Fionn Whitehead (; born 18 July 1997) is an English actor. He portrayed the lead role in the 2017 film ''

Dunkirk Dunkirk ( ; ; ; Picard language, Picard: ''Dunkèke''; ; or ) is a major port city in the Departments of France, department of Nord (French department), Nord in northern France. It lies from the Belgium, Belgian border. It has the third-larg ...

'' and the 2018 film '' Black Mirror: Bandersnatch''. His first acting credit was in the 2016 ITV miniseries '' Him''.

Life

Whitehead was born on 1997 in the

Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, California, a city in the United States * Richmond, London, a town in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, England * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town ...

area of

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

to jazz musicians Tim and Linda Whitehead. He was named after Irish folk legend

Fionn mac Cumhaill Fionn mac Cumhaill, often anglicised Finn McCool or MacCool, is a hero in Irish mythology, as well as in later Scottish and Manx folklore. He is the leader of the ''Fianna'' bands of young roving hunter-warriors, as well as being a seer a ...

. Whitehead has two older sisters, Maisie, a performance artist and Hattie, a singer, and one older brother, Sonny. Whitehead was raised "in an artistic household". As a child, he aspired to become either a guitarist or a breakdancer. He began acting at the Orange Tree Theatre aged thirteen. He then went to Richmond College and entered the

National Youth Theatre The National Youth Theatre of Great Britain (NYT) is a youth theatre and charity in London, created with the aim of developing young people's artistic skills via theatrical productions and other creative endeavours. Founded in 1956 as the world ...

's summer course. By 2015, he was an aspiring actor working at a coffee shop in

Waterloo, London Waterloo () is a district in Central London, and part of the Waterloo and South Bank (ward), Waterloo and South Bank ward of the London Borough of Lambeth. It is situated east of Charing Cross. The area is part of a List of business improvement ...

Career

In 2016, Whitehead starred in the British miniseries '' Him''. In 2017 he acted in a stage performance of Glenn Waldron's '' Natives''. He was cast as the protagonist of

Christopher Nolan Sir Christopher Edward Nolan (born 30 July 1970) is a British and American filmmaker. Known for his Cinema of the United States, Hollywood Blockbuster (entertainment), blockbusters with complex storytelling, he is considered a leading filmma ...

's film ''

'', which was released in 2017. Nolan compared Whitehead to actor Tom Courtenay in his youth. Weeks after Whitehead finished with ''Dunkirk'', he began work with Richard Eyre's film '' The Children Act'', opposite

Emma Thompson Dame Emma Thompson (born 15 April 1959) is a British actress and screenwriter. Emma Thompson on screen and stage, Her work spans over four decades of screen and stage, and List of awards and nominations received by Emma Thompson, her accola ...

and Stanley Tucci, which premiered at the

Toronto International Film Festival The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF, often stylized as tiff) is one of the most prestigious and largest publicly attended film festivals in the world. Founded in 1976, the festival takes place every year in early September. The organi ...

in September 2017. He also starred in one of eight monologues in the television series '' Queers'' that aired in 2017. In 2018, Whitehead starred in the ''

Black Mirror ''Black Mirror'' is a British anthology series, anthology television series created by Charlie Brooker. Most episodes are set in near-future dystopias containing Science fiction, sci-fi technology—a type of speculative fiction. The series i ...

'' television series’ interactive stand-alone film '' Bandersnatch'', as lead character Stefan Butler. In 2019, Whitehead appeared in Sebastian Schipper's drama ''

Roads A road is a thoroughfare used primarily for movement of traffic. Roads differ from streets, whose primary use is local access. They also differ from stroads, which combine the features of streets and roads. Most modern roads are paved. The ...

'', and the

Martin Scorsese Martin Charles Scorsese ( , ; born November17, 1942) is an American filmmaker. One of the major figures of the New Hollywood era, he has received List of awards and nominations received by Martin Scorsese, many accolades, including an Academ ...

produced ''

Port Authority A port authority (less commonly a port district) is a governmental or quasi-governmental public authority for a special-purpose district usually formed by a legislative body (or bodies) to operate ports and other transportation infrastructure. ...

''. He later appeared in '' The Duke'' and '' Don’t Tell a Soul'' (both 2020). He co-stars as Branwell Bronte in the Emily Bronte biopic '' Emily'' (2022), and in a television adaptation of ''

Great Expectations ''Great Expectations'' is the thirteenth novel by English author Charles Dickens and his penultimate completed novel. The novel is a bildungsroman and depicts the education of an orphan nicknamed Pip. It is Dickens' second novel, after ''Dav ...

'' (2023), playing the lead role of Pip.

Filmography

Accolades

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Whitehead, Fionn 1997 births Living people 21st-century English male actors Alumni of Richmond upon Thames College English male film actors English male stage actors English male television actors Male actors from London National Youth Theatre members People educated at Orleans Park School Actors from the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames People from Richmond, London