Alex Pettyfer Biography
Summary
"Alexander Richard" "Alex" "Pettyfer" (born 10 April 1990) is an English actor and model. The son of an actor and former fashion model, he appeared in school plays and on television before being cast as Alex Rider, the main character in the 2006 film version of "Stormbreaker". Pettyfer was nominated for a Young Artist Award and an Empire Award for his role. He appeared in the 2008 film "Wild Child". He has been seen as a model in several advertising campaigns for Burberry. In May 2009 he appeared in the film "Tormented" alongside April Pearson.
Family background
Pettyfer was born in Stevenage, Hertfordshire, the son of actor Richard Pettyfer and former model Lee Robinson (currently known as 'Lee Ireland'); he has a younger half-brother, James Ireland, a junior tennis player, from his mother's re-marriage to Michael Ireland, a property developer.
Career
Pettyfer began his career as a child fashion model at the age of seven, modeling for labels such as Gap, after meeting Ralph Lauren in a toy store in New York City. He also did advertisements for some yogurt brands. His first commercial was at age six. He attended The Mall School, a small private school in Twickenham and as a schoolboy performed in plays, including in the role of Willy Wonka in a production "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory". He then went on to attend Lambrook Haileybury school in Berkshire.
In 2005, Pettyfer, after ending his modeling career, made his professional acting début in the British television production of "Tom Brown's Schooldays", playing the lead character, Tom Brown; he received positive reviews for the role. In June 2005, he was cast in his most prominent role so far, that of teenage MI6 spy Alex Rider in the film "Stormbreaker", based on the novel by Anthony Horowitz. He was one of 500 who auditioned for the role. Pettyfer chose to appear in the film over a role in the film "Eragon", noting that he preferred "Stormbreaker" because it would be filmed in Britain, in the Isle of Man, while "Eragon" would film in the Czech Republic; Pettyfer is afraid of flying, and he liked the looks of the cast for "Stormbreaker". "Stormbreaker" was released on 21 July 2006 in the United Kingdom, on 6 October 2006 in the United States and on 21 September 2006 in Australia.
One review of Pettyfer's performance described him as playing the role with an 'earnest intensity', although another noted that he 'isn't quite at ease as an actor'. Media reports specified that the film was expected to make Pettyfer a 'teen idol'. Pettyfer will not reprise the role if there is another Alex Rider film because he is too old.
He next appeared in "Wild Child", a movie set in California and Yorkshire. He played school boy Freddie Kingsley and he co-starred with Emma Roberts.
Pettyfer returned to modelling in 2007. His recent modelling jobs include an ad campaigns for Burberry in 2008 and 2009.
He can currently be seen in the comedy-horror film "Tormented", alongside "Skins" star April Pearson, which was released 22 May 2009 in the UK.
On 14 June 2009, Pettyfer was voted #35 on the Britain's top 50 most eligible bachelors by UK women's magazine Company.
In August 2009 the UK magazine Glamour ranked him at #21 on their list of the sexiest men on the planet, as determined by a poll of 2000 British women.
He will star in the film "Beastly", based on the novel by Alex Flinn, alongside Mary-Kate Olsen, Vanessa Hudgens and Neil Patrick Harris to be released in 2010. He finished filming on 13 August 2009, according to the film's Twitter account.
Personal life
Pettyfer was raised in Windsor, Berkshire, and attended Shiplake College boarding school near Henley-on-Thames in Oxfordshire and Lambrook Haileybury School in Windsor. He initially attended Millfield School in Somerset, before Shipklake College, and then left after GCSEs to attend Drama College. When not working, Pettyfer's hobbies include skiing and hockey. He also attended Sylvia Young Theatre School.
After Pettyfer completed filming "Stormbreaker", he did not discuss the film with anyone at his school, citing the advice of his "Stormbreaker" co-star, Ewan McGregor, who told him to keep his personal and professional life separate. Pettyfer has since decided to leave school and concentrate on his film career, whilst studying drama at college, saying that 'When you have already experienced going out and working in the real world, and you come back to school, you just see it as a playground and you don't want to be there any more'.
Pettyfer has seven tattoos, including a Celtic cross on his chest, Arabic script on the inside of his right arm, the words, 'What Goes Around Comes Around' on his right shoulder, the letters 'ER' inside interlinking hearts on his right wrist and a Kanji script on his lower waist.
Filmography
2005: "Tom Brown's Schooldays" (as Tom Brown)
2006: "Stormbreaker" (as Alex Rider)
2008: "Wild Child" (as Freddie Kingsley)
2009: "Tormented" (as Bradley)
2010: "Beastly" (as Kyle) (Post-Production)
Modelling
2008: Burberry - Spring/Summer
2008: Burberry - The Beat For Men eau du cologne
2009: Burberry - Spring/Summer
External links
(Official site (under construction))
(Alex Pettyfer) Pictures from "Tormented"
Credit
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article about Alex Pettyfer.
