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William Jack Poulter (born 28 January 1993) is a British actor. He first gained recognition for his role as
Eustace Scrubb Eustace Clarence Scrubb is a fictional character in C. S. Lewis's ''Chronicles of Narnia''. He appears in ''The Voyage of the Dawn Treader'', ''The Silver Chair'', and '' The Last Battle''. In ''The Voyage of the Dawn Treader'', he is accompani ...
in the fantasy adventure film '' The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader'' (2010). He received critical praise for his starring role in the comedy film '' We're the Millers'' (2013), for which he won the
BAFTA Rising Star Award The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) Rising Star Award, currently styled as the EE Rising Star Award for commercial reasons and previously known as the Orange Rising Star Award, is an award that acknowledges new talents in the ...
. Poulter starred in the dystopian science fiction film ''
The Maze Runner ''The Maze Runner'' is a 2009 young adult dystopian science fiction novel written by American author James Dashner and the first book released in ''The Maze Runner'' series. The novel was published on October 6, 2009, by Delacorte Press, an ...
'' (2014) and the sequel '' Maze Runner: The Death Cure'' (2018), the period epic film '' The Revenant'' (2015), the crime drama film ''
Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at t ...
'' (2017), the interactive science fiction film '' Black Mirror: Bandersnatch'' (2018), and the folk horror film '' Midsommar'' (2019). In 2021, he had a leading role in the
Hulu Hulu () is an American subscription streaming service majority-owned by The Walt Disney Company, with Comcast's NBCUniversal holding a minority stake. It was launched on October 29, 2007 and it offers a library of films and television series ...
miniseries '' Dopesick'', for which he received an
Emmy The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...
nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie.


Early life

Poulter was born on 28 January 1993 in
Hammersmith Hammersmith is a district of West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It is the administrative centre of the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, and identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London ...
,
London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
, the son of Neil Poulter, a professor of Preventive Cardiovascular Medicine at
Imperial College London Imperial College London (legally Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine) is a public research university in London, United Kingdom. Its history began with Prince Albert, consort of Queen Victoria, who developed his vision for a cu ...
, and Caroline (
née A birth name is the name of a person given upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name, or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth re ...
Barrah), a former nurse who was brought up in
Kenya ) , national_anthem = " Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi , ...
. He was a pupil at Harrodian School, whose well-known acting graduates also include George MacKay and
Robert Pattinson Robert Douglas Thomas Pattinson (born 13 May 1986) is an English actor. Known for starring in both big-budget and independent films, Pattinson has ranked among the world's highest-paid actors. In 2010, ''Time'' magazine named him one of the 10 ...
. However, he struggled in school due to
dyslexia Dyslexia, also known until the 1960s as word blindness, is a disorder characterized by reading below the expected level for one's age. Different people are affected to different degrees. Problems may include difficulties in spelling words, r ...
and
developmental coordination disorder Developmental coordination disorder (DCD), also known as developmental motor coordination disorder, developmental dyspraxia or simply dyspraxia from the word 'praxis' meaning to do or act, is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by impaire ...
, telling ''
The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publish ...
'' in 2013, "It felt like it didn't matter how hard I tried, I wasn't getting anywhere. That's the most demoralising thing, as a kid. And to find something like drama, which I loved so much... it gave me a sense of purpose." Poulter began studying drama at the
University of Bristol , mottoeng = earningpromotes one's innate power (from Horace, ''Ode 4.4'') , established = 1595 – Merchant Venturers School1876 – University College, Bristol1909 – received royal charter , type ...
in 2012, before dropping out after a year. Poulter is a supporter of
Arsenal F.C. Arsenal Football Club, commonly referred to as Arsenal, is a professional football club based in Islington, London, England. Arsenal plays in the Premier League, the top flight of English football. The club has won 13 league titles (inclu ...


Career


2007–2012: Early work

Poulter played various acting roles before landing the role of Lee Carter in the 2007 movie ''
Son of Rambow ''Son of Rambow'' is a 2007 comedy film written and directed by Garth Jennings and inspired by '' First Blood''. The film premiered on 22 January 2007 at the Sundance Film Festival. It was later shown at the Newport Beach Film Festival, Sea ...
'', which was released to positive reviews and praise for the performances of Poulter and his co-star
Bill Milner William Henry Milner (born 4 March 1995) is an English actor. He starred as Will Proudfoot in ''Son of Rambow'' (2007), Edward in '' Is Anybody There?'' (2008), and the young Erik Lensherr in '' X-Men: First Class'' (2011). Early life William ...
. He also performed with other young comedic actors in ''
School of Comedy ''School of Comedy'' is a British character-based comedy sketch show which was turned into a television show after a successful run of review shows at the Edinburgh festival. which aired its pilot on Channel 4's
Comedy Lab ''Comedy Lab'' is a British television series which showcases pilots of experimental comedy shows. Series have been aired irregularly on Channel 4 and E4 since 1998. Several pilots first shown on ''Comedy Lab'' have gone on to spawn full serie ...
on 21 August 2008. ''School of Comedy'' was then commissioned for a full series by
Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a fourth television service ...
, which began airing on 2 October 2009. The programme finished after a second series. In 2009, he was selected to play the role of
Eustace Scrubb Eustace Clarence Scrubb is a fictional character in C. S. Lewis's ''Chronicles of Narnia''. He appears in ''The Voyage of the Dawn Treader'', ''The Silver Chair'', and '' The Last Battle''. In ''The Voyage of the Dawn Treader'', he is accompani ...
in the film '' The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader'' (filmed in Queensland, Australia), and was accompanied by some members of his family.Will Poulter Cast as Eustace Scrubb
at www.narniaweb.com (accessed 22 June 2008)
Will Poulter Cast in Narnia 3
at www.comingsoon.net (accessed 22 June 2008)
The movie was first screened on 10 December 2010. The film opened to mixed reviews, but Poulter's performance was well received. In 2010, he appeared in the
BBC Three BBC Three is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It was first launched on 9 February 2003 with programmes targeting 16 to 34-year-olds, covering all genres including animation, comedy, cur ...
pilot ''The Fades'', a 60-minute supernatural thriller written by '' Skins'' writer
Jack Thorne Jack Thorne FRSL (born 6 December 1978) is a British playwright, television writer, screenwriter, and producer. He is best known for writing the stage play '' Harry Potter and the Cursed Child'', the films '' Wonder'' and '' Enola Holmes'', ...
. The pilot was picked up as a six-part series with an almost entirely new cast, which aired in 2011. Poulter began filming a small British independent film called '' Wild Bill'', directed by Dexter Fletcher, at the end of 2010. The film was released on 23 March 2012 to extremely positive reviews, with praise for Poulter's performance. In 2011, Poulter appeared with his ''School of Comedy'' co-star and popular British blogger, Jack Harries, on his YouTube channel ''JacksGap'', in a video called ''Jack and Will''. In 2012, Poulter began studying drama at the
University of Bristol , mottoeng = earningpromotes one's innate power (from Horace, ''Ode 4.4'') , established = 1595 – Merchant Venturers School1876 – University College, Bristol1909 – received royal charter , type ...
where he lived in Badock Hall, however dropped out after a year in order to pursue acting full time.


2013–present: Mainstream recognition and further work

In 2013, he played Kenny in '' We're the Millers'', starring
Jennifer Aniston Jennifer Joanna Aniston (born February 11, 1969) is an American actress and film producer. She is the recipient of various accolades, including a Primetime Emmy Award, a Golden Globe Award and two Screen Actors Guild Awards. Since her career ...
and
Jason Sudeikis Daniel Jason Sudeikis ( ; born September 18, 1975) is an American actor, comedian, producer, and writer. In the 1990s, he began his career in improv comedy and performed with ComedySportz, iO Chicago (Improv Olympic), and The Second City. In 200 ...
. While the film opened to mixed reviews, the performances of the cast were well received, especially that of Poulter, who found mainstream recognition with his showy, comedic work in the film. He also appeared as a caretaker in the music video for
Rizzle Kicks Rizzle Kicks are a British hip hop duo from Brighton, England, consisting of Jordan "Rizzle" Stephens (born 25 January 1992) and Harley "Sylvester" Alexander-Sule (born 1991). Their debut album, ''Stereo Typical'', was released in 2011. As o ...
' song "Skip to the Good Bit". Though he loved the script and auditioned for the role of Augustus Waters, he was denied the part in '' The Fault in Our Stars''. In 2014, he played Fordy in the crime film ''
Plastic Plastics are a wide range of synthetic or semi-synthetic materials that use polymers as a main ingredient. Their plasticity makes it possible for plastics to be moulded, extruded or pressed into solid objects of various shapes. This adapta ...
'', directed by Julian Gilbey and starring Ed Speleers, Alfie Allen,
Sebastian De Souza Sebastian Denis de Souza (born 19 April 1993)''Births, Marriages & Deaths Index of England and Wales, 1916–2005'' B100D is an English actor. He is best known for playing Matty Levan in the E4 teen drama series '' Skins''. He has since starre ...
and Emma Rigby. The film was critically panned on release. The same year, he played Gally in the film adaptation of ''
The Maze Runner ''The Maze Runner'' is a 2009 young adult dystopian science fiction novel written by American author James Dashner and the first book released in ''The Maze Runner'' series. The novel was published on October 6, 2009, by Delacorte Press, an ...
'', alongside
Dylan O'Brien Dylan Rhodes O'Brien (born August 26, 1991) is an American actor. His first major role was Stiles Stilinski on the MTV supernatural drama ''Teen Wolf'' (2011–2017), where he was a series regular during all six seasons. He achieved further pr ...
and
Kaya Scodelario Kaya Rose Scodelario-Davis (née Humphrey; born 13 March 1992) is an English actress best known for her roles as Effy Stonem on the E4 teen drama '' Skins'' (2007–2010, 2013), and Teresa in the ''Maze Runner'' film series (2014–2018). Oth ...
. The film was a critical and commercial success, with the performances of the cast being praised. Poulter went on to describe the film, and his role in it, as "a turning point" in his career. In 2015, Poulter starred as Shane in the Irish indie film ''
Glassland ''Glassland'' is a 2014 Irish drama film written and directed by Gerard Barrett in his second feature following '' Pilgrim Hill''. The film stars Jack Reynor as a young man who tries to help his mother (Toni Collette) with her alcoholism. Plot ...
'', directed by Gerard Barrett and co-starring Jack Reynor and
Toni Collette Toni Collette Galafassi (born Toni Collett; 1 November 1972) is an Australian actress, producer, singer, and songwriter. Known for her work in television and independent films, she has received various accolades throughout her career, inclu ...
. In 2014, Poulter won the
BAFTA Rising Star Award The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) Rising Star Award, currently styled as the EE Rising Star Award for commercial reasons and previously known as the Orange Rising Star Award, is an award that acknowledges new talents in the ...
, voted for by the public. The same year, he also won the
MTV Movie Award for Best Breakthrough Performance This is a following list of the MTV Movie Award winners and nominees for Best Breakthrough Performance, first awarded in 1992. In 2010 and 2011, it was renamed Best Breakout Star. In 2012, it returned to its original name but was turned into a non ...
and the
MTV Movie Award for Best Kiss The following list is for the MTV Movie Award winners and nominees for Best Kiss. Kristen Stewart & Robert Pattinson won for "The Twilight Saga films" (along with "Best Movie") in four consecutive years (2009–2012). Winners and nominees Award ...
(shared with his co-stars Jennifer Aniston and
Emma Roberts Emma Rose Roberts (born February 10, 1991 Additional on October 9, 2016) is an American actress. Known for her work in film and television projects of the horror and thriller genres, she has received various accolades, including a Young Arti ...
) for his performance in ''We're the Millers''. In 2014, Poulter was chosen as one of 23 upcoming actors to feature in July's issue of ''
Vanity Fair Vanity Fair may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Literature * Vanity Fair, a location in '' The Pilgrim's Progress'' (1678), by John Bunyan * ''Vanity Fair'' (novel), 1848, by William Makepeace Thackeray * ''Vanity Fair'' (magazines), the ...
'', with all actors being named "Hollywood's Next Wave". Poulter played
Jim Bridger James Felix "Jim" Bridger (March 17, 1804 – July 17, 1881) was an American mountain man, trapper, Army scout, and wilderness guide who explored and trapped in the Western United States in the first half of the 19th century. He was known as Old ...
in the revenge-thriller '' The Revenant'' (2015), directed by
Alejandro González Iñárritu Alejandro González Iñárritu (; American Spanish: ; credited since 2016 as Alejandro G. Iñárritu; born 15 August 1963) is a Mexican filmmaker and screenwriter. He is primarily known for making modern psychological drama films about the hu ...
, and starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hardy. The film centres on an 1820s frontiersman on a path of vengeance against those who left him for dead after a bear mauling. In 2017, he played the racist police officer Philip Krauss in the film ''
Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at t ...
'', about the
1967 Detroit riots The 1967 Detroit Riot, also known as the 12th Street Riot or Detroit Rebellion, was the bloodiest of the urban riots in the United States during the "Long, hot summer of 1967". Composed mainly of confrontations between Black residents and the De ...
. His work in the film was praised with one critic calling him "terrifyingly confident". Poulter was initially cast as Pennywise the Clown in the 2017 film adaptation of
Stephen King Stephen Edwin King (born September 21, 1947) is an American author of horror, supernatural fiction, suspense, crime, science-fiction, and fantasy novels. Described as the "King of Horror", a play on his surname and a reference to his high s ...
's 1986 epic horror novel '' It''. However, it was announced in June 2016 that
Bill Skarsgård Bill Istvan Günther Skarsgård (; born 9 August 1990) is a Swedish actor, producer, director, writer, voice actor, and model. He is best known for portraying Pennywise the Dancing Clown in the supernatural horror films '' It'' (2017) and '' It ...
had been cast instead because Poulter dropped out due both to scheduling conflicts (the film was set to shoot at the same time as Poulter was set to begin work on ''Detroit'') as well as the departure of its initial director, Cary Fukunaga. In 2018, Poulter reprised his role as Gally in '' Maze Runner: The Death Cure'', the third and final installment of the ''Maze Runner'' film series. Later that year, he starred in the film '' The Little Stranger'' as Roderick "Roddy" Ayres, a facially disfigured, haunted war veteran; and as game developer Colin Ritman in '' Black Mirror: Bandersnatch'', a standalone
interactive film An interactive film is a video game or other interactive media that has characteristics of a cinematic film. In the video game industry, the term refers to a movie game, a video game that presents its gameplay in a cinematic, scripted manner, ...
of the ''Black Mirror'' television series. In 2019, he played the character of Mark in
Ari Aster Ari Aster (born July 15, 1986) is an American film director, screenwriter, and producer. He is known for writing and directing the horror films ''Hereditary'' (2018) and '' Midsommar'' (2019). Early life Aster was born into a Jewish family in Ne ...
's horror film '' Midsommar''. In 2020, he participated in filming '' The Dark Pictures Anthology: Little Hope'', an interactive choice game created by Supermassive Games, in which he portrays Andrew, Anthony and Abraham. In October 2021, Poulter was cast in '' Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3'' as Adam Warlock, set to be released on 5 May 2023. Poulter played the role of
OxyContin Oxycodone, sold under various brand names such as Roxicodone and OxyContin (which is the extended release form), is a strong, semi-synthetic opioid used medically for treatment of moderate to severe pain. It is highly addictive and a commonly ...
sales representative Sales are activities related to selling or the number of goods sold in a given targeted time period. The delivery of a service for a cost is also considered a sale. The seller, or the provider of the goods or services, completes a sale in r ...
Billy Cutler in Hulu's 2021 drama miniseries '' Dopesick''. Poulter's performance was nominated for a 2022 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie for this role.


Filmography


Film


Television


Video games


Awards and nominations


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Poulter, William 1993 births Living people 21st-century English male actors BAFTA Rising Star Award winners BAFTA winners (people) English male child actors English male film actors English male stage actors English male television actors Male actors from London People educated at The Harrodian School People from Hammersmith People with dyslexia