Charlie Hunnam

Charlie Hunnam

Hunnam at the San Diego Comic-Con International in July 2012
Born Charles Matthew Hunnam
(1980-04-10) 10 April 1980
Newcastle upon Tyne, England, United Kingdom
Nationality British
Occupation Actor, screenwriter
Years active 1998–present
Spouse(s) Katharine Towne (m. 1999–2002)

Charles Matthew "Charlie" Hunnam (born 10 April 1980)[1] is an English actor, screenwriter, and producer.

He is known for his roles as Jackson "Jax" Teller in the FX drama series Sons of Anarchy (2008–14), Nathan Maloney in the Channel 4 drama Queer as Folk (1999–2000), Lloyd Haythe in the Fox comedy series Undeclared (2001–02), the title role in Nicholas Nickleby (2002), Pete Dunham in Green Street Hooligans (2005), and Raleigh Becket in Pacific Rim (2013).

Early life

Hunnam was born in Newcastle upon Tyne, England, the son of William "Billy" Hunnam (1952–2013), a gangster and scrap metal merchant, and Jane (Bell) Hunnam, a business owner.[2][3][4][5][6] His maternal grandmother was the premier portrait artist in Newcastle.[7] Hunnam was the second child born after brother William "Billy"; he has two younger half-brothers, Oliver and Christian, on his mother's side.[8][9] His parents divorced when he was two years old, and he moved to the village of Melmerby, Cumbria when he was twelve, as his mother remarried. He went to Heaton Manor School in Newcastle. After moving, he went to Queen Elizabeth Grammar School in Penrith, Cumbria.[10][11][12] He attended Cumbria College of Art and Design, where he graduated with a degree in the theory and history of film with a side in performing arts.[13][14]

Career

Early work

At the age of 17, Hunnam was discovered in a shoe shop on Christmas Eve while drunkenly clowning around buying shoes for his brother. A production manager for the Newcastle-based children's show Byker Grove approached him and Hunnam was later cast in his first role as Jason in three episodes of the show.[7][14][15] Aged 18, his first major role came when he was cast by Russell T Davies as fifteen-year-old schoolboy Nathan Maloney in Davies' Channel 4 drama Queer as Folk.[16]

He followed this up with his role as Daz in the film Whatever Happened to Harold Smith? (1999) and then moved to Los Angeles.

His career expanded to include a recurring role as Gregor Ryder in the WB series Young Americans. He then appeared in the short-lived Fox series Undeclared as an English drama student called Lloyd Haythe. Despite critical acclaim, the series was cancelled after one season. Hunnam then appeared on the large screen in Abandon (2002), Nicholas Nickleby (2002), and Cold Mountain (2003). Hunnam has stated that he does not wish to simply take any role that he is offered: "I have 60 years to make the money, but the choices I make in the next five years are really going to define my career." This decision resulted in his return to the UK to take the lead role of Pete Dunham in the film Green Street (2005), however his attempts at delivering a Cockney accent resulted in his inclusion in many critics' "worst accents in movie history" lists.[17]

Hunnam says his role Patric, a member of "The Fishes", in Children of Men (2006), was the final part in his "trilogy of mad men". "I played the psycho in Cold Mountain, my character in Green Street is fairly psychotic and now I've got this role."[18]

2008–2012

Hunnam at the San Diego Comic Con, 25 July 2010

From 2008 to 2014, Hunnam starred as Jackson "Jax" Teller in Sons of Anarchy, a show about a prominent motorcycle club in a small fictional California town. Hunnam was cast after Kurt Sutter, the creator of the show, saw him in Green Street.[19] His portrayal as Jax Teller has led Hunnam to receive a Critics' Choice Television Award nomination, three EWwy Award nominations for Best Lead Actor in a Drama series, and a PAAFTJ Award nomination for Best Cast in a Drama Series.[20][21][22][23]

In 2011, Hunnam played the role of Gavin Nichols in the philosophical drama/thriller The Ledge by Matthew Chapman.[24]

In 2012, he starred as the title character in the indie comedy 3,2,1... Frankie Go Boom alongside, among others, his Sons of Anarchy co-star Ron Perlman.[25] Hunnam said that he considered the day that he filmed scenes with Perlman for that film the best and funniest day of filming he's ever had in his whole career.[26] He also appeared as Jay, an ex-boxer, in Stefan Ruzowitzky's crime drama Deadfall (2012).[27][28]

2013–present

Hunnam at the 2013 San Diego Comic Con International

Hunnam starred as Raleigh Becket in Guillermo del Toro's sci-fi film Pacific Rim,[29] that opened in July 2013 and grossed $411 million worldwide. It was announced on 2 September 2013 that Hunnam would play the lead role of Christian Grey in the film adaptation of E. L. James' novel Fifty Shades of Grey.[30] However, on 12 October 2013, Universal Pictures announced that Hunnam had withdrawn from the film due to conflicts with the schedule of his series Sons of Anarchy.[31]

On 2 June 2014, Hunnam was awarded a Huading Award for Best Global Emerging Actor, for his role as Raleigh in Pacific Rim, due to the film doing very well in the Asian markets.[32][33] Hunnam reunited with del Toro in the horror film Crimson Peak,[34] alongside Mia Wasikowska, Tom Hiddleston, and Jessica Chastain. The film began shooting in February 2014, and was released on 16 October 2015.[35] In an 3 October 2014 interview with Entertainment Weekly, Hunnam confirmed his involvement in both Guy Ritchie's King Arthur and romantic-survival film, The Mountain Between Us.[36][37][38]

The filming of Knights of the Roundtable: King Arthur took place between March 2015 – July 2015 and was originally scheduled to be released on 22 July 2016 but Warner Bros. moved the release date to 24 March 2017.[39] The production of The Lost City of Z took place August – October 2015 and is scheduled for a 2016 release.[40]

Screenplays

Immediately prior to getting cast on Sons of Anarchy, he sold his screenplay Vlad to Summit Entertainment with Brad Pitt's Plan B Studios co-producing.[41] The film is being directed by music video director and photographer Anthony Mandler, and will focus on the real-life story of Vlad the Impaler.[42] Hunnam learned the story from locals in Romania, while shooting Cold Mountain. He stated that he had not acted in 18 months and was so broke that if he had not managed to sell the script he would have had to sell his house and move back to Britain to live with his mother.[43] Hunnam is also developing a screenplay based on a 2011 Rolling Stone article that he optioned about Edgar Valdez Villareal, an American drug lord who ran one of the biggest cartels in Mexico.[44] Another project he has in development is a film about gypsy culture in Britain, which he hopes to direct. He stated that it's "a part of English society that's really seldom been explored, but is one of the most colourful and interesting parts of British society."[45]

Personal life

Charlie Hunnam met actress Katharine Towne in 1999 when they both auditioned for roles on Dawson's Creek.[46] After dating for four weeks, they married in Las Vegas. The couple divorced in 2002.[16]

Filmography

Hunnam at the 2011 San Diego Comic Con International

Film

Year Title Role Notes
1999 Whatever Happened to Harold Smith? Daz
2002 Abandon Embry Larkin
2002 Nicholas Nickleby Nicholas Nickleby
2003 Cold Mountain Bosie
2005 Green Street Pete Dunham
2006 Children of Men Patric
2011 Ledge, TheThe Ledge Gavin Nichols
2012 3,2,1... Frankie Go Boom Frankie
2012 Deadfall Jay
2013 Pacific Rim Raleigh Becket
2015 Crimson Peak Dr. Alan McMichael
2016 The Lost City of Z Percy Fawcett Filming
2017 Knights of the Roundtable: King Arthur Arthur Pendragon Post-production

Television

Year Title Role Notes
1998 Byker Grove Jason Chuckle 3 episodes
1999 My Wonderful Life Wes
1999–2000 Queer as Folk Nathan Maloney 10 episodes
1999 Microsoap Brad Episode 2.6
2000 Young Americans Gregor Ryder 3 episodes
2001–2002 Undeclared Lloyd Haythe 17 episodes
2008–2014 Sons of Anarchy Jackson "Jax" Teller 92 episodes

Awards and nominations

Year Award Category Work Result
2002 National Board of Review Best Acting by an Ensemble Nicholas Nickleby Won
2011 EWwy Award EWwy Award for Best Actor in a Drama Series Sons of Anarchy Nominated
2012 Critics' Choice Television Award Best Actor in a Drama Series Sons of Anarchy Nominated
2012 EWwy Award EWwy Award for Best Actor in a Drama Series Sons of Anarchy Nominated
2013 Pan-American Association of Film & Television Journalists Best Cast in a Drama Series Sons of Anarchy Nominated
2013 Huading Awards Huading Award for Best Global Emerging Actor Pacific Rim Won
2014 EWwy Award EWwy Award for Best Actor in a Drama Series Sons of Anarchy Nominated
2015 People's Choice Awards[47] Favorite Cable TV Actor Sons of Anarchy Nominated
2015 Satellite Awards Best Actor in a Drama Series Sons of Anarchy Nominated
2015 Critics' Choice Television Award Best Actor in a Drama Series Sons of Anarchy Nominated

References

  1. ↑ "Charlie Hunnam: Biography". TVGuide.com. Retrieved 27 November 2013.
  2. ↑ Rivkin, Annabell (2 September 2005). "Hollywood Blonde". The Evening Standard.
  3. ↑ "High Street card shop one of the best in UK". Kent and Sussex Courier. 24 June 2011.
  4. ↑ Dawkins, Walter (24 November 2011). "Charlie Hunnam's biker is riding a tightrope in 'Sons of Anarchy'". LA Times. Retrieved 27 November 2013.
  5. ↑ "Nerdist Podcast: Charlie Hunnam". Nerdist. 8 July 2013. Retrieved 27 November 2013.
  6. ↑ "Person Details for Charles Matthew Hunnam, "England and Wales Birth Registration Index, 1837-2008" — FamilySearch.org". familysearch.org. Retrieved 24 July 2015.
  7. 1 2 "Charlie Hunnam on Sons of Anarchy, Pacific Rim, and Henry David Thoreau". Showbizjunkies.com. 2 September 2013. Retrieved 27 November 2013.
  8. ↑ "Charlie Hunnam Facebook fansite". Retrieved 27 November 2013.
  9. ↑ "Exclusive: Charlie Hunnam Talks 3,2,1... Frankie Go Boom, Internet Piracy, More". Retrieved 27 November 2013.
  10. ↑ "Who is Charlie Hunnam?". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved 27 November 2013.
  11. ↑ "CHARLIE HUNNAM, WHO GREW UP IN NORTH CUMBRIA, LANDS LEAD ROLE IN FIFTY SHADES OF GREY MOVIE". News & Star. Retrieved 27 November 2013.
  12. ↑ "Charlie Hunnam coming home for new movie role". ChronicleLive. Retrieved 20 October 2013.
  13. ↑ "Meet the Alumni". Cumbria (UK). Retrieved 27 November 2013.
  14. 1 2 "Appearance". The Tonight Show with Jay Leno (NBC). 17 July 2013.
  15. ↑ "Charlie Hunnam Q&A". Female First. 11 July 2013.
  16. 1 2 Holmes, Barry J (25 April 2010). "Charlie Hunnam: The Queer as Folk star has grown into a burly biker with a top-rated cable show". The Independent. Retrieved 30 June 2012.
  17. ↑ "Worst Cockney Accent Film Set". Telegraph. Retrieved 27 November 2013.
  18. ↑ "Homesick in Hollywood". IC Newcastle. 25 June 2006. Retrieved 30 May 2012.
  19. ↑ Gilbert, Gerard (8 May 2009). "Sons of Anarchy – Wheels on fire". The Independent. Retrieved 25 June 2012.
  20. ↑ "June - 2013 - Pan-American Association of Film & Television Journalists". wordpress.com. Retrieved 24 July 2015.
  21. ↑ "Entertainment Weekly's EW.com". Entertainment Weekly's EW.com. Retrieved 24 July 2015.
  22. ↑ "Entertainment Weekly's EW.com". Entertainment Weekly's EW.com. Retrieved 24 July 2015.
  23. ↑ "Entertainment Weekly's EW.com". Entertainment Weekly's EW.com. Retrieved 24 July 2015.
  24. ↑ Gans, Andrew (8 April 2011). ""The Ledge," Featuring Charlie Hunnam, Liv Tyler, Patrick Wilson, Terrence Howard, Due in July". Playbill.
  25. ↑ Zakarin, Jordan (3 May 2012). "'Frankie Go Boom' Poster Features a Transgender Ron Perlman (Photo)". Hollywood Reporter.
  26. ↑ Lesnick, Silas (11 October 2012). "Interviews: 3, 2, 1... Frankie Go Boom". Comingsoon.
  27. ↑ Stewart, Andrew (5 December 2012). "'Deadfall' preems at Arclight". Variety.
  28. ↑ Nelson, Rob (25 April 2012). "Review: ‘Deadfall’". Variety.
  29. ↑ "Casting Call: Charlie Hunnam to Star in Guillermo del Toro’s PACIFIC RIM; Amber Heard and Shiloh Fernandez Like SYRUP". Collider. Retrieved 5 September 2013.
  30. ↑ Schillaci, Sophie (2 September 2013). "Charlie Hunnam to Play Christian Grey in 'Fifty Shades of Grey'". The Hollywood Reporter. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 3 September 2013.
  31. ↑ Kroll, Justin (12 October 2013). "Charlie Hunnam Falls Out of 'Fifty Shades of Grey'". Variety. PMC. Retrieved 12 October 2013.
  32. ↑ "Charlie Hunnam gets special honor at China's Huading Film Awards - Daily Mail Online". Mail Online. Retrieved 24 July 2015.
  33. ↑ Charlie Hunnam Talks Sons of Anarchy Final Season & Staring In New Movie: Crimson Peak!. YouTube. 2 June 2014. Retrieved 24 July 2015.
  34. ↑ Kit, Borys (18 January 2013). "Charlie Hunnam in Early Talks to Join Guillermo Del Toro's 'Crimson Peak'". Hollywood Reporter.
  35. ↑ Kroll, Justin (30 January 2014). "Legendary, Universal Date Guillermo del Toro's 'Crimson Peak' for October 2015". Variety.
  36. ↑ "Charlie Hunnam on 'Sons,' 'Fifty Shades' fallout, and what's next". Entertainment Weekly's EW.com. Retrieved 24 July 2015.
  37. ↑ Mike Fleming Jr. "‘Sons Of Anarchy’s Charlie Hunnam Is Guy Ritchie’s Choice For King Arthur - Deadline". Deadline. Retrieved 24 July 2015.
  38. ↑ Rebecca Ford. "Charlie Hunnam, Margot Robbie Eyed for 'The Mountain Between Us'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 24 July 2015.
  39. ↑ Anthony D'Alessandro (December 21, 2015). "Guy Ritchie’s King Arthur Film Gallops To 2017, ‘Lights Out’ On July 22, 2016: WB Release Date Changes". Deadline.com. Retrieved December 22, 2015.
  40. ↑ "robert-pattinson-spotted-with-brad-pitt-while-fka-twigs-tries-on-wedding-dresses/#3tybYQtkZr0pEGE5.99". Retrieved 29 July 2015.
  41. ↑ "Sons of Anarchy Star Talks About His Vlad Script". DreadCentral. Retrieved 16 February 2013.
  42. ↑ "Story of 'Vlad' the Impaler Won't Touch on Vampirism". BloodyDisgusting. Retrieved 16 February 2013.
  43. ↑ Reynolds, Simon (2 September 2013). "Charlie Hunnam confirmed as Christian Grey in '50 Shades of Grey' movie". Digital Spy. Retrieved 27 November 2013.
  44. ↑ "GQ&A: Charlie Hunnam". British GQ. Retrieved 27 November 2013.
  45. ↑ "Hunnam ready for battle in Pacific Rim". St Albert Leader. Retrieved 27 November 2013.
  46. ↑ "Hunnam Credits Failed Marriage For Helping Him Find Fame". Contact Music. 7 November 2003. Retrieved 8 July 2012.
  47. ↑ WSJ Staff. "Who Was Nominated for the 2015 People’s Choice Awards (Full List)". WSJ. Retrieved 24 July 2015.

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