We have written the details of the life of actor Charlie Hunnam, who was discovered by a producer in a shoe store, and has made his name known by appearing in many TV series and movies and crowned it with awards, from past to present.
His full name is Charles Matthew Hunnam, he was born on April 10, 1980 in Newcastle upon Tyne. He was born to his mother, ballet dancer and business owner Jane Bell, and father, William Hunnam. Hunnam has an older brother named William and two younger half-brothers from his mother's side named Oliver and Christian.
His parents divorced and his mother remarried when Hunnam was 12, and the family moved to Melmerby, Cumbria. Playing rugby football and fighting with his classmates as a teenager, Hunnam decided to go to the Cumbria College of Art and Design in Carlisle to study performing arts instead of going to college. From there, Hunnam, who graduated with a double degree in performing arts, wanted to write and direct his own films.
When Hunnam was 17, he was discovered while traveling with his brother to buy shoes. He was then persuaded to appear as Jason in three episodes by the producer of the BBC One teen drama "Byker Grove" and the coming-of-age television series. Thereupon, he participated in the photo shoot of the clothing company "Kangol" and decided that modeling was not suitable for her.
He got his first major role as 15-year-old schoolboy Nathan Maloney in the TV series "Queer as Folk" written by Russell T. Davies and broadcast on Channel 4. His career was followed by a role in the comedy "Whatever Happened to Harold Smith?" directed by Peter Hewitt. In 2000, he continued his role as Gregor Ryder in the television drama "Young Americans" created by Steven Antin.
It then came when he appeared as a British drama student named Lloyd Haythe in the sitcom "Undeclared", created by Judd Apatow and aired on Fox. Despite being canceled after one season, the series was critically acclaimed and featured on the "25 Best Cult TV Shows of the Last 25 Years" list. In 2002, he took the lead role as Embry Larkin in the psychological thriller drama "Abandon" written and directed by Stephen Gaghan. The film was both negative reviews and a box office failure.
Later that year, he took the lead role as Nicholas Nickleby in the comedy-drama film "Nicholas Nickleby" written and directed by Douglas McGrath. Gilm, which received positive reviews, could not achieve the same success at the box office. In 2003, he starred in the epic period war movie "Cold Mountain" written and directed by Anthony Minghella. The film, which was a successful commercial at the box office, also did well in critical acclaim.
In 2005, he co-starred with Elijah Wood in the crime drama film "Green Street", directed by Lexi Alexander and about football hooliganism in the United Kingdom. Despite mixed reviews and low box office success, the film received multiple awards and nominations. The following year, he took one of the main roles in a dystopian action thriller called "Children of Men", co-written and directed by Alfonso Cuarón. The film, which was acclaimed by the critics and won many awards and nominations in various categories, could not achieve the same success at the box office.
From 2008 to 2014, Hunnam appeared as Jackson "Jax" Teller of the motorcycle club SAMCRO in the action crime drama television series "Sons of Anarchy" aired on FX by Kurt Sutter. The series, which reached a large audience in the first weeks of its broadcast, became FX's highest-rated series. His performance earned him a Critics' Choice Television Award nomination, three EWwy Award nominations, and a PAAFTJ Award nomination.
Meanwhile, Hunnam co-starred with Terrence Howard, Liv Tyler, Christopher Gorham and Patrick Wilson in the thriller drama "The Ledge" written and directed by Matthew Chapman. The film was received as a bombshell from both critics and the box office. He also co-starred in the comedy "3, 2, 1... Frankie Go Boom" directed by Jordan Roberts and the crime drama film "Deadfall" directed by Stefan Ruzowitzky.
In 2013, he landed the role of Raleigh Becket, one of the lead roles, in the sci-fi monster movie "Pacific Rim" directed by Guillermo del Toro. The film, which received great acclaim and positive reviews after its release, was also a box office success. In the following years, he starred as Percy Fawcett in the biographical adventure drama film "The Lost City of Z", written and directed by James Gray and based on the book of the same name. The film was critically acclaimed and failed financially at the box office. Despite this, it was among the "Top 10 Movies of 2017".
In 2017, he starred as King Arthur, the future king of Britain, in the epic fantasy action-adventure film "King Arthur: Legend of the Sword" directed by Guy Ritchie. The film, which received mixed and average reviews, was also criticized for its failure at the box office. In the same year, he took the lead role as Henri "Papillon" Charrière in the drama film "Papillon" directed by Michael Noer, along with Rami Malek.
He then appeared in the psychological drama "A Million Little Pieces" directed by Sam Taylor-Johnson and based on the semi-fictional book of the same name, with Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Billy Bob Thornton, Odessa Young, Giovanni Ribisi and Juliette Lewis. In 2019, he starred in the action-adventure movie "Triple Frontier" directed by JC Chandor as one of the lead roles. The film, which was released in theaters on March 6, 2019, received generally positive reviews from critics. In the same year, he starred in the jungle hunter movie "True History of the Kelly Gang" directed by Justin Kurzel and based on the novel of the same name.
He then took a lead role in the sports drama movie "Jungleland" directed by Max Winkler. In the same year, he co-starred with Matthew McConaughey, Henry Golding, Michelle Dockery, Jeremy Strong, Eddie Marsan, Colin Farrell and Hugh Grant in the action comedy "The Gentlemen" written and directed by Guy Ritchie. Upon its release, the film received generally positive reviews from critics and was a healthy success at the box office.
In the following years, he appeared as the lead character, Charlie Waldo, in the mystery film "Last Looks" based on the novel of the same name, which resulted in mixed or average reviews. In 2022, he starred in the lead role of Dale Conti/Lindsay "Linbaba" Ford in the television drama thriller "Shantaram" created by Eric Warren Singer and Steve Lightfoot and based on the novel of the same name. In 2023, he appeared as one of the main cast members of Kai in the epic space opera film "Rebel Moon" directed by Zack Snyder. The movie is set to be released by Netflix on December 22, 2023.
Private life
In 1999, Hunnam met actress Katharine Towne, the daughter of actress Julie Payne and producer Robert Towne. The couple got married after three weeks of dating and divorced in 2002. Later, Hunnam had an affair with model Sophie Dahl. Afterwards, Hunnam, who was in love with actress Stella Parker, became close with producer Georgina Townsley after they broke up. Since 2005, Hunnam has been in a relationship with artist Morgana McNelis.
Hunnam, who has dyslexia, also has a fear of germs and dirt. Hunnam, who started to take Brazilian jiu-jitsu training in 2016, was awarded a blue belt in 2018.