Joe Alwyn facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Joe Alwyn
Alwyn in 2022
Born	Joseph Matthew Alwyn (1991-02-21) 21 February 1991 (age 34) Royal Tunbridge Wells, Kent, England
Other names	William Bowery
Alma mater	University of Bristol Royal Central School of Speech & Drama
Occupation	Actor record producer songwriter
Years active	2015–present
Partner(s)	Taylor Swift (2016–2023)
Relatives	William Alwyn (great-grandfather)

Joseph Matthew Alwyn (born on February 21, 1991) is an actor from England. He is also a record producer and songwriter. Joe Alwyn started his acting career in 2015.

His first big movie role was in the 2016 war drama Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk. Since then, he has acted in many other films. Some of these include The Favourite (2018), Boy Erased (2018), and Mary Queen of Scots (2018). He also appeared in the TV series Conversations with Friends (2022).

Joe Alwyn was born in Kent, England, and grew up in North London. He became interested in acting when he was a teenager. He performed in plays while he was a student. He earned university degrees in English literature, drama, and acting.

He also worked with the famous American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift. He helped create ten of her songs between 2020 and 2022. This included songs like "Exile" and "Betty". These songs were on her album Folklore, which won a Grammy Award for Album of the Year. In 2018, Joe Alwyn won an award called the Trophée Chopard at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival. He was also named one of Time magazine's rising stars in 2022.

Early Life and Education

Joseph Matthew Alwyn was born on February 21, 1991. His birthplace was Tunbridge Wells in Kent, England. He grew up in North London. His mother is a psychotherapist, and his father makes documentary films. Joe Alwyn's great-grandfather was a composer named William Alwyn.

Joe Alwyn went to a private school called the City of London School. For a short time, he took guitar lessons and was in a school band. He also played football and rugby at school. Even though he was a quiet child, Joe Alwyn wanted to become an actor. He tried out for a small part in the 2003 movie Love Actually but did not get the role.

When he was a teenager, he joined the National Youth Theatre. This is a group for young people who want to act. He studied English literature and drama at the University of Bristol. While there, he acted in two student plays at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. He finished his degree in 2012.

After applying to four acting schools, he was accepted into the Royal Central School of Speech & Drama. Here, he earned another degree in acting. During his third year, an agent saw him perform. This agent later helped Joe Alwyn get his first big movie role. The agent told him about a movie called Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk. This movie became his first feature film.

Acting Career

Starting in Films

In early 2015, Joe Alwyn was chosen for the main role in a war drama film. The movie was called Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk. It was directed by Ang Lee from Taiwan. The film was based on a book from 2012. Ang Lee said he picked Alwyn because he could show the difficult feelings of war just with his face.

Joe Alwyn visited the United States for the first time after getting this role. He said he didn't quite fit the part at first. The role was for a 19-year-old U.S. Army soldier. Joe Alwyn said he had long blond hair and was much thinner when he auditioned. Critics praised his acting in the film, saying it felt very real. Many people called this movie his "breakout" role.

Alwyn in August 2018

After that, he had a smaller role in the 2017 mystery drama film The Sense of an Ending. This movie was directed by Ritesh Batra from India.

Key Roles in 2018

Joe Alwyn appeared in several movies in 2018. He played a supporting role as a British nobleman, Samuel Masham, in The Favourite. This was a historical comedy film directed by Yorgos Lanthimos. The movie was nominated for many awards, including 10 Academy Awards. Critics liked Alwyn's funny acting style in the film.

He also had a supporting role in Operation Finale, a historical drama. He played a small part in Boy Erased. This movie was based on a true story about an LGBT+ activist. Alwyn then appeared as Robert Dudley in the historical drama Mary Queen of Scots. At the 2018 Cannes Film Festival, Joe Alwyn won the Trophée Chopard award.

Later Film and TV Work

In 2019, Joe Alwyn played a character in Harriet. This biographical drama was about the life of Harriet Tubman. He also played Bob Cratchit in the TV mini-series A Christmas Carol. This show was based on the famous story by Charles Dickens.

In 2021, he had a small role in the drama film The Souvenir Part II. He also played a character in The Last Letter from Your Lover, a romantic film.

In 2022, Joe Alwyn starred in the TV series Conversations with Friends. This show was based on a popular novel. His acting in this series received different opinions from critics. He also acted with Margaret Qualley in the romantic thriller Stars at Noon. This film won an award at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival. He played the main character's uncle in Catherine Called Birdy. This medieval comedy film was based on a children's novel. Both films received good reviews.

In 2024, Alwyn had a supporting role in Kinds of Kindness. This was another film directed by Yorogos Lanthimos.

Music Contributions

While he was in a relationship with singer Taylor Swift, Joe Alwyn helped with ten of her songs. These songs were released between 2020 and 2022. He said it started when he was "messing around on a piano" and singing. Taylor Swift heard him and suggested they finish a song together.

He is listed as a co-producer for several songs on Swift's 2020 album, Folklore. These songs include "Exile", "My Tears Ricochet", and "August". He also co-wrote "Exile" and "Betty" using the name William Bowery. "Exile" became a top 10 hit in many countries.

At the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards in 2021, Folklore won the Album of the Year. This meant Joe Alwyn won his first Grammy Award for his work as a producer on the album. As William Bowery, he also co-wrote songs for Swift's other 2020 album, Evermore. These songs included "Champagne Problems" and the title track "Evermore".

In 2022, Joe Alwyn shared that the name "William Bowery" came from his great-grandfather, William Alwyn, who was a composer. The "Bowery" part came from a neighborhood in New York City where he spent a lot of time. On Taylor Swift's 2022 album, Midnights, he is listed as a co-writer for the song "Sweet Nothing", again using the name William Bowery.

Personal Life

Joe Alwyn likes to keep his personal life private. He has said this is his way of reacting to how much information is shared in today's world. GQ magazine has called him a "notoriously low-key actor."

He was in a relationship with Taylor Swift from 2016 to 2023. Their relationship was often talked about in the news. When they broke up, Joe Alwyn said in 2024 that it is hard when a long relationship ends. He also mentioned that it was unusual for their breakup to become public so quickly. He said there will always be things known only to those involved, and he has accepted that.

Filmography

Film

Key

Denotes works that have not yet been released

Year	Title	Role	Notes	Ref.
2016	Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk	Billy Lynn
2017	The Sense of an Ending	Adrian Finn
2018	Operation Finale	Klaus Eichmann
	The Favourite	Samuel Masham
	Boy Erased	Henry Wallace
	Mary Queen of Scots	Robert Dudley
2019	Harriet	Gideon Brodess
2020	Miss Americana	Himself	Documentary
2021	The Souvenir Part II	Max
	The Last Letter from Your Lover	Laurence Stirling
2022	Stars at Noon	Daniel DeHaven
	Catherine Called Birdy	George
2023	A Very Short Film About Longing	Paul	Short film
2024	Kinds of Kindness	Collectibles appraiser 1 / Jerry / Joseph
	The Brutalist	Harry Lee Van Buren
TBA	Hamlet	Laertes	Post-production
TBA	Hamnet	Bartholomew	Post-production

Television

Discography

Awards and Nominations

See also

In Spanish: Joe Alwyn para niños