Joe Alwyn

Alwyn was born in Tunbridge Wells, Kent, England.[2] Raised in Tufnell Park and Crouch End, North London,[3][4] Alwyn is the son of a psychotherapist mother and a documentary filmmaker father.[5] He is the great-grandson of composer William Alwyn.

He was educated at the City of London School.[3] Although an "introverted" child,[6] he secretly wanted to be an actor.[7] He became a member of the National Youth Theatre in his late teens.[8] While studying English literature and drama at the University of Bristol,[6] he acted in two student productions at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.[9] After graduating in 2012, he completed a BA in acting at the Royal Central School of Speech & Drama.[8]

Within two weeks of his graduate showcase, in early 2015,[10][11] Alwyn was cast in the lead role of Ang Lee's 2016 war drama, Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk,[12][13] based on Ben Fountain's novel.[14] In 2017, he had a supporting role in the English drama film The Sense of an Ending.[15]

In 2018, he appeared in Yorgos Lanthimos' award-winning period drama The Favourite,[16] and additionally had supporting roles in Operation Finale,[17] Boy Erased,[17] and Mary Queen of Scots.[18] He received the Trophée Chopard alongside Elizabeth Debicki at the Cannes Film Festival that same year.[19] In 2019, he co-starred as slave owner Gideon Brodess in the biographical award-winning drama Harriet, about abolitionist Harriet Tubman[20] which had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on 10 September.[21] In December, Alwyn appeared as Bob Cratchit in the BBC/FX three-part miniseries A Christmas Carol.[22] He will appear in The Souvenir Part II,[23] the adaptation of Jojo Moyes's book The Last Letter from Your Lover[24] and will star opposite Emma Mackey and Fionn Whitehead in the Emily Brontë biopic Emily.[25]

Since 2016, Alwyn has been in a relationship with American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift.[5][26][27] He has been referenced in much of Swift's music since 2016, including on her albums Reputation (2017), Lover (2019), Folklore, and Evermore (both 2020).[28][29][30] Alwyn stated he finds it "flattering" that Swift writes songs about him.[31] Two songs on Folklore, "Exile" and "Betty", were credited to a co-writer named William Bowery, which led to speculation that it was a pseudonym for Alwyn. Swift confirmed this theory in her concert film Folklore: The Long Pond Studio Sessions.[32] Alwyn (as Bowery) also co-wrote "Champagne Problems", "Coney Island", and the title track on Evermore.[33]

• Joe Alwyn at IMDb