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David Thewlis

David Thewlis

Department: Acting

Biography

David Wheeler (born March 20, 1963), better known as David Thewlis, is an English actor and filmmaker. He is known as a character actor and has appeared in a wide variety of genres in both film and television. He has received the Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actor and nominations for two BAFTA Awards, Golden Globe Award, Primetime Emmy Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award. Thewlis made his film debut in Little Dorrit (1987) and acted in the Mike Leigh films Life is Sweet (1990) and Naked (1993), winning the Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actor for the latter. He then appeared in films such as Black Beauty (1994), Restoration (1995), James and the Giant Peach (1996), Dragonheart (1996), and Seven Years in Tibet (1997). He became more widely known to film audiences for his roles as Remus Lupin in the Harry Potter franchise (2004–2011) and Ares / Sir Patrick Morgan in Wonder Woman (2017). Other film roles include Kingdom of Heaven (2005), The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas (2008), War Horse (2011), The Theory of Everything (2014), Anomalisa (2015), I'm Thinking of Ending Things (2020), and Enola Holmes 2 (2022). Thewlis' most notable television roles include V. M. Varga in the third season of FX's Fargo (2017), the voice of the Shame Wizard in the Netflix animated sitcoms Big Mouth (2017–present) and Human Resources (2022–present), Christopher Edwards in the HBO miniseries Landscapers (2021), and John Dee in the Netflix drama series The Sandman (2022). His performance in Fargo earned him nominations for an Emmy, a Golden Globe, and a Critics' Choice Award.

Known For

Seven Years in Tibet

Seven Years in Tibet

1997

Kingdom of Heaven

Kingdom of Heaven

2005

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

2004

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

2007

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

2009

The Omen

The Omen

2006

James and the Giant Peach

James and the Giant Peach

1996

Basic Instinct 2

Basic Instinct 2

2006

Gangster No. 1

Gangster No. 1

2000

Enola Holmes 2

Enola Holmes 2

2022

Damage

Damage

1992

The Miracle Maker

The Miracle Maker

2000

Naked

Naked

1993

Goodbye Charlie Bright

Goodbye Charlie Bright

2001

DragonHeart

DragonHeart

1996

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1

2010

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2

2011

Timeline

Timeline

2003

The Island of Dr. Moreau

The Island of Dr. Moreau

1996

Veronika Decides to Die

Veronika Decides to Die

2009

Restoration

Restoration

1995

Black Beauty

Black Beauty

1994

The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas

The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas

2008

Total Eclipse

Total Eclipse

1995

Life Is Sweet

Life Is Sweet

1990

Afraid of the Dark

Afraid of the Dark

1991

Anonymous

Anonymous

2011

Divorcing Jack

Divorcing Jack

1998

Besieged

Besieged

1998

All the Invisible Children

All the Invisible Children

2006

Mr. Nice

Mr. Nice

2010

Endgame

Endgame

2000

London Boulevard

London Boulevard

2010

The Inner Life of Martin Frost

The Inner Life of Martin Frost

2007

Whatever Happened to Harold Smith?

Whatever Happened to Harold Smith?

2000

The Trial

The Trial

1993

The Making of 'DragonHeart'

The Making of 'DragonHeart'

1997

War Horse

War Horse

2011

Resurrected

Resurrected

1989

The Lady

The Lady

2011

Cheeky

Cheeky

2003

RED 2

RED 2

2013

The Zero Theorem

The Zero Theorem

2013

Filipina Dreamgirls

Filipina Dreamgirls

1991

Signal One

Signal One

2026

The Fifth Estate

The Fifth Estate

2013

D.I.Y. Hard

D.I.Y. Hard

2002

Road

Road

1987

The Magic Touch of Harry Potter

The Magic Touch of Harry Potter

2004

Vroom

Vroom

1988

The New World

The New World

2005

Queen & Country

Queen & Country

2015

The Theory of Everything

The Theory of Everything

2014

Macbeth

Macbeth

2015

Regression

Regression

2015

The Organ Grinder's Monkey

The Organ Grinder's Monkey

2011

Stonehearst Asylum

Stonehearst Asylum

2014

Final Cut: Ladies and Gentlemen

Final Cut: Ladies and Gentlemen

2012

Legend

Legend

2015

The Big Lebowski

The Big Lebowski

1998

The Short & Curlies

The Short & Curlies

1987

Swords at Teatime

Swords at Teatime

1992

An Inspector Calls

An Inspector Calls

2015

Love Story

Love Story

1999

Little Wolf's Book of Badness

Little Wolf's Book of Badness

2003

Sunday Roast

Sunday Roast

2014

Wonder Woman

Wonder Woman

2017

Journey to Knock

Journey to Knock

1991

American Perfekt

American Perfekt

1997

The Mercy

The Mercy

2018

Little Dorrit

Little Dorrit

1987

Hamilton Mattress

Hamilton Mattress

2002

Dinotopia

Dinotopia

2002

Separate We Come, Separate We Go

Separate We Come, Separate We Go

2013

How to Get a Head in Sculpture

How to Get a Head in Sculpture

2011

Harry Potter: A History Of Magic

Harry Potter: A History Of Magic

2017

Justice League

Justice League

2017

Eternal Beauty

Eternal Beauty

2020

Beyond Boundaries: The Harvey Weinstein Scandal

Beyond Boundaries: The Harvey Weinstein Scandal

2018

Guest of Honour

Guest of Honour

2020

Rare Beasts

Rare Beasts

2021

Skulduggery

Skulduggery

1991

Black and Blue

Black and Blue

1992

Athena

Athena

2010

Anomalisa

Anomalisa

2015

The Amazing Maurice

The Amazing Maurice

2022

None of Them Are You: Crafting Anomalisa

None of Them Are You: Crafting Anomalisa

2016

Zack Snyder's Justice League

Zack Snyder's Justice League

2021

I'm Thinking of Ending Things

I'm Thinking of Ending Things

2020

Deep Red Instant Love

Deep Red Instant Love

1988

Discovering Dinotopia

Discovering Dinotopia

2002

The Thing with Feathers

The Thing with Feathers

2025

Dreamtown: A Brief Anatomy of Blackpool

Dreamtown: A Brief Anatomy of Blackpool

1994

Radio Pictures

Radio Pictures

1985

Avatar: Fire and Ash

Avatar: Fire and Ash

2025

Only Fools and Horses

Only Fools and Horses

1981

Prime Suspect

Prime Suspect

1991

Landscapers

Landscapers

2021

A Bit of a Do

A Bit of a Do

1989

Valentine Park

Valentine Park

1987

Dandelion Dead

Dandelion Dead

1994

Human Resources

Human Resources

2022

Human Resources

Human Resources

2022

The Street

The Street

2006

Fargo

Fargo

2014

Frank Stubbs Promotes

Frank Stubbs Promotes

1993

Dinotopia

Dinotopia

2002

Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit

Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit

1990

The Sandman

The Sandman

2022

Sherlock & Daughter

Sherlock & Daughter

2025

The Artful Dodger

The Artful Dodger

2023

The Feed

The Feed

2019

Big Mouth

Big Mouth

2017

Barkskins

Barkskins

2020

KAOS

KAOS

2024

Big Mouth

Big Mouth

2017

Screen Two

Screen Two

1985

The Singing Detective

The Singing Detective

1986

Dirty Business

Dirty Business

2026