Joe Alwyn

Joseph Matthew Alwyn (born 21 February 1991) is an English actor. He has starred in films such as Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk (2016), The Favourite (2018), and Harriet (2019).

Alwyn was born in Tunbridge Wells, Kent, England. Raised in Tufnell Park and Crouch End, North London, Alwyn is the son of a psychotherapist mother and a documentary filmmaker father. He is the great-grandson of composer William Alwyn.

He was educated at the City of London School. Although an "introverted" child, he secretly wanted to be an actor. He became a member of the National Youth Theatre in his late teens. While studying English literature and drama at the University of Bristol, he acted in two student productions at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. After graduating in 2012, he completed a BA in acting at the Royal Central School of Speech & Drama.

Within two weeks of his graduate showcase, in early 2015, Alwyn was cast in the lead role of Ang Lee's 2016 war drama, Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk, based on Ben Fountain's novel. In 2017, he had a supporting role in the English drama film The Sense of an Ending.

In 2018, he appeared in Yorgos Lanthimos' award-winning period drama The Favourite, and additionally had supporting roles in Operation Finale, Boy Erased, and Mary Queen of Scots. He received the Trophée Chopard alongside Elizabeth Debicki at the Cannes Film Festival that same year. In 2019, he co-starred as slave owner Gideon Brodess in the biographical award-winning drama Harriet, about abolitionist Harriet Tubman which had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on 10 September. In August, he joined the cast of The Souvenir Part II and in December, Alwyn appeared as Bob Cratchit in the BBC/FX three-part miniseries A Christmas Carol. He will appear in the adaptation of Jojo Moyes's book The Last Letter from Your Lover and it's been announced he will star opposite Emma Mackey in the Emily Dickinson biopic Emily.

Since 2016, Alwyn has been dating American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift.