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David Thewlis (born David Wheeler March 20, 1963) is an English actor.

Biography

Early life

Thewlis was born in Blackpool, Lancashire to Maureen and Alec Wheeler. He is the second of three children. His stage name, Thewlis, is his mother's maiden name. As a teen he played lead guitar with a punk-rock band called Door 66. He studied at the Guildhall School of Drama in London and graduated in 1985.

Career

Thewlis' first major film role was as the rambling street philosopher Johnny in Naked (1993; dir. Mike Leigh), for which he was named best actor by the National Society of Film Critics (United States), the London Critics Circle, the Evening Standard, the New York Film Critics Circle and the Cannes Film Festival. Despite the dark nature of the film, he has been critically acclaimed for the role and it is seen as one of his best roles. The same year he appeared on television as the sexual predator James Jackson in Prime Suspect 3, opposite Helen Mirren and Ciaran Hinds.

Through the 1990s, Thewlis appeared in a variety of films, mostly fantasy and period, including Restoration (1995), Total Eclipse (1995) with Leonardo DiCaprio, Dragonheart (1996), and Seven Years in Tibet (1997), opposite Brad Pitt (because of this film, Thewlis is barred from entering China). He was nominated for a British Independent Film Award for Divorcing Jack (1998), and played Clov in a (2000) television film of Samuel Beckett's Endgame. Notable appearances also include Bernardo Bertolucci's Besieged (1998) and Paul McGuigan's Gangster No. 1 (2000), opposite Malcolm McDowell.

In 2004, he starred as Remus Lupin in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (dir. Alfonso Cuaron), a role he is to reprise in the coming film in the series: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. He originally auditioned for the role of Professor Quirrell in the film Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, but the role eventually went to Ian Hart.

Recent credits include Ridley Scott's Kingdom of Heaven (2005), Terrence Malick's The New World (2005) and The Omen (2006). As a director, he was nominated for a BAFTA for best short film for Hello, Hello, Hello (1995); he has also written, directed and starred in the feature Cheeky (2003).

Personal life

In 1992, Thewlis married director Sara Sugarman; they divorced in 1993. He is currently living with the actress Anna Friel. They both starred in the 2003 film Timeline although they shared no scenes together. Their daughter Gracie was born on 9 July 2005 in London.

Selected filmography

• Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007) (filming)
• The Omen (2006)

• Basic Instinct 2: Risk Addiction (2006)
• The New World (2005)
• All the Invisible Children (2005)
• Kingdom of Heaven (2005)
• Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)
• Timeline (2003)
• Gangster No. 1 (2000)
• The Miracle Maker (2000) (TV) (voice)
• Whatever Happened to Harold Smith? (1999)
• Divorcing Jack (1998)
• The Big Lebowski (1998)
• Seven Years in Tibet (1997)
• The Island of Dr Moreau (1996)
• Dragonheart (1996)
• James and the Giant Peach (1996) (voice)
• Restoration (1995)
• Total Eclipse (1995)
• Black Beauty (1994)
• Prime Suspect 3 (1993) (TV)
• Naked (1993)
• Life Is Sweet (1990)
• Oranges Are Not The Only Fruit (1990) (TV)
• Little Dorrit (1988)
• A Bit Of A Do (1988)
• The Singing Detective (1986) (miniseries)

External links

• Welcome to 'Thewlis Rox'
• David Thewlis Online

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