David Thewlis

David Wheeler (born 20 March 1963), better known as David Thewlis (), is a British actor, author, director and screenwriter.

Thewlis rose to prominence when he starred in the film ''Naked'' (1993), for which he won the Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actor. His most commercially successful roles have been Remus Lupin in the ''Harry Potter'' franchise (2004–2011) and Sir Patrick Morgan / Ares in ''Wonder Woman'' (2017). Other film roles include ''Total Eclipse'' (1995), ''James and the Giant Peach'' (1996), ''Dragonheart'' (1996), ''Seven Years in Tibet'' (1997), ''Kingdom of Heaven'' (2005), ''The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas'' (2008), ''War Horse'' (2011), '' The Theory of Everything'' (2014), ''Anomalisa'' (2015), ''I'm Thinking of Ending Things'' (2020), and ''Enola Holmes 2'' (2022). He will appear in ''Avatar 3'' (2024).

Thewlis's most notable television roles are Cyrus Crabb in the miniseries ''Dinotopia'' (2002), V. M. Varga in the third series of '' Fargo'' (2017), the voice of the Shame Wizard in the animated sitcoms '' Big Mouth'' (2017–present) and ''Human Resources'' (2022–present), and Christopher Edwards in the miniseries '' Landscapers'' (2021). His performance in ''Fargo'' earned him nominations for an Emmy, a Golden Globe, and a Critics' Choice Award. His most recent role is John Dee in the Neil Gaiman-produced Netflix drama ''The Sandman'' (2022).

Early life

Thewlis was born David Wheeler in Blackpool, Lancashire on 20 March 1963, the son of Maureen (née Thewlis) and Alec Raymond Wheeler. Both parents worked at his father's shop. He has an older sibling and a younger sibling. As a teenager, he played in a rock band called QED and played lead guitar with a punk rock band called Door 66. He was educated at Highfield High School in Blackpool's Marton area. He later enrolled in the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London, graduating in 1984.

Career

Acting

Thewlis had a minor role in an episode of the 1980s sitcom ''Up the Elephant and Round the Castle''. He also appeared in a 1985 episode of the BBC sitcom ''Only Fools and Horses'', ' It's Only Rock and Roll', as a member of Rodney's short-lived band. His first professional role was in the play ''Buddy Holly at the Regal'' in Greenwich.

Thewlis's breakout role was ''Naked'' (1993; dir. Mike Leigh), as the main character, Johnny, a homeless, highly intelligent, embittered, rambling street philosopher, for which Thewlis was named Best Actor by the National Society of Film Critics (United States), the London Film Critics Circle, the Evening Standard, the New York Film Critics' Circle and the Cannes Film Festival. That same year, he appeared on television as a sexual predator named James Jackson in '' Prime Suspect 3'', opposite Helen Mirren and Ciarán Hinds. Before that, his first television appearance was in ''Valentine Park''.

During the 1990s, Thewlis appeared in a variety of films, mostly fantasy and period, including ''Restoration'' (1995), ''Black Beauty'' (1994), ''Total Eclipse'' (1995) with Leonardo DiCaprio, '' The Island of Dr. Moreau'' (1996), ''Dragonheart'' (1996), and ''Seven Years in Tibet'' (1997), opposite Brad Pitt. He was nominated for a British Independent Film Award for '' Divorcing Jack'' (1998), and played Clov in a television film of Samuel Beckett's ''Endgame'' (2000). Notable appearances also include Bernardo Bertolucci's ''Besieged'' (1998), the Coen brothers’ ''The Big Lebowski'' (1998), and Paul McGuigan's ''Gangster No. 1'' (2000), opposite Paul Bettany and Malcolm McDowell.

He auditioned for the role of Quirinus Quirrell in the Chris Columbus directed film ''Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'', but the part went to Ian Hart. Despite missing out on the first film, he was cast in 2004 as Professor Remus Lupin in ''Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban''. He did not have to audition as he was director Alfonso Cuarón's first choice for the role. Thewlis reprised the role in four other films in the series.

He appeared as an SS Commandant of a Nazi death camp and father of the main character in ''The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas'', which was well received. Other credits include Ridley Scott's ''Kingdom of Heaven'' (2005), Terrence Malick's ''The New World'' (2005), and ''The Omen'' (2006).

Thewlis played the late Dr Michael Aris, husband of Nobel Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi of Burma, with Malaysian actress Michelle Yeoh as Suu Kyi, in the biopic '' The Lady'' directed by Luc Besson. In 2012, he received an International Festival of Independent Cinema Off Plus Camera Award. In the same year, he also played in '' Separate We Come, Separate We Go'', directed by Harry Potter co-star Bonnie Wright.

In June 2015, Thewlis was reported to be filming scenes for a Donald Crowhurst biopic, ''The Mercy'', on the beach at Teignmouth, Devon, playing Donald Crowhurst's press agent, Rodney Hallworth, while Colin Firth is playing Donald Crowhurst. He also starred in ''Regression'', a thriller released in autumn 2015. In September 2015, Thewlis starred as Inspector Goole in Helen Edmundson's BBC TV adaptation of J. B. Priestley's ''An Inspector Calls''. In October 2015, he played King Duncan in the film '' Macbeth''.

Thewlis portrayed Ares in ''Wonder Woman'' (2017), the DC Comics film featuring the character of the same name. He briefly reprised his role as Ares in ''Justice League'' (2017). That same year, he appeared as V. M. Varga, the main antagonist of the third season of '' Fargo''. His performance was critically acclaimed, and earned him nominations for the Primetime Emmy Award, Critics' Choice Television Award and Golden Globe Award as a supporting actor.

Thewlis has most recently starred in the 2020 Netflix film ''I'm Thinking of Ending Things'', directed by Charlie Kaufman.

Filmmaking

Thewlis directed ''Hello, Hello, Hello'' in 1995, for which he was nominated for a BAFTA Award for Best Short Film. He also wrote, directed and starred in the feature ''Cheeky'' (2003).

Writing

Thewlis's black comedy novel set in the art world, ''The Late Hector Kipling'', was published by Simon & Schuster in 2007. His second book, , was published by Weidenfeld & Nicolson in 2021.

Personal life

Thewlis was married to Welsh actress Sara Sugarman from 1992 until their divorce in 1994. He then had a brief relationship with English actress Kate Hardie. He was in a relationship with English actress Anna Friel from 2001 until late 2010. Their daughter, Gracie, was born on 9 July 2005 and later became an actress. Thewlis married French designer Hermine Poitou on 5 August 2016. The couple live in Sunningdale, Berkshire.Zoe Williams, ''Growing old grotesquely'', The Guardian, London, 7 December 2021, G2, page 8.

Filmography

Film

Television

Video games

Awards and nominations

References

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Thewlis, David
1963 births
Living people
20th-century English male actors
21st-century English male actors
Alumni of the Guildhall School of Music and Drama
Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actor winners
English male film actors
English male television actors
English male Shakespearean actors
English male stage actors
English male voice actors
Male actors from Lancashire
People from Blackpool