Alex Sharp

For other people named Alex Sharp, see Alex Sharp (disambiguation).

Alex Sharp
Sharp signing autographs at the stage door of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time in 2015
Born
Westminster, London, England
Education
OccupationActor
Years active2014–present
Signature

Alexander Ian Sharp is an English actor. He is known for originating the role of Christopher Boone in the Broadway production of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time.[1] He is also known to a wider audience as Will Downing in 3 Body Problem.

After graduating from the Juilliard School in the summer of 2014, he made his Broadway and acting debut in the play The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time in the autumn.[1] For his role as the autistic teenager Christopher Boone, he was awarded the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play, Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actor in a Play, and the Outer Critics Circle Award.[2][3]

Early life and education

Sharp was born around 1989, and was raised travelling throughout Europe and the Southwest of the United States in a caravan, before moving to east Devon, England, age eight. He was educated by his mother, a teacher, and his father, who worked in real estate, until the family moved back to England.[4][5] He has a sister, Nicole, also highly successful in her own field.[6] His mother homeschooled him with both "rigorous and unorthodox" lessons. Upon his return to east Devon, he was unable to adjust easily to a traditional school environment, and eventually left England aged 18.[5][7]

Sharp wanted to be an actor from an early age.[7] According to the Irish Mirror, his acting debut was at age 4 when he appeared in A Touch of Frost for £10.[8] According to The Daily Beast, at age 7, he made his acting debut as Piglet in Winnie-the-Pooh.[7] He also did extensive regional theatre work at the Northcott Theatre in Exeter.[7] Sharp studied Performing Arts at Yeovil College in Yeovil, Somerset and attended Beaminster Comprehensive School in Dorset.[9][8]

In 2008, Sharp went to North America and worked as a carpenter and handyman, and in call centres often, in Canada. At times, he travelled to Latin America to pursue physical activities.[5]

When working on a house in Montreal, Sharp decided that he wanted to become an actor. He asked a friend what the best theatre schools were, and the friend told him Yale and Juilliard. Sharp decided on Juilliard due to its location in the middle of Manhattan, and he auditioned with a scene from Hamlet. Against school rules, he also performed a scene from a play that he had written, claiming that it was the work of a little-known English playwright.[5] He was accepted to Juilliard and attended the Drama Division's Group 43. During his time at Juilliard, he wrote and directed a play that was an adaptation of A Clockwork Orange.[5] He graduated from Juilliard with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in 2014.[10]

Career

After graduating from the Juilliard School in the summer of 2014, Sharp made his Broadway and acting debut in the play The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time in the autumn.[11] For his role as the autistic teenager Christopher Boone, he was awarded the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play, Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actor in a Play, and the Outer Critics Circle Award.[12][13] As of August 2015, he is the youngest winner of the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play.[14] Sharp's final performance of Curious Incident was 13 September 2015.[15][16][17]

In 2017, he starred in John Cameron Mitchell's How to Talk to Girls at Parties, alongside Nicole Kidman, Elle Fanning, and Ruth Wilson.[18] Also in 2017, Sharp starred alongside Lily Collins and Keanu Reeves in To the Bone, directed by Marti Noxon. To the Bone was released on Netflix on 14 July 2017. The semi-autobiographical movie garnered some controversy regarding its depiction of eating disorders, to which Sharp responded, "I think controversy is an interesting thing in that it usually goes hand in hand with starting conversations that surround taboo or under-discussed topics that need to be discussed and need to be less in the shadows. I would hope that [To the Bone] just creates an awareness and encourages people to talk about [eating disorders]".[19]

Sharp co-starred as activist Rennie Davis in Aaron Sorkin's feature film, The Trial of the Chicago 7, in 2020, alongside Eddie Redmayne, Sacha Baron Cohen, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt. He was also set to star as an unspecified lead part in HBO's untitled Game of Thrones[20] prequel alongside Naomi Watts. Sharp appears in one of the principal supporting roles in the 2022 Oliver Hermanus/Kazuo Ishiguro film Living, starring Bill Nighy.

Theatre credits

Year Title Role Location Category
2014–2015 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time Christopher Boone Ethel Barrymore Theatre Broadway

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Notes
2017 To the Bone Luke
How to Talk to Girls at Parties Enn
2018 Better Start Running Harley
UFO Derek Echevaro
2019 The Sunlit Night Yasha
The Hustle Thomas Westerburg
2020 The Trial of the Chicago 7 Rennie Davis
2022 Living Mr Wakeling
2023 One Life Trevor Chadwick

Television

Year Title Role Notes
2020 The Good Lord Bird Preacher Episode: "A Wicked Plot"
2024 3 Body Problem Will Downing

Awards and nominations

In 2015, he broke Harvey Fierstein's record as the youngest winner of the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play.[citation needed] In addition to winning the Tony Award in 2015,[21] he also won an Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Leading Actor in a Play,[22] a Theatre World Award in recognition of his Broadway debut.[23] and the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actor in a Play.[13] He also received a nomination for the distinguished performance award at the 2015 Drama League Awards.[24] In addition he was nominated for the 2015 Fred and Adele Astaire Awards Outstanding Male Dancer for his work in The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time.[25] He also won the 2014 Logo TV NewNowNext Awards for Best New Broadway Lead Actor.[26]

Year Work Award(s) Category Result
2014 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time Drama Desk Awards Outstanding Actor in a Play[13] Won
Drama League Awards Distinguished Performance Award Nominated
Fred and Adele Astaire Awards Outstanding Male Dancer Nominated
Outer Critics Circle Awards Outstanding Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play Won
Theatre World Awards Outstanding Broadway Theatre Debut Won
Tony Awards Best Actor in a Play Won
2020 The Trial of the Chicago 7 Screen Actors Guild Awards Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture Won

References

  1. ^ a b "Alexander Sharp makes his Broadway debut in 'Curious Incident'". Nj.com. 14 September 2014. Retrieved 8 June 2015.
  2. ^ Clement, Olivia (11 May 2015). "'Curious Incident' Top Winner at Outer Critics Circle Awards". Playbill. Retrieved 1 June 2015.
  3. ^ Gans, Andrew and Michael Gioia (31 May 2015). "Drama Desk Award Winners Announced; Hamilton Wins Seven Awards". Playbill. Archived from the original on 23 June 2017. Retrieved 1 June 2015.
  4. ^ Gioia, Michael (4 September 2014). "From Painting Houses to Painting the Town: How Alexander Sharp Was Plucked From Obscurity to Star on Broadway". Playbill. Archived from the original on 8 January 2015. Retrieved 8 June 2015.
  5. ^ a b c d e Keegan, Rebecca (4 October 2014). "Actor Alexander Sharp's curious beginning to a promising career". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 8 June 2015.
  6. ^ "Full Text of Tony Winners' Acceptance Speeches: Updating LIVE". Broadway World. 7 June 2015. Retrieved 8 June 2015.
  7. ^ a b c d Teeman, Tim (7 December 2014). "The Brit Who Stormed Broadway". The Daily Beast. Retrieved 8 June 2015.
  8. ^ a b Pocklington, Rebecca (8 June 2015). "'Holy f*** I just won a Tony': Meet unknown Brit who beat Bradley Cooper to top spot". Irish Mirror. Retrieved 11 May 2016.
  9. ^ Sweet, W. G. (10 June 2015). "Tony Award winner Alex Sharp issues rallying cry to save Yeovil College performing arts courses". Western Gazette. Archived from the original on 7 August 2015. Retrieved 11 May 2016.
  10. ^ "Alexander Sharp". LinkedIn. Retrieved 8 June 2015.
  11. ^ "Alexander Sharp makes his Broadway debut in 'Curious Incident'". Nj.com. 14 September 2014. Retrieved 8 June 2015.
  12. ^ Clement, Olivia (11 May 2015). "'Curious Incident' Top Winner at Outer Critics Circle Awards". Playbill. Retrieved 1 June 2015.
  13. ^ a b c Gans, Andrew and Michael Gioia (31 May 2015). "Drama Desk Award Winners Announced; Hamilton Wins Seven Awards". Playbill. Archived from the original on 23 June 2017. Retrieved 1 June 2015.
  14. ^ Sims, David (8 June 2015). "Fun Home's Success Defines the 2015 Tony Awards". The Atlantic. Retrieved 25 June 2015.
  15. ^ Lloyd Webber, Imogen (28 July 2015). "Tyler Lea Will Replace Alex Sharp in Tony-Winning The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time on Broadway". Broadway.com. Retrieved 27 September 2015.
  16. ^ "Tony Winner Alex Sharp on His 'Complicated' Feelings About Saying Goodbye to Curious Incident". Broadway.com. 12 September 2015. Retrieved 30 September 2015.
  17. ^ Heller, Scott (28 July 2015). "Matthew Broderick Cast in 'Sylvia'; Alex Sharp to Leave 'Curious Incident'". The New York Times. Retrieved 30 September 2015.
  18. ^ Lloyd Webber, Imogen (15 September 2015). "Odds & Ends: Alex Sharp Set to Star Opposite Nicole Kidman in John Cameron Mitchell Movie & More". Broadway.com. Retrieved 27 September 2015.
  19. ^ Robbins, Caryn (3 July 2017). "BWW Interview - Tony Winner Alex Sharp Talks Upcoming Netflix Film TO THE BONE". Broadwayworld.com. Retrieved 21 November 2018.
  20. ^ TV News Desk. "Alex Sharp and Denise Gough Join Cast of GAME OF THRONES Prequel". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved 11 January 2019.
  21. ^ Viagas, Robert (7 June 2015). "Fun Home, Curious Incident, Kelli O'Hara, Helen Mirren, Michael Cerveris, Alex Sharp Top 69th Annual Tony Awards". Playbill. Archived from the original on 9 June 2015. Retrieved 10 June 2015.
  22. ^ "Outer Critic Circle Awards 2015 (FULL LIST): 'Curious Incident' Wins Big". Variety. 11 May 2015. Retrieved 8 June 2015.
  23. ^ Viagas, Robert (5 May 2015). "71st Annual Theatre World Award Announced Today – Chita Rivera Earns Lifetime Achievement Honor". Playbill. Retrieved 10 June 2015.
  24. ^ "The 81st Annual Drama League Awards". The Drama League. 21 April 2015. Retrieved 11 June 2015.
  25. ^ "2015 Fred and Adele Astaire Award Nominations Announced". Theater Mania. 4 May 2015.
  26. ^ "Winners". Logo. 2015.