Drew Starkey

Biography

Drew Starkey, born Joseph Andrew Starkey, is an American actor best known for his work in both film and television, with his breakout role being on a popular streaming service series.

🌟 Early Life and Education

Drew Starkey was born on November 4, 1993, in Asheville, North Carolina, U.S. His father is Todd Starkey, a college basketball coach. Although his family moved around the Blue Ridge Mountains area, he primarily grew up in Hickory, North Carolina.

He became seriously interested in acting after joining a drama class in his freshman year of high school. Starkey graduated in 2016 from Western Carolina University, where he double majored in English and theater performance. Following college, he relocated to Atlanta to begin auditioning for roles.

🎥 Career Highlights

Starkey began his career with supporting roles in major teen drama films in 2018, before landing a main role that brought him widespread recognition:

Breakout Role: He gained significant recognition for his main role as the troubled teenager Rafe Cameron in the Netflix adventure series, Outer Banks (2020–present). His character is the son of Ward and the older brother of Wheezie and Sarah, and has been described as a drug addict with anger issues.

Early Film Work: His early career included supporting roles such as Garrett Laughlin in Love, Simon, and Brian MacIntosh Jr. (Officer 115) in The Hate U Give (both in 2018). He also appeared in Just Mercy (2019) and The Devil All the Time (2020).

Recent Film and TV: Starkey has continued to take on high-profile projects.

He played Trevor in the 2022 film Hellraiser.

In 2023, he starred as Zach MacLaren in the romantic comedy The Other Zoey.

He appeared as Junior Alba in 4 episodes of the 2022 series The Terminal List.

He starred as Eugene Allerton opposite Daniel Craig in the 2024 romantic drama film Queer.

Upcoming Work: He is set to appear in the upcoming miniseries Lucky.