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David Thewlis plays the role of Remus Lupin in the Harry Potter movies.
David Thewlis (born 20 March 1963) is an English film, television and stage character actor, as well as a writer.
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[edit] Early life
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 in the town of Blackpool in Lancashire 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.
[edit] Career
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 predetor 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 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.
[edit] Personal life
In 1992, Thewlis married director Sara Sugarman; they divorced in 1993. 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). Thewlis noted that he was "excited" and "not at all scared" by fatherhood, much unlike his character in Harry Potter 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 parted ways in late 2010.[4]
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] Friel's new partner is Rhys Ifans as of February 2011. Thewlis has also recently published a novel called The Late Hector Kipling (2007).
[edit] Awards and nominations
Thewlis has won the following awards for his work in Naked.
- Cannes Film Festival: Best Actor (1993)
- Evening Standard British Film Awards: Best Actor (1994)
- London Critics Circle Film Awards ALFS Award: British Actor of the Year (1994)
- National Society of Film Critics Awards: Best Actor (1994)
- New York Film Critics Circle Awards: 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 (1996): Hello, Hello, Hello (1995)
- British Independent Film Awards for Best Performance by a British Actor in an Independent Film (1998): Divorcing Jack (1998)
[edit] Filmography
[edit] Films
[edit] Television
| Year | Series | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | Only Fools and Horses | Stew | Episode 4.4: "It's Only Rock and Roll" |
| Radio Pictures | Jim Grams | TV film | |
| 1986 | The Singing Detective | Second Soldier | Episode 1.3: "Lovely Days" and 1.6: "Who Done It" |
| 1987–1988 | Valentine Park | Max | Appeared in nine episodes |
| 1989 | A Bit of a Do | Paul Simcock | Appeared in six episodes |
| Skulduggery | Tony | TV film | |
| 1990 | Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit | Doctor | TV serial |
| 1991 | Journey to Knock | Terry | TV film |
| Shrinks | Terry Slater | Episode 1.5 | |
| Screen One | Tim Shanks | Episode 3.3: "Filipina Dreamgirls" | |
| 1992 | Black and Blue | Crematorium attendant | TV film |
| 1993 | Frank Stubbs Promotes | Mike Bence | Episode 1.6: "Striker" |
| Prime Suspect 3 | James Jackson | TV film | |
| 1994 | Dandelion Dead | Oswald Martin | TV mini-series |
| 1999 | Love Story | Dealer | TV film |
| 2000 | Endgame | Clov | TV film |
| 2001 | Hamilton Mattress | Hamilton Mattress | TV film; voice |
| 2002 | Dinotopia | Cyrus Crabb | TV mini-series |
| 2007 | The Street | Joe / Harry Jennerson | Episode 2.1: "Twins" |
[edit] Bibliography
- The Late Hector Kipling (2007)
[edit] References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 Grice, Elizabeth (4 May 2005). "'Anna has changed me for the better'". London: The Telegraph. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/arts/main.jhtml?xml=/arts/2005/05/04/ftthewlis04.xml&page=1. Retrieved 30 August 2007.
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