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Alex Lawther

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Alexander Jonathan Lawther (born 4 May 1995) is an English actor, writer, and director. He made his professional acting debut originating the role of John Blakemore in Sir David Hare's South Downs in the West End. He made his feature film debut 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.

Alex Lawther
Lawther in 2022
Born
Alexander Jonathan Lawther[1]

(1995-05-04) 4 May 1995 (age 29)
Winchester, Hampshire, England
Citizenship
  • United Kingdom
  • Ireland
EducationChurcher's College
National Youth Theatre
OccupationActor
Years active2010–present
Known forThe End of the F***ing World
Black Mirror
The Imitation Game
South Downs

He achieved more mainstream success for his role as Kenny in "Shut Up and Dance", an episode of the Netflix anthology series Black Mirror (2016), and for portraying the lead role of James in the Channel 4 series The End of the F***ing World (2017–2019). His other notable work includes his roles in Freak Show, Howards End, Goodbye Christopher Robin, Ghost Stories, The Last Duel and Andor. On screen, he is known for his frequent portrayals of outsiders and eccentric characters.[2][3]

Early life

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Lawther was born in Winchester, Hampshire and raised in Petersfield.[4] He is of English and Irish descent, possessing dual British and Irish citizenship through his Northern Irish father. The son of two lawyers,[5] Lawther has described himself as having come from a "white middle-class bubble".[6] As the youngest of three children, he said that his aspiration to be an actor came from having to make up his own games to entertain himself as a child.[5] Both of his siblings live and work in the United States, with his older brother, Cameron Lawther, being an award-winning Hollywood film producer, and his older sister Ellie Lawther working in public policy.[7]

Lawther was educated at Churcher's College, a selective independent school in Petersfield. After getting into trouble for creating an illegitimate drama club at his school with friends,[8] Lawther became heavily involved in the drama programme when an official one was started. He played Ratty in The Wind in the Willows, Sir Toby Belch in Twelfth Night, and Lucas in The Third Bank of the River,[9] and received the Sir Daniel Day-Lewis Award by the Petersfield Town Council.[10] In 2009, a fourteen-year-old Lawther was allowed to write and direct his own full-length play based on a song by Sara Bareilles entitled Rejected Fairytales as part of his drama club involvement, where he received laudatory coverage in the local press as a "theatrical whiz kid" who would end up working as an actor in the West End.[11][12]

In 2010, he was accepted into the prestigious National Youth Theatre, where he received his only formal training as an actor.[13] He also 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 drama at GCSE or A level.[7] He initially planned to read History at King's College London, but ultimately gave up his place after being cast in The Imitation Game; instead, he moved to London at 18 to pursue acting professionally.[14]

Career

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2011–2016: South Downs, The Imitation Game, Departure and early roles

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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 audition for the play through his school, as the casting directors were scouting real students attending elite private schools in the South Downs for the play's public school setting. He travelled to London, where he beat hundreds of other young actors for the lead role. After a local trial run, the play then went to the West End, where he performed the role at the Harold Pinter Theatre in sold out runs whilst still studying for his A Levels.[5] He received critical acclaim for his performance and, having previously viewed acting as only a hobby, he was encouraged to pursue a career in film and theatre. Shortly thereafter, he signed a contract with a film agent.

Following his performance in South Downs, Lawther spent much of his early career playing wealthy English schoolboys. After several small television roles, he portrayed Benjamin Britten as a schoolboy in the docudrama by Tony Britten, Benjamin Britten: Peace and Conflict (2013), also featuring John Hurt as the narrator.[15] Lawther received his breakthrough film role as a young Alan Turing during his time at Sherborne School in the Academy Award-winning film The Imitation Game (2014), with Benedict Cumberbatch portraying the older Turing.[5][16][17][18] The role won him the London Film Critics' Circle Award for "Young British Performer of the Year".[19] Subsequently, he appeared in a supporting role as a maths prodigy in the critically acclaimed coming-of-age drama film X+Y, alongside Asa Butterfield and Sally Hawkins. He also starred as a young castrato in Virtuoso, a pilot produced for HBO by Alan Ball, but the show was not picked up by the network. He returned to the theatre doing various small productions in London during this period, playing a sexually precocious young gay man in The Glass Supper, and the lead in the post-apocalyptic Crushed Shells and Mud.

In 2015, he starred alongside Juliet Stevenson in his first lead film role, playing Elliot in the British film, Departure, the debut film of director Andrew Steggall, filmed in a mixture of French and English.[20]

2016–present: Black Mirror, The End of the F***ing World, and wider recognition

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In 2016, Lawther played the main character Kenny in "Shut Up and Dance", an episode from series three of the British science fiction anthology series Black Mirror.[21] While the episode overall received mixed reviews, and Lawther himself later expressed lukewarm feelings for the episode, he received universal acclaim and significant recognition for his performance. He also 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, as well as the lead role 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 (and thus far only) appearance in an American film; Lawther has expressed a lack of interest in performing in more American films.

Later that same year, he also starred, alongside Jessica Barden, as James in the Peabody Award-winning television series The End of the F***ng World. The role also brought Lawther more acclaim from critics and further raised his profile in the entertainment industry. He would go on to reprise this role during the show's second and final season, which received a BAFTA Award for Best Drama. He also 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 spent time in France meeting with refugees for this job, and ultimately found it to be one of his most challenging roles due to his character's right-wing views which were antithetical to his own.[22] Subsequently, Lawther played the lead role of Amberson in Toby MacDonald's debut film Old Boys, as well as a supporting role in the horror film Ghost Stories.

In 2020, Lawther played the lead role in Régis Roinsard's thriller, Les Traducteurs (The Translators), his first non-English language film. As a result of fans of both Lawther and English singer-songwriter Declan McKenna frequently pointing out their resemblance, Lawther made an appearance in the music video for McKenna's song "The Key to Life on Earth". In 2021, Lawther appeared in Ridley Scott's The Last Duel, Wes Anderson's The French Dispatch, and Lucile Hadzihalilovic's Earwig. He starred as Ariel in a French production of Shakespeare's The Tempest at Les Bouffes du Nord directed by Peter Brook and Marie-Hélène Estienne[23] and replaces Andrew Scott in the titular role of Hamlet when Robert Icke's adaptation is brought to New York City, after previously being delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[24] He appeared in the Star Wars spin-off series Andor as rebel operative Karis Nemik.

Directing

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In 2021, Lawther made his directorial debut with the music video for "Fountainhead" by Linus Fenton, starring Roman Griffin Davis and sponsored by CALM.[25] In 2022, he wrote and directed the short film "For people in trouble", produced by Ben Affleck and Matt Damon and starring Emma D'Arcy and Archie Madekwe.[26]

Personal life

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Lawther stopped using social media as he began to take more high-profile roles and considers himself to be "technophobic".[27] He has described himself as politically left-wing, and generally tries to avoid discussing his private life when possible.[28] He considers his biggest inspirations as an actor to be Ben Whishaw, Sally Hawkins, and Andrew Scott.

Lawther has been a Francophile and a fan of French cinema from a young age. He speaks fluent French and divides his time between Paris and London.[29]

Activism

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In 2020, Lawther co-signed an open letter to the government of the United Kingdom to ban conversion therapy for LGBT youth.[30] In 2023, he co-signed an open letter alongside more than 1,000 artists in the British film industry calling on the arts and culture sector to demand a permanent ceasefire in Gaza, amplify Palestinian voices, and protect artists who speak out in favor of Palestinians.[31] He has also been involved in climate activism with Extinction Rebellion. He is a feminist and has critiqued the lack of diversity in the film industry.[32] He became involved with causes supporting refugees following his work in The Jungle and supports the charity Choose Love.[33]

Recognition

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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".[5] For that same performance, he was nominated for a WhatsOnStage Award for "Best Newcomer" and named one of London's "Top 25 Under 25" by the Evening Standard. He has since received the London Film Critics' Circle Award for "Young British Performer of the Year" for The Imitation Game and the Dublin Film Critics Award for "Best Actor" for Departure. With the cast and crew of The Jungle, he received a Special Citation at the Obie Awards for the play's off-off-Broadway production and was cited for his "deeply funny and moving performance" in The End of the F***ing World when the show received a Peabody Award.[34]

Lawther was named as one of BAFTA's Breakthrough Brits for 2015.[35] His acting style has been compared favourably to actor Ben Whishaw,[5] whom he cites as an idol of his.[36]

Filmography

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Film

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Year Title Role Notes Ref.
2010 The Fear The Boy Short film
2013 Benjamin Britten: Peace and Conflict Benjamin Britten Docudrama [37]
2014 The Imitation Game Young Alan Turing
X+Y Isaac Cooper Released in the US as A Brilliant Young Mind [37]
2015 Yussef is Complicated Rory Short film
Departure Elliot [38]
2016 Narrated By Sam Simpowitz Short film
2017 Freak Show Billy Bloom Credited as "Alex J. Lawther"
Goodbye Christopher Robin Christopher Robin Milne Age 18
2018 Ghost Stories Simon Rifkind
Old Boys Martin Amberson
Alex's Dream Alex Morin Short film
2019 The Translators Alex Goodman
Miss Fortunate Jack Short film
2020 Spark Theo Short film
2021 The French Dispatch Morisot
The Last Duel King Charles VI
Earwig Laurence
2022 Samovar Anton Short film
The Lost Patient Bastien
For people in trouble Short film; director and writer

Television

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Year Title Role Notes
2014 Holby City Fred Bamber 1 episode
2015 Virtuoso Battista Pilot
William Freddy Television short
2016 Black Mirror Kenny Episode: "Shut Up and Dance"
2017 Carnage Volunteer: Joseph Mockumentary
Howards End Tibby Schlegel Miniseries
2017–2019 The End of the F***ing World James Main role, 16 episodes
2020 Unprecedented Zac 1 episode
Grand Amour Television movie
2021 Summer Camp Island Mildred's Friend Voice; 3 episodes
2021–2022 The Owl House Philip Wittebane Voice; 4 episodes
2022 Lloyd of the Flies Abacus Woodlouse Voice; Main role
Andor Karis Nemik 4 episodes
2023 The Cleaner Dan Mangkukulam/Watson Episode: "The Shaman"
The Velveteen Rabbit Velveteen Rabbit Television special
2025 Alien: Earth CJ Upcoming series[39]

Stage

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Year Title Role Venue Ref.
2011 South Downs John Blakemore Chichester Festival Theatre [40]
2012 South Downs John Blakemore Harold Pinter Theatre [41]
2013 Fault Lines Ryan Hampstead Theatre [42]
2014 The Glass Supper Jamie Hampstead Theatre [43]
2015 Crushed Shells and Mud Derek Southwark Playhouse [44]
2017–2019 The Jungle Sam Young Vic Theatre & Playhouse Theatre (2018)
St. Ann’s Warehouse 		[45]
2021 The Tempest Caliban/Ferdinand Théâtre des Bouffes du Nord
2022 Hamlet Hamlet Park Avenue Armory [46]

Radio

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Year Title Role Notes Ref.
2013 South Downs John Blakemore
2014 How to Say Goodbye Properly Toby BBC Radio 4 [47]
Rock Me Amadeus Charlie BBC Radio 4 [48]
2015 Decline and Fall Peter Beste-Chetwynde BBC Radio 4 [49]
2020 Murmurs Lloyd Episode: "Man's Best Friend"

Podcasts

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Year Title Role Notes
2018 The London Necropolis Railway Barney Main Role, 7 episodes
2020 The Painkiller Podcast Leo Episode: "Object"

Music videos

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Year Title Artist Album Role Notes
2020 "The Key to Life on Earth" Declan McKenna Zeros Himself
2021 "Fountainhead" Linus Fenton Director

Awards and nominations

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Year Award Category Nominated work Result Refs.
2013 WhatsOnStage Awards Best Newcomer South Downs Nominated [50]
2014 BFI London Film Festival Best British Newcomer The Imitation Game Nominated [51]
2015 London Critics' Circle Film Awards Young British Performer of the Year Won [52]
2016 Audi Dublin International Film Festival Best Actor Departure Won [53]
Dinard British Film Festival Special Mention - Actors Won [54]
2018 International Online Cinema Awards Best Actor in a Comedy Series The End of the F***ing World Nominated [55]
Fright Meter Awards Best Supporting Actor Ghost Stories Runner-Up [56]
2019 Obie Awards Special Citation - Cast and Creative Team The Jungle Won [57]
2024 London Critics' Circle Film Awards British/Irish Short Film of the Year For people in trouble Nominated [58]
Annie Awards Voice Acting in an Animated Television/Media Production The Velveteen Rabbit Nominated [59]

References

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  1. ^ "FamilySearch". FamilySearch.
  2. ^ Graves, Shahlin (3 April 2018). "Interview: Alex Lawther on 'The End Of The F***ing World'". Coup De Main Magazine. Retrieved 25 November 2022.
  3. ^ "Alex Lawther on playing a psychopath". British GQ. 25 June 2018. Retrieved 25 November 2022.
  4. ^ "London's top 25 under-25s: they're young and successful - deal with it". Evening Standard. 28 March 2013.
  5. ^ a b c d e f Bellotti, Alex. "Teenage prodigy Alex Lawther following footsteps of Ben Whishaw and Benedict Cumberbatch". Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 4 November 2016.
  6. ^ "Alex Lawther, interview: 'I was brought up in a white, middle-class bubble'". inews.co.uk. 21 June 2018. Retrieved 14 September 2020.
  7. ^ a b "Actor Profile". Archived from the original on 16 June 2018. Retrieved 4 May 2015.
  8. ^ Wheeler, Tara (24 November 2015). "An actor on the rise – Alex Lawther - The Glass Magazine". theglassmagazine.com. Retrieved 29 December 2023.
  9. ^ Parkes, Tom (16 February 2015). "New star in the game". Archived from the original on 17 June 2018. Retrieved 4 November 2016.
  10. ^ "Sir Daniel Day Lewis Awards – Petersfield Town Council". Retrieved 8 December 2022.
  11. ^ "Bordon Post". Retrieved 4 November 2016.[permanent dead link]
  12. ^ "Old Churcherian Alex Lawther has continued to enjoy a successful and varied acting career since leaving Churcher's". Churcher's College. Archived from the original on 19 January 2015.
  13. ^ "Spotlight: ALEX LAWTHER". www.spotlight.com. Retrieved 11 September 2020.
  14. ^ "Profile: Alex Lawther – Katie Strick". 14 April 2019. Archived from the original on 14 April 2019. Retrieved 17 June 2020.
  15. ^ Rose, Steve (23 May 2013). "Benjamin Britten: Peace and Conflict – review". The Guardian. Retrieved 19 November 2020.
  16. ^ Bellotti, Alex. "Teenage prodigy Alex Lawther following footsteps of Ben Whishaw and Benedict Cumberbatch". Ham & High. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 27 December 2014.
  17. ^ Zakarin, Jordan (December 2014). "Meet the Actor Who Plays a Young Benedict Cumberbatch in 'The Imitation Game'". Yahoo. Retrieved 27 December 2014.
  18. ^ Barnard, Linda (11 December 2014). "Alex Lawther's performance as teen Turing gave director goosebumps". The Star. Retrieved 27 December 2014.
  19. ^ "'Boyhood' Wins at U.K. Critics' Awards as U.S. Talent Triumphs". Variety. 18 January 2015.
  20. ^ "Departure review – stifling holiday drama". The Guardian. 22 May 2016. Retrieved 21 August 2021.
  21. ^ "The Stories For 'Black Mirror' Season 3 Have Been Revealed (Spoiler-Free)". The Verge. 9 September 2016. Archived from the original on 18 June 2018. Retrieved 21 October 2016.
  22. ^ "Alex Lawther". 1883 Magazine. 20 February 2019. Retrieved 11 September 2020.
  23. ^ "Spotlight: ALEX LAWTHER". www.spotlight.com. Retrieved 12 September 2020.
  24. ^ Barone, Joshua (14 November 2019). "Park Avenue Armory Unveils Its 2020 Season". The New York Times.
  25. ^ Jones, Ralph (2 November 2021). "Alex Lawther: "I don't feel an obligation to just be an actor"". NME. Retrieved 11 December 2022.
  26. ^ "For people in trouble". Festival Formula. Retrieved 11 December 2022.
  27. ^ "Alex Lawther interview: "Technology is like a surveillance tool in your pocket"". NME Music News, Reviews, Videos, Galleries, Tickets and Blogs | NME.COM. 6 April 2018. Retrieved 10 September 2020.
  28. ^ "Alex Lawther, interview: 'I was brought up in a white, middle-class bubble'". inews.co.uk. 21 June 2018. Retrieved 10 September 2020.
  29. ^ "The End of the F***ing World star Alex Lawther in the winter issue". Wonderland. 2 January 2020. Retrieved 10 September 2020.
  30. ^ "Out Magazine". 3 August 2020.
  31. ^ "Olivia Colman among 1000+ artists accusing art institutions of censorship on Palestine". Artists for Palestine UK. 30 November 2023. Retrieved 7 February 2024.
  32. ^ ""Departure" star Alex Lawther talks the importance of telling LGBT stories". www.cbsnews.com. 10 March 2017. Retrieved 7 March 2021.
  33. ^ "Silver Linings: Alex Lawther - YouTube". www.youtube.com. Retrieved 27 December 2020.
  34. ^ "The End of the Fxxxing World". www.peabodyawards.com. Retrieved 11 November 2020.
  35. ^ "BAFTA Breakthrough Brits 2015". www.bafta.org. 2 November 2015. Retrieved 6 October 2020.
  36. ^ "Alex Lawther Tickets - Tour Dates & Artist Information - ATG Tickets". Archived from the original on 23 June 2018. Retrieved 4 November 2016.
  37. ^ a b "Alex Lawther: Actor". The Stage.
  38. ^ "Alex Lawther: Actor". Peccadillo Pictures. Archived from the original on 19 August 2018. Retrieved 16 February 2015.
  39. ^ Shackleton, Liz; Andreeva, Nellie (20 July 2023). "'Alien': Alex Lawther & Samuel Blenkin Among Quartet Cast As FX Series Starts Production With No SAG-AFTRA Actors Amid Strike". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 21 July 2023.
  40. ^ Spencer, Charles (15 September 2011). "South Downs/The Browning Version, Minerva Theatre, Chichester, review". The Telegraph. Retrieved 7 October 2022.
  41. ^ "South Downs/ The Browning Version, Harold Pinter Theatre - review". Evening Standard. 25 April 2012. Retrieved 7 October 2022.
  42. ^ "Fault Lines Cast and Crew". Hampstead Theatre. Archived from the original on 19 August 2018. Retrieved 19 January 2015.
  43. ^ Mountford, Fiona (1 July 2014). "The Glass Supper, Hampstead Downstairs - theatre review". Evening Standard. Retrieved 7 October 2022.
  44. ^ "Crushed Shells and Mud Official site". Southwark Playhouse. Archived from the original on 6 October 2015. Retrieved 12 September 2015.
  45. ^ "The Jungle". Young Vic. Archived from the original on 19 August 2018. Retrieved 4 January 2018.
  46. ^ McPhee, Ryan (17 November 2021). "Alex Lawther in Hamlet, Lia Williams in Oresteia Head to New York City Following COVID Delays". Playbill. Retrieved 2 January 2022.
  47. ^ "Afternoon Drama on BBC R4". BBC Radio 4.
  48. ^ "Rock Me Amadeus". BBC Radio 4.
  49. ^ "BBC Radio 4 - Drama, Evelyn Waugh - Decline and Fall, Episode 1". BBC.
  50. ^ "15 theatre faces to look out for in 2015 | WhatsOnStage". www.whatsonstage.com. 28 January 2015. Retrieved 28 October 2020.
  51. ^ "The 58th BFI London Film Festival 2014". BFI. 4 September 2014. Retrieved 8 August 2020.
  52. ^ "The 35th London Critics' Circle Film Awards". Critics Circle. 19 January 2015. Retrieved 8 August 2020.
  53. ^ "Audi Dublin International Film Festival Awards winners". Breaking News. Archived from the original on 20 March 2017. Retrieved 8 August 2020.
  54. ^ "Dinard British Film Festival (2015)". IMDb. Retrieved 19 November 2020.
  55. ^ "International Online Cinema Awards (INOCA) (2018)". IMDb. Retrieved 25 October 2021.
  56. ^ "Fright Meter Awards 2018". Fright Meter Awards. Archived from the original on 20 July 2020. Retrieved 8 August 2020.
  57. ^ "2019 Obie Award Winners". Obie Awards. 21 May 2019. Retrieved 28 October 2020.
  58. ^ Vincent, Maxance (20 December 2023). "44th London Critics Circle Awards Nominations Announced". Awards Radar. Retrieved 7 February 2024.
  59. ^ Pond, Steve (11 January 2024). "Annie Awards Nominations 2024: Complete List". TheWrap. Retrieved 7 February 2024.
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