Ed Speleers
| Ed Speleers | |
|---|---|
 Ed Speleers at 2006 San Diego Comic-Con promoting Eragon | |
| Born |
Edward John Speleers 7 April 1988 Chichester, Sussex, England |
| Occupation | Actor, producer |
| Years active | 2006–present |
| Website | |
| edspeleers.net | |
Edward John "Ed" Speleers (born 7 April 1988[1]) is an English actor and producer. He is best known for playing the title role in the 2006 film Eragon, as well as starring in Golden Globe and Emmy-award winning TV show Downton Abbey.
Personal life
Speleers was born at St Richard's Hospital, Chichester, West Sussex. His parents divorced when he was three.[2] He is the youngest son of mother Gill, who lives in Spain;[3] his father, John, is a financial consultant and lives in London.[3] He has two older half brothers.[2] In 2006, he left Eastbourne College to portray Eragon.[3]
Career
Acting
Prior to Eragon, Speleers appeared in school productions, such as A Midsummer Night's Dream when he was 10,[4] Peter Pan, A Streetcar Named Desire, Richard III and Hamlet. While at Eastbourne College, Speleers wrote a play, Retribution, with his friend Rob Curran, which investigated the subjects of child abuse and paedophilia.[5] Speleers also acted in a short film by Charlie Bleakley, called Metropolis.
He then landed the lead role of the 20th Century Fox screen version of Eragon.[6] In 2008, he appeared in the British prime time series Echo Beach as Jimmy Penwarden.
In mid 2010, Speleers was cast as one of the lead roles in British thriller film A Lonely Place to Die directed by Julian Gilbey, a feature film, starring Melissa George, Sean Harris and Eamonn Walker, released in September 2011 in Britain.[7]
In 2012, Speleers was part of the comedy horror film Love Bite, in the lead role of Jamie, with Jessica Szohr and Timothy Spall. He was also cast in the film A Dead Man in Deptford, based on the novel of the same name by Anthony Burgess,[8] and in the Golden Globe award winning series Downton Abbey, where he played the regular role of Jimmy Kent.[9]
Recently he got a lead big-screen role as Sam in thriller film Plastic, written and directed by Julian Gilbey for Gateway Films. Production is set to be shot in Britain, Miami and Brunei from January 2013.[10]
Speleers is represented in the USA by the IFA Talent Agency, and in Britain by the Independent Talent Group. His manager is Matthew Hobbs at Firefly.[11]
Producing
Speleers is a founding partner, with his manager Matthew Hobbs, in film production and talent management company Firefly.
Philanthropy
In March 2010, Speleers became the first ambassador of YouthNet, an online company which provides help and advice to young people aged 16 to 25.[12] In June, his participation to the 2011 Virgin London Marathon to raise funds was announced.[13]
In April 2013, Ed ran his second London Marathon - this time, in support of Pets As Therapy.[14]
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Other notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Eragon | Eragon | Film |
| 2007 | Echo Beach | Jimmy Penwarden | TV series (ITV) |
| 2008 | Shirasu Jiro | Robin Cecil Byng | TV film (NHK Japan) |
| 2009 | In Between the Waves | Guy | Teaser - Feature |
| 2009 | Deathless | John | Teaser - Feature |
| 2010 | Witchville | Jason Grint | TV film (Sci/Fic) |
| 2011 | A Lonely Place to Die | Ed | Film |
| 2012 | Love Bite | Jamie | Film |
| 2012–present | Downton Abbey | Jimmy Kent | TV Series (15 episodes) |
| 2014 | Plastic | Sam | Film (post-production) |
References
- ↑ "Ed Speleers profile". Official Facebook Page.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Hiltbrand, David (15 December 2006). The Philadelphia Inquirer, ed. "'Eragon' star Edward Speleers is on quite the ride". Retrieved 22 November 2011.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 "Ed Speleers biography".
- ↑ Freeman, Suzanne (6 December 2006). Scholastic.com, ed. "Eragon: Edward Speleers". Retrieved 28 June 2011.
- ↑ "FrightFest Week – A Lonely Place To Die: Ed Speleers Interview". Retrieved 22 November 2011.
- ↑ "Eragon". Scholastic News Online. in 2006.
- ↑ "First look at UK quad for FrightFest flick 'A Lonely Place to Die'". Retrieved 28 June 2011.
- ↑ Darkhorizons.com (ed.). "Sam Riley is Marlowe in 'Dead Man'.". Retrieved 28 June 2011.
- ↑ Sperling, Daniel (22 March 2012). "'Downton Abbey' recruits 'Eragon' actor Ed Speleers".
- ↑ Rosser, Michael (6 Dec 12). "Speleers, Poulter and Allen to star in Plastic". Screen Daily. Retrieved 7 Dec 12.
- ↑ Firefly website (ed.). "Ed Speleers". Retrieved 22 November 2011.
- ↑ Miller, Katy (10 March 2010). "Ed Speleers, YouthNet ambassador". Retrieved 22 November 2011.
- ↑ Miller, Katy (23 June 2010). "Ed Speleers to run London Marathon for YouthNet". Retrieved 22 November 2011.
- ↑ McWilliams, Sarah (17 April 2013). "Downton Abbey star Ed Speleers to run London Marathon for charity". Retrieved 14 August 2013.
External links
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