Sam Claflin | |
|---|---|
 Claflin in 2014 | |
| Born | Samuel George Claflin (1986-06-27)June 27, 1986 (age 38) Ipswich, Suffolk, England |
| Alma mater | London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 2010–present |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2 |
Samuel George Claflin (/ˈklæflɪn/; born June 27, 1986) is a British actor. After graduating from theLondon Academy of Music and Dramatic Art in 2009, he began his acting career on television and had his first film role asPhilip Swift inPirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011).
Claflin gained wider recognition for playingFinnick Odair inThe Hunger Games film series (2013–2015) and for his starring roles in the romantic filmsLove, Rosie (2014) andMe Before You (2016). He has since starred in the filmsAdrift (2018) andThe Nightingale (2018), and portrayedOswald Mosley in the television seriesPeaky Blinders (2019–2022),Mycroft Holmes in the mystery filmEnola Holmes (2020), and singer Billy Dunne in the musical drama seriesDaisy Jones & the Six (2023). The last of these earned him a nomination for aGolden Globe Award.
Claflin was born inIpswich, Suffolk,[1] to Mark, a finance officer, and Sue Claflin (née Clarke), a teaching assistant. He has two older brothers, Benjamin and Daniel, and a younger brother, Joseph (born 1989), who is also an actor.[2] He grew up inNorwich, Norfolk.[3]
As a child, he had an interest infootball. He played throughout his childhood until he broke his ankle, an injury that he felt would prevent him from playing professionally. After some persuasion from his parents and a teacher upon whom he had made an impression during his high school play atCostessey High School, he pursued acting.[1][4]
A member of theNorwich City School of Excellence,[5] in 2003, he took up Performing Arts atNorwich City College.[4] Claflin subsequently graduated from theLondon Academy of Music and Dramatic Art in 2009.[6]
Claflin made his acting debut in 2010, when he appeared in two television miniseries—inThe Pillars of the Earth as Richard and inAny Human Heart as young Logan Mountstuart. In March 2011, he was cast as Thomas inSeventh Son, a film adaptation ofThe Spook's Apprentice,[7] but was dropped for unknown reasons and was replaced byBen Barnes.[8] His next appearance came in April 2011, when he portrayed footballerDuncan Edwards in theBBC TV dramaUnited, which was centred on the events of the 1958Munich air disaster, in which Edwards died as a result of his injuries.
In April 2010, he was cast asPhilip Swift, a missionary who falls in love with the mermaid Syrena (portrayed byÀstrid Bergès-Frisbey), in 2011'sPirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, the fourth installment of thePirates of the Caribbean film series. For the film, he received a nomination in the17th Empire Awards for "Best Male Newcomer."[9] In 2012, he appeared as Jack in the six-episode miniseriesWhite Heat. Later that year, he played a supporting role in the 2012 filmSnow White and the Huntsman, as William, Snow White's childhood friend. He received a nomination in the2012 Teen Choice Awards for the category "Best Movie Breakout". Also in 2012, he was cast in the lead role inHammer Films'The Quiet Ones, which was filmed in mid-2013 and was released in April 2014.[10]
On 22 August 2012,Lionsgate announced that Claflin had been cast asFinnick Odair inThe Hunger Games film series, starting withThe Hunger Games: Catching Fire.[11][12] The director ofCatching Fire,Francis Lawrence, stated of Claflin's performance during filming: "Finnick's an interesting character. At first he feels like a bit of a flirt and there's a little bit of sexual tension, but really you kind of fall in love with the guy and you see that there's a real deep emotional side to him. It's one of the reasons I really hired him in the first place was that it's where his character goes in the next couple of stories and I just think he did a fantastic job."[13] The film was released in November 2013 to general acclaim and Claflin's portrayal of Finnick received positive reviews.[14][15] Claflin reprised the role inThe Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1, released in November 2014, andPart 2, released in November 2015.[16]
In February 2013, it was announced that Claflin was cast as Alex in the film adaptation ofCecelia Ahern's novelWhere Rainbows End, distributed asLove, Rosie in some territories.[17] The following month, he starred in the TV filmMary and Martha as Ben, which was broadcast byBBC One.[18] He received critical acclaim for his role asOxford University student Alistair Ryle in the British dramatic thrillerThe Riot Club with Charlotte O'Sullivan of theLondon Evening Standard saying "Claflin captures his character's vitriol very well" and Laura Dibdin ofDigital Spy saying "Claflin brings intrigue and vulnerability to offset the sense of entitlement thus making Alistair the film's most fascinating character". In 2014, Claflin also starred alongsideLily Collins andSuki Waterhouse in the romantic comedy drama filmLove, Rosie, which was released to mixed reviews from critics but became a success among audiences.
In 2016, Claflin reprised his role as William, Snow White's childhood friend, in several scenes of the sequelThe Huntsman: Winter's War. The same year, he starred inMe Before You, the film adaptation of thenovel of the same name, in which he played William Traynor.[19] Claflin gained further critical acclaim for his role of Captain Stanhope in the war dramaJourney's End (2017) andAdrift (2018).
In 2018, Claflin joined the fifth season of the BBC television dramaPeaky Blinders, as the British fascist politicianOswald Mosley.[20] He starred inThe Corrupted in 2019.[21][22] In September 2020, he co-starred in theNetflix original filmEnola Holmes as Mycroft Holmes, elder brother of the title character.
In 2023, Claflin played Billy Dunne inDaisy Jones & the Six. Based on the book of the same name, it follows the story of a rock band in the 1970s, and premiered onAmazon Prime Video on 3 March 2023.[23] Claflin performed vocals onAurora, the fictional album recorded by the band, which was released on 1 March 2023. He is set to star in an Italian-British television adaptation ofAlexandre Dumas's novelThe Count of Monte-Cristo (1844–1846).[24]
In 2011, Claflin started dating actressLaura Haddock,[25] whom he had met in an audition forMy Week with Marilyn. The two married in July 2013 in a private ceremony.[26][27][28] They have a son named Pip (b. 2015), and a daughter named Margot (b. 2018).[29][30] On 20 August 2019, Claflin and Haddock announced their legal separation.[31]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides | Philip Swift | |
| 2012 | Snow White and the Huntsman | William | |
| 2013 | The Hunger Games: Catching Fire | Finnick Odair | |
| 2014 | The Quiet Ones | Brian McNeil | |
| The Riot Club | Alistair Ryle | ||
| Love, Rosie | Alex Stewart | ||
| The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 | Finnick Odair | ||
| 2015 | The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2 | ||
| 2016 | The Huntsman: Winter's War | William | Cameo |
| Me Before You | Will Traynor | ||
| Their Finest | Tom Buckley | ||
| 2017 | My Cousin Rachel | Philip Ashley | |
| Journey's End | Captain Stanhope | ||
| 2018 | Adrift | Richard Sharp | |
| The Nightingale | Lieutenant Hawkins | ||
| 2019 | The Corrupted | Liam McDonagh | |
| Red Shoes and the Seven Dwarfs | Merlin | Voice | |
| Charlie's Angels | Alexander Brok | ||
| 2020 | Love Wedding Repeat | Jack | |
| Enola Holmes | Mycroft Holmes | ||
| 2021 | Every Breath You Take | James Flagg | |
| Last Night in Soho | Young Det. Lindsey (Punter #5) | Cameo | |
| Charlotte | Alex Nagler | Voice | |
| 2022 | Book of Love | Henry Copper | |
| 2023 | The One Note Man | — | Executive producer; short film |
| 2024 | Bagman | Patrick McKee |
| † | Denotes series that have not yet been released |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | The Pillars of the Earth | Richard of Kingsbridge | Miniseries; 8 episodes |
| The Lost Future | Kaleb | Television film | |
| Any Human Heart | Young Logan Mountstuart | Miniseries; 4 episodes | |
| 2011 | United | Duncan Edwards | Television film |
| 2012 | White Heat | Young Jack Walsh | Miniseries; 6 episodes |
| 2013 | Mary and Martha | Ben | Television film |
| 2019–2022 | Peaky Blinders | Sir Oswald Mosley | Main role |
| 2023 | Daisy Jones & the Six | Billy Dunne | Miniseries |
| 2024 | The Count of Monte Cristo | Edmond Dantès | |
| TBA | Lazarus† | Laz | Filming and also executive producer[32] |
| Year | Award | Category | Work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Empire Awards | Best Male Newcomer | Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides | Nominated |
| Teen Choice Awards | Choice Movie: Breakout | Snow White and the Huntsman | Nominated | |
| 2014 | Empire Awards | Best Supporting Actor | The Hunger Games: Catching Fire | Nominated |
| MTV Movie Awards | Best Shirtless Performance | Nominated | ||
| Teen Choice Awards | Choice Movie: Scene Stealer | Nominated | ||
| Glamour Awards | Man of the Year | Himself | Won | |
| 2016 | Teen Choice Awards | Choice Movie: Liplock(shared withEmilia Clarke) | Me Before You | Nominated |
| 2017 | MTV Movie & TV Awards | Tearjerker(withEmilia Clarke)[33] | Nominated | |
| 2023 | MTV Movie & TV Awards | Best Kiss(withRiley Keogh)[34] | Daisy Jones & the Six | Nominated |
| 2024 | Golden Globe Awards | Best Actor – Miniseries or Television Film | Nominated[35] |
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