Joel Edgerton facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Joel Edgerton
Edgerton in 2017
Born	(1974-06-23) 23 June 1974 (age 51) Blacktown, New South Wales, Australia
Alma mater	University of Western Sydney
Occupation	Actor screenwriter producer director
Years active	1995–present
Partner(s)	Christine Centenera (2018–present)
Children	2
Relatives	Nash Edgerton (brother)

Joel Edgerton (born on June 23, 1974) is an actor and filmmaker from Australia. He is well-known for playing Will McGill in the TV show The Secret Life of Us. He also played Owen Lars in the Star Wars movies Attack of the Clones (2002) and Revenge of the Sith (2005). He played this role again in the Disney+ series Obi-Wan Kenobi in 2022.

Joel Edgerton also voiced Metal Beak in the fantasy adventure film Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole (2010). He was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for his role as Richard Loving in the 2016 historical drama Loving. In Australia, he won an AACTA Award for his acting in The Secret Life of Us.

He has appeared in many Australian films, including Animal Kingdom (2010). He also starred in big movies like Warrior (2011), The Great Gatsby (2013), and Bright (2017). More recently, he appeared in The Green Knight (2021) and The Boys in the Boat (2023). He also starred in the TV series The Underground Railroad (2021) and Dark Matter (2024).

Joel Edgerton also writes, directs, and produces films. He received praise for The Gift (2015), a thriller he worked on in many ways. In 2018, he wrote and directed Boy Erased. He also co-wrote and starred in The King in 2019.

Early Life and Education

Joel Edgerton was born in Blacktown, New South Wales, Australia. His father, Michael, was a lawyer and property developer. His mother, Marianne, was born in The Hague, Netherlands.

He finished high school at The Hills Grammar School in 1991. Later, he studied drama at the Nepean Drama School, which is part of the University of Western Sydney. After his studies, he started acting in plays, including some at the Sydney Theatre Company.

Acting and Filmmaking Career

Edgerton at the Sydney premiere of The Great Gatsby, May 2013

Joel Edgerton has acted in many films and TV shows. He played a young Owen Lars in the Star Wars movies Attack of the Clones (2002) and Revenge of the Sith (2005). He returned to this role in the Disney+ series Obi-Wan Kenobi in 2022.

In 2002, he won an AACTA Award for his role as Will in The Secret Life of Us. He also lent his voice to the main character in The Mysterious Geographic Explorations of Jasper Morello (2005), an animated short film. In the same year, he appeared in the British comedy Kinky Boots.

In 2008, he co-wrote the film The Square, which his brother Nash Edgerton directed. He also starred in the crime drama Animal Kingdom (2010), for which he won an AFI award. In 2011, he played a fictional MMA fighter named Brendan Conlon in the movie Warrior.

Joel Edgerton played Tom Buchanan in Baz Luhrmann's 2013 movie The Great Gatsby. In 2014, he starred as Ramesses II in the biblical film Exodus: Gods and Kings.

In 2015, he directed, starred in, wrote, and produced the thriller The Gift. This movie was very successful, earning $60 million with a budget of $5 million. He also co-starred in Black Mass (2015) as John Connolly, a friend of a famous gangster.

In 2016, he starred in the films Midnight Special and Loving. In 2017, he played Officer Nick Jacoby, an orc police officer, in the film Bright.

In 2018, Edgerton starred with Jennifer Lawrence in the thriller film Red Sparrow. In 2019, he co-wrote and starred as Sir John Falstaff in The King. In 2021, he starred in the medieval fantasy film The Green Knight.

In 2024, Joel Edgerton provided a voice for a policeman in the Bluey episode "The Sign".

Helping Others

Joel Edgerton is a special ambassador for The Fred Hollows Foundation. This organization helps people in poor countries get their sight back and works to improve the health of Aboriginal Australians. He has visited Nepal to see their work firsthand. He feels that helping with The Fred Hollows Foundation is a way to step away from the "materialistic life" that actors sometimes experience. The foundation is a non-profit group that trains surgeons and provides equipment to help cure blindness that can be prevented.

Personal Life

Joel Edgerton's brother, Nash Edgerton, is a stuntman and filmmaker. Both brothers are part of an Australian film group called Blue-Tongue Films. Nash directed Joel in the 2018 movie Gringo.

Joel Edgerton was in a relationship with Olympic Gold medalist Cathy Freeman from 2003 to 2005.

In 2018, Joel Edgerton started a relationship with Christine Centenera, who is the editor-in-chief of Vogue Australia. They had known each other since the late 1990s. Their twin children were born in May 2021.

Filmography

Acting Roles

Film

Key

Denotes films that have not yet been released

Television

Filmmaking Credits

Short Film

Feature Film

Stage Performances

Awards and Nominations

See also

In Spanish: Joel Edgerton para niños