Joel Edgerton | |
|---|---|
 Edgerton in 2017 | |
| Born | (1974-06-23)23 June 1974 (age 50) |
| Alma mater | University of Western Sydney |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1995–present |
| Partner(s) | Christine Centenera (2018–present) |
| Children | 2 |
| Relatives | Nash Edgerton (brother) |
Joel Edgerton (born 23 June 1974) is an Australian actor and filmmaker. He is known for his portrayal of Will McGill on the first two seasons of the Australian drama seriesThe Secret Life of Us (2001–02), and for playingOwen Lars in theStar Wars filmsAttack of the Clones (2002) andRevenge of the Sith (2005), a role he reprised in theDisney+ seriesObi-Wan Kenobi (2022). For his portrayal of Richard Loving in the 2016 historical dramaLoving, he received a nomination for theGolden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Motion Picture.
In Australia, Edgerton won theAACTA Award for Best Lead Actor for his work onThe Secret Life of Us. He has appeared in several Australian films, such asThe Square (2008),Animal Kingdom (2010; for which he received theAACTA Award for Best Supporting Actor),Wish You Were Here (2012), andFelony (2013). Edgerton's other film appearances includeKing Arthur (2004),Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole (2010),Warrior (2011),Zero Dark Thirty (2012),The Great Gatsby (2013),Black Mass (2015),Bright (2017),Red Sparrow (2018),The Green Knight (2021),The Stranger,Thirteen Lives, andMaster Gardener (all 2022), andThe Boys in the Boat (2023). He has also starred in theAmazon Prime miniseriesThe Underground Railroad in 2021 and theApple TV+ science fiction seriesDark Matter in 2024.
For his work onThe Gift (2015), a thriller he wrote, directed, co-produced, and in which he co-starred, Edgerton received critical acclaim and a nomination for theDGA Award for Outstanding Directing. In 2018, he wrote, directed and co-starred in theconversion therapy dramaBoy Erased. The following yearThe King, which he co-wrote and starred in, was released byNetflix.
Edgerton was born inBlacktown,New South Wales, Australia[1] the son of Michael, a solicitor and property developer, and Marianne (née van Dort) Edgerton.[2][3] His mother is a Dutch immigrant, who was born inThe Hague.[4][5] He graduated fromThe Hills Grammar School in 1991. He attended the Nepean Drama School at theUniversity of Western Sydney,[6] before moving on to various stage productions, including atSydney Theatre Company.
Edgerton has appeared in such films asErskineville Kings,King Arthur andNed Kelly. In theStar Wars franchise, he played a youngOwen Lars inAttack of the Clones (2002) andRevenge of the Sith (2005)[7] and reprised the role in theDisney+ seriesObi-Wan Kenobi.[8] He played Will onThe Secret Life of Us, for which he won anAACTA Award in 2002. In 2005, he lent his voice to the title character ofThe Mysterious Geographic Explorations of Jasper Morello, anAcademy Award-nominated animated short film. The same year, he appeared as the son of a deceased shoemaker in the British comedyKinky Boots. He appeared inSmokin' Aces (2006).[9]
Edgerton appeared in the filmWhisper (2007),[10]The Square (which he co-wrote and was directed by his brotherNash Edgerton),Acolytes, andSeparation City.[11] In 2009, he starred alongside as Stanley in theSydney Theatre Company's acclaimed production ofA Streetcar Named Desire.[12] He appeared in a production of the same play at theBrooklyn Academy of Music in December 2009.[13] He appeared in the crime drama filmAnimal Kingdom as Barry Baz Brown in 2010 in which he won an AFI award. He starred as fictionalMMA fighter Brendan Conlon in the filmWarrior (2011).[14][15]
In February 2010, Edgerton was cast inMatthijs van Heijningen Jr.'s2011 prequel toThe Thing,[16] portraying helicopter pilot Sam Carter.[17] He played Tom Buchanan inBaz Luhrmann's 2013 remake ofThe Great Gatsby. He was honoured for his work in international roles with the 2011 Australians in Film Breakthrough Award.[18]
In 2013, it was revealed that Edgerton andDavid Michôd had collaborated on writing an adaptation of Shakespeare's "Henriad" plays,Henry IV, Part 1,Henry IV, Part 2 andHenry V, forWarner Bros. Pictures.[19][20][21]
In 2014, Edgerton starred in the biblical filmExodus: Gods and Kings, asRamesses II, Moses' adoptive brother, who became a notorious king. Edgerton directed, starred in, wrote, and produced the thrillerThe Gift, which was released on 7 August 2015 and grossed 60 million with a budget of 5 million.[22] He co-starred in the 2015 filmBlack Mass asJohn Connolly, FBI contact and childhood friend of notorious gangsterWhitey Bulger.[23]
In 2016, he starred in theJeff Nichols filmsMidnight Special[24] andLoving,[25] and in 2017, he starred in the filmBright as Officer Nick Jacoby, anorc who is a police officer. He will reprise the character in the sequel along withWill Smith, directed by Louis Leterrier for Netflix.[26]
In 2018, Edgerton headlinedFrancis Lawrence's thriller filmRed Sparrow withJennifer Lawrence, and based on the book by Jason Matthews. He plays Nathaniel Nash, a CIA agent who becomes involved with a Russian spy Dominika Egorova (Lawrence). In February 2018,Timothée Chalamet joined the cast ofThe King, withBrad Pitt,Dede Gardner, andJeremy Kleiner producing, alongsideLiz Watts, under theirPlan B Entertainment banner.[27] In March 2018, Edgerton joined the cast of the film.[28]
In April 2020, during theCOVID-19 pandemic in Australia, it was announced that a new film,The Unknown Man, directed byThomas M. Wright, would begin filming in South Australia as soon as enough of theCOVID-19 restrictions were lifted.[29][30][31][32] It was released in 2022 asThe Stranger. In September 2020, Edgerton was tapped to star in and executive produce limited seriesThe Florida Man based on a novel of the same name by Tom Cooper.[33]
In 2021, Edgerton starred in the medieval fantasy filmThe Green Knight written and directed by David Lowery.[34][35]
In 2024, Edgerton guest starred in theBluey episode "The Sign", voicing aGerman Shepherd policeman.
Edgerton has been a distinguished ambassador forThe Fred Hollows Foundation for a number of years and has strong personal ties to the organisation, which works to restore people's sight in poor countries and to improve the health ofAboriginal Australians.[36] In 2012, he visitedNepal, where he saw sight restored first hand.[37] He has described social activism and his involvement with The Fred Hollows Foundation as "an escape" from the "materialistic life" that often surrounds an actor.[38] The Fred Hollows Foundation is an internationalnon-profit organisation which educates and provides equipment for under-supported surgeons to help cure avoidable blindness.
Edgerton's brother,Nash, is a stuntman and filmmaker. Both he and his brother are a part of the Australian film collectiveBlue-Tongue Films.[39] Nash directed Joel in 2018'sGringo.
Joel was in a relationship with Olympic Gold medalistCathy Freeman from 2003 to 2005.
In 2018, Edgerton began a relationship with Christine Centenera, editor-in-chief ofVogue Australia.[40][41] They have known each other since the late 1990s.[42] Their twins were born in May 2021.[43]
| † | Denotes films that have not yet been released |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | Police Rescue | Andy | Episode: "Wild Card" |
| 1995–1997 | Spellbinder | Bazza | 2 episodes |
| 1996–1999 | Water Rats | Pete Crosby / Aaron Lawrence | 2 episodes |
| 1997 | Big Sky | Pierce Bateman | Episode: "Lost and Found" |
| Fallen Angels | Scoob | Episode: "The Faust Lane" | |
| 1998 | Wildside | Michael Savini | Episode: "#1.15" |
| 1999 | Secret Men's Business | Baz | Television film |
| 2000 | The Three Stooges | Tom Cosgrove | Television film |
| 2001–2002 | The Secret Life of Us | William "Will" McGill | Main role, 32 episodes |
| 2002 | Dossa and Joe | Robbo | 2 episodes |
| 2007 | Dangerous | Senior Sergeant Mark Field | Main role, 8 episodes |
| 2009 | Dirt Game | Shane Bevic | Main role, 6 episodes |
| 2021 | The Underground Railroad | Arnold Ridgeway | Miniseries, 7 episodes |
| 2022 | Obi-Wan Kenobi | Owen Lars | Miniseries, 2 episodes |
| 2024 | Bluey | Policeman | Voice role, Episode: "The Sign" |
| Dark Matter | Jason Dessen | Lead role |
Short film
| Year | Title | Director | Writer | Producer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Jac et Bill | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 1996 | Loaded | No | No | Yes |
| 1998 | Bloodlock | No | Yes | Yes |
| 2001 | The Pitch | No | Yes | No |
| 2008 | The List | Yes | Yes | No |
| 2011 | Monkeys | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Feature film
| Year | Title | Director | Writer | Producer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | The Square | No | Yes | Executive |
| 2013 | Felony | No | Yes | Yes |
| 2014 | The Rover | No | Story | No |
| 2015 | The Gift | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Jane Got a Gun | No | Yes | No | |
| 2017 | It Comes at Night | No | No | Executive |
| 2018 | Boy Erased | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 2019 | The King | No | Yes | Yes |
| 2022 | The Stranger | No | No | Yes |
| TBA | Wizards! | No | Story | No |
 | This section of abiography of a living personneeds additionalcitations forverification. Please help by addingreliable sources.Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced orpoorly sourcedmust be removed immediately from the article and its talk page, especially if potentiallylibelous. Find sources: "Joel Edgerton" – news ·newspapers ·books ·scholar ·JSTOR(March 2023) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
With David Michôd he has written King, an adaptation of Shakespeare's Henry IV, Parts I & II, and Henry V, for Warner Bros.
