Matthew Lewis (actor)

Matthew Lewis
Lewis at the New York premiere of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2
Born	(1989-06-27) 27 June 1989 Horsforth, Leeds, West Yorkshire, England
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1995 – present
Website
www.matthewlewis.tv

Matthew David "Matt" Lewis (born 27 June 1989) is an English film, television and stage actor, best known for playing Neville Longbottom in the Harry Potter films, Jamie Bradley in The Syndicate and Corporal Gordan "Towerblock" House in the BBC Three comedy drama Bluestone 42.

Personal life

Lewis was born in Horsforth, Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, the son of Lynda (née Needham) and Adrian Lewis.^[1] He is the youngest of three boys and has two brothers, Chris Lewis and actor Anthony Lewis.^[1][2] He attended St. Mary's Menston.^[3] Lewis is an avid fan of rugby league team Leeds Rhinos in the Super League^[4] and of football team Leeds United.^[5] He is a vice-president of the Leeds Rugby Foundation charity.^[6] In an interview with WBEZ, Lewis stated his association with the number 11 and how it has appeared multiple times throughout his life, such as being 11 years old when obtaining the role for Harry Potter, which has inspired him to obtain a tattoo of the number 11 on his right arm and to have myriad clothing with the number 11 on it.^[7]

Career

Early work

He has been acting since he was five years old.^[7] He started off with minor parts in television programmes, debuting in Some Kind of Life.

Harry Potter

Lewis in 2003

He then went on to try out for the part of Neville Longbottom, and after suceeding has portrayed Neville in the eight Harry Potter films.^[8] During the filming of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Helena Bonham Carter, who portrays Bellatrix Lestrange, accidentally ruptured Lewis's eardrum when she stuck her wand in his ear.^[9] The author of the Harry Potter series, J.K. Rowling, gave a speech during the final, world premiere of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 on 7 July 2011 in London, England. She stated that there were seven major cast members in the series, whom she referred to as The Big Seven, and she named Lewis as one of the seven members, along with Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Tom Felton, Evanna Lynch, and Bonnie Wright.^[10]

Further career

Shot prior to the release of Deathly Hallows, Lewis played the reporter in the independent film The Sweet Shop.^[11] Lewis played the character Jamie Bradley in a five-part TV series called The Syndicate written by Kay Mellor, which was broadcast on BBC One in spring 2012.^[12][13]

In July 2012, Lewis appeared in a music video called Filth by A Band of Buriers; Matthew co-starred with actress Lily Loveless, who together portrayed boyfriend and girlfriend in the video.^[14] Lewis played the role of Dodd in the 2012 film Wasteland (known in the UK as The Rise), written and directed by Rowan Athale.^[15] The filmed was screened at the Newport Beach Film Festival on Sunday, 28 April 2013 and Monday, 29 April 2013.<ref name+”Screening'>”Wasteland Newport Beach Film Festival 2013 Screenings”</ref>

It was announced in October 2013 that Lewis had joined the series 2 cast of BBC Three comedy drama Bluestone 42. He plays Corporal Gordon "Towerblock" House, an ammunition technician – replacing outgoing character "Millsy" played by Gary Carr.

Stage career

In 2011, Lewis played Lester Cole in his stage debut in Agatha Christie's Verdict touring stage production.^[16][17]

In June 2012, Lewis was confirmed to play Mick in the West End stage new production of Our Boys by Jonathan Lewis. The role marked Lewis's West End debut. He starred in the play alongside Cian Barry, Arthur Darvill and Laurence Fox. The play started its previews on 26 September 2012, and played regularly from 3 October 2012 until 15 December 2012 at the Duchess Theatre, London.^[18]

Filmography

Awards and honours

In 2012 it was announced that Lewis was to receive an honorary Master of Arts degree from Leeds Metropolitan University for his contribution to the arts and charity work on 24 July 2012.^[19]

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Matthew Lewis.

• Matthew Lewis at the Internet Movie Database