David Thewlis
Biography
David Thewlis is an English actor and filmmaker. He was born on March 20, 1963, in Blackpool, Lancashire, England, UK. Thewlis made his film debut in Little Dorrit in 1987. He has appeared in various genres in both film and television, including Mike Leigh films such as Life is Sweet and Naked. He won the Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actor for his role in Naked. Thewlis has also appeared in films like Black Beauty, Restoration, James and the Giant Peach, and Dragonheart. He is known for his work as a character actor and has been involved in numerous projects throughout his career.
Career overview
David Thewlis made his film debut in Little Dorrit. He then appeared in a number of films, including Life is Sweet and Naked, for which he won the Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actor. Thewlis has acted in a wide variety of genres in both film and television.
Thewlis has been involved in several notable films, such as Black Beauty, Restoration, James and the Giant Peach, and Dragonheart. He has also appeared in other films, although specific titles are not mentioned in the provided information.
Thewlis is known as a character actor, having appeared in a wide range of roles in film and television. He has worked with director Mike Leigh on several occasions, including in the films Life is Sweet and Naked. Thewlis has a long and diverse acting career, with a wide range of credits to his name.
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Frequent co-stars
Career timeline
Full Filmography
130 titles- Signal One (2026) as Perry
- Dirty Business (2026) as Ash Smith
- Avatar: Fire and Ash (2025) as Peylak
- Sherlock & Daughter (2025) as Sherlock Holmes
- The Thing with Feathers (2025) as Crow (voice)
- KAOS (2024) as Hades
- The Artful Dodger (2023) as Norbert Fagin
- The Sandman (2022) as John Dee
- Enola Holmes 2 (2022) as Grail
- Human Resources (2022) as Memory Bank Manager (voice)
- Human Resources (2022) as Lionel St. Swithens (voice)
- The Amazing Maurice (2022) as Boss Man / Rat King (voice)
- Zack Snyder's Justice League (2021) as Ares
- Landscapers (2021) as Christopher Edwards
- Rare Beasts (2021) as Vic
- I'm Thinking of Ending Things (2020) as Father
- Barkskins (2020) as Claude Trepagny
- Eternal Beauty (2020) as Mike
- Guest of Honour (2020) as Jim
- The Feed (2019) as Lawrence Hatfield
- The Mercy (2018) as Rodney Hallworth
- Beyond Boundaries: The Harvey Weinstein Scandal (2018) as Self (archive footage)
- Big Mouth (2017) as Shame Wizard (voice)
- Big Mouth (2017)
- Justice League (2017) as Ares
- Wonder Woman (2017) as Sir Patrick / Ares
- Harry Potter: A History Of Magic (2017) as Himself
- None of Them Are You: Crafting Anomalisa (2016) as Self
- Legend (2015) as Leslie Payne
- Regression (2015) as Professor Kenneth Raines
- An Inspector Calls (2015) as Inspector Goole - The Inspector
- Macbeth (2015) as Duncan
- Anomalisa (2015) as Michael Stone (voice)
- Queen & Country (2015) as Sargeant Major Bradley
- Fargo (2014) as V.M. Vargas
- The Theory of Everything (2014) as Dennis Sciama
- Stonehearst Asylum (2014) as Mickey Finn
- Sunday Roast (2014) as Dick Puck
- Sunday Roast (2014) Writer
- RED 2 (2013) as The Frog
- The Zero Theorem (2013) as Joby
- The Fifth Estate (2013) as Nick Davies
- Separate We Come, Separate We Go (2013) as Norman
- Final Cut: Ladies and Gentlemen (2012) as (archive footage)
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (2011) as Remus Lupin
- War Horse (2011) as Lyons
- Anonymous (2011) as William Cecil
- The Lady (2011) as Michael Aris
- The Organ Grinder's Monkey (2011) as Pablo (voice)
- How to Get a Head in Sculpture (2011) as Self
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (2010) as Remus Lupin
- London Boulevard (2010) as Jordan
- Mr. Nice (2010) as Jim McCann
- Athena (2010) as Chuck
- Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009) as Remus Lupin
- Veronika Decides to Die (2009) as Dr. Blake
- The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas (2008) as Father
- Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007) as Remus Lupin
- The Inner Life of Martin Frost (2007) as Martin Frost
- Basic Instinct 2 (2006) as Roy Washburn
- The Street (2006) as Joe Jennerson / Harry Jennerson
- The Omen (2006) as Keith Jennings
- All the Invisible Children (2006) as Jonathan (segment "Jonathan")
- Kingdom of Heaven (2005) as Hospitaler
- The New World (2005) as Wingfield
- Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004) as Remus Lupin
- The Magic Touch of Harry Potter (2004) as Self
- Timeline (2003) as Robert Doniger
- Cheeky (2003) as Harry Sankey
- Cheeky (2003) Director
- Cheeky (2003) Writer
- Check the Gate: Putting Beckett on Film (2003) as Self - Clov (archive footage)
- Little Wolf's Book of Badness (2003) as Mr. Twister (voice)
- Dinotopia (2002) as Cyrus Crabb
- Dinotopia (2002) as Cyrus Crabb
- Discovering Dinotopia (2002) as Cyrus
- Hamilton Mattress (2002) as Hamilton Mattress (voice)
- D.I.Y. Hard (2002) as Man
- Goodbye Charlie Bright (2001) as Charlie's Dad
- Gangster No. 1 (2000) as Freddie Mays
- The Miracle Maker (2000) as Judas Iscariot (voice)
- Whatever Happened to Harold Smith? (2000) as Nesbit
- Endgame (2000) as Clov
- Love Story (1999) as Dealer
- The Big Lebowski (1998) as Knox Harrington
- Divorcing Jack (1998) as Dan Starkey
- Besieged (1998) as Jason Kinsky
- Seven Years in Tibet (1997) as Peter Aufschnaiter
- The Making of 'DragonHeart' (1997) as Self
- American Perfekt (1997) as Santini
- DragonHeart (1996) as King Einon
- James and the Giant Peach (1996) as Earthworm (voice)
- The Island of Dr. Moreau (1996) as Douglas
- Total Eclipse (1995) as Paul Verlaine
- Restoration (1995) as John Pearce
- Hello, Hello, Hello (1995) Director
- Hello, Hello, Hello (1995) Writer
- Black Beauty (1994) as Jerry Barker
- Dandelion Dead (1994) as Oswald Martin
- Dreamtown: A Brief Anatomy of Blackpool (1994) as Self
- Naked (1993) as Johnny
- Frank Stubbs Promotes (1993) as Mike Bence
- The Trial (1993) as Franz
- Damage (1992) as Detective
- Swords at Teatime (1992) as Mike
- Black and Blue (1992) as Crematorium Attendant
- Prime Suspect (1991) as James Jackson
- Life Is Sweet (1991) as Nicola's Lover
- Skulduggery (1991) as Tony
- Afraid of the Dark (1991) as Locksmith / Tom Miller
- Shrinks (1991) as Terry Slater
- Filipina Dreamgirls (1991) as Tim Shanks
- Journey to Knock (1991) as Terry
- Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit (1990) as Doctor
- Screen One (1989) as Tim Shanks
- A Bit of a Do (1989)
- Resurrected (1989) as Kevin Deakin
- Vroom (1988) as Ringe
- Deep Red Instant Love (1988)
- Valentine Park (1987) as Max
- The Short & Curlies (1987) as Clive
- Little Dorrit (1987) as George Braddle
- Road (1987) as Joey
- ScreenPlay (1986) as Joey
- ScreenPlay (1986) as Terry
- The Singing Detective (1986) as Soldier
- Screen Two (1985) as Franz
- Summer Season (1985) as Keith
- Radio Pictures (1985) as JIM 'Grams'
- Only Fools and Horses (1981) as Stew
Frequently Asked Questions
What movies or TV shows is David Thewlis best known for?
David Thewlis is widely recognized for notable roles and projects including Signal One (2026), Avatar: Fire and Ash (2025), Sherlock & Daughter (2025), The Thing with Feathers (2025).
When and where was David Thewlis born?
David Thewlis was born on March 20, 1963 in Blackpool, Lancashire, England, UK.
How many credits does David Thewlis have?
David Thewlis has accumulated over 130 film and television credits across a career spanning from 1981 to 2026.
What is David Thewlis's background in cinema and television?
David Thewlis is an English actor and filmmaker. He was born on March 20, 1963, in Blackpool, Lancashire, England, UK. Thewlis made his film debut in Little Dorrit in 1987. He has appeared in various genres in both film and television, including Mike Leigh films such as Life is Sweet and Naked. He won the Cannes Film F...