Jack Andrew Lowden (born 1990) is a Scottish actor. Following a four-year stage career, his first major international onscreen success was in the 2016 BBC miniseries '' War & Peace'', which led to starring roles in feature films. Starring as River Cartright in the Apple TV series '' Slow Horses'' since 2020, he has received nominations for a

Primetime Emmy Award The Primetime Emmy Awards, or Primetime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Owned and operated by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the P ...

and a

Golden Globe Award The Golden Globe Awards are awards presented for excellence in both international film and television. It is an annual award ceremony held since 1944 to honor artists and professionals and their work. The ceremony is normally held every Janua ...

. Lowden starred as

Eric Liddell Eric Henry Liddell (; 16 January 1902 – 21 February 1945) was a Scottish sprint (running), sprinter, Rugby union, rugby player and Christian missionary. Born in Qing dynasty, Tianjin, China to Scottish missionary parents, he attended bo ...

in the 2012 play ''

Chariots of Fire ''Chariots of Fire'' is a 1981 historical drama, historical Sports film, sports drama film directed by Hugh Hudson, written by Colin Welland and produced by David Puttnam. It is based on the true story of two British athletes in the 1924 Summer ...

'' in London. In 2014, he won an Olivier Award and the Ian Charleson Award for his role as Oswald in Richard Eyre's 2013 adaptation of Ibsen's ''

Ghosts In folklore, a ghost is the soul or Spirit (supernatural entity), spirit of a dead Human, person or non-human animal that is believed by some people to be able to appear to the living. In ghostlore, descriptions of ghosts vary widely, from a ...

''. In 2013, he began to have substantial roles in British television series and feature films, including '' The Tunnel'' (2013) and '' '71'' (2014), and had leading roles in the BBC miniseries '' The Passing Bells'' (2014) and '' War & Peace'' (2016). Other screen roles include the title role as golfing legend Tommy Morris in ''

Tommy's Honour ''Tommy's Honour'' is a 2016 List of historical drama films, historical drama film depicting the lives and careers of, and the complex relationship between, the pioneering Scottish golfing champions Old Tom Morris and his son Young Tom Morris. The ...

'' (2016); the starring role of

Morrissey Steven Patrick Morrissey ( ; born 22 May 1959), known :wikt:mononym, mononymously as Morrissey, is an English singer and songwriter. He came to prominence as the frontman and lyricist of rock band the Smiths, who were active from 1982 to 198 ...

in the biopic '' England Is Mine'' (2017); a main-cast role as an RAF fighter-pilot in

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 ''

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 ...

'' (2017); a starring role in the

Scottish Highlands The Highlands (; , ) is a historical region of Scotland. Culturally, the Highlands and the Scottish Lowlands, Lowlands diverged from the Late Middle Ages into the modern period, when Scots language, Lowland Scots language replaced Scottish Gae ...

thriller '' Calibre'' (2018, for which he won the British Academy Scotland Award for Best Film Actor); Lord Darnley in ''

Mary Queen of Scots Mary, Queen of Scots (8 December 1542 – 8 February 1587), also known as Mary Stuart or Mary I of Scotland, was List of Scottish monarchs, Queen of Scotland from 14 December 1542 until her forced abdication in 1567. The only surviving legit ...

'' (2018); a starring role as a plantation owner in 19th-century Jamaica in the 2018 BBC miniseries '' The Long Song''; and as Zak "Zodiac" Bevis in the 2019 comedy-drama WWE film '' Fighting with My Family''.

Early life and education

Jack Lowden was born in

Essex Essex ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East of England, and one of the home counties. It is bordered by Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, the North Sea to the east, Kent across the Thames Estuary to the ...

in 1990 of Scottish parents. His parents went to England to have IVF treatment for the pregnancies and births of both Jack and his younger brother Calum. He grew up in the Scottish village of Oxton. Calum trained as a ballet dancer from a young age at the Manor School of Ballet in

Edinburgh Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...

,Wilson, Benji
"Jack the likely lad"
''

The Sunday Times ''The Sunday Times'' is a British Sunday newspaper whose circulation makes it the largest in Britain's quality press market category. It was founded in 1821 as ''The New Observer''. It is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of N ...

''. 2 November 2014.Kelly, Rona
"BWW Interview: Jack Lowden Talks ''Measure for Measure''"
''Broadway World''. 15 November 2018. and later at the English National Ballet School and the

Royal Ballet School The Royal Ballet School is a British school of classical ballet training founded in 1926 by the Anglo-Irish ballerina and choreographer Ninette de Valois. The school's aim is to train and educate outstanding classical ballet dancers, especially ...

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 ...

, before joining the

Royal Swedish Ballet The Royal Swedish Ballet is one of the oldest ballet companies in Europe. Based in Stockholm, Sweden, Gustav III of Sweden, King Gustav III founded the ballet in 1773 as a part of his national cultural project in response to the French and Italian ...

.Swerling, Gabriella
"Borders brothers on stage and screen tell of inspirations"
''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British Newspaper#Daily, daily Newspaper#National, national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its modern name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its si ...

''. 22 January 2016.Miller, Phil
"The Borders brothers lighting up stage and screen: Jack and Calum Lowden, on their fraternal fame"
'' The Herald''. 20 January 2016. As a child, Lowden attended the dance classes at Manor School of Ballet as well, but found he was better at, and more suited to, acting.Jamieson, Teddy
"Jack Lowden is Scotland's next big thing. And it's all because of Riverdance"
'' The Herald''. 24 June 2018. As a child, however, he wanted to be a footballer.Hayes, Martha
"From theatrical pedigree to an A-list girlfriend, Jack Lowden has all the hallmarks of a rising star"
''

Evening Standard The ''London Standard'', formerly the ''Evening Standard'' (1904–2024) and originally ''The Standard'' (1827–1904), is a long-established regional newspaper published weekly and distributed free newspaper, free of charge in London, Engl ...

''. 20 February 2019. When he was 10 Lowden's parents enrolled him in the Scottish Youth Theatre in Edinburgh. At age 12 he played John in a '' Peter Pan'' pantomime at the King's Theatre, Edinburgh."It's Fizzy, It's Ginger, It's a Phenomenal Show".
''The Southern Reporter''. 5 May 2009. He attended Earlston High School, where he starred as

Buddy Holly Charles Hardin Holley (September 7, 1936 – February 3, 1959), known as Buddy Holly, was an American singer, songwriter, and musician who was a central and pioneering figure of rock and roll. He was born to a musical family in Lubbock, Texa ...

in '' Buddy – The Buddy Holly Story'' and performed in various concerts. His determination to become a professional actor came from seeing the play '' Black Watch'' on its first run in 2007."''Black Watch'': 'One of the Two Great Scottish plays of the Past 500 Years' Returns, But the All-New Cast Are Determined Not to Coast on That Reputation"
''

The Scotsman ''The Scotsman'' is a Scottish compact (newspaper), compact newspaper and daily news website headquartered in Edinburgh. First established as a radical political paper in 1817, it began daily publication in 1855 and remained a broadsheet until ...

''. 15 September 2010. While in high school, he studied during summer school at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London."Week Ended 7th March 2008: Jack's Success"
. ''Earlston High School News Archive 2008''. He also performed regularly at the Galashiels Amateur Operatic Society, where he played the lead in a 2008 production of '' The Boy Friend''. Lowden received a BA in acting from the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama in

Glasgow Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...

in 2011."High School Bru-sical Debut Made"
''

BBC News BBC News is an operational business division of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs in the UK and around the world. The department is the world's largest broad ...

''. 6 May 2009.

Career

2009–2011

In 2009, at the age of 18, Lowden starred in a television advertisement for Irn-Bru, sending up '' High School Musical''. In 2010 he had a small part as the character Nick Fairclough on an episode of the Glasgow-set television series '' Being Victor''. In 2010–11 Lowden was the lead character, Cammy, in the National Theatre of Scotland's revival production of the Olivier Award-winning play '' Black Watch''. The play is an incisive and topical look at the harsh reality of war, and depicts soldiers of the legendary historic Scottish Black Watch regiment serving in

Iraq Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...

. He and the rest of the cast underwent gruelling physical training during the rehearsals period to get into military shape. The ''Black Watch'' production toured to London ( Barbican),

, Aberdeen, and

Belfast Belfast (, , , ; from ) is the capital city and principal port of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan and connected to the open sea through Belfast Lough and the North Channel (Great Britain and Ireland), North Channel ...

, and in the U.S. to New York City, Washington, Chicago, Austin, and Chapel Hill.Piepenburg, Erik
"Sons of Scotland: A Closer Look at ''Black Watch''"
(video). ''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

''. 21 April 2011. UK reviewers deemed Lowden "a clearly hugely promising young actor" "who carries off this amazing start to his career with assurance and maturity". In the U.S., ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...

'' described him as "quietly charismatic" and a "stand-out"; this was echoed by the ''

Chicago Sun-Times The ''Chicago Sun-Times'' is a daily nonprofit newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Since 2022, it is the flagship paper of Chicago Public Media, and has long held the second largest circulation among Chicago newspaper ...

'', which called him "easily charismatic"; and the ''

Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is an American daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Founded in 1847, it was formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper", a slogan from which its once integrated WGN (AM), WGN radio and ...

'' noted his "rich and finely detailed work".

2012–2015

From 9 May 2012 to 5 January 2013 Lowden starred as Scottish runner and missionary

in ''

'', the stage adaptation of the film of the same name. The Olympic-themed play, created and produced specifically in honour of the 2012 London Summer Olympics, opened at London's Hampstead Theatre and transferred to the Gielgud Theatre in the West End in June 2012. Lowden's performance was widely praised, including by Libby Purves in ''

''. Onscreen, in 2012 he appeared in the ITV drama '' Mrs Biggs'' as Alan Wright, who has an affair with Charmian Biggs and gets her pregnant. In 2013, he played the pivotal role of the lead character's son, Adam, in the television series '' The Tunnel''. The series is a British/French crime-drama co-production, and aired in the UK and in France; in the summer of 2016 it aired on PBS in the U.S. He also had a sizable role as a young British soldier in the 2014 film '' '71'', which takes place in

in 1971 during the Northern Ireland conflict. In 2014, Lowden received both the Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role, and also the Ian Charleson Award, for his role as Oswald in Richard Eyre's adaptation of Ibsen's ''

''.Wise, Louis
"Haunting brilliance"
'' Sunday Times''. 4 May 2014. The production ran from September 2013 to March 2014, opening at the

Almeida Theatre The Almeida Theatre is a 325-seat producing house located on Almeida Street off Upper Street in the London Borough of Islington. The theatre opened in 1980, and produces a diverse range of drama. Successful plays are often transferred to West E ...

and then transferring in December to the West End at Trafalgar Studios. A filmed February 2014 performance of the production screened in more than 275 UK and Irish cinemas on 26 June 2014. The entire filmed performance is viewable online."Richard Eyre's GHOSTS, Starring Lesley Manville and Jack Lowden, Out Online Sept 18"
''Broadway World''. 19 August 2014. In June 2014 ''

Screen Daily ''Screen International'' is a British film magazine covering the international film business. It is published by Media Business Insight, a British B2B media company which also owned '' Broadcast''. The magazine is primarily aimed at those involv ...

'' named Lowden one of the UK Stars of Tomorrow.Halligan, Fionnuala
"Jack Lowden, UK Stars of Tomorrow 2014"
''

''. 5 June 2014."Screen unveils 2014 UK Stars of Tomorrow"
''

''. 5 June 2014. He performed

Orestes In Greek mythology, Orestes or Orestis (; ) was the son of Agamemnon and Clytemnestra, and the brother of Electra and Iphigenia. He was also known by the patronymic Agamemnonides (), meaning "son of Agamemnon." He is the subject of several ...

in ''

Electra Electra, also spelt Elektra (; ; ), is one of the most popular Greek mythology, mythological characters in tragedies.Evans (1970), p. 79 She is the main character in two Greek tragedies, ''Electra (Sophocles play), Electra'' by Sophocles and ''Ele ...

'' at the

Old Vic Old or OLD may refer to: Places *Old, Baranya, Hungary *Old, Northamptonshire, England *Old Street station, a railway and tube station in London (station code OLD) *OLD, IATA code for Old Town Municipal Airport and Seaplane Base, Old Town, Mai ...

in the autumn of 2014. The production starred Kristin Scott Thomas as his sister Electra, and Diana Quick played their mother Clytemnestra. Previews began 22 September, the official opening was 1 October, and the run continued in a limited engagement through to 20 December 2014. On television he starred as one of the two leads in the 2014 World War I BBC drama series '' The Passing Bells''. It is the story of two youths, one from Germany and one from the UK, who enlist as soldiers at the beginning of the war.

2016–2019

Lowden portrayed Nikolai Rostov, one of the main characters, in the 2016 BBC miniseries '' War & Peace''. The 6-part miniseries, which was broadcast around the world and positively reviewed, garnered Lowden the most exposure he had had thus far in his career. In film he played the title role in ''

'' (2016), about legendary Scottish golfing champion Old Tom Morris, played by Peter Mullan, and his complex and bittersweet relationship with his son Tom "Tommy" Morris, Jr.; Lowden was nominated for Best Film Actor at the 2016 BAFTA Scotland Awards for his performance.British Academy Scotland Awards: Nominees in 2016
2016 BAFTA Scotland. Retrieved 10 October 2016. He also portrayed British politician

Tony Benn Anthony Neil Wedgwood Benn (3 April 1925 – 14 March 2014), known between 1960 and 1963 as Viscount Stansgate, was a British Labour Party (UK), Labour Party politician and political activist who served as a Cabinet of the United Kingdom, Cabine ...

in a supporting role in '' A United Kingdom'', a 2016 film about Seretse Khama and Ruth Williams Khama. In another supporting role, he was one of star Rachel Weisz's character's attorneys in ''

Denial Denial, in colloquial English usage, has at least three meanings: * the assertion that any particular statement or allegation, whose truth is uncertain, is not true; * the refusal of a request; and * the assertion that a true statement is fal ...

'' (2016), a fact-based legal-drama film about

Holocaust denial Historical negationism, Denial of the Holocaust is an antisemitic conspiracy theory that asserts that the genocide of Jews by the Nazi Party, Nazis is a fabrication or exaggeration. It includes making one or more of the following false claims: ...

which also starred Andrew Scott. In April 2016, he was a finalist in the entertainment category at the 11th Young Scot Awards. In November 2016, the UK arts and entertainment magazine '' The List'' featured Lowden as one of The Hot 100 2016."The Hot 100 2016: 100–91"
'' The List''. 2 November 2016. He played a

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the Air force, air and space force of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. It was formed towards the end of the World War I, First World War on 1 April 1918, on the merger of t ...

fighter pilot A fighter pilot or combat pilot is a Military aviation, military aviator trained to engage in air-to-air combat, Air-to-ground weaponry, air-to-ground combat and sometimes Electronic-warfare aircraft, electronic warfare while in the cockpit of ...

, one of the leading roles, in

's WorldWarII film ''

'', released in July 2017. And he portrayed

in a biopic of the singer titled '' England Is Mine'', written and directed by Mark Gill; the film, which co-stars

Jessica Brown Findlay Jessica Rose Brown Findlay (born 14 September 1987) is an English actress. She played Lady Sybil Crawley (2010–2012) in the ITV television period drama series ''Downton Abbey'' and Emelia Conan Doyle in the 2011 British comedy-drama featu ...

, premiered at the closing gala of the Edinburgh International Film Festival on 2 July 2017 and went into wide release in August 2017. He co-starred with Martin McCann in a Scottish thriller, '' Calibre'' (2018), which began filming in November 2016, debuted at the 2018 Edinburgh International Film Festival, and was released globally on

Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...

on 29 June 2018. Guy Lodge in '' Variety'' wrote of his performance, " lead performance of through-the-wringer commitment by rising Scots star Jack Lowden. ... An Olivier Award-winning stage actor now settling into a quietly potent, empathetic screen presence, Lowden impressively holds it together through all these key changes, even when his character emphatically does not." Lowden won the

2018 Events January * January 1 – Bulgaria takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Estonian presidency. * January 4 – SPLM-IO rebels loyal to Chan Garang Lual start a raid against Juba, capital of ...

British Academy Scotland Award for Best Film Actor for the performance. On stage, from 28 September to 24 November 2018, Lowden starred opposite Hayley Atwell in Shakespeare's ''

Measure for Measure ''Measure for Measure'' is a play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in 1603 or 1604 and first performed in 1604. It was published in the First Folio of 1623. The play centers on the despotic and puritan Angelo (Measure for ...

'', at the Donmar Warehouse in London, directed by Josie Rourke. It was a unique gender-reversal production of the work, and he and Atwell alternated the roles of Angelo and Isabella during the play. On television, in December 2018 he co-starred with Tamara Lawrance and Hayley Atwell, in a three-part BBC adaptation of Andrea Levy's novel '' The Long Song'', about a slave on a sugar plantation in 19th-century Jamaica; the piece was filmed on location in the Dominican Republic. He portrayed Lord Darnley in ''

'' (2018), opposite Saoirse Ronan and directed by theatre director Josie Rourke, and Zak "Zodiac" Bevis in the 2019 comedy-drama WWE film '' Fighting with My Family'', opposite Florence Pugh and directed by Steve Merchant. He appeared as FBI agent Crawford in the Al Capone biopic '' Capone'' (2020), starring his ''Dunkirk'' co-star Tom Hardy. In February 2019, Lowden teamed up with Beta Cinema to form his own production company, Reiver Pictures, based in Edinburgh.Macnab, Geoffrey
"Beta Cinema teams with Jack Lowden for thriller ''Corvidae'' (exclusive)"
''

''. 7 February 2019. This led to the production of a psychological thriller, '' Kindred'', in which Lowden also starred alongside Tamara Lawrance and Fiona Shaw. He portrayed

Siegfried Sassoon Siegfried Loraine Sassoon (8 September 1886 – 1 September 1967) was an English war poet, writer, and soldier. Decorated for bravery on the Western Front (World War I), Western Front, he became one of the leading poets of the First World ...

in the 2022 biopic ''

Benediction A benediction (, 'well' + , 'to speak') is a short invocation for divine help, blessing and guidance, usually at the end of worship service. It can also refer to a specific Christian religious service including the exposition of the eucharisti ...

''.

2020–present

Lowden was announced to star in the Apple TV series '' Slow Horses'' in December 2020. He reprised his role for seasons two, three, and four, and is set to appear in season five. He was nominated at the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards in 2024 as Outstanding Supporting Actor in A Drama Series. He joined Duncan Jones' upcoming film ''

Rogue Trooper ''Rogue Trooper'' is a science fiction strip in the British comic book, comic ''2000 AD (comics), 2000 AD'', created by Gerry Finley-Day and Dave Gibbons in 1981. It portrays the adventures of a "Supersoldier, Genetic Infantryman" named Rogue ...

''.

Personal life

From 2019 to 2021, Lowden resided in

Leith Leith (; ) is a port area in the north of Edinburgh, Scotland, founded at the mouth of the Water of Leith and is home to the Port of Leith. The earliest surviving historical references are in the royal charter authorising the construction of ...

, Edinburgh, before moving back to the

Scottish Borders The Scottish Borders is one of 32 council areas of Scotland. It is bordered by West Lothian, Edinburgh, Midlothian, and East Lothian to the north, the North Sea to the east, Dumfries and Galloway to the south-west, South Lanarkshire to the we ...

in May 2021. He supports Scottish independence. Since 2018, he has been in a relationship with Irish actress Saoirse Ronan, his co-star in ''Mary Queen of Scots''. The ''

Irish Independent The ''Irish Independent'' is an Irish daily newspaper A newspaper is a Periodical literature, periodical publication containing written News, information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray backgrou ...

'' reported in July 2024 that they married in Edinburgh. In May 2025, it was reported that the couple are expecting their first child. Lowden is a supporter of Broxburn Athletic Football Club and occasionally attends their matches. He even presented a man of the match award to Broxburn player Calum Heath after a win away at Crossgates Primrose.

Filmography

Film

Television

Video games

Theatre credits

Awards and nominations

References

External links

*
May 2012 BBC Radio 4 interview
(2:20 to 13:00)
3-minute video segment from 2014 performance in Ibsen's ''Ghosts''''Ghosts'' co-star and fellow Olivier winner Lesley Manville on Jack Lowden
(April 2014)
Profile
in ''

Interview An interview is a structured conversation where one participant asks questions, and the other provides answers.Merriam Webster DictionaryInterview Dictionary definition, Retrieved February 16, 2016 In common parlance, the word "interview" re ...

'' (April 2017) {{DEFAULTSORT:Lowden, Jack 1990 births Living people 21st-century British male actors Alumni of the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland British male film actors British male stage actors British male television actors Chopard Trophy for Male Revelation winners Ian Charleson Award winners Laurence Olivier Award winners Male actors from Chelmsford Male actors from the Scottish Borders People educated at Earlston High School