William Walter Douglas Howle[1] (born 9 November 1989) is an English actor. His films include On Chesil Beach (2017), The Seagull (2018), and Outlaw King (2018). On television, he is known for his roles in the E4 drama Glue (2014), MotherFatherSon (2019), the BBC miniseries The Serpent (2021), the BritBox thriller series The Beast Must Die (2021), and the Netflix mystery series The Perfect Couple (2024).
Billy Howle | |
|---|---|
 Howle in 2018 | |
| Born | William Walter Douglas Howle 9 November 1989 Scarborough, North Yorkshire, England |
| Alma mater | Bristol Old Vic Theatre School |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 2014–present |
Early life
editHowle was born in Scarborough, North Yorkshire. His mother Allison was a school teacher and his father Tim was a music professor and composer.[2] He was born the second of four boys, with three brothers, Sam (older), George and Alfie (younger).
Because of his father's profession, the family moved 12 times when Howle was a child, before settling in Scarborough. It was there that he became involved in the local music scene. At 18, he left home to study drama at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, before embarking on his career.[3]
Career
editIn 2014, Howle made his debut as James Warwick on the E4 television series Glue. He co-starred in the 2017 film The Sense of an Ending (as the younger version of Jim Broadbent's lead character) and the miniseries The Witness for the Prosecution in the pivotal role of the defendant in a murder case, Leonard Vole.[4]
Howle appeared in the war film Dunkirk,[5] and starred alongside Saoirse Ronan in the film, On Chesil Beach, an adaptation of Ian McEwan's novel. He appears in the film adaptation of Anton Chekhov's The Seagull and in the Netflix film Outlaw King.
Howle was the face of Prada S/S16, shot by Craig McDean.[6]
In 2019, Howle starred alongside Richard Gere and Helen McCrory in the BBC drama series MotherFatherSon, which was written by Tom Rob Smith and he and Jodie Comer made cameo appearances in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker as Rey's parents Dathan and Miramir.
In 2021, he starred in the BBC series The Serpent[7] as Herman Knippenberg, and on BritBox's The Beast Must Die as Nigel.
In February 2022, Howle starred in Chloe as Elliott, appearing in all six episodes.[8] He also appeared in Under the Banner of Heaven as Allen Lafferty who struggled his faith after his wife Brenda's (Daisy Edger-Jones) murder.[9] In the latter part of 2022, Howle played the title role in John Haidar's production of Shakespeare's Hamlet. It was performed at the Bristol Old Vic.[10][11]
In 2024, Howle portrayed a 1970s boxer in Kid Snow,[12][2] and starred in the Netflix limited series The Perfect Couple as Benji Winbury, the son of the rich family.[13][14] The long-delayed Sweet Dreams will set to start filming in October 2024.[15] He started stage production of Look Back in Anger.[16]
Filmography
editFilm
edit| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | The Sense of an Ending | Young Tony Webster | |
| Dunkirk | Petty Officer | ||
| On Chesil Beach | Edward Mayhew | ||
| 2018 | The Seagull | Konstantin Treplyov | |
| Outlaw King | Edward, Prince of Wales | ||
| 2019 | Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker | Dathan Palpatine | Cameo |
| 2022 | Infinite Storm | John | |
| 2024 | Kid Snow | Kid Snow |
Television
edit| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Glue | James Warwick | 8 episodes |
| Vera | Billy | Episode: "Death of a Family Man" | |
| New Worlds | Joseph | 2 episodes | |
| 2015 | Cider with Rosie | Private James Harris | Television film |
| 2016 | The Witness for the Prosecution | Leonard Vole | 2 episodes |
| 2019 | MotherFatherSon | Caden Finch | 8 episodes |
| 2020–2021 | The Beast Must Die | Nigel Strangeways | 5 episodes |
| 2021 | The Serpent | Herman Knippenberg | 8 episodes |
| 2022 | Chloe | Elliot Fairbourne | 6 episodes |
| Under the Banner of Heaven | Allen Lafferty | Miniseries; 7 episodes | |
| 2024 | The Perfect Couple | Benji Winbury | Miniseries; 6 episodes |
Stage
edit- The Little Mermaid (2014)
- Ghosts (2015)
- Long Day's Journey Into Night, Bristol Old Vic(2016)
- Europe, Donmar Warehouse (2018)
- Hamlet, Bristol Old Vic (2022)
- Dear Octopus, National Theatre, Lyttelton (2024)
- Look Back in Anger, Almeida Theatre (2024)
- Roots, Almeida Theatre (2024)
References
edit- ^ Conner, Megan (20 May 2018). "Billy Howle: 'There's definitely something in me that is a bit broken and poetic'". The Guardian. Retrieved 26 April 2021.
- ^ a b Sigee, Rachel (26 July 2022). "'I'm drawn to darker things': how Billy Howle became crime TV's hottest property". The Guardian. Retrieved 20 November 2022.
- ^ "Billy Howle: 'I am not sure I would do full-frontal nudity again'". telegraph.
- ^ "Witness for the Prosecution's Billy Howle: 'I don't aspire to be a sex icon'". Evening Standard. 23 December 2016.
- ^ "David Mackenzie's 'Outlaw King' Adds Billy Howle". Deadline. 18 August 2017. Retrieved 31 August 2017.
- ^ "Meet Prada's Next Generation of Leading Men". Vogue.com. Retrieved 19 May 2017.
- ^ The Serpent
- ^ "Chloe". BBC. Retrieved 6 February 2022.
- ^ "Review: 'Under the Banner of Heaven' is a dramatic powerhouse". Good Morning America.
- ^ "The Serpent actor Billy Howle returns to Bristol to play starring role in Hamlet". ITV. 3 November 2022.
- ^ Wiegand, Chris (1 November 2022). "The best theatre to stream this month: The Book of Dust, Four Quartets and the start of panto season". The Guardian. Retrieved 22 November 2022.
- ^ "Elle Driver Launches 'Kid Snow' Australian Boxing Film". Variety.
- ^ "'The Perfect Couple' Trailer: Nicole Kidman Leads a Wealthy (and Killer?) Nantucket Family in Netflix's Murder Mystery Series". Variety.
- ^ "Meet the Wedding Guests and Murder Suspects of The Perfect Couple". Netflix.
- ^ Wiseman, Andreas (7 February 2024). "'Sex Education' Star Aimee Lou Wood Joins Nick Frost, Paapa Essiedu, Billy Howle & Niamh Algar In Crime-Thriller 'Sweet Dreams' — EFM". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 7 February 2024.
- ^ "Breaking Baz: Billy Howle Prepares To Play An Angry Young Man On Stage & Dishes On The Hush-Hush Movie About How The Middle-East Became A Tinderbox". Deadline.
External links
edit- Billy Howle at IMDb