Charlie Hunnam

Hunnam was discovered at the age of 17 in a branch of JD Sports on Christmas Eve while clowning around buying shoes for his brother. A production manager for the Newcastle-based children's show Byker Grove approached Hunnam and he was later cast in his first role as Jason in three episodes of the show. He also had a brief modeling career where he did a photo shoot for Kangol Caps and then decided modeling was not for him.[15][9][14][16] Hunnam's first major role came at age 18 when he was cast by Russell T Davies as 15-year-old schoolboy Nathan Maloney in Davies' Channel 4 drama Queer as Folk.[17]

He followed this up with his role as Daz in the film Whatever Happened to Harold Smith? (1999) and then moved to the United States.

His career expanded to include a recurring role as Gregor Ryder in the WB series Young Americans. He then appeared in the short-lived Fox series Undeclared as an English drama student called Lloyd Haythe. Despite critical acclaim, the series was cancelled after one season. Hunnam then appeared on the large screen in Abandon (2002), Nicholas Nickleby (2002), and Cold Mountain (2003).

Hunnam has stated that he does not wish to simply take any role that is offered, saying, "I have 60 years to make the money, but the choices I make in the next five years are really going to define my career."

This decision resulted in his return to the UK to take the lead role of Pete Dunham in the film Green Street (2005); however, his attempt at delivering a Cockney accent resulted in his inclusion in many critics' "worst accents in movie history" lists.[18]

Hunnam said his role as Patric, a member of "The Fishes" in Children of Men (2006), was the final part in his "trilogy of mad men".

"I played the psycho in Cold Mountain, my character in Green Street hooligan is fairly psychotic and now I've got this role."[19]

Hunnam at the San Diego Comic Con, 25 July 2010

From 2008 to 2014, Hunnam starred as Jackson "Jax" Teller in Sons of Anarchy, a show about a prominent motorcycle club in a small fictional California town. Hunnam was cast after Kurt Sutter, the creator of the show, saw him in Green Street.[20] His portrayal as Jax Teller has led Hunnam to receive a Critics' Choice Television Award nomination, three EWwy Award nominations for Best Lead Actor in a Drama series, and a PAAFTJ Award nomination for Best Cast in a Drama Series.[21]

In 2011, Hunnam played the role of Gavin Nichols in the philosophical drama/thriller The Ledge by Matthew Chapman.[22]

In 2012, he starred as the title character in the indie comedy 3,2,1... Frankie Go Boom alongside his Sons of Anarchy co-star Ron Perlman.[23] Hunnam said he considered the day he filmed scenes with Perlman the best and funniest day of filming he's had in his career.[24] He also appeared as Jay, an ex-boxer, in Stefan Ruzowitzky's crime drama Deadfall (2012).[25][26]

Hunnam at the 2016 San Diego Comic Con International

Hunnam starred as Raleigh Becket in Guillermo del Toro's sci-fi film Pacific Rim,[27] which opened in July 2013 and grossed $411 million worldwide. It was announced on 2 September 2013 that Hunnam would play the lead role of Christian Grey in the film adaptation of E. L. James' novel Fifty Shades of Grey.[28] However, on 12 October 2013, Universal Pictures announced that Hunnam had withdrawn from the film due to conflicts with the schedule of his series Sons of Anarchy.[29]

On 2 June 2014, Hunnam was awarded a Huading Award for Best Global Emerging Actor, for his role as Raleigh in Pacific Rim due to the film performing well in Asian markets.[30] Hunnam reunited with del Toro in the horror film Crimson Peak,[31] alongside Mia Wasikowska, Tom Hiddleston, and Jessica Chastain. The film began shooting in February 2014 and was released on 16 October 2015.[32]

Hunnam starred as geographer Percy Fawcett in James Gray's adventure drama The Lost City of Z, filmed from August–October 2015, premiered at the New York Film Festival in 2016, and was released in April 2017.[33][34][35][36] Hunnam also starred in Guy Ritchie's action-adventure film King Arthur: Legend of the Sword, which was filmed between March and July 2015 and was released in May 2017.[37] In 2019, he starred in Guy Ritchie's film The Gentlemen alongside Matthew McConaughey.

Immediately prior to getting cast on Sons of Anarchy, Hunnam sold his screenplay Vlad to Summit Entertainment with Brad Pitt's Plan B Studios co-producing.[38] The film is being directed by music video director and photographer Anthony Mandler, and will focus on the real-life story of Vlad the Impaler.[39] Hunnam learned the story from locals in Romania while shooting Cold Mountain. He stated that he had not acted in 18 months and was so broke that if he had not managed to sell the script he would have had to sell his house and move back to England to live with his mother.[40] Hunnam is also developing a screenplay based on a 2011 Rolling Stone article that he optioned about Edgar Valdez Villareal, an American drug lord who ran one of the biggest cartels in Mexico.[41] Another project he has in development is a film about gypsy culture in Britain, which he hopes to direct. He stated that it is "a part of English society that's really seldom been explored, but is one of the most colourful and interesting parts of British society."[42]