Jack O’Connell (actor)

Jack O'Connell is an English actor known for playing dark, volatile, and menacing characters across film, television, and theatre. He first achieved widespread recognition portraying James Cook in the teen drama series Skins (2009–2010, 2013). His notable screen credits include the coming-of-age drama This Is England (2006), the horror-thriller Eden Lake (2008), the television films Dive (2010) and United (2011), the independent films Starred Up (2013) and '71 (2014), the biographical war drama Unbroken (2014), and the Western miniseries Godless (2017). His accolades include a BAFTA Rising Star Award, an Actor Award, and a Gotham Award.

O'Connell was born on 1 August 1990 in Alvaston, Derbyshire, England, to a working-class family. His father was an Irish railway worker and his mother was employed by an airline before managing her son's career. O'Connell initially pursued a career in professional football, playing for Alvaston Rangers and taking trials with Derby County FC, but injuries ended his athletic career. After a juvenile criminal record prevented him from joining the British Army, he left Saint Benedict Catholic School at age 16 with GCSEs in drama and English. He developed an interest in acting through drama classes and trained twice a week at the Television Workshop in Nottingham from the age of 13.

He made his professional acting debut in 2005 with an episode of Doctors, followed by a recurring role in The Bill and a stage debut at the Royal National Theatre in The Spider Men. O'Connell made his feature film debut as Pukey in Shane Meadows's This Is England (2006). Over the following years, he appeared in television series such as Waterloo Road, Holby City, and Wire in the Blood, as well as the stage play Scarborough, the horror film Eden Lake (2008), and the ITV serial Wuthering Heights (2009).

O'Connell gained broader recognition playing the troubled James Cook in E4's Skins, winning a TV Choice Award for Best Actor. He subsequently appeared in Harry Brown (2009), the BBC Two dramas Dive (2010) and United (2011), and the thriller Tower Block (2012). His career breakthrough arrived with starring roles in the independent prison drama Starred Up (2013) and the Northern Ireland-set thriller '71 (2014), both of which earned him British Independent Film Award nominations. He then starred as Olympic runner and World War II veteran Louis Zamperini in Angelina Jolie's Unbroken (2014), receiving the BAFTA Rising Star Award and the National Board of Review Breakthrough Award.

O'Connell later starred in the thriller Money Monster (2016), the biographical drama Trial by Fire (2018), the Netflix miniseries Godless (2017), the BBC miniseries The North Water (2021), and the BBC series SAS: Rogue Heroes. He also featured in the film adaptation Lady Chatterley's Lover (2022) and played Blake Fielder-Civil in the Amy Winehouse biopic Back to Black (2024).

In 2025, O'Connell played the Irish vampire Remmick in Ryan Coogler's horror film Sinners, and appeared as Sir Lord Jimmy Crystal in 28 Years Later and 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple. He was also cast in Godzilla x Kong: Supernova and A Quiet Place Part III. Outside of acting, O'Connell resides in North London, is in a relationship, and has a daughter. In 2016, he appeared in the UNHCR short film Home to support awareness for global refugees.