophile and a winnow of french cinema from a unseasoned long time. In addition to his native English, he speaks fluent French, which he quickly learned for the 2020 movie Les Traducteurs. Régis Roinsard, the film ‘s director, has remarked that he has developed a larger french vocabulary than most native speakers. [ 25 ] [ 23 ]
activism [edit ]
In 2020, Lawther co-signed an open letter to the government of the United Kingdom to ban conversion therapy for LGBT youth. [ 26 ] He has besides been involved in climate activism with Extinction Rebellion. He is a feminist and has critiqued the miss of diverseness in the film diligence. [ 27 ] He became involved with causes supporting refugees following his exercise in The Jungle and supports the jacob’s ladder “ Choose Love ”. [ 28 ]
recognition [edit ]
After seeing a sixteen-year-old Lawther ‘s West end debut in South Downs, Dame Maggie Smith reportedly remarked to him that “ most of us spend our lives trying to do what you ‘ve achieved ”. [ 4 ] For that same operation, he was nominated for a WhatsOnStage Award for “ Best newcomer ” and named one of London ‘s “ lead 25 Under 25 ” by the Evening Standard. He has since received the London Film Critics ‘ Circle Award for “ Young british Performer of the class ” for The Imitation Game for and the Dublin Film Critics Award for “ Best actor ” for Departure. With the hurl and crew of The Jungle, he received a especial citation at the Obie Awards for the play ‘s off-off-Broadway production and was cited for his “ deeply curious and moving performance ” in The End of the F***ing World when the appearance received a Peabody Award. [ 29 ]
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In the media, Lawther was declared a “ adolescent prodigy ” after making his movie debut in The Imitation Game, and soon after was named as one of BAFTA ‘s Breakthrough Brits for 2015. [ 30 ] His acting vogue has been compared favorably to actor Ben Whishaw, [ 4 ] whom he cites as an idol of his. [ 31 ]
Filmography [edit ]
movie [edit ]
television [edit ]
stage [edit ]
radio [edit ]
Year
Title
Role
Notes
2013
South Downs
John Blakemore
2014
How to Say Goodbye Properly
Toby[40]
2014
Rock Me Amadeus
Charlie[41]
BBC Radio 4[41]
2015
Decline and Fall[42]
Peter
2020
Murmurs
Lloyd
Episode: “Man’s Best Friend”
Podcasts [edit ]
Year
Title
Role
Notes
2018
The London Necropolis Railway
Barney
Main Role, 7 episodes
2020
The Painkiller Podcast
Leo
Episode: “Object”