David Thewlis( né
Wheeler ; born 20
March 1963) is an
English actor. His most commercially successful role to date has been that ofRemus Lupinin theHarry Potterfilm series . Other notable performances include the filmsNaked(for which he won theBest Actoraward atCannes
Film Festival ),
Dragonheart ,
Kingdom of Heaven ,
The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas ,
The Theory of Everything ,
Black BeautyandMacbeth , in which he playedKing
Duncan . He has also done voice work in the filmsJames and the
Giant Peach(
1996),
The Miracle Maker(
2000) andAnomalisa(
2015). He is also known for the role of
Cyrus Crabb in the TV mini seriesDinotopia .Thewlis, the second of three children, was born inBlackpool ,
Lancashire, the son of
Maureen (née Thewlis) and
Alec Raymond Wheeler. Both parents worked at his father's shop. As a teenager, he played in a rock band called
QED, and played lead guitar with apunk rockband called
Door 66. He was educated atHighfield
High School , a state secondary school inSouth Shore,
Blackpool .
Later, he enrolled in theGuildhall
School of
Music and Dramain
London, graduating in
1984.Thewlis had a minor role in an episode of the
1980s sitcomUp the
Elephant and Round the
Castle . He also appeared in an episode of popularsitcom
Only Fools and Horses(
1985) as a friend of
Rodney. His first professional role was in the playBuddy
Holly at the RegalinGreenwich . Thewlis' breakout role was inNaked(
1993; dir.
Mike Leigh ), as the main character,
Johnny, a highly intelligent, embittered, rambling street philosopher, for which Thewlis was named
Best Actor by theNational
Society of
Film Critics(
United States), theLondon Film
Critics Circle , theEvening
Standard , theNew
York Film Critics' Circleand theCannes Film Festival . That same year, he appeared on television as a sexual predator named
James Jackson inPrime
Suspect 3 , oppositeHelen MirrenandCiarán
Hinds . Before that, his first television appearance was alongsideKen JonesinValentine
Park .During the
1990s, Thewlis appeared in a variety of films, mostlyfantasyandperiod , includingRestoration(
1995),
Black Beauty(
1994),
Total Eclipse(1995) withLeonardo DiCaprio ,
The Island of
Dr. Moreau(1996),Dragonheart(1996) andSeven
Years in
Tibet(
1997), oppositeBrad Pitt . He was nominated for aBritish
Independent Film AwardforDivorcing
Jack(
1998), and playedClovin a (2000) television film ofSamuel
Beckett 'sEndgame . Notable appearances also includeBernardo
Bertolucci 'sBesieged(1998) andPaul McGuigan 'sGangster
No. 1(2000), oppositePaul BettanyandMalcolm McDowell .He auditioned for the role ofQuirrellin the filmHarry
Potter and the
Philosopher's Stone , but the part went toIan
Hart .
Despite missing out on the first film, he was cast in 2004 asProfessor LupininHarry Potter and the
Prisoner of Azkaban . He did not have to audition as he was directorAlfonso Cuarón 's first choice for the role. Thewlis reprised the role in four other films in the series.He appeared as anSSCommandant of aNazi death campand father of the main character inThe Boy in the Striped Pyjamas , which was well received. Other credits includeRidley
Scott 'sKingdom of
Heaven(
2005),
Terrence Malick 'sThe
New World(2005) andThe
Omen(
2006).Thewlis played the late Dr.
Michael Aris , husband ofNobel PrizelaureateAung San Suu KyiofBurma , withMalaysianactressMichelle YeohasSuu Kyi , in the biopicThe Ladydirected byLuc Besson . In
2012, he received anInternational
Festival of
Independent Cinema Off Plus Camera Award .In June 2015, Thewlis was reported to be filming scenes for aDonald Crowhurstbiopic on the beach atTeignmouth,
Devon , playing
Donald Crowhurst's press agent,
Rodney Hallworth, whileColin Firthis playing Donald Crowhurst. He also starred inRegression , a thriller released in autumn 2015, in which he was reunited with
Harry Potter co-starEmma
Watson , who starred alongsideEthan
Hawke .
In September 2015, Thewlis starred as
Inspector Goole inHelen Edmundson'sBBC
TV adaptation ofJ. B. Priestley's
An Inspector Calls , alongsideKen StottandMiranda
Richardson . In
October 2015, he playedKing Duncanin the filmMacbeth , withMichael Fassbenderstarring as
Macbeth.Thewlis' next film project is reported to be a role inWonder
Woman , the upcomingDC Comicsfilm
adaptation based on thecharacter of the same name , set for release in 2017 and then Thewlis play as
Rufus in filmThe Dreamstone . Thewlis directedHello,
Hello, Helloin 1995, for which he was nominated for aBAFTA Award for
Best Short Film . He also wrote, directed and starred in th
- published: 23 Jul 2016
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