Jeremy Irvine

Jeremy Irvine
Irvine in 2011
Born
Jeremy William Fredric Smith

(1990-06-18) 18 June 1990 (age 36)
Gamlingay, England
OccupationActor
Years active2009–present
Spouse
Jodie Spencer
​
​
(m. 2024, unknown)​
Children2
RelativesRalph Lilley Turner
(great-grandfather)

Jeremy William Fredric Smith (born 18 June 1990), known professionally as Jeremy Irvine, is an English actor. He made his film debut when Steven Spielberg chose him to star in the epic war film War Horse (2011) and has since starred in films such as Great Expectations (2012), The Railway Man (2013), and Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again (2018), and Return to Silent Hill (2026), as well as the television series Treadstone (2019).

Irvine has earned a reputation as a method actor. For War Horse, he began lifting weights and gained 6.4 kilograms (14 lb) of muscle, underwent two months of intensive horseback training, and spent so much time recreating the Battle of Somme scene in the film that he got trench foot; for The Railway Man, he lost around 6.4 kilograms (14 lb) by starving himself for two months and performed his own torture scenes.

Early life

Irvine was born Jeremy William Fredric Smith on 18 June 1990 in Gamlingay, Cambridgeshire, England, the son of Liberal Democrat councillor Bridget Smith and engineer Chris Smith.[better source needed] He has two younger brothers, one of whom portrayed a younger version of his character in Great Expectations (2012). His great-grandfather was Ralph Lilley Turner.

Irvine took his stage surname from his grandfather's first name. He started acting at age 16 after his drama teacher inspired him: "I never fitted in, which led me to acting. I was looking for something different." He played Romeo and other main roles in plays at Bedford Modern School, followed by a run with the National Youth Theatre.

After completing a one-year foundation course at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA), Irvine spent two years posting his CV through letterboxes to get acting work, during which time he worked in his local supermarket and did web design. He almost gave up acting just before he got his break in War Horse. In an interview with CBS News while promoting Great Expectations, he described this as the lowest point of his life and said that he considered taking a different career path: "My dad wanted me to get a job being a welder. At the company he was at, he was an engineer. I was very very close to doing that."

Career

Irvine at the 2012 Toronto International Film Festival

Irvine played Luke in the television series Life Bites and appeared in the Royal Shakespeare Company's 2010 production of Dunsinane. He was quoted in Interview Magazine, saying: "My friends all took the mick out of me for Dunsinane saying, 'You're gonna be the tree'. Indeed, in my first scene, I was waving two branches."

In June 2010, he was cast in the lead role of the 2011 Steven Spielberg film War Horse. The film was an adaption of Michael Morpurgo's novel War Horse. Spielberg said he had been looking for an unknown actor for Albert: "I looked at hundreds of actors and newcomers for Albert – mainly newcomers – and nobody had the heart, the spirit or the communication skills that Jeremy had." Irvine was asked to read a section of the War Horse script on camera to check his West Country accent. To prepare for the role, he took up weight training and gained about 6.4 kilograms (14 lb) of muscle. He also underwent two months of intensive horse riding. He spent so much time recreating the Battle of Somme that he contracted trench foot. For his work, he was nominated for the London Film Critics' Choice Award for Young British Performer of the Year and the Empire Award for Best Male Newcomer.

In April 2011, Variety reported that Irvine had been cast as Pip in a 2012 film adaptation of Great Expectations. In October 2011, The Hollywood Reporter announced that he was set to play the young Eric Lomax in The Railway Man. He earned a reputation as a method actor after going two months without food, losing around 13 kilograms (2 st), and performing torture scene stunts in The Railway Man. He then starred in the independent film Now Is Good. In February 2013, Variety stated that he had been cast in a film based on The World Made Straight. Also in 2013, he was cast as Daniel Grigori in Fallen, based on the young adult series by Lauren Kate.

On 12 August 2014, Deadline reported that Irvine had been cast as Percy Bysshe Shelley in Mary Shelley's Monster. In November 2015, he starred in Don Broco's music video for "Nerve". He attended Bedford Modern School, the same school as the band's members. The following month, he joined the cast of Billionaire Boys Club. In July 2017, he confirmed that he had joined the cast of The Last Full Measure. In 2018, he portrayed the younger version of Sam Carmichael in Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again. In 2019, he starred as John Randolph Bentley in the USA Network television series Treadstone. In February 2024, it was announced that Irvine had been cast as Henry Beauchamp in the Outlander prequel Outlander: Blood of My Blood. He portrayed James Sunderland in the horror film Return to Silent Hill (2026), based on the Silent Hill video games. He will star in The Light Fantastic, a ballroom dancing comedy directed by Chris Cottam.

Personal life

Irvine has had Type 1 diabetes since he was six years old, saying he was "on four injections a day", which he administered himself; his two brothers are also diabetic. He has taken part in trials with the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) to test an artificial pancreas, a form of automatic glucose meter attached to a portable insulin pump. The tests took place at Addenbrooke's Hospital with the University of Cambridge during 2005 and 2007. During a visit to the Cambridge Welcome Trust Clinical Research Facility on 7 February 2012, he discussed his experiences with Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall. He was again present with Camilla on 31 January 2013 at University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust's inpatient adolescent ward, after she became president of the JDRF in 2012.

Irvine married midwife Jodie Spencer in 2024. They have twins. In a September 2026 interview with The Times, he said he was no longer married to Spencer.

He is known for his private nature and told the Coventry Telegraph in 2012, "I realised very quickly that I didn't want to be famous, so I don't go to Mahiki, I just go down the pub with all my mates." He also told Yahoo Movies, "When War Horse came out, I had maybe a month of people stopping me in the street, then it died down. I try to ignore all that and pretend none of it exists. We're only acting. The work my mum does, a lot of it is rehousing homeless people, that's a real job."

Filmography

Key
† Denotes films that have not yet been released

Film

Year Title Role Notes
2011 War Horse Albert Narracott Nominated – London Film Critics' Choice Award for Young British Performer of the Year
Nominated – Empire Award for Best Male Newcomer
2012 Now Is Good Adam
Great Expectations Philip "Pip" Pirrip
2013 The Railway Man Young Eric Lomax
2014 A Night in Old Mexico Gally
Beyond the Reach Ben
2015 The Woman in Black: Angel of Death Harry Burnstow
The World Made Straight Travis Shelton
The Bad Education Movie Atticus Hoye
Stonewall Danny Winters
2016 This Beautiful Fantastic Billy
Fallen Daniel Grigori Direct-to-video
2018 Billionaire Boys Club Kyle Biltmore
Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again Young Sam Carmichael
2019 Paradise Hills Markus
The Professor and the Madman Charles Hall
The Last Full Measure William Pitsenbarger
2020 Cognition Abner
2021 Benediction Ivor Novello
2022 This Is Christmas Simon
2023 Baghead Neil
2025 Turbulence Zach
2026 Return to Silent Hill James Sunderland

Television

Year Title Role Notes
2009 Life Bites Luke Main cast (season 2)
2019 Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins Himself 5 episodes
Treadstone J. Randolph Bentley Main cast
2021 Dalgliesh Charles Masterson 4 episodes
2025 Outlander: Blood of My Blood Henry Beauchamp Main role

Theatre

Year Title Role Venue Ref.
2010 Dunsinane The Royal Shakespeare Company
2016–2017 Buried Child Vince Trafalgar Studios

Music videos

Year Title Role Notes
2015 Don Broco Nerve
2018 Friendly Fires Heaven Let Me In

References

  1. ↑ "Jeremy William Fredric Smith". Endole. Retrieved 7 January 2015.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  2. 1 2 "OBM chosen for Steven Spielberg's new film". Bedford Modern School. 24 June 2010. Archived from the original on 2 April 2012. Retrieved 26 July 2010. Jeremy Irvine (known as Jeremy Smith at BMS) .. attended Bedford Modern School between 2000
  3. 1 2 "Jeremy Irvine". The Hollywood Reporter. 2 November 2011.
  4. ↑ Smith, Nigel M. (22 December 2011). "War Horse Breakout Jeremy Irvine". Indiewire. Retrieved 10 February 2012.
  5. ↑ Hanson-Firestone, Dana (3 August 2017). "Five Things You Didn't Know About Jeremy Irvine". TVOvermind. Retrieved 7 August 2019.
  6. ↑ "Great Expectations (2013)". Wild About Movies. Retrieved 15 February 2013.
  7. 1 2 Vineyard, Jennifer (29 December 2011). "Jeremy Irvine on War Horse, Great Expectations, and Changing His Last Name From 'Smith'". New York. Retrieved 2 January 2012. My grandfather passed away while I was looking for a stage name, so I took his first name, and that seemed to be a quite nice solution.
  8. ↑ McLean, Craig (29 November 2012). "Jeremy Irvine: Great Expectations film is like Dickens meets Bourne". The Telegraph. London. Retrieved 15 February 2013.
  9. ↑ "Disney calls for Jeremy". Biggleswade Chronicle. 9 July 2009. Retrieved 5 February 2010.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  10. 1 2 Knowles, Keeley (8 July 2009). "Teen actor's chance of Disney fame". Bedfordshire on Sunday. Retrieved 5 February 2010.
  11. ↑ "Hollywood beckons for former Bedford schoolboy". Bedford Today. 21 June 2010. Archived from the original on 1 July 2010. Retrieved 26 July 2010.
  12. ↑ "Exclusive: War Horse Cast Announced". Empire. 17 June 2010. Retrieved 19 June 2010. taking the lead (or the reins) is young actor Jeremy Irvine, who has earned his stripes with both the National Youth Theatre and the RSC
  13. ↑ "Jeremy lands TV job with Disney". Biggleswade Chronicle. 3 June 2009. Archived from the original on 25 July 2011. Retrieved 5 February 2010.
  14. ↑ "The First Word: Jeremy Irvine's Going It Alone". The Drama Student Magazine. 23 January 2010. Archived from the original on 28 January 2010. Retrieved 5 February 2010.
  15. ↑ Everett, Amy (10 May 2012). "Jeremy Irvine: 'I Had No Work For Two Years!'". Entertainment Wise. Archived from the original on 8 January 2015. Retrieved 21 August 2012. I went to drama school straight out of school, then just started putting CVs through letter boxes really, for about two years... and didn't get any work for two years!
  16. ↑ ""Great Expectations" star Jeremy Irvine almost gave up acting before his big break". CBS News. 31 October 2013.
  17. ↑ Wilde, Crystal (2 July 2009). "The daughter of a South Woodford pastor has landed a starring role hit Disney Channel show Life Bites". This is Local London. Retrieved 5 February 2010. will star ... in the second series of Life Bites. ... along side ... Jeremy Irvine and Connor Panayi
  18. 1 2 Walsh, Fergus (5 February 2010). "The pump has been really liberating". BBC News. Retrieved 5 February 2010.
  19. ↑ "Cast list". What's On. Royal Shakespeare Company. Archived from the original on 10 March 2010. Retrieved 5 April 2010. English army ... Jeremy Irvine
  20. ↑ Cohn, Alison S. (5 January 2012). "Jeremy Irvine" (interview). Interview Magazine. Retrieved 21 August 2012.
  21. ↑ McNary, Dave (17 June 2010). "Jeremy Irvine is Spielberg's War Horse". Variety. Retrieved 17 June 2010.
  22. ↑ "Steven Spielberg announces War Horse cast". BBC News. 18 June 2010. Retrieved 19 June 2010. with theatre actor Jeremy Irvine in the lead role.
  23. ↑ Kitchener, Shaun (9 January 2012). "Steven Spielberg Compares War Horse Jeremy Irvine To Christian Bale". Entertainment Wise. Archived from the original on 9 November 2014. Retrieved 21 August 2012.
  24. ↑ "War Horse Jeremy Irvine Interview". LSQTV. 16 August 2011. Archived from the original on 2 October 2011. Retrieved 19 August 2011.
  25. ↑ Galloway, Stephen (29 December 2011). "How to Become a Star In 1 Easy Lesson: War Horse's Jeremy Irvine" (Q&A). The Hollywood Reporter.
  26. ↑ "War Horse star picked up trench foot while filming first world war tale". The Guardian. 19 December 2011.
  27. ↑ "Awards for Jeremy Irvine". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 10 November 2012.
  28. ↑ Sneider, Jeff (14 April 2011). "War star Irvine meets Expectations". Variety. Retrieved 15 April 2011.
  29. ↑ White, James (15 April 2011). "Jeremy Irvine Meeting Great Expectations". Empire. Retrieved 15 April 2011.
  30. ↑ Miller, Daniel (31 October 2011). "War Horse Star Jeremy Irvine to Play Young Colin Firth in The Railway Man". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 12 November 2011.
  31. ↑ "Irvine: I lost two stone for role". Irish Independent. 22 January 2013.
  32. ↑ "Film Review: Now Is Good starring Dakota Fanning & Jeremy Irvine". Sugarscape. Retrieved 24 April 2014.
  33. ↑ McNary, Dave (7 February 2013). "Thesp trio on Straight line". Variety. Retrieved 9 February 2013.
  34. ↑ "Game Of Thrones Sophie Turner Set For Mary Shelley's Monster Opposite Jeremy Irvine, Taissa Farmiga". Deadline Hollywood. 12 August 2014.
  35. ↑ "Don Broco reveal video for Nerve featuring Jeremy Irvine". Punktastic. 13 November 2015.
  36. ↑ McNary, Dave (15 December 2015). "Billie Lourd, Bokeem Woodbine, Jeremy Irvine Join Billionaire Boys Club (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety.
  37. ↑ "Jeremy Irvine on Instagram: "Sucking up boot camp training in the jungle like a man "". Instagram. Archived from the original on 24 December 2021.
  38. ↑ "Jeremy Irvine and Alexa Davies Join Cast of MAMMA MIA Sequel". Broadway World. 3 August 2017. Retrieved 12 August 2017.
  39. ↑ "Jeremy Irvine actually 'punched some guy's teeth out' in new thriller Treadstone". 11 January 2020.
  40. ↑ Otterson, Joe (5 February 2024). "'Outlander' Prequel Series at Starz Sets Lead Cast, Begins Productions". Variety.
  41. ↑ Wiseman, Andreas (15 March 2023). "Horror Reboot Return To Silent Hill Will Star Jeremy Irvine & Hannah Emily Anderson, Plot Confirmed With Filming To Begin Next Month". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 15 March 2023.
  42. ↑ Ritman, Alex (24 October 2024). "Rupert Everett, Nathan Stewart-Jarrett, Jeremy Irvine and Layton Williams Join Ballroom Dancing Rom-Com The Light Fantastic". Variety. Retrieved 2 January 2026.
  43. 1 2 "Jeremy Smith". Diabetes Research Networking. National Health Service. Archived from the original (Video interview) on 25 July 2011. Retrieved 5 February 2010.
  44. ↑ Walsh, Fergus (5 February 2010). "Artificial pancreas hope for children with diabetes" (Television news). BBC News. Retrieved 12 February 2010.
  45. ↑ Walsh, Fergus (5 July 2007). "Artificial pancreas for diabetics". BBC News. Retrieved 5 February 2010.
  46. ↑ "Duchess of Cornwall sees Cambridge hospital diabetes work". BBC News. 8 February 2012. Retrieved 20 February 2012.
  47. ↑ Southwell, Fae (9 February 2012). "War Horse star meets Duchess of Cornwall" (TV news segment). BBC Look East. Retrieved 20 February 2012.
  48. ↑ Nice, Emily (7 February 2013). "Actor joins Duchess to show support for diabetes charity". Cambridge News. Archived from the original on 19 August 2014. Retrieved 15 February 2013.
  49. ↑ Rigney, Catriona; Zoe Delaney (18 July 2024). "Mamma Mia star Jeremy Irvine marries long-term girlfriend Jodie Spencer in drag queen–themed ceremony". OK! Magazine. Retrieved 13 July 2025.
  50. ↑ Orenstein, Hannah (19 September 2025). "Jeremy Irvine Is Bloody Brilliant". Bustle. Retrieved 20 August 2026.
  51. ↑ Irvine, Jeremy (23 January 2026). "Jeremy Irvine: I smashed my teeth and I'm selling my house after my DIY disaster". The i Paper. Retrieved 25 September 2026.
  52. ↑ Schofield, Blanca (17 September 2026). "Jeremy Irvine: When I got the part in War Horse I'd never touched a horse". The Times. Retrieved 25 September 2026.
  53. ↑ Bentley, David (10 December 2012). "Great Expectations star Jeremy Irvine reveals 'acting masterclass' with Colin Firth in The Railway Man – but says he doesn't want fame". Coventry Telegraph. Archived from the original on 3 October 2013. Retrieved 28 June 2013.
  54. ↑ "Rising star Irvine not seeking fame". Yahoo! Movies. 27 November 2012. Archived from the original on 9 March 2014. Retrieved 28 June 2013.
  55. ↑ O'Hanlon, Dom (7 November 2016). "Interview with Buried Child star Jeremy Irvine". LondonTheatre.co.uk. Retrieved 18 May 2021.