David Thewlis
David Thewlis presenting The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas at the 2008 San Sebastian Film Festival.
Born	David Wheeler (1963-03-20) 20 March 1963 (age 49) Blackpool, Lancashire, England
Occupation	Actor, author, director, screenwriter
Years active	1987–present
Spouse	Sara Sugarman (1992–93)
Partner	Kate Hardie (??? – ???) Anna Friel (2001–2010; 1 child)

David Thewlis (born David Wheeler; 20 March 1963) is an English actor of stage and screen. His most commercially successful role to date has been that of Remus Lupin, in the Harry Potter film series. Other notable performances include his work in the films Timeline (2003), Kingdom of Heaven (2005), The Omen (2006), The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas (2008), London Boulevard (2010) and War Horse (2011). He made his name known in 1993 with his performance of Johnny in Naked – for which he won multiple awards – became known publicly for his performance of main antagonist King Einon in the 1996 film Dragonheart. He has also done voice work in the films James and the Giant Peach (1996) and The Miracle Maker (2000).

Early life[link]

Thewlis, second of three children, was born David Wheeler in Blackpool, Lancashire, the son of Maureen (née Thewlis) and Alec Raymond Wheeler.^[1] Both of his parents worked at his father's shop, which sold toys in the summer and wallpaper and paint in the winter.^[1][2] As a teenager, he played in a rock band called QED, in which he, Cliff Ashcroft, Mark Fawl 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. Thewlis was educated at Highfield High School (since renamed Highfield Humanities College), a state secondary school in Marton, Blackpool in North West England where his nickname, at least to his friends, was 'Sqwee'.

He enrolled in the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London only because his friends did.^[2] 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[link]

His first acting job was in a play entitled Buddy Holly at the Regal in Greenwich.^[2] 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. The same year he appeared on television as a sexual predator named James Jackson in Prime Suspect 3, opposite Helen Mirren and Ciarán Hinds. Prior to this Thewlis's 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 Paul Bettany and Malcolm McDowell.

Thewlis auditioned for the role of Professor Quirrell in the film Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, but the part went to Ian Hart. Despite missing out on the first film, in 2004 Thewlis was cast as Remus Lupin in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban without having to audition, 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".^[3] He reprised the role in four other films in the series.

He also appears as an SS Commandant of a Nazi death camp, father of the main character in The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas.

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 Award 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 same costume that he wore in the film.^[2]

He plays the late Dr. Michael Aris, husband of Nobel Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi of Burma, with Malaysian actress Michelle Yeoh as Suu Kyi, in the upcoming biopic The Lady directed by Luc Besson.

Personal life[link]

Mulberry A/W 2001, Henry Bond's photograph depicts David with Anna Friel. The couple were reported to have been paid £50,000 to appear in the campaign.^[4]

In 1992, Thewlis married director Sara Sugarman; they divorced in 1994. 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).^[5] 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 he gave up smoking, began jogging and eating more healthily and lost weight.^[2] However the pair ended their relationship in late 2010.^[6]

Thewlis owns a converted Victorian ballroom in Clerkenwell. 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."^[2] Thewlis has also written a novel called The Late Hector Kipling, published by Simon & Schuster in 2007.

Awards and nominations[link]

Thewlis has won the following awards for his work in Naked.

• Cannes Film Festival for Best Actor (1993)
• Evening Standard British Film Award for Best Actor (1993)
• London Film Critics Circle Award for British Actor of the Year (1993)
• National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Actor (1993)
• New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actor (1993)

Thewlis has also received the following awards:

• British Independent Film Awards – Richard Harris Award for Outstanding Contribution to British Film (2008)

Other award nominations include:

• BAFTA Award for Best Short Film – Hello, Hello, Hello (1995)
• British Independent Film Award for Best Performance by a British Actor in an Independent Film – Divorcing Jack (1998)
• Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Supporting Actor – Basic Instinct 2 / The Omen (2006)
• Monte-Carlo Television Festival: Golden Nymph for Outstanding Actor – Drama Series – The Street (2007)
• Evening Standard British Film Awards: Peter Sellers Award for Comedy – London Boulevard (2010)

Filmography[link]

Films[link]

Television[link]

Bibliography[link]

• The Late Hector Kipling (2007)

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: David Thewlis

• David Thewlis at the Internet Movie Database
• Thewlis Rox