Josh O’Connor Bio
Joshua O’Connor, known professionally as Josh O’Connor, is a British actor born on 20 May 1990 in Southampton, England. He first drew wide attention for his role as Larry Durrell in the ITV comedy-drama The Durrells and went on to earn international acclaim for portraying Charles, Prince of Wales, in the Netflix historical drama The Crown. That performance earned him the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series, along with a Golden Globe Award and a Critics’ Choice Television Award.
O’Connor has built a versatile career across film, television, and stage, ranging from independent British dramas to high-profile Hollywood productions. His screen credits include the romantic drama God’s Own Country, Jane Austen’s Emma, the crime drama La chimera, the sports film Challengers, and the heist drama The Mastermind. He continues to live in Stroud, Gloucestershire.
Early Life and Background
Joshua O’Connor was born to John, a teacher, and Emily, a midwife. He grew up in Newbury until the age of five, when his family moved to Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, where he was raised. He is the middle son in a family of three boys. His grandfather was sculptor John Bunting, his grandmother is a ceramicist, and his maternal aunt is British writer and commentator Madeleine Bunting. His ancestry is Irish, English, Scottish, and, through his matrilineal great-grandmother, Ashkenazi and Sephardi Jewish.
As a young man, O’Connor originally wanted to be a professional artist but did not believe he was talented enough to pursue it. He turned to rugby before eventually discovering acting. His first major role came at age seven, when he played the Scarecrow in a school production of The Wizard of Oz, followed by a minor role in a production of Bugsy Malone. O’Connor attended St Edward’s School, Cheltenham, a private co-educational school, and spent many weekends at the Axiom, a local arts centre.
He later trained at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, graduating in 2011 before relocating to London to begin his professional career. During his third year at drama school, he signed with an agent, which set the stage for his early television and theatre work. He has also spoken about how the school’s drama programme helped him manage his dyslexia, particularly while preparing for his GCSEs.
Path to Acting
After graduating from the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, O’Connor moved to London and quickly secured his first professional stage role as Ben Fowles in the play Farragut North at the Southwark Playhouse in 2013. The Independent praised his performance, calling it a comic gem. This success led to further stage work, including the role of young returning soldier Hugh in Peter Gill’s Versailles at the Donmar Warehouse in 2014.
His early television work included appearances in Lewis, Doctor Who, The Wiper Times, London Irish, Peaky Blinders, and Ripper Street. On film, he appeared in The Riot Club alongside an ensemble of rising British actors, including Sam Claflin, Douglas Booth, Max Irons, and Freddie Fox. He also took on supporting roles in Bridgend, The Program, and Cinderella, steadily building his reputation across British screen productions.
O’Connor’s early stage career also flourished with the Royal Shakespeare Company, where he performed in productions of The Shoemaker’s Holiday and Oppenheimer at the Swan Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon. These classical roles helped refine his craft and prepared him for the breakthrough that would soon follow in independent film.
Josh O’Connor Career
Early Career (2012–2016)
Between 2012 and 2016, O’Connor established himself across British television, film, and stage. He made his television debut as Charlie Stephenson in Lewis and appeared in several other series, including Law & Order: UK and Father Brown. His film work during this period included roles in The Eschatrilogy: Book of the Dead, The Riot Club, and Bridgend, the latter co-starring his then-girlfriend Hannah Murray.
From 2016 to 2019, O’Connor took on the role of Lawrence “Larry” Durrell in the ITV comedy-drama The Durrells, a part that brought him significant public recognition in the United Kingdom. He also performed in Florence Foster Jenkins alongside Meryl Streep and Hugh Grant. These years laid the foundation for his transition into leading roles in independent cinema.
Breakthrough (2017–2019)
In 2017, O’Connor delivered a career-defining performance as the young sheep farmer Johnny Saxby in God’s Own Country, directed by Francis Lee. To prepare, he worked alongside a Yorkshire farmer, labouring in the fields between takes and helping to birth over 150 lambs. The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival to critical acclaim, and O’Connor won the British Independent Film Award for Best Actor and the Empire Award for Best Male Newcomer. He was also nominated for the BAFTA Rising Star Award.
He continued his rise in 2018 with Only You, directed by Harry Wootliff, which premiered in competition at the London Film Festival and earned him a second British Independent Film Award for Best Actor. In 2019, he portrayed Marius Pontmercy in the BBC adaptation of Les Misérables and starred as Jamie in Hope Gap, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival and won the Best Actor award at the Barcelona-Sant Jordi International Film Festival.
Critical Acclaim and The Crown (2019–Present)
In 2019, O’Connor began portraying a young Charles, Prince of Wales, in Season 3 of the Netflix historical drama The Crown, starring alongside Olivia Colman, Tobias Menzies, and Helena Bonham Carter. He reprised the role in Season 4, earning universal critical praise. His performance won him the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series, the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Television Series Drama, and the Critics’ Choice Television Award for Best Actor in a Drama Series. The cast also won two Screen Actors Guild Awards for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series.
Beyond The Crown, O’Connor played Mr. Elton in the Jane Austen adaptation Emma (2020), portrayed Romeo in the National Theatre’s television film of Romeo and Juliet, and starred in Mothering Sunday alongside Olivia Colman and Colin Firth. He appeared in the World War II drama Lee with Kate Winslet, premiered at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival, and starred opposite Zendaya in Luca Guadagnino’s sports drama Challengers, released in 2024. His additional credits include the crime drama La chimera (2023), The History of Sound with Paul Mescal, released in September 2025, and the heist drama The Mastermind (2025).
Notable Works and Milestones
O’Connor’s signature work remains his portrayal of Prince Charles in The Crown, a role that earned him an Emmy, a Golden Globe, and a Critics’ Choice Award. His earlier breakthrough in God’s Own Country established him as one of Britain’s most promising leading actors. More recently, his pairing with Zendaya in Challengers introduced him to a broader global audience and reinforced his reputation for compelling, character-driven performances.
Josh O’Connor Award Nominations
Josh O’Connor has received multiple award nominations across film and television throughout his career. He was nominated for the BAFTA Rising Star Award for God’s Own Country and for the British Academy Television Award for Best Supporting Actor for The Crown. He also earned a nomination for the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series, in addition to his second British Academy Television Award nomination for Best Actor.
Josh O’Connor Awards Won
O’Connor has won several major awards, including the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series, the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Television Series Drama, and the Critics’ Choice Television Award for Best Actor in a Drama Series, all for The Crown. He won the British Independent Film Award for Best Actor twice, for God’s Own Country in 2018 and Only You in 2019. He also received the Empire Award for Best Male Newcomer, the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series with The Crown cast, and the Best Actor award at the Barcelona-Sant Jordi International Film Festival for Hope Gap.
| Award | Wins | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series | 1 | 2021 |
| British Independent Film Award for Best Actor | 2 | 2018, 2019 |
Josh O’Connor Family
Josh O’Connor is the son of John, a teacher, and Emily, a midwife. He has two brothers and is the middle child. His grandfather was sculptor John Bunting, his grandmother is a ceramicist, and his maternal aunt is British writer and commentator Madeleine Bunting. O’Connor grew up in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, and remains close to his family roots in the region.
Personal Life
O’Connor previously lived in a Victorian house in Shoreditch and briefly relocated to New York with his former partner before returning to England in 2023. He bought a house near the town of Stroud in Gloucestershire, where he currently resides. In his spare time, he enjoys reading, drawing, camping, swimming, embroidering, making ceramics, and gardening, and he is a supporter of Southampton Football Club.
