Jonas Armstrong

Armstrong was born in Dublin, Ireland on New Year's Day, 1981. He spent his early years in Ireland before his family moved to Lytham St Annes when he was six.{{cite news|title=Real life of After the Flood star Jonas Armstrong - growing up in Blackpool, becoming Robin Hood and working with Tom Cruise|last=Hughes|first=Lorna|work=MEN|date=17 Jan 2024|url=https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/tv/real-life-after-flood-star-28464686|access-date=1 April 2024}} He attended Arnold School and later won a place at RADA, from where he graduated in 2003 with a BA in acting.

Armstrong made his professional debut in 2003, playing rookie schoolteacher Derek Meadle in Quartermaine's Terms at Northampton's Royal Theatre. His performance was roundly praised by critics, who felt that he provided crucial comic relief against the story's more serious elements.{{cite web|title=Review: Quartermaine's Terms|work=BBC Online|date=24 September 2003|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/northamptonshire/stage/2003/quartermaines_terms_review.shtml|access-date=2 April 2024}}{{cite web|title=Quartermaine's Terms (Northampton)|work=WhatsOnStage.com|date=1 October 2003|url=https://www.whatsonstage.com/news/quartermaines-terms-northampton_25893/|access-date=2 April 2024}}{{cite web|title=Theatre review: Quartermaine's Terms at Salisbury Playhouse|work=British Theatre Guide|date=2003|url=https://www.britishtheatreguide.info/reviews/quartermaine-rev|access-date=2 April 2024}} He then appeared as Anthony Millington in several episodes of the Channel 4 comedy-drama series Teachers (2004), and again on Channel 4 in the following year's crime drama The Ghost Squad, where he played a thrill-seeking detective assigned to expose police corruption.

Armstrong's first major television role came in October 2006 when he began playing Robin of Locksley in the BBC One action-adventure series Robin Hood.{{cite web|last=Osborn|first=Michael|title=Robin Hood given modern makeover|work=BBC Online|date=8 September 2006|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/5326734.stm|access-date=7 August 2008}} Though he initially faced criticism for his slight build and "boyband" good looks,{{cite web|last=Plunkett|first=John|title=First review: Robin Hood|work=The Guardian|date=7 September 2006|url=

https://theguardian.com/media/organgrinder/2006/sep/07/firstreviewrobinhood|quote=Jonas Armstrong, as the eponymous hero, has the clean-cut aura of Orlando Bloom, say, or a children's TV presenter after a heavy night out.|access-date=2 April 2024}} his performance later drew praise, with IGN calling it "brilliant".{{cite web|last=Burrows|first=Laura|title=Robin Hood: "We are Robin Hood" Review|date=5 August 2008|url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2008/08/05/robin-hood-we-are-robin-hood-review|work=IGN|access-date=2 April 2024}} During filming of the second series, Armstrong broke a metatarsal bone in his foot during a staged fight sequence.{{cite web|title=Talking Shop: Jonas Armstrong|work=BBC Online|date=6 October 2007|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/7030623.stm|access-date=7 August 2008}} In August 2008, he confirmed that he would be leaving Robin Hood the following year at the end of its third season, commenting in his statement that he was "looking for new challenges"; the BBC responded by saying that Armstrong would be "desperately missed".{{cite web|title=Robin Hood star quits BBC remake|work=BBC Online|date=6 August 2008|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/7545979.stm|access-date= 7 August 2008}} The show was subsequently not renewed for a fourth series.{{cite web|title=BBC axes Robin Hood|work=The Guardian|date=2 July 2009|url=https://theguardian.com/media/2009/jul/02/bbc-axes-robin-hood|access-date=6 April 2024}}

In 2009, Armstrong starred in the lead role of Simon McNeal in the horror film Book of Blood, based on a short story by Clive Barker. Next, he guest-starred in an episode of the BBC drama series The Street, winning praise for his "sterling work" as TA soldier Private Nick Calshaw,{{cite web|title=TV Review of 2009: The Street (BBC1)|first=Paddy|last=Shennan|work=Liverpool Echo|date=26 December 2009|url=https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/tv-review-2009-street-bbc1-3437457|access-date=2 April 2024}} who returns from Afghanistan with life-changing injuries. That same year, he read four CBeebies Bedtime Stories for the channel's "Bedtime Hour" segment.

Between 2011 and 2012, Armstrong had roles in a succession of television crime dramas, such as The Field of Blood, Prisoners' Wives, and Hit & Miss. His portrayal of a university student-turned-Nazi impersonator in the 2014 feature film Walking with the Enemy was lauded by critics,{{cite web|title=Walking With the Enemy: Film Review|date=30 October 2013|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/walking-enemy-film-review-651902/|work=The Hollywood Reporter|quote=Armstrong believably presents a determination that verges on grim mania.|access-date=2 April 2024}}{{cite web|last=Wine|first=Bill|title=Movie Review: 'Walking with the Enemy'|date=24 April 2014|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/philadelphia/news/movie-review-walking-with-the-enemy/|work=CBS News|quote=Armstrong, who has movie star written all over him, sells the central charade more forcefully than his director deserves.|access-date=2 April 2024}} with Paste Magazine writing, "Armstrong is [Enemy{{'s}}] moral force, and he gives [the] film a forward-leaning energy; he's the character that a viewer questions whether he or she would have the guts to be. It's a performance rooted in righteousness, but Armstrong also taps into the inner conflict of a swallowed power dynamic—he locates both the lust and queasiness of playing a Gestapo officer, and having to own that guise, and all the action it entails, at inopportune times and at a moment's notice".{{cite web|last=Simon|first=Brent|title=Walking With the Enemy|date=26 April 2014|url=https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/walking-with-the-enemy|work=Paste|access-date=2 April 2024}} That same year, he played the supporting role of Skinner in the big-budget action adventure film Edge of Tomorrow, which Variety called a "cleverly crafted and propulsively executed sci-fi thriller".{{cite web|last=Chang|first=Justin|title=Film Review: 'Edge of Tomorrow'|date=22 May 2014|url=https://variety.com/2014/film/reviews/film-review-edge-of-tomorrow-1201184836/|work=Variety|access-date=2 April 2024}} Speaking of the opportunity to work with co-star Tom Cruise, Armstrong said at the time, "If I thought two years ago I'd be working with probably the biggest film star on the planet I would have said 'never', but it was great ... He was really supportive and generous [and] it was an absolute privilege to work with him".{{cite web|last=Marland|first=Sean|title=Jonas Armstrong: I feared I wouldn't work again after Robin Hood|date=19 December 2023|url=https://www.whattowatch.com/news/jonas-armstrong-i-feared-i-wouldnt-work-again-after-robin-hood-117794|work=What's on TV|access-date=2 April 2024}} In November 2013, Armstrong received a "Stars on Horizon" award at the Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival.{{cite web|title=Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival Chairman's Award Gala|work=Eye On South Florida|date=13 November 2013|url=http://www.eyeonsouthflorida.com/fort-lauderdale-international-film-festival-chairmans-award-gala/|access-date=1 January 2014}}

On the fourth and fifth seasons of BBC Two's Ripper Street (both 2016), a fictional dramatisation of the aftermath of the Whitechapel murders, Armstrong played the recurring role of serial killer Nathaniel Croker, with Den of Geek commenting—in their review of the fifth season's third episode—that he played the part "beautifully", adding: "It's an impressive feat for a supporting character to [take over] so completely that the main plot is barely missed".{{cite web|last=Lea|first=Rebecca|title=Ripper Street series 5 episode 3 review: All The Glittering Blades|date=20 October 2016|url=https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/ripper-street-series-5-episode-3-review-all-the-glittering-blades/|work=Den of Geek|access-date=2 April 2024}}

In 2018, Armstrong earned strong notices for his work in two projects: firstly, his portrayal of a Spartan king in the Netflix historical miniseries Troy: Fall of a City,{{cite web|last=Butler|first=Mark|title=Troy: Fall of a City review: a brooding but bloodless beginning for the BBC epic|date=16 February 2018|url=https://inews.co.uk/culture/television/troy-fall-of-a-city-review-127040|work=iNews|quote=An almost unrecognisable Jonas Armstrong, bushy of beard and burly of presence, makes an instant impression as Spartan King Menelaus. He has enjoyable charisma, swagger and edge.|access-date=2 April 2024}} and then for his "convincingly exasperated" caricature of Bob Geldof in an episode of the Sky Arts anthology series Urban Myths.{{cite web|last=Fay|first=Liam|title=TV reviews: National Treasures; Urban Myths; Back to the Joy|date=22 April 2018|url=https://www.thetimes.com/world/ireland-world/article/tv-reviews-national-treasures-urban-myths-back-to-the-joy-g9s5fnwkj|work=The Times|quote=Armstrong evokes a convincingly exasperated and panicky Bob Geldof.|access-date=2 April 2024}} The following year, he co-starred as Sean Meredith, a fisherman embroiled in the disappearance of his teenage twins, on the first season of the ITV crime mystery series The Bay.{{Cite web|url=https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/drama/the-bay-itv-cast-morven-christie/|title=Meet the cast of ITV's The Bay|work=Radio Times|date=10 February 2021|access-date=2 April 2024}} Next, he starred in The Drowning, a four-part psychological thriller that aired on Channel 5 in February 2021,{{Cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2020/02/channel-5-the-drowning-jill-halfpenny-jonas-armstrong-unstoppable-1202863001/|title=ViacomCBS' Channel 5 Preps Thriller 'The Drowning' With Jill Halfpenny & Jonas Armstrong From Noel Clarke & Jason Maza's Unstoppable|work=Deadline|date=19 February 2020|access-date=2 April 2024}} and appeared as a grieving father who embarks on an extramarital affair in the ITV miniseries Hollington Drive (also 2021).

Armstrong's portrayal of real-life convicted sex offender Barry Bennell in the 2022 television film Floodlights was particularly well received by critics.{{cite web|url=https://www.thetimes.com/culture/tv-radio/article/floodlights-review-bbc-two-fpsg083px|last=Jackson|first=James|title=Floodlights review — the whistleblower who went to hell and back|work=The Times|date=17 May 2022|access-date=1 April 2024|quote=As Bennell, Jonas Armstrong was queasily believable with his smiley "I'm a star-maker!" charm (and credit to Armstrong for taking on such an unpleasant role).}} Writing for The Daily Telegraph, Benji Wilson said, "Armstrong [has] quietly been turning in performances of subtlety and power since he shot to fame [with] Robin Hood ... Here he was oleaginous and creepy, all simmering, smiling menace";{{cite web|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/tv/0/floodlights-review-andy-woodwards-story-makes-gut-wrenching/|last=Wilson|first=Benji|title=Floodlights, review: Andy Woodward's story makes for a gut-wrenching, if uneven drama|work=The Telegraph|date=17 May 2022|access-date=1 April 2024}} while Dan Einav of the Financial Times felt that "Armstrong's ability to slip between affable mentor and depraved predator is key to his remarkably convincing performance".{{cite web|url=https://www.ft.com/content/eb1c3f1b-48b3-4078-ac2c-776a0dc49e70|last=Einav|first=Dan|title=Floodlights is an unmissable and almost unwatchable football-abuse drama|work=Financial Times|date=17 May 2022|access-date=1 April 2024}} Speaking to Metro shortly before the film's premiere on BBC Two, Armstrong admitted to having been reluctant to take the part: "It kind of made me feel a bit sick [but] I had a good discussion with my agent and then I decided yeah, I'm going to go for this ... to raise awareness for people who might still be suffering". He added, "I kind of had to take myself back and put the project forward before myself as a performer, as an actor, if that makes sense. I thought, without sounding cliché, but this story needs to be told, and if I can help facilitate that in any way, shape or form, I'm all for it".{{cite web|url=https://metro.co.uk/2022/05/12/floodlights-jonas-armstrong-felt-sick-to-play-abuser-barry-bennell-16632217/|last=Barr|first=Sabrina|title=Jonas Armstrong 'felt sick' to play paedophile football coach Barry Bennell in BBC sexual abuse drama Floodlights|work=Metro|date=12 May 2022|access-date=2 April 2024}}

In the six-part mystery thriller series After the Flood (2024), Armstrong starred as Lee Ellison, a man whose mysterious past is unveiled when he rescues a baby from the River Tees.{{cite web|url=https://www.lythamstannes.news/news/dramatic-rescue-by-lythams-jonas-armstrong-in-itvs-after-the-flood-10-01-24/|last=Naylor|first=Callum|title=Dramatic Rescue By Lytham's Jonas Armstrong In ITV's 'After The Flood' (10.01.24)|work=Lytham St. Annes News|date=9 January 2024|access-date=2 April 2024}} His next role was that of a vengeful gangster, which the Yorkshire Evening Post felt he played with "nerve-bulging intensity",{{cite web|url=https://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/news/opinion/columnists/coma-review-a-sweatily-entertaining-drama-which-takes-sadistic-delight-in-putting-jason-watkins-through-the-wringer-shame-about-the-last-half-hour-4565197|last=Cunnington|first=Philip|title=Coma review: A sweatily entertaining drama which takes sadistic delight in putting Jason Watkins through the wringer - shame about the last half-hour|work=Yorkshire Evening Post|date=22 March 2024|access-date=2 April 2024}} in the four-part miniseries Coma, which debuted on Channel 5 in March 2024.{{cite web|url=https://uk.news.yahoo.com/coma-channel-5-drama-release-date-151543044.html|last=Simons|first=Roxy|title=Everything you need to know about Channel 5 drama Coma|work=Yahoo! News|date=18 March 2024|access-date=6 April 2024}}

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Category:1981 births

Category:Alumni of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art

Category:Living people

Category:People educated at Arnold School

Category:English people of Irish descent

Category:English male television actors