Jude Hill

Biography

Jude Hill is a Northern Irish child actor who rose to international acclaim with his feature film debut in 2021.

Biography and Early Life

Born on August 1, 2010, Jude Hill is from Gilford, a village in County Down, near Armagh in Northern Ireland. His parents are Shauneen and Darryl. He has a younger sister and a younger brother.

Hill attended St John's Primary School and began taking drama classes at the Shelley Lowry School in Portadown from the young age of four.

Career Highlights

Breakthrough Role: Hill made his feature film debut as Buddy, the lead character in Kenneth Branagh's Belfast (2021). The film is a semi-autobiographical story told mostly through the eyes of Buddy, described as a "smart, cheery 9-year-old and a fictional version of Branagh himself." Hill was nine when he was cast out of 300 young actors and ten when filming took place.

Acclaim and Awards: For his breakout performance in Belfast, he won the prestigious Critics' Choice Award for Best Young Performer. He also won the Hollywood Critics Association Newcomer Award and the Music City Film Critics Association Best Young Actor award.

Further Work with Branagh: He reunited with Kenneth Branagh for the supernatural mystery film A Haunting in Venice (2023), where he played the role of Leopold Ferrier.

Other Projects: His work also includes the short film Rian (2021), where he played the title role, the horror film Mandrake (2022), and his television debut in the 2022 adaptation of Magpie Murders, in which he played Sam Blakiston for four episodes.

Upcoming Projects

Hill is continuing his acting career with several new projects:

He portrayed Harry Vandergroot in the film Holland, released on March 27, 2025, co-starring with Nicole Kidman.

He is set to play the lead role of Marc in Way of the Warrior Kid, which is currently in post-production.