David Thewlis
Known for
David Thewlis gave one of the most ferocious performances in British film history as the nihilistic drifter Johnny in Mike Leigh's 'Naked' (1993), which won him the best actor prize at Cannes. Born in Blackpool in 1963, he later reached a global audience as the werewolf professor Remus Lupin in the 'Harry Potter' series (2004-2011) and played Ares in 'Wonder Woman' (2017). His unnerving turn as the villain V.M. Varga in the third season of 'Fargo' (2017) reminded everyone of his edge. He works the space between gentleness and menace better than almost anyone.
David Thewlis
77 Movies
26 Series
David Thewlis gave one of the most ferocious performances in British film history as the nihilistic drifter Johnny in Mike Leigh's 'Naked' (1993), which won him the best actor prize at Cannes. Born in Blackpool in 1963, he later reached a global audience as the werewolf professor Remus Lupin in the 'Harry Potter' series (2004-2011) and played Ares in 'Wonder Woman' (2017). His unnerving turn as the villain V.M. Varga in the third season of 'Fargo' (2017) reminded everyone of his edge. He works the space between gentleness and menace better than almost anyone.
Movies
Plays Peylak
Avatar: Fire and Ash
2025
Plays Remus Lupin
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2
2011
Plays Remus Lupin
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
2004
Plays Remus Lupin
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
2007
Plays Remus Lupin
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
2009
Plays Remus Lupin
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1
2010
Plays Hospitaler
Kingdom of Heaven
2005
Plays Ares
Justice League
2017
Plays Ares
Zack Snyder's Justice League
2021
Plays Sir Patrick
Wonder Woman
2017
Plays Knox Harrington
The Big Lebowski
1998
Plays Father
The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas
2008
Plays Dennis Sciama
The Theory of Everything
2014
Plays Leslie Payne
Legend
2015
Plays The Frog
RED 2
2013
Plays Mickey Finn
Stonehearst Asylum
2014
Plays Grail
Enola Holmes 2
2022
Plays Peter Aufschnaiter
Seven Years in Tibet
1997
Plays Roy Washburn
Basic Instinct 2
2006
Plays Robert Doniger
Timeline
2003
Plays King Einon
DragonHeart
1996
Plays Boss Man / Rat King (voice)
The Amazing Maurice
2022
Plays Earthworm (voice)
James and the Giant Peach
1996
Plays Professor Kenneth Raines
Regression
2015
Plays Perry
Signal One
2026
Plays Lyons
War Horse
2011
Plays Wingfield
The New World
2005
Plays Detective
Damage
1992
Plays Keith Jennings
The Omen
2006
Plays Nick Davies
The Fifth Estate
2013
Plays Joby
The Zero Theorem
2013
Plays Father
I'm Thinking of Ending Things
2020
Plays Rodney Hallworth
The Mercy
2018
Plays Duncan
Macbeth
2015
Plays Michael Stone (voice)
Anomalisa
2015
Plays Crow (voice)
The Thing with Feathers
2025
Plays Johnny
Naked
1993
Plays Douglas
The Island of Dr. Moreau
1996
Plays Paul Verlaine
Total Eclipse
1995
Plays Jordan
London Boulevard
2010
Plays Jerry Barker
Black Beauty
1994
Plays William Cecil
Anonymous
2011
Plays Nicola's Lover
Life Is Sweet
1991
Plays Michael Aris
The Lady
2011
Director
Plays Harry Sankey
Cheeky
2003
Plays Ringe
Vroom
1988
Plays John Pearce
Restoration
1995
Plays Freddie Mays
Gangster No. 1
2000
Plays Judas Iscariot (voice)
The Miracle Maker
2000
Plays Cyrus Crabb
Dinotopia
2002
TV Shows
Plays Memory Bank Manager (voice)
Human Resources
2022
Plays Norbert Fagin
The Artful Dodger
2023
Plays Shame Wizard (voice)
Big Mouth
2017
Plays Max
Valentine Park
1987
Plays Lawrence Hatfield
The Feed
2019
Plays V.M. Vargas
Fargo
2014
Plays Claude Trepagny
Barkskins
2020
Plays Sherlock Holmes
Sherlock & Daughter
2025
Plays Paul Simcock
A Bit of a Do
1989
Plays Joe Jennerson / Harry Jennerson
The Street
2006
Plays Hades
KAOS
2024
Plays Johnny
Naked
1993
Plays Christopher Edwards
Landscapers
2021
Plays Oswald Martin
Dandelion Dead
1994
Plays John Dee
The Sandman
2022
Plays Ash Smith
Dirty Business
2026
Plays Cyrus Crabb
Dinotopia
2002
Plays Doctor
Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit
1990
Plays James Jackson
Prime Suspect
1991
Plays Soldier
The Singing Detective
1986
Plays Terry
ScreenPlay
1986
Plays Terry Slater
Shrinks
1991
Plays Stew
Only Fools and Horses
1981
Plays Mike Bence
Frank Stubbs Promotes
1993
Plays Franz
Screen Two
1985
Plays Tim Shanks
Screen One
1989
Latest Trailers
Watch Trailer
Signal One
Full Filmography
Dirty Business
Ash Smith · 3 episodes
2026
TV
Signal One
Perry
2026
Film
Sherlock & Daughter
Sherlock Holmes · 8 episodes
2025
TV
Avatar: Fire and Ash
Peylak
2025
Film
The Thing with Feathers
Crow (voice)
2025
Film
KAOS
Hades · 6 episodes
2024
TV
The Artful Dodger
Norbert Fagin · 16 episodes
2023–
TV
The Sandman
John Dee · 4 episodes
2022
TV
The Amazing Maurice
Boss Man / Rat King (voice)
2022
Film
Photos
Frequently Asked Questions
How old is David Thewlis and where are they from?
David Thewlis is 63 years old, born on March 20, 1963 in Blackpool, Lancashire, England, UK.
What are the most famous roles of David Thewlis?
David Thewlis is best known for roles in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.
How many movies has David Thewlis been in?
Over a 41-year career (since 1985), David Thewlis has appeared in 77 movies and 26 TV shows.
What was David Thewlis's first movie?
The career of David Thewlis began with Radio Pictures (1985).
What is David Thewlis's most recent movie or series?
David Thewlis's most recent release is Signal One, which premiered on June 5, 2026.
What TV shows has David Thewlis appeared in?
On television, David Thewlis has appeared in Fargo, The Sandman, Big Mouth, KAOS.
David Thewlis
1963-03-20 · Blackpool, Lancashire, England, UK
David Wheeler (born March 20, 1963), better known as David Thewlis, is an English actor and filmmaker. He is known as a character actor and has appeared in a wide variety of genres in both film and television. He has received the Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actor and nominations for two BAFTA Awards, Golden Globe Award, Primetime Emmy Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award.
Thewlis made his film debut in Little Dorrit (1987) and acted in the Mike Leigh films Life is Sweet (1990) and Naked (1993), winning the Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actor for the latter. He then appeared in films such as Black Beauty (1994), Restoration (1995), James and the Giant Peach (1996), Dragonheart (1996), and Seven Years in Tibet (1997). He became more widely known to film audiences for his roles as Remus Lupin in the Harry Potter franchise (2004–2011) and Ares / Sir Patrick Morgan in Wonder Woman (2017). Other film roles include Kingdom of Heaven (2005), The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas (2008), War Horse (2011), The Theory of Everything (2014), Anomalisa (2015), I'm Thinking of Ending Things (2020), and Enola Holmes 2 (2022).
Thewlis' most notable television roles include V. M. Varga in the third season of FX's Fargo (2017), the voice of the Shame Wizard in the Netflix animated sitcoms Big Mouth (2017–present) and Human Resources (2022–present), Christopher Edwards in the HBO miniseries Landscapers (2021), and John Dee in the Netflix drama series The Sandman (2022). His performance in Fargo earned him nominations for an Emmy, a Golden Globe, and a Critics' Choice Award.