Alden Ehrenreich | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Ehrenreich in 2018 | |
| Born | Alden Caleb Ehrenreich (1989-11-22)November 22, 1989 (age 36) Los Angeles,California, U.S. |
| Education | New York University |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 2005–present |
Alden Caleb Ehrenreich (/ˈɛrənraɪk/;[1] born November 22, 1989)[2] is an American actor. He began his career by appearing in the television seriesSupernatural (2005), and inFrancis Ford Coppola's filmsTetro (2009) andTwixt (2011). Following supporting roles in the 2013 filmsBlue Jasmine andStoker, his breakthrough came in 2016 with a lead role in theCoen brothers' comedyHail, Caesar!, for which he gained praise.
Ehrenreich playedHan Solo inSolo: A Star Wars Story (2018) and starred in the dystopian television seriesBrave New World (2020). In 2023, he had starring roles in the comedyCocaine Bear and the thrillerFair Play, and a supporting role inChristopher Nolan's biographical filmOppenheimer. In 2025, he had supporting roles in the superhero miniseriesIronheart asZeke Stane, and in the horror filmWeapons.
Alden Caleb Ehrenreich was born in on November 22, 1989, in Los Angeles, California,[3] the only child of Sari (née Newmann), an interior designer, and Mark Ehrenreich, an accountant.[4] He is named after the directorPhil Alden Robinson, a family friend.[5][6] His stepfather, Harry Aronowitz, is an orthodontist.[2][7][8] Ehrenreich isJewish;[9] his ancestors were Jewish emigrants fromAustria,Hungary,Russia, andPoland, and he was raised inReconstructionist Judaism.[3][5]
Ehrenreich began acting at the Palisades Elementary School inPacific Palisades, Los Angeles, and continued doing so atCrossroads School inSanta Monica, California. After graduating from high school, he studied acting atNew York University at theStella Adler Studio of Acting, but never finished his degree.[10] In 2009, he co-founded "The Collectin" with his friend Zoë Worth,[11] a group of New York City actors, writers, producers and directors who collaborate on films and theater performances.[12]
Ehrenreich was discovered at a friend'sbat mitzvah reception bySteven Spielberg,[13] who watched a comedy video created by Ehrenreich and a friend, "which began in the present and eventually cut to 20 or 30 years later, with Mr. Ehrenreich, in a kimono, screaming to stop a wedding." Ehrenreich has described the comedic performance he gave in the movie as, "I ran around as a skinny little punk, trying on girls' clothes and eating dirt." He was then contacted by DreamWorks, a studio which Spielberg helped found, and met with its casting director.[14][15][16] Spielberg said of Ehrenreich:
[He] was in a bat mitzvah video that my daughter acted with him in for their best friend. They showed me the video and I loved it and I got him an agent. That's sort of how it all began ... I thought he had a lot of promise in comedy ... I didn't know he was going to rogue [into] drama. He was so funny in this video, I thought, "I have found the next really funny comedian." But most of his choices have been in drama and people don't know how really funny he is.[17]
The meeting with Spielberg led to acting roles on television shows such asSupernatural andCSI: Crime Scene Investigation.[18][19]
In 2007, Ehrenreich won the role of Bennie Tetrocini inFrancis Ford Coppola'sTetro.[20] Coppola asked Ehrenreich to read a passage fromThe Catcher in the Rye for his main audition.[7] The film was released in limited release in 2009 and received generally positive reviews from critics, who praised Ehrenreich's performance.[21][22] In 2011, he played a minor role in Coppola's subsequent filmTwixt and appeared alongsideNatalie Portman in theSofia Coppola-directedMiss Dior Cherie commercial.[23]
In 2013, he starred as Ethan Wate in the film adaptation of the novelBeautiful Creatures, and appeared as Whip Taylor inPark Chan-wook's thriller filmStoker. He then played the stepson ofCate Blanchett in theWoody Allen-directed drama filmBlue Jasmine. In 2016, Ehrenreich became more widely known for his co-leading role as Hobie Doyle in theCoen brothers filmHail, Caesar!, alongside a cast that includedJosh Brolin andGeorge Clooney.[24] Many critics praised Ehrenreich's performance in particular.[25] That same year, Ehrenreich starred in the leading role of Frank Forbes inWarren Beatty's romantic comedy-dramaRules Don't Apply.[26] He then starred inThe Yellow Birds withTye Sheridan,Jack Huston, andJennifer Aniston, which premiered at the2017 Sundance Film Festival.[27]
Ehrenreich starred asHan Solo in theStar Wars anthology filmSolo: A Star Wars Story (2018), following Solo's early life before the events of the original 1977Star Wars. He headlined theBrave New World series on NBC, based on the 1932 novel of the same name by Aldous Huxley.[28]
Ehrenreich's recent projects include the thrillerFair Play co-starringPhoebe Dynevor,[29]Cocaine Bear, directed byElizabeth Banks,[30]Oppenheimer, directed byChristopher Nolan,[31] and played Ezekiel Stane in theMarvel Cinematic Universe miniseriesIronheart.[32]
In 2024, he joinedZach Cregger's horror thriller filmWeapons (2025).[33] He also joined Anton Corbijn'sSwitzerland, alongsideHelen Mirren,[34] andThe Last Resort with Daisy Ridley.[35]
| † | Denotes works that have not yet been released |
| Year | Title | Role | Director(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Tetro | Bennie Tetrocini | Francis Ford Coppola | |
| 2010 | Somewhere | Actor at Party | Sofia Coppola | Uncredited |
| 2011 | Twixt | Flamingo | Francis Ford Coppola | |
| 2013 | Beautiful Creatures | Ethan Wate | Richard LaGravenese | |
| Stoker | Whip Taylor | Chan-wook Park | ||
| Blue Jasmine | Danny Francis | Woody Allen | ||
| Teenage | 1940s Teenager | Matt Wolf | Documentary | |
| 2016 | Hail, Caesar! | Hobie Doyle | Joel Coen & Ethan Coen | |
| Rules Don't Apply | Frank Forbes | Warren Beatty | ||
| 2017 | The Yellow Birds | John Bartle | Alexandre Moors | |
| 2018 | Solo: A Star Wars Story | Han Solo | Ron Howard | |
| 2023 | Fair Play | Luke | Chloe Domont | |
| Cocaine Bear | Eddie | Elizabeth Banks | ||
| Oppenheimer | Senate Aide | Christopher Nolan | ||
| 2025 | Weapons | Paul Morgan | Zach Cregger | |
| 2026 | The Last Resort† | Ben | Donald Petrie | Post-production |
| TBA | Switzerland† | Edward Ridgeway | Anton Corbijn | Post-production |
| † | Denotes works that have not yet been released |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Supernatural | Ben Collins | Episode: "Wendigo" |
| 2006 | CSI: Crime Scene Investigation | Sven | Episode: "Built to Kill, Part 2" |
| 2020 | Brave New World | John the Savage | Main role, 9 episodes |
| 2025 | Ironheart | Joe McGillicuddy /Ezekiel "Zeke" Stane | Main role, 5 episodes |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Star Wars Battlefront II | Han Solo | Voice and likeness. Content based onSolo: A Star Wars Story |
| Year | Association | Category | Project | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Teen Choice Awards | Choice Movie Actor: Romance | Beautiful Creatures | Nominated | |
| Choice Movie: Liplock(shared withAlice Englert) | Nominated | ||||
| 2016 | Chicago Film Critics Association | Best Supporting Actor | Hail, Caesar! | Nominated | |
| Detroit Film Critics Society Award | Best Supporting Actor | Nominated | |||
| Georgia Film Critics Association Award | Breakthrough Actor | Nominated | |||
| Indiewire Critics' Poll Award | Best Supporting Actor | Nominated | |||
| San Diego Film Critics Society | Breakthrough Artist | Nominated | |||
| Best Comedic Performance | Nominated | ||||
| Georgia Film Critics Association Award | Breakthrough Actor | Rules Don't Apply | Nominated | ||
| 2018 | Teen Choice Awards | Choice Summer Movie Actor | Solo: A Star Wars Story | Nominated |
His father died when he was just seven years old under tragic circumstances that he won't discuss. His mother is an interior designer who loves movies.
