Charles Matthew Hunnam was born in Newcastle upon Tyne on 10 April 1980,[1] the son of Jane Bell, a ballet dancer and business owner, and William Hunnam. One of his grandmothers was a portrait artist.[2] He has said that his mother "did a very good job" of being a single parent.[3][4][5][6] He has an older brother named William and two younger half brothers on his mother's side named Oliver and Christian.[7][non-primary source needed][8]
Hunnam was discovered at the age of 17 in a branch of JD Sports on Christmas Eve, while playing around with his brother during a trip to buy shoes. A production manager for the Newcastle-based teen drama Byker Groveapproached Hunnam and he was later cast in his first role as Jason for three episodes of the show. He also had a brief modelling career where he did a photo shoot for Kangol Caps and then decided modelling was not for him.[14][2][13][15] Hunnam's first major role came at age 18 when he was cast by Russell T Davies as 15-year-old schoolboy Nathan Maloney in Davies' Channel 4 drama Queer as Folk.[16] He followed this up with his role as Daz in the film Whatever Happened to Harold Smith? (1999) and then moved to the United States.
His career expanded to include a recurring role as Gregor Ryder in the WB series Young Americans. He then appeared in the short-lived Fox series Undeclared as a British drama student called Lloyd Haythe. Despite critical acclaim, the series was cancelled after one season. Hunnam then appeared on the large screen in Abandon (2002), Nicholas Nickleby (2002), and Cold Mountain (2003). Hunnam stated he did not wish to simply take any role offered to him, saying, "I have 60 years to make the money, but the choices I make in the next five years are really going to define my career."
This decision resulted in his return to the UK to take the lead role of Pete Dunham in the film Green Street (2005); however, his attempt at delivering a Cockney accent resulted in his inclusion in many critics' "worst accents in movie history" lists.[17] Hunnam said his role as Patric, a member of "The Fishes" in Children of Men (2006), was the final part in his "trilogy of mad men": "I played the psycho in Cold Mountain, my character in Green Street Hooligans is fairly psychotic and now I've got this role."[18]
In 2011, Hunnam played the role of Gavin Nichols in the philosophical drama/thriller The Ledge by Matthew Chapman.[21] In 2012, he starred as the title character in the indie comedy 3,2,1... Frankie Go Boom alongside his Sons of Anarchy co-star Ron Perlman.[22] Hunnam said he considered the day he filmed scenes with Perlman the best and funniest day of filming he's had in his career.[23] He also appeared as Jay, an ex-boxer, in Stefan Ruzowitzky's crime drama Deadfall (2012).[24][25]
2013–2019
Hunnam at San Diego Comic-Con in 2016
Hunnam starred as Raleigh Becket in Guillermo del Toro's sci-fi film Pacific Rim,[26] which opened in July 2013 and grossed $411 million worldwide. It was announced on 2 September 2013 that Hunnam would play the lead role of Christian Grey in the film adaptation of E. L. James' novel Fifty Shades of Grey.[27] However, on 12 October 2013, Universal Pictures announced that Hunnam had withdrawn from the film due to conflicts with the schedule of his series Sons of Anarchy.[28]
On 2 June 2014, Hunnam was awarded a Huading Award for Best Global Emerging Actor, for his role as Raleigh in Pacific Rim due to the film performing well in Asian markets.[29] Hunnam reunited with del Toro in the horror film Crimson Peak,[30] alongside Mia Wasikowska, Tom Hiddleston, and Jessica Chastain. The film began shooting in February 2014 and was released on 16 October 2015.[31]
Hunnam portrayed Charlie Waldo in the 2022 mystery/thriller Last Looks which also featured Mel Gibson. His first feature for Apple TV+, Shantaram, premiered 14 October 2022. Hunnam leads the cast of characters as Dale Conti/Lindsay "Linbaba" Ford. The series is based on Gregory David Roberts' 2003 autobiographical novel.
In May 2024, Hunnam was cast in the lead role for Amazon Prime Video's adaptation of the comic series by Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips, Criminal. Hunnam will star as Leo, "a brilliant master thief."[37]
Personal life
Hunnam met actress Katharine Towne, daughter of actress Julie Payne and filmmaker Robert Towne, in 1999 when they both auditioned for roles on Dawson's Creek.[38][39] After dating for three weeks, they married in Las Vegas; they divorced in 2002.[16] He dated model Sophie Dahl, actress Stella Parker and film producer Georgina Townsley.[40] He has been in a relationship with artist Morgana McNelis since 2005.[41][42][43][44]
