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 |
| Spouse(s) | Asia Macey |
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 series Downton Abbey.
Early life
Speleers was born at St Richard's Hospital, Chichester, West Sussex. His parents divorced when he was three.[2] His mother, Gill, 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 in 2006.[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]
He got a lead big-screen role as Sam in thriller film Plastic, written and directed by Julian Gilbey for Gateway Films. Production was 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]
On 12 March 2014 it was reported that Speleers was among five actors being considered for a lead role in Star Wars: The Force Awakens.[12]
Producing
Speleers is a founding partner, with his manager Matthew Hobbs, in film production and talent management company Firefly.
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 |
| 2012–2014 | Downton Abbey | Jimmy Kent | TV series (15 episodes) |
| 2014 | Plastic | Sam | Film |
| 2015 | Wolf Hall | Edward Seymour | TV series |
| 2015 | Partners In Crime | Carl Denham | TV series (3 episodes of N or M) |
| 2015 | Howl | Joe | Film |
| 2016 | Alice Through the Looking Glass | James Harcourt | Film (filming) |
| 2016 | Beowulf | Slean | TV series |
References
- ↑ "Ed Speleers profile". Official Facebook Page.
- 1 2 Hiltbrand, David (15 December 2006). The Philadelphia Inquirer, ed. "'Eragon' star Edward Speleers is on quite the ride". Retrieved 22 November 2011.
- 1 2 3 "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.
- ↑ "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 December 2012). "Speleers, Poulter and Allen to star in Plastic". Screen Daily. Retrieved 7 December 2012.
- ↑ Firefly website (ed.). "Ed Speleers". Retrieved 22 November 2011.
- ↑ "‘Star Wars Episode VII’: Actors Battle for Lead Role (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 12 March 2014.
External links
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