Andrew Russell Garfield was born on 20 August 1983, inLos Angeles,California.[5] His mother, Lynn (née Hillman),[6] was fromEssex, England, and his father, Richard Garfield, is from California.[7][8] Richard's parents were also from the United Kingdom.[9] Garfield's parents moved the family from the United States to the United Kingdom when he was three years old, and he was brought up inEpsom,Surrey.[7][10][11][12]
He isJewish on his father's side, and describes himself as a "Jewish artist".[13][14][15][16] His paternal grandparents were fromJewish immigrant families who moved to London fromPoland, Russia, andRomania, and the family surname was originally "Garfinkel".[9][17][18] In April 2025, Garfield participated in the British TV showWho Do You Think You Are?[19] He uncovered his Jewish roots inKielce,Poland, and also found that a great-great aunt, Ruchla Garfinkiel, married the first cousin ofWładysław Szpilman, the subject of the 2002 filmThe Pianist.[20]
Garfield began taking acting classes in Guildford, Surrey, when he was nine, and appeared in a youth theatre production ofBugsy Malone.[23] He also joined a small youth theatre workshop group in Epsom and took theatre studies at A-level[26] before studying for a further three years at a UK conservatoire, the Central School of Speech and Drama.[31] Upon graduating in 2004, he began working primarily in stage acting. In 2004, he won aManchester Evening News Theatre Award for Best Newcomer for his performance inKes atManchester'sRoyal Exchange Theatre (where he also playedRomeo the year after), and won the Outstanding Newcomer Award at the 2006Evening Standard Theatre Awards.[11] Garfield made his British television debut in 2005 appearing in theChannel 4 teen dramaSugar Rush.[11] In 2007, he garnered public attention when he appeared in theseries three of theBBC'sDoctor Who, in the episodes "Daleks in Manhattan" and "Evolution of the Daleks". Garfield commented that it was "an honour" to be a part ofDoctor Who.[32] In October 2007, he was named one ofVariety's "10 Actors to Watch".[33] He made his American film debut in November 2007, playing an American university student in the ensemble dramaLions for Lambs, with co-starsTom Cruise,Meryl Streep, andRobert Redford.[33] "I'm just lucky to be there working on the same project as them, although I don't really expect to be recognized later by audiences", Garfield toldVariety in 2007.[33] In his review forThe Boston Globe, Wesley Morris considered Garfield's work "a willing punching bag for the movie's jabs and low blows".[34]
In the Channel 4 dramaBoy A, released in November 2007, he portrayed a notorious killer trying to find new life after prison.[35] The role garnered him the 2008 BAFTA Award for Best Actor.[36] Amy Biancolli of theHouston Chronicle wrote, "there is no doubt about the intelligence and sensitivity" of Garfield's portrayal.[35]MinneapolisStar Tribune's Christy DeSmith echoed Biancolli's sentiment, citing his "detailed expressions" as an example.[37] Writing inThe Seattle Times, John Hartl noted that Garfield demonstrated range in the role, and concluded: "Garfield always manages to capture his passion".[38]Joe Morgenstern, the critic forThe Wall Street Journal, dubbed Garfield's performance "phenomenal", assessing that he "makes room for the many and various pieces of Jack's personality".[39] In 2008, he had a minor role in the filmThe Other Boleyn Girl, and was named one of theShooting Stars at theBerlin International Film Festival.[33][40] In 2009, Garfield held supporting roles in theTerry Gilliam filmThe Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus and theRed Riding television trilogy.[41][42]Kenneth Turan of theLos Angeles Times thought that Garfield gave a stand out performance in the latter.[42]
In 2010, Garfield co-starred oppositeCarey Mulligan andKeira Knightley inMark Romanek'sdystopianscience-fiction dramaNever Let Me Go, an adaptation ofKazuo Ishiguro's 2005novel of the same name. He said of his character, Tommy D., "There's a sense of anxiety that runs through these kids, especially Tommy, because he's so sensory and feeling and animalistic, that's my perspective of him."[43] Garfield was attracted to the film based on the existential questions the story expresses.[43] He said the experience of being a part ofNever Let Me Go was "just a dream to come true".[44] He further remarked that the scenes in which his character—unable to contain his frustration—erupts with a wail, were "intense" for him. "I think those screams are inside all of us, I just got a chance to let mine out".[45] For his portrayal of a well-meaning, but dim young man caught in a love triangle, he won the 2010Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor.[46] Writing forEntertainment Weekly,Owen Gleiberman praised the performances of the lead cast, reflecting that "these three all act with a spooky, haunted innocence that gets under your skin."[47] In comparison to Mulligan and Knightley, Scott Bowles, writing forUSA Today, deemed Garfield "the real find" ofNever Let Me Go.[48]
The same year, Garfield co-starred oppositeJesse Eisenberg inThe Social Network, a drama based on the founders of Facebook. On his character, Garfield remarked, "No one knows whoEduardo Saverin is, and I don't either. Of course, the fact he's a real-life human being, breathing on this Earth somewhere, creates a whole new dimension to my approach because you feel a greater sense of responsibility".[49] Initially, the film's director,David Fincher, had met Garfield under the auspices of him playingMark Zuckerberg, having been referred to him by Mark Romanek.[49] However, Fincher did not like Garfield for the part as he found Garfield's "incredible emotional access to his kind of core humanity" better tailored for the role of Saverin.[49][50] Garfield's performance was very well received; he earned wider recognition and numerous nominations, includingBAFTA nominations for Best Actor in a Supporting Role andRising Star, as well as aGolden Globe nomination for Best Performance in a Supporting Role.[51][52]Mark Kermode of the BBC expressed his surprise that Garfield had been overlooked for an Academy Award nomination, opining that "everyone knows he's one of the very best things aboutThe Social Network."[53] Writing inThe Wall Street Journal, Joe Morgenstern thought the role was portrayed with "great subtlety and rueful charm".[54]Rolling Stone said Garfield delivered "a vulnerability that raises the emotional stakes in a movie", and proclaimed: "Keep your eyes on Garfield – he's shatteringly good, the soul of a film that might otherwise be without one."[55]
The Amazing Spider-Man and worldwide recognition (2012–2016)
Garfield was cast asSpider-Man/Peter Parker, oppositeEmma Stone as his love interestGwen Stacy, inMarc Webb'sThe Amazing Spider-Man (2012), areboot of theSpider-Man film series.[56][57][58][59] Garfield saw his casting as a "massive challenge in many ways", having to make the character "authentic" and "live and breathe in a new way".[60] He described Peter as someone he could relate to and stated that the character had been an important influence on him since he was a child.[61][62][63][64] For the role, he studied movements of athletes and spiders, and tried to incorporate them,[65][66] and practicedyoga andpilates.[67]The Amazing Spider-Man earned a worldwide total of $752,216,557,[68] and Garfield's performance was generally well received.[69][70]The Guardian'sPeter Bradshaw labelled his portrayal as the "definitive Spider-Man" and Tom Charity ofCNN commended his "combination of fresh-faced innocence, nervous agitation and wry humor".[71][72][73]
In March 2012, Garfield made his Broadway theatre debut as Biff Loman in the revival ofDeath of a Salesman.[74][75] According toThe New York Times's David Rooney, Garfield had successfully "exposed the raw ache of Biff's solitude".[76] Garfield was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play for his performance.[76] Two years later, Garfield hosted an episode ofSaturday Night Live and appeared in a music video for the song "We Exist" byArcade Fire, playing a trans woman.[77][78][79][80] Also in 2014, he co-produced and starred in the 2014 independent drama99 Homes and reprised the titular role inThe Amazing Spider-Man 2.[81][82][83] Following a deal between Sony andMarvel Studios to integrate the Spider-Man character into theMarvel Cinematic Universe, sequels to the latter film were scrapped, and the role was taken on byTom Holland in a reboot.[84] ArachnologistsYuri M. Marusik andAlireza Zamani honored Garfield's portrayal of the role by naming a new species ofcrevice weaver spider,Pritha garfieldi, after him.[85][86]
Following a year-long absence from the screen, Garfield had starring roles in two films of 2016,Martin Scorsese's dramaSilence andMel Gibson's war filmHacksaw Ridge. In the former, based onShūsaku Endō's 1966novel of the same name, Garfield played Sebastião Rodrigues, a Portuguese Jesuit priest in the seventeenth century who travels to Japan to spread his faith.[87] Garfield spent a year withJames Martin studying to be a Jesuit priest and went on a silent retreat in Wales. The film's arduous principal photography took place in Taiwan, and Garfield lost 40 pounds (18 kg) to achieve his character's physicality.[18] Kate Taylor ofThe Globe and Mail disliked the film and wrote that Garfield "is sweetly resolute and gently anguished as the missionary Rodrigues but any hope that the actor might elucidate the psychology of philosophical certitude or the pain of religious doubt proves vain".[88] At the box office, it earned less than half of its $50 million budget.[89][90]Hacksaw Ridge, however, was a commercial success, earning over $175.3 million worldwide.[91] In it, Garfield portrayedDesmond Doss, a combat medic during World War II, who was the firstconscientious objector in American history to be awarded theMedal of Honor.[92][93] Writing forUSA Today, Brian Truitt labelled the film as "brutally intense and elegantly crafted"; he believed that the central role allowed Garfield to bring depth to his career and commended him for portraying Doss with both "simple sweetness" and "steadfast mettle".[94] He received a nomination for theAcademy Award for Best Actor forHacksaw Ridge.[95]
Garfield's sole film release of 2017 was the biopicBreathe, in which he portrayedRobin Cavendish, a young man paralysed bypolio. In preparation, he interacted with individuals who had polio and collaborated closely with Cavendish's wife and son.[100] Stephen Dalton ofThe Hollywood Reporter wrote that despite an exceptional story, the film had glossed over the complexities in Cavendish's life, and thought that Garfield was "hampered by a role that restricts him to little more than nodding and grinning".[101] In March 2018, Garfield reprised the role of Prior when theAngels in America production transferred to Broadway for an eighteen-week limited engagement at theNeil Simon Theatre, alongside a majority of the London cast.[102] Reviewing the production forThe Washington Post, Peter Marks remarked that "nothing [Garfield's] done prepares you for the star-powered dexterity of his Prior" and considered his performance to be the "persuasive moral core of the piece".[103] He won theTony Award for Best Actor in a Play for his performance.[104]
Garfield holdsdual citizenship in the United States and the United Kingdom.[131][74][27][132][133] In 2009, he told theSunday Herald that he felt "equally at home" in both countries and enjoyed "a varied cultural existence".[134] When asked again in 2019, he stated, "I identify more as Jewish than anything... I have a love-hate relationship with both countries and used to be very proud to have both passports. Today, I'm slightly less proud."[128][3] Garfield's primary place of residence is inNorth London nearHampstead Heath.[135] He toldShaun Keaveny on a podcast in 2021 that he considers England home as that is where his family and friends are.[4] He is a fan of basketball.[136]
Garfield customarily gives interviews about his work but does not publicly discuss details of his private life.[137] In 2011, Garfield began dating hisThe Amazing Spider-Man co-star Emma Stone sometime during production of the film.[64][138] In 2015, they were rumoured to have broken up although no formal statement was released.[139][140] When asked about his sexuality, Garfield identified himself as heterosexual, but has stated, "I have an openness to any impulses that may arise within me at any time."[141] Since early 2025, Garfield has been in a relationship with actressMonica Barbaro.[142][143]
^"High Profile Alumni". The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama.Archived from the original on 1 July 2015. Retrieved1 June 2015.
^Garfield, Andrew (19 November 2021).Andrew Garfield Responds to Fans on the Internet – Actually Me.GQ. Event occurs at 7:05.Archived from the original on 28 November 2021. Retrieved28 November 2021 – via YouTube.It's cause I'm English... My father's American so, I have had this semi-weird, hybrid British-American accent...
^abAndrew Garfield in Tales of Ovid, A-level school production, Freeman's School, 2001"The Tales of Ovid".YouTube. 3 March 2012.Archived from the original on 23 May 2018. Retrieved4 September 2017.
^abSzklarski, Cassandra (11 September 2010). "Carey Mulligan couldn't bear anyone else starring in 'Never Let Me Go'".Winnipeg Free Press.The Canadian Press.
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