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 February 21, 1991) is an English actor and songwriter. He is known for his roles in movies and for writing songs with the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift.

Alwyn's first major movie role was in the 2016 war drama Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk. He has also appeared in popular films like The Favourite (2018), Mary Queen of Scots (2018), and Catherine Called Birdy (2022). He also starred in the TV series Conversations with Friends (2022).

Using the secret name William Bowery, Alwyn co-wrote and co-produced songs with Taylor Swift. Their work on her album Folklore won a Grammy Award for Album of the Year in 2021. For his acting, he won a Trophée Chopard at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival, an award given to promising young actors.

Early Life and Schooling

Joseph Matthew Alwyn was born on February 21, 1991, in Kent, England. He grew up in North London. His mother is a psychotherapist, and his father is a documentary filmmaker. His great-grandfather was the famous composer William Alwyn.

Alwyn went to the City of London School. As a kid, he learned to play the guitar and was in a school band. He also enjoyed playing sports like football and rugby. Even though he was a shy child, he knew he wanted to become an actor. When he was a teenager, he joined the National Youth Theatre.

After high school, he studied English and drama at the University of Bristol. He acted in student plays at the famous Edinburgh Festival Fringe. After graduating in 2012, he went to the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama to study acting. An agent saw him perform in a student show and helped him get his first movie role.

Career

Acting in Movies and TV

Alwyn during an interview in 2018

In 2015, Alwyn was chosen for the main role in the movie Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk. The director, Ang Lee, said he picked Alwyn because he could show many emotions with just his facial expressions. This was Alwyn's first time in the United States. Critics praised his performance, and the movie helped launch his career.

In 2018, Alwyn appeared in several big movies. He played nobleman Samuel Masham in the comedy The Favourite. He also had roles in the historical dramas Operation Finale and Mary Queen of Scots.

The next year, he played a slave owner in the movie Harriet, which tells the story of Harriet Tubman. He also played Bob Cratchit in a TV version of A Christmas Carol.

In 2022, Alwyn starred in the TV series Conversations with Friends, based on a novel by Sally Rooney. He also acted in the movies Stars at Noon and Catherine Called Birdy. In 2024, he appeared in the film Kinds of Kindness. He also made his first appearance in a stage play in London in 2025.

Writing Music

While he was in a relationship with Taylor Swift, Alwyn helped write and produce ten of her songs between 2020 and 2022. He said it started by "messing around on a piano" and singing. Swift heard him and suggested they finish the song together.

He used the pseudonym, or secret name, William Bowery. He co-wrote the songs "Exile" and "Betty" for Swift's album Folklore. He also co-produced six songs on that album. For his work, he won a Grammy Award when Folklore was named Album of the Year.

Under the same secret name, he co-wrote three songs for Swift's next album, Evermore. He later explained that the name "William Bowery" came from his great-grandfather, William Alwyn, and a street in New York City called Bowery. He also co-wrote the song "Sweet Nothing" for her 2022 album, Midnights.

Personal Life

Alwyn was in a relationship with singer Taylor Swift from 2016 to 2023. Their relationship received a lot of attention from the media. After they broke up, Alwyn spoke about how difficult it was to go through the end of a long and committed relationship in public. He said, "There is always going to be a gap between what is known and what is said. I have made my peace with that." Swift's 2024 album, The Tortured Poets Department, includes songs that are believed to be about their breakup.

Alwyn is known for being a very private person. He has said that keeping his personal life to himself is a natural reaction to today's culture.

Work

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
2025	Hamnet	Bartholomew	Post-production
TBA	Hamlet	Laertes	Post-production
TBA	Panic Carefully	TBA	Filming

Television

Theatre

Discography

Accolades

See also

In Spanish: Joe Alwyn para niños