Jack Lowden

Biography

Jack Andrew Lowden (born June 2, 1990) is an acclaimed Scottish actor known for his distinguished work across theatre, film, and television, earning a reputation for his versatility and dramatic intensity.

🎬 Biography and Early Career

Born in Chelmsford, England, to Scottish parents, Lowden was raised in the village of Oxton in the Scottish Borders. His passion for acting was cultivated early, beginning with the Scottish Youth Theatre in Edinburgh. He went on to study at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama in Glasgow, graduating in 2011.

Lowden first achieved significant recognition on the stage. In 2014, he won the prestigious Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for his performance as Oswald in Richard Eyre's adaptation of Ghosts. This early success cemented his status as a formidable talent.

📺 Breakthrough and Key Roles

Lowden’s transition to the screen quickly brought him international attention.

Television Breakthrough: His role as Nikolai Rostov in the 2016 BBC miniseries adaptation of War & Peace served as his international onscreen breakthrough.

Major Film Roles: He gained widespread recognition for his role as Collins, an RAF fighter pilot, in Christopher Nolan’s epic World War II film, Dunkirk (2017). He also notably starred as Lord Darnley opposite Saoirse Ronan in Mary Queen of Scots (2018), and as the controversial singer Morrissey in the biopic England Is Mine (2017).

Award-Winning Performances: Lowden won a Scottish BAFTA for his chilling performance in the Netflix thriller Caliber (2018) and a second for his portrayal of the WWI poet Siegfried Sassoon in the biopic Benediction (2021).

Spy: Slow Horses and Recent Success

Since 2022, Lowden has starred as the ambitious yet mistake-prone MI5 agent River Cartwright in the critically acclaimed television series, Slow Horses. Working alongside Gary Oldman, this role has become one of his most prominent, earning him nominations for a Primetime Emmy Award and a Golden Globe Award for his supporting performance.

Lowden continues to balance acting with producing, having founded a production company with his wife, actress Saoirse Ronan, with whom he co-produced the 2024 film The Outrun.