Oscar Kennedy
{{Short description|English actor}}
{{Use British English|date=July 2024}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2024}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Oscar Kennedy
| image =
| caption =
| birth_place = Nottingham, England
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|df=y|1999|5|6}}
| occupation = Actor
| years_active = 2010–present
| television = {{Plainlist|
}}
}}
Oscar Kennedy (born 6 May 1999) is an English actor having had television roles in Hunted (2012), Outlander (2016), Home from Home (2016–2018), Decline and Fall (2017), Bliss (2018), Ladhood (2019–2022), Wreck (2022–present) and Breeders (2023) and in film The Man with the Iron Heart (2017) and School's Out Forever in 2021.
Early life
Kennedy was born in Nottingham. His love of acting grew from attending his school's drama club in primary school and resulted in him auditioning to study at the Television Workshop, which lead to him being cast in his first on-screen role as a young Nigel Slater in Toast.{{cite news|title=Oscar Kennedy |url=https://tresamagazine.com/2021/10/25/oscar-kennedy/ |publisher=tresamagazine.com|date=October 25, 2021}}{{Cite news |last=Pinchess |first=Lynette |date=10 July 2010 |title=Stars in the making |pages=18 |work=Nottingham Evening Post |id={{ProQuest|607026563}}}} Kennedy is represented by Curtis Brown.{{cite news|title=Oscar Kennedy |url= https://www.curtisbrown.co.uk/client/oscar-kennedy#! |publisher=curtisbrown.co.uk|access-date=15 October 2022}}
Career
Kennedy starred alongside David Tennant and Emily Watson in the 2013 BBC Two miniseries The Politician's Husband. In the show, he plays Noah, a young man with Asperger syndrome and the son of Tennant and Watson's characters, who is caught in the middle of a family conflict.{{cite news|title=The Politician's Husband |url=https://www.curtisbrown.co.uk/client/oscar-kennedy/work/the-politicians-husband |publisher=curtisbrown.co.uk|access-date=October 15, 2022}} That same year, he portrayed a young Henry VII in The White Queen.{{cite news|title=The White Queen 2013 |url=https://www.moviestillsdb.com/tv/the-white-queen-i2372220/YZJ3cW |publisher=moviestillsdb.com|access-date=October 15, 2022}}
In 2016, Kennedy portrayed William Grey in an episode of the second season of Starz drama Outlander but was replaced by David Berry in later seasons following a time jump necessitating an older actor.{{Cite web|url=https://tvline.com/2015/11/16/outlander-oscar-kennedy-season-2-cast-lord-john-grey-young/|title=Outlander (Kinda) Casts Lord John |first= Kimberly|last= Roots|work=tvline.com| date=November 16, 2022}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.express.co.uk/showbiz/tv-radio/1647316/Outlander-Why-Oscar-Kennedy-replaced-Lord-John-Grey|title=Outlander: Why was Oscar Kennedy replaced as Lord John Grey?|first=Neela|last=Debnath|date=August 1, 2022}} Discussing his time on the show in a 2022 interview with the Daily Express, Kennedy spoke favourably about his appearance and stated that he would be open to returning as the character.{{Cite web|url=https://www.express.co.uk/showbiz/tv-radio/1678199/Outlander-William-Grey-Oscar-Kennedy-return|title=Outlander star weighs in on a return to series|first=Neela|last=Debnath|date=August 6, 2015|website=Express.co.uk}}
From 2019 to 2022, Kennedy appeared in the BBC iPlayer coming-of-age comedy series Ladhood which was written by and starred Liam Williams and was based on his adolescent experiences. Kennedy played the younger version of Williams' character in all three seasons of the show and received critical accalim for his performance.{{Cite web|url=https://www.thetimes.com/culture/tv-radio/article/ladhood-review-final-series-bbc-three-0gnssxcwk|title=Ladhood review — comic exploration of masculinity continues to deliver|first=Ben|last=Dowell|via=www.thetimes.co.uk}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.thetimes.com/culture/tv-radio/article/whats-on-tv-and-radio-tonight-monday-september-5-j3jl8xz2m|title=What's on TV and radio tonight: Monday, September 5|via=www.thetimes.co.uk}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/2022/ladhood-series-three/|title=Critically acclaimed comedy series Ladhood from BBC Studios is set to conclude in summer 2022 on BBC Three and BBC iPlayer|website=www.bbc.co.uk}} Kennedy starred alongside Anthony Head, Alex Macqueen and Samantha Bond in the 2021 science fiction film School's Out Forever, which was adapted from the series of novels by Scott K. Andrews and received largely positive critical reception.{{Cite web|url=https://www.shockya.com/news/2021/07/04/exclusive-oscar-kennedy-interview-and-clip-for-schools-out-forever/|title=Exclusive: Oscar Kennedy Interview and Clip for School's Out Forever|date=July 4, 2021}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.theupcoming.co.uk/2021/02/15/schools-out-forever-an-interview-with-oliver-milburn-oscar-kennedy-and-alex-macqueen/|title=School's Out Forever: An Interview with Oliver Milburn, Oscar Kennedy and Alex MacQueen|first=Mae|last=Trumata}}
{{Cite web|url=http://www.theguardian.com/film/2021/feb/10/schools-out-forever-review-gloriously-gory-ya-sci-fi-horror|title=School's Out Forever review – gloriously gory adaptation of YA sci-fi horror|date=February 10, 2021|website=the Guardian}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/schools_out_forever|title=School's Out Forever|via=www.rottentomatoes.com}}
In 2022, Kennedy was cast in the lead role of BBC Three's comedy horror series Wreck, which was created by British writer Ryan J. Brown and focuses on Kennedy's character Jamie, who sneaks onto a cruise ship in order to find out more about the disappearance of his sister.{{Cite journal|url=https://variety.com/2022/tv/news/bbc-wrecked-1235192773/|title=Oscar Kennedy, Jack Rowan to Lead BBC Comedy Horror 'Wrecked'|journal=Variety|first=KJ|last=Yossman|date=1 March 2022|accessdate=29 August 2022}}
{{Cite web|url=https://variety.com/2022/tv/news/bbc-wrecked-1235192773/|title=Oscar Kennedy, Jack Rowan to Lead BBC Comedy Horror 'Wrecked'|first1=K. J.|last1=Yossman|date=March 1, 2022}} When discussing the character, Kennedy contrasted him with his character Liam from Ladhood and stated that “Jamie is a young lad from Sheffield. He's not quite so sure of himself. He's a bit of a social outcast. He's had a troubled home life, and now he’s lost the only person that he cares about and cared about him, his sister Pippa. So his new sole motivation in life is to find out what happened to her.”{{Cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/bbcthree/article/6dd50be0-6f6c-49f7-8679-c6814c079544|title=Wreck cast: Meet the crew of potential killers from the BBC Three show|first=Samuel|last=Spencer|date=October 5, 2022|website=BBC Three}} The second series of Wreck premiered on 26 March 2024.{{cite web |last=Mensah |first=Katelyn | title=First look at Wreck season 2 as Heartstopper's Bradley Riches joins cast |url=https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/comedy/wreck-season-2-bbc-three-first-look-exclusive-newsupdate/|website=Radio Times |access-date=26 March 2024 |date=8 March 2024}}
Filmography
Film
| class="wikitable sortable" |
| Year
! Title ! Role ! class="unsortable" | Notes |
|---|
| 2017
| Milic Zelenka |
| 2021
| Lee Keegan |
Television
| class="wikitable sortable" |
| Year
! Title ! Role ! class="unsortable" | Notes |
|---|
| 2010
| Toast | Young Nigel Slater | TV movie |
| rowspan=3| 2011
| Sirens | Mini Stuart | rowspan=3| 1 episode |
| The Body Farm
| Robbie Fay |
| Great Expectations
| Young Pip |
| 2012
| Hunted | Edward Turner | Main role, 8 episodes |
| rowspan=2| 2013
| Noah Hoynes | Main role, 3 episodes |
| The White Queen
| Recurring role, 3 episodes |
| 2014
| Silk | Fraser Stephens | rowspan=2| 1 episode |
| 2016 |
| 2016–2018
| Garth Hackett | Main role, 7 episodes |
| 2017
| Peter Beste-Chetwynde | 3 episodes |
| 2018
| Bliss | Kirstaps | Main role, 7 episodes |
| 2019–2022
| Ladhood | Main role, 18 episodes |
| 2022–present
| Wreck | Jamie Walsh | Main role, 12 episodes |
| 2023
| Breeders | Luke | Main role, 10 episodes |
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{IMDb name|id=3960821|name=Oscar Kennedy}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kennedy, Oscar}}
Category:21st-century British actors
Category:English male film actors
Category:English male television actors