Jump to content

Alex Pettyfer

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Skyecolby (talk | contribs) at 04:56, 3 November 2008 (→External links). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Alex Pettyfer
File:Alexpettyfer1.jpg
Alex Pettyfer in 2006.
Born
Alexander Richard Pettyfer
Years active2005-present
Websitehttp://www.alexpettyfer.com

Alexander Richard Pettyfer[1] (born 10 April 1990) is an English actor and model. The son of an actor and former fashion model, he appeared on stage and in television before being cast as Alex Rider, the main character in the film version of Stormbreaker. The film was released worldwide in 2006. He can currently be seen as a model in the Spring/Summer 2008 Burberry advertising campaign, having been signed to Select Model Management. [2]. He stars as Freddie Kingsley, opposite Emma Roberts in the film Wild Child, released on 15th August 2008.

Biography

Alex Pettyfer was born in Stevenage, Hertfordshire, the son of actor Richard Pettyfer, and former model Lee Robinson (currently known as "Lee Ireland"); he has a younger half-brother, James Ireland, a junior tennis player, from his mother's re-marriage to Michael Ireland, a property developer.[3][4]

Career

Pettyfer began his career as a child fashion model at the age of seven, modelling for labels such as GAP, after meeting Ralph Lauren in a toy store in New York City.[3] He also did adverts for some yoghurt brands. His first commercial was at age six. He attended The Mall School, a small private school in Twickenham and as a schoolboy, performed in plays, including in the role of Willy Wonka in a production Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. He then went on to attend Lambrook Haileybury school in Berkshire and played numerous main parts in school and year plays.

In 2005, Alex Pettyfer, after ending his modelling career,[3] made his professional acting debut in the British television production of Tom Brown's Schooldays, playing the lead character, Tom Brown; he received positive reviews for the role.[5] In June 2005, he was cast in his most prominent role so far, that of teenage MI6 spy Alex Rider in the film Stormbreaker, based on the novel by Anthony Horowitz. He was one of 500 who auditioned for the role.[4] Pettyfer chose to appear in the film over a role in the film Eragon, noting that he preferred Stormbreaker because it would be filmed in Britain, in the Isle of Man, while Eragon would film in the Czech Republic; Pettyfer is afraid of flying, and he liked the looks of the cast for Stormbreaker.[3] Stormbreaker was released on 21 July 2006 in the United Kingdom, on 6 October 2006 in the United States and on 21 September 2006 in Australia.

One review of Pettyfer's performance described him as playing the role with an "earnest intensity",[6] although another noted that he "isn't quite at ease as an actor".[7] Media reports specified that the film was expected to make Pettyfer a "teen idol".[5] Pettyfer will not reprise the role if there is another Alex Rider film because he is too old.[8]

His latest role is in Wild Child, a movie set in California and Yorkshire. He plays school boy Freddie and he co-stars with Emma Roberts.

Pettyfer returned to modeling in 2007. His most recent modeling jobs were ad campaigns for Burberry.

Personal life

Pettyfer [3] lives in Windsor, Berkshire, and attended Shiplake College boarding school near Henley-on-Thames in Oxfordshire and Lambrook Haileybury School in Windsor. He also attended Millfield School in Somerset, before he left to attend Drama College. When not working, Pettyfer's hobbies include skiing, ballet, dancing and hockey. He also attended Sylvia Young Theatre School.

After Pettyfer completed filming Stormbreaker, he did not discuss the film with anyone at his school, citing the advice of his Stormbreaker co-star, Ewan McGregor, who told him to keep his personal and professional life separate. Pettyfer has since decided to leave school and concentrate on his film career he has,[9] as well as study drama full time at college,[5] saying that "When you have already experienced going out and working in the real world, and you come back to school, you just see it as a playground and you don't want to be there any more".[10]

Filmography

Modelling

References

  1. ^ England & Wales, Birth Index: 1984-2005
  2. ^ Burberry.com
  3. ^ a b c d e "The New York Times". He Was a Teenage Spy, Surrounded by Treacherous Adults. Retrieved 2006-07-20.
  4. ^ a b "Scotsman.com". Calm amid the storm. Retrieved 2006-07-20.
  5. ^ a b c "ICWales.co.uk". Going down a storm. Retrieved 2006-07-20.
  6. ^ "ScreenDaily.com". Stormbreaker. Retrieved 2006-07-20.
  7. ^ "The Independent". Stormbreaker (PG). Retrieved 2006-07-22.
  8. ^ "The Sunday Mail". Young star cruising. Retrieved 2006-09-23.
  9. ^ "ContactMusic". PETTYFER PUTS McGREGOR'S ADVICE INTO PRACTICE. Retrieved 2006-07-20.
  10. ^ "PRInside". STORMBREAKER STAR QUITS SCHOOL. Retrieved 2006-07-20.
  11. ^ http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117990168.html?categoryId=28&cs=1

<a href="http://it.tinypic.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://i34.tinypic.com/14kacd1.jpg" border="0" alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic"></a>

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Alex_Pettyfer&oldid=249341060"