David Thewlis (
né
Wheeler; born 20 March 1963) is an English
film,
television and
stage actor, as well as a writer.
Early life
Thewlis,
second of three children, was born in Blackpool
, Lancashire
, the son of Maureen (née Thewlis) and Alec Raymond
Wheeler. Both of his parents worked at his father's shop,
which sold toys in the summer and wallpaper and paint in the
winter. As a teenager, he played in a rock band called QED, in
which he, Cliff Ashcroft and Chris Swift wrote much of their own
music and lyrics. QED played at some of the Blackpool Hotels to
earn money for equipment and their first recording session at Storm
Studios in Blackpool. Later, Thewlis played
lead guitar with a
punk-rock band called Door 66. As a musician he
was "doing nicely, doing good" and did not want to be an actor. He
enrolled in the
Guildhall School of Music
and Drama in London only because his friends did.
Thewlis graduated in 1984. When he went to register with the
actors' union, he intended to use Wheeler as his stage name, but a
"David Wheeler" already existed. His mother's maiden name was the
first that came to mind.
Career
His first
acting job was in a play entitled Buddy Holly at the Regal
in Greenwich
. 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 Film 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. Prior to
this Thewlis' first television appearance was alongside Ken Jones
in Valentine Park.
Through the 1990s, Thewlis appeared in a variety of films, mostly
fantasy and
period, including
Restoration (1995),
Black Beauty (1994),
Total Eclipse (1995)
with
Leonardo DiCaprio,
The Island of
Dr. Moreau (1996),
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.
He auditioned for the role of
Professor Quirrell in the film
Harry Potter and
the Philosopher's Stone, but the role was given to
Ian Hart. Despite missing out for the first
film, in 2004, he was cast as
Remus
Lupin in
Harry Potter and
the Prisoner of Azkaban. Thewlis did not have to audition
for the part as he was director
Alfonso Cuarón's first choice for the
role. He accepted it on advice from Ian Hart, who told him that
Lupin was "the best part in the book". He reprised the role in the
fifth and sixth films in the series,
Harry Potter
and the Order of the Phoenix and
Harry Potter and
the Half-Blood Prince, and is slated to play the character
again in
Harry
Potter and the Deathly Hallows which is to be split into
two films. He also appears in
The Boy in the Striped
Pyjamas.
His acting talent also led him to a part in the
Dinotopia movie as the villain, Cyrus
Crabb.
Recent credits include
Ridley Scott's
Kingdom of Heaven
(2005),
Terrence Malick's
The New World (2005)
and
The Omen
(2006)[The Last King of Scottland](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). When researching
for his role in
Kingdom of Heaven, Thewlis went to the
Hospitaller museum near his
home, and the first thing he saw was a mannequin wearing the exact
same costume that he wore in the film.
Personal life
In 1992, Thewlis married director
Sara
Sugarman; they divorced in 1993. He then had a relationship
with
Bill Oddie's daughter
Kate Hardie.
In 2001 he
began a relationship with actress Anna
Friel, whom he met on a flight to Cannes
.
Friel had, coincidentally, starred in Sara Sugarman's 1999 film
Mad Cows. They both starred in the 2003
film
Timeline although they
shared no scenes together.
Together they have one daughter, Gracie Ellen Mary Friel (born 9
July 2005). Thewlis noted that he was "excited" and "not at all
scared" by fatherhood, and that he loves children. If he was not an
actor he would be a teacher as he believes "the most beautiful
sound is a child laughing". During Friel's pregnancy she gave up
smoking, began jogging and eating more healthily and lost
weight.
Thewlis
owns a converted Victorian
ballroom in Clerkenwell
, whilst Friel owns a house in Windsor
, so the couple divide their time in each
property. Their house in Windsor is located near the
Long Walk and Windsor
Castle
; Thewlis once recounted that he "can lie in bed and
watch the Queen
ride by". He also is often mistaken for fellow actor
Rhys Ifans: "Twice a week, people come up
to me and say, 'You were great in
Notting Hill'. The public seem to
think we are the same person." Thewlis has also recently published
a novel called
The Late Hector Kipling (2007).
Awards and nominations
Thewlis has been praised for his performance in
Naked,
which, despite its dark tone, is considered by critics and fans
alike to be his best role to date. He has won the following awards
for his work in
Naked.
Thewlis has also received the following awards:
Other award nominations include:
Filmography
Films
Television
| Year |
Series |
Role |
Notes |
| 1985 |
Only Fools and
Horses |
Stew |
Episode 4.4: "It's Only Rock and Roll" |
| Radio Pictures |
Jim Grams |
TV film |
| 1986 |
The Singing
Detective |
Second Soldier |
Episode 1.3: "Lovely Days" and 1.6: "Who Done It" |
| 1987-1988 |
Valentine Park |
Max |
Appeared in nine episodes |
| 1989 |
A Bit of a Do |
Paul Simcock |
Appeared in six episodes |
| Skulduggery |
Tony |
TV film |
| 1990 |
Oranges Are Not the
Only Fruit |
Doctor |
TV serial |
| 1991 |
Journey to Knock |
Terry |
TV film |
| Shrinks |
Terry Slater |
Episode 1.5 |
| Screen One |
Tim Shanks |
Episode 3.3: "Filipina Dreamgirls" |
| 1992 |
Black and Blue |
Crematorium attendant |
TV film |
| 1993 |
Frank Stubbs Promotes |
Mike Bence |
Episode 1.6: "Striker" |
| Prime Suspect
3 |
James Jackson |
TV film |
| 1994 |
Dandelion Dead |
Oswald Martin |
TV mini-series |
| 1999 |
Love Story |
Dealer |
TV film |
| 2000 |
Endgame |
Clov |
TV film |
| 2001 |
Hamilton Mattress |
Hamilton Mattress |
TV film; voice |
| 2002 |
Dinotopia |
Cyrus Crabb |
TV mini-series |
| 2007 |
The Street |
Joe / Harry Jennerson |
Episode 2.1: "Twins" |
Bibliography
References
External links
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