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Austin Butler
Austin Butler at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival 02.jpg
Butler in 2025
Born
Austin Robert Butler

(1991-08-17) August 17, 1991 (age 33)
Occupation
  • Actor
  • singer
  • model
Years active 2005–present
Awards Full list

Austin Robert Butler (born August 17, 1991) is an American actor, singer, and model. He started his acting journey on TV shows for kids and teens. You might have seen him on Disney Channel or Nickelodeon, like in Zoey 101.

Later, Austin took on bigger roles in teen dramas such as Life Unexpected and Switched at Birth. He became even more well-known for his parts in The Carrie Diaries and The Shannara Chronicles. In 2018, he performed on Broadway in a play called The Iceman Cometh. He also appeared in Quentin Tarantino's movie Once Upon a Time in Hollywood in 2019.

Austin gained huge fame for playing Elvis Presley in the 2022 movie Elvis. For this role, he won a Golden Globe and a BAFTA Award. He was also nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor. Time magazine even named him one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2023. More recently, he starred in the war drama Masters of the Air (2024) and the science fiction film Dune: Part Two (2024).

About Austin's Early Life

Austin Butler was born on August 17, 1991, in Anaheim, California. His mom, Lori Anne, was an aesthetician, and his dad was David Butler. They separated when Austin was seven years old. He has an older sister named Ashley, who was also an actress.

When Austin was thirteen, someone from an acting company noticed him at the Orange County Fair. This helped him start his career in entertainment. He really enjoyed acting and began taking classes. Austin went to public school until seventh grade. Then, he started homeschooling to fit his acting schedule better. He continued homeschooling until tenth grade and later passed a high school equivalency exam.

Austin's Acting Journey

Starting Out in TV (2005–2018)

In 2005, Austin began as an extra on TV shows like Unfabulous and Drake & Josh. His first regular role was as Zippy Brewster on Nickelodeon's Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide. A friend from the show introduced him to her manager, which helped Austin take acting seriously.

In May 2007, Austin guest-starred on the Disney Channel show Hannah Montana with Miley Cyrus. In September of that year, he appeared on the Nickelodeon series iCarly.

Austin butler
Austin Butler in 2008

In February 2008, Austin got a main role on Zoey 101. He played James Garrett, a love interest for the main character, Zoey. He had also appeared on the show before in a smaller role.

In July 2009, Austin starred in the family adventure movie Aliens in the Attic. In this film, his character and his family fight aliens to save their home. That same summer, Austin played Jordan Gallagher in the ABC Family series Ruby & the Rockits.

In 2010, Austin had a recurring role on CW's Life Unexpected. He also guest-starred on Disney Channel shows like Wizards of Waverly Place and Jonas. His Aliens in the Attic co-star, Ashley Tisdale, asked him to audition for Sharpay's Fabulous Adventure. This movie was a spin-off of Disney's High School Musical. Austin played Peyton Leverette, Sharpay's love interest. The movie was released in 2011.

In 2011, he joined the ABC Family series Switched at Birth as Wilke. He also played Zack Garvey in the TV movie The Bling Ring, which was about a group that robbed celebrity homes.

In March 2012, Austin was cast in The CW's The Carrie Diaries. He played Sebastian Kydd, a cool student at the same high school as Carrie Bradshaw. The show was based on a book and followed Carrie's life in the 1980s. It ran for two seasons.

In April 2014, Austin acted in a play called Death of the Author in Los Angeles. He played Bradley, a smart college student.

Austin then joined the cast of Arrow as Chase, a DJ. He also appeared in the 2015 thriller The Intruders. In 2016, he was in the horror-comedy film Yoga Hosers with Johnny Depp. From 2016 to 2017, he played Wil Ohmsford in The Shannara Chronicles, a TV show based on a fantasy novel.

In 2018, Austin made his Broadway debut in The Iceman Cometh. He played Don Parritt in the play, which also starred Denzel Washington.

Becoming a Star (2019–Present)

In 2019, Austin appeared in Quentin Tarantino's movie Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. He played a character based on Tex Watson. Even with limited screen time, his performance was described as "intense."

Austin Butler 2019 by Glenn Francis
Austin Butler at the premiere of Once Upon a Time in Hollywood in 2019

Later in 2019, Austin was chosen to play Elvis Presley in the movie Elvis, directed by Baz Luhrmann. The movie came out in 2022. Austin's acting as Elvis received great reviews and praise from the Presley family. He said playing Elvis was "the most intimidating thing I've ever done." This role earned him many awards, including a BAFTA and a Golden Globe. He was also nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor.

In June 2023, Austin was invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which is the group that gives out the Oscars. He also starred in the 1960s drama The Bikeriders, which premiered in 2023.

In 2024, Austin played Gale Cleven in the war drama miniseries Masters of the Air. He also played the villain Feyd-Rautha in the science fiction movie Dune: Part Two (2024). People praised his dedication to the role and his amazing transformation.

Austin is set to appear in more movies, including the Western film Eddington and the crime thriller Caught Stealing.

Austin's Personal Life

Austin enjoys making and recording music. He taught himself to play guitar when he was thirteen and piano when he was sixteen.

His mother passed away in 2014. This made him think about stopping acting for a short time. From 2011 to 2019, Austin dated actress Vanessa Hudgens. In December 2021, he started dating actress and model Kaia Gerber. They separated at the end of 2024.

Filmography

Movies

Year Title Role Notes
2009 Aliens in the Attic Jake Pearson
2011 Sharpay's Fabulous Adventure Peyton Leverett Direct-to-video
2015 The Intruders Noah Henry
2016 Yoga Hosers Hunter Calloway
2019 Once Upon a Time in Hollywood Tex Watson
2022 Elvis Elvis Presley
2023 The Bikeriders Benny
2024 Dune: Part Two Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen
2025 Eddington Vernon Jefferson Peak

Television Shows

Year Title Role Notes
2005–2007 Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide Zippy Brewster 41 episodes
2006–2007 Hannah Montana Derek Hanson 2 episodes
2007 iCarly Jake Krandle Episode: "iLike Jake"
2007–2008 Zoey 101 Danifer / James Garrett Guest (season 3)/Main role (season 4)
2009 Ruby & the Rockits Jordan Gallagher Main role
2010 Wizards of Waverly Place George Episode: "Positive Alex"
2010–2011 Life Unexpected Jones Mager 10 episodes
2011–2012 Switched at Birth James "Wilkie" Wilkerson 14 episodes
2013–2014 The Carrie Diaries Sebastian Kydd Main role
2014–2015 Arrow Chase 3 episodes
2016–2017 The Shannara Chronicles Wil Ohmsford Main role
2022 Saturday Night Live Himself (host) Episode: "Austin Butler/Lizzo"
2024 Masters of the Air Gale Cleven Main role; miniseries

Theater Performances

Year Title Role Venue
2014 Death of the Author Bradley Geffen Playhouse
2018 The Iceman Cometh Don Parritt Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre

Awards and Nominations

Austin Butler has won and been nominated for many awards for his acting. Here are some of his most notable achievements:

Year Award Category Nominated work Result
2022 AACTA Awards Best Lead Actor Elvis Won
2022 People's Choice Awards Drama Movie Star of 2022 Won
2023 Academy Awards Best Actor Nominated
2023 British Academy Film Awards Best Actor in a Leading Role Won
2023 Golden Globe Awards Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama Won
2023 Screen Actors Guild Awards Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role Nominated
2024 Kids' Choice Awards Favorite Villain Dune: Part Two Nominated

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Austin Butler para niños

  • List of actors with Academy Award nominations
  • List of Golden Globe winners
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