David Thewlis
4.0Acting

David Thewlis

Mar 20, 1963 - 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.

Credits

Cast

Media
Movie1997Seven Years in TibetPeter Aufschnaiter
Movie2005Kingdom of HeavenHospitaler
Movie2004Harry Potter and the Prisoner of AzkabanRemus Lupin
Movie2007Harry Potter and the Order of the PhoenixRemus Lupin
Movie2009Harry Potter and the Half-Blood PrinceRemus Lupin
Movie2006The OmenKeith Jennings
Movie1996James and the Giant PeachEarthworm (voice)
Movie2006Basic Instinct 2Roy Washburn
Movie2000Gangster No. 1Freddie Mays
Movie2022Enola Holmes 2Grail
Movie1992DamageDetective
Movie2000The Miracle MakerJudas Iscariot (voice)
Movie1993NakedJohnny
Movie2001Goodbye Charlie BrightCharlie's Dad
Movie1996DragonHeartKing Einon
Movie2010Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1Remus Lupin
Movie2011Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2Remus Lupin
Movie1996The Island of Dr. MoreauDouglas
Movie2003TimelineRobert Doniger
Movie2009Veronika Decides to DieDr. Blake
Movie1995RestorationJohn Pearce
Movie1994Black BeautyJerry Barker
Movie2008The Boy in the Striped PyjamasFather
Movie1995Total EclipsePaul Verlaine
Movie1990Life Is SweetNicola's Lover
Movie1991Afraid of the DarkLocksmith / Tom Miller
Movie2011AnonymousWilliam Cecil
Movie1998Divorcing JackDan Starkey
Movie1998BesiegedJason Kinsky
Movie2005All the Invisible ChildrenJonathan (segment "Jonathan")
Movie2010Mr. NiceJim McCann
Movie2000EndgameClov
Movie2010London BoulevardJordan
Movie2007The Inner Life of Martin FrostMartin Frost
Movie2000Whatever Happened to Harold Smith?Nesbit
Movie1993The TrialFranz
Movie1997The Making of 'DragonHeart'Self
Movie2011War HorseLyons
Movie1989ResurrectedKevin Deakin
Movie2011The LadyMichael Aris
Movie2003CheekyHarry Sankey
Movie2013RED 2The Frog
Movie2013The Zero TheoremJoby
Movie1991Filipina DreamgirlsTim Shanks
MovieN/ALittlemouth
Movie2013The Fifth EstateNick Davies
Movie2002D.I.Y. HardMan
Movie1987RoadJoey
Movie2004The Magic Touch of Harry PotterSelf
Movie1988VroomRinge
Movie2005The New WorldWingfield
Movie2014Queen & CountrySargeant Major Bradley
Movie2014The Theory of EverythingDennis Sciama
Movie2015MacbethDuncan
Movie2015RegressionProfessor Kenneth Raines
Movie2011The Organ Grinder's MonkeyPablo (voice)
Movie2014Stonehearst AsylumMickey Finn
Movie2012Final Cut: Ladies and Gentlemen(archive footage)
Movie2015LegendLeslie Payne
Movie1998The Big LebowskiKnox Harrington
Movie1987The Short & CurliesClive
Movie1992Swords at TeatimeMike
Movie2015An Inspector CallsInspector Goole - The Inspector
Movie1999Love StoryDealer
Movie2014Sunday RoastDick Puck
Movie2003Little Wolf's Book of BadnessMr. Twister (voice)
Movie2017Wonder WomanSir Patrick / Ares
Movie1991Journey to KnockTerry
Movie1997American PerfektSantini
Movie2018The MercyRodney Hallworth
Movie1987Little DorritGeorge Braddle
Movie2002Hamilton MattressHamilton Mattress (voice)
Movie2002DinotopiaCyrus Crabb
Movie2013Separate We Come, Separate We GoNorman
Movie2011How to Get a Head in SculptureSelf
Movie2017Harry Potter: A History Of MagicHimself
Movie2017Justice LeagueAres
Movie2020Eternal BeautyMike
Movie2018Beyond Boundaries: The Harvey Weinstein ScandalSelf (archive footage)
Movie2020Guest of HonourJim
Movie2021Rare BeastsVic
Movie1991SkulduggeryTony
Movie1992Black and BlueCrematorium Attendant
Movie2025Avatar: Fire and AshPeylak
Movie2010AthenaChuck
Movie2015AnomalisaMichael Stone (voice)
Movie2022The Amazing MauriceBoss Man / Rat King (voice)
Movie2016None of Them Are You: Crafting AnomalisaSelf
Movie2021Zack Snyder's Justice LeagueAres
Movie2020I'm Thinking of Ending ThingsFather
Movie1988Deep Red Instant Love
Movie2002Discovering DinotopiaCyrus
Movie2025The Thing with FeathersCrow (voice)
Movie1994Dreamtown: A Brief Anatomy of BlackpoolSelf
TV Show1981Only Fools and Horses1
TV Show1991Prime SuspectJames Jackson2
TV Show2021LandscapersChristopher Edwards4
TV Show1989A Bit of a Do13
TV Show1987Valentine ParkMax12
TV Show1994Dandelion DeadOswald Martin4
TV Show2022Human ResourcesMemory Bank Manager (voice)1
TV Show2022Human ResourcesLionel St. Swithens (voice)20
TV Show2006The StreetJoe Jennerson / Harry Jennerson6
TV Show2014FargoV.M. Vargas10
TV Show1993Frank Stubbs PromotesMike Bence1
TV Show2002DinotopiaCyrus Crabb3
TV Show1990Oranges Are Not the Only FruitDoctor3
TV Show2022The SandmanJohn Dee4
TV Show2025Sherlock & DaughterSherlock Holmes8
TV Show1986The Singing DetectiveSecond Soldier6
TV Show2023The Artful DodgerNorbert Fagin8
TV Show2019The FeedLawrence Hatfield10
TV Show2017Big MouthShame Wizard (voice)8
TV Show2020BarkskinsClaude Trepagny8
TV Show2024KAOSHades6
TV Show2009Creating the World of Harry PotterSelf - 'Remus Lupin'8
TV Show2017Big Mouth5

Crew

Media
Movie1995Hello, Hello, HelloDirectorDirecting
Movie1995Hello, Hello, HelloWriterWriting
Movie2003CheekyDirectorDirecting
Movie2003CheekyWriterWriting
Movie2014Sunday RoastWriterWriting