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Johnny Flynn

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(Redirected from Joe Flynn (UK actor)) British actor and musician (born 1983) Not to be confused with Jonny Flynn. For other people named Johnny Flynn, see Johnny Flynn (disambiguation).

Johnny Flynn
BornJohn Patrick Vivian Flynn
(1983-03-14) 14 March 1983 (age 41)
South Africa
NationalityBritish
Occupations
  • Actor
  • musician
Years active2005–present
Spouse Beatrice Minns
​ ​(m. 2011)​
Children3
Websitejohnny-flynn.com

John Patrick Vivian Flynn (born 14 March 1983) is a British actor and musician. He starred as Dylan Witter in the Channel 4 and Netflix television sitcom Lovesick and has also portrayed David Bowie in the 2020 film Stardust and a young Nicholas Winton in the 2023 film One Life.

Flynn is the lead singer and songwriter of the band Johnny Flynn & the Sussex Wit. He has released six studio albums, as well as soundtracks and live albums. He also composed the theme for the comedy series Detectorists.

Early life and education

John Patrick Vivian Flynn was born in South Africa, the son of Eric Flynn, a British actor and singer, and Caroline Forbes. He has a younger sister, Lillie Flynn, who sings with the Sussex Wit.

From his father's first marriage he has two older half-brothers, actors Jerome Flynn and Daniel Flynn, and an older half-sister, Kerry Flynn.

At the age of two, he moved with his family to the UK. Flynn won a music scholarship to Pilgrims School, an independent school in the city of Winchester in Hampshire, where he sang in the chapel choir. Because of his scholarship, he was required to learn two instruments: the violin and trumpet. Later, he taught himself guitar and won a second music scholarship to Bedales School, another independent school in Hampshire. He next went to Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art to study acting.

Flynn has scars on his face from an attack by a dog when he was a child in South Africa.

Acting career

Film and television

Flynn had parts in the television series Murder in Suburbia, Holby City and Kingdom. He rose to fame in his starring role of Dolf Vega in the film Crusade in Jeans (2006).

In 2011, Flynn's music was used in the film A Bag of Hammers. In 2013, Flynn was cast in Song One, a film starring Anne Hathaway. Flynn plays a musician by the name of James Forester, who becomes involved with Hathaway's character, following an accident involving her brother.

In 2014, Flynn played the lead role of Dylan in the rom-com television series Scrotal Recall which aired on Channel 4. After finding success on Netflix, the streaming network went on to commission a second series of 8 episodes, without Channel 4's involvement, which was made available globally on the streaming network in November 2016 under the new name Lovesick. The show's third series arrived on Netflix on 1 January 2018.

In 2015, he was one of the stars of the Comedy Central sitcom Brotherhood. In it, he played one of two adult brothers who have to raise their younger brother when their mother unexpectedly dies. It was billed as the British version of the US sitcom Two and a Half Men.

In 2017, he played the younger Albert Einstein in National Geographic's show Genius . Also in 2017, he played Pascal Renouf, a secretive outsider suspected of a series of brutal murders in director/writer Michael Pearce's debut dark thriller Beast, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival and was released in the UK on 27 April 2018.

In 2018, Flynn played William Dobbin in the ITV and Amazon Studios television serial adaptation of Vanity Fair. He also played Felix Tholomyès in the BBC miniseries adaptation of Les Misérables.

In 2019, he starred as David Bowie in the drama Stardust, based on a screenplay by Christopher Bell and directed by Gabriel Range.

In early 2020 he was set to star in a heist musical starring Will Poulter and Naomi Ackie, titled The Score. In 2020, he starred in Emma, Autumn de Wilde's adaptation of Jane Austen's novel of the same name, alongside Anya Taylor-Joy, Bill Nighy, and Josh O'Connor. He wrote the song played over the ending credits, "Queen Bee," which was released as a single alongside the film.

The film Operation Mincemeat, in which Flynn played author Ian Fleming, was released in 2021. Also in 2021, he co-starred in another British film The Dig, which was released on Netflix on 29 January 2021. He plays the character of Rory Lomax.

In 2022, he had a major role in The Outfit, alongside Mark Rylance.

In 2023 he portrayed Nicholas Winton as a young man in the film One Life.

He plays Dickie Greenleaf in the 2024 Netflix series Ripley, opposite Andrew Scott.

Stage

Flynn performed in Propeller's all-male Shakespeare troupe, playing Curtis (The Taming of the Shrew) and Sebastian (Twelfth Night) in the 2007 season.

He has also performed in several other plays, including Richard Bean's play The Heretic at the Royal Court Theatre (2011). Flynn was cast in the role of Lee in Jerusalem, Jez Butterworth's hit play, for which he was nominated for an Olivier Award for best supporting actor.

In summer of 2012, Flynn appeared in Shakespeare's Globe Theatre's productions of Richard III, as Lady Anne, opposite Jerusalem co-star Mark Rylance and then as Viola/Cesario in the Globe's production of Twelfth Night with Rylance as well. The productions transferred to the Apollo Theatre in the West End until February 2013. In March 2013 Flynn played the lead role in Bruce Norris' play The Low Road at the Royal Court.

In September 2015 he played Mooney alongside David Morrissey and Reece Shearsmith also at the Royal Court in Martin McDonagh's new play Hangmen. He joined the transfer to London's West End at Wyndham's Theatre later that year until March 2016. During this run the play was recorded and broadcast for National Theatre Live. He reprised the role again in the 2018 Off-Broadway production in New York at the Atlantic Theatre.

In November 2018 until February 2019, Flynn starred as Lee in the West End Premiere of Sam Shepard’s play, True West. The production was recorded as an audio play, released by Audible, which features original music by Flynn.

In 2023, Flynn played actor Richard Burton in The Motive and the Cue, a new play by Jack Thorne and directed by Sam Mendes at London's National Theatre. The story of how Burton and Sir John Gielgud clashed as they staged Hamlet on Broadway in 1964, the production received rave reviews, particularly the performances of the two leads. It was recorded and broadcast in March 2024 for National Theatre Live during its West End run at Noël Coward Theatre.

Music

Flynn performing in 2014

Flynn has released several studio albums featuring folk revival songs of his own composition. He released his debut, A Larum, in 2008, and received critical acclaim. His second album Been Listening featured a duet with fellow British folk musician Laura Marling on the track "The Water". This was followed by Country Mile in 2013 and Sillion in 2017. Aside from Been Listening, each of Flynn's albums has charted in the top 100 in the UK. In May 2021, Flynn released Lost in the Cedar Wood, a collaboration with nature writer Robert Macfarlane. The album was influenced by the ancient Mesopotamian poem the Epic of Gilgamesh. In November 2023, Flynn and Macfarlane released a second album, The Moon Also Rises.

Flynn has also written musical scores for films, television shows, and theatre productions. This includes writing the film score for the 2012 film A Bag of Hammers, and the score and theme song of the BBC Four television series Detectorists, which he performed in a cameo appearance as a performer at an open mic night in series one, episode three. In 2015, he also composed the music (on period instruments) for the Globe Theatre's production of As You Like It.

Flynn's version of "Rambleaway" appeared on Shirley Inspired..., a 2015 tribute album to British folk singer Shirley Collins.

He co-wrote the song Coins for Eyes with Robert Macfarlane for the 9th series of the BBC archaeology programme Digging for Britain.

Flynn performed Song with No Name at the U.K. national commemoration for the 80th anniversary of D-Day, which took place at the British Normandy Memorial in Ver-sur-Mer, Normandy, France on 6 June 2024.

Flynn will compose the score for the Audible original The Mysterious Affair at Styles.

Other works

In January 2020, Magnitsky the Musical was released by BBC Radio 3. It was written by Flynn and Robert Hudson. Flynn also performed the lead role and composed the music.

Flynn is the co-author of the children's book The World to Come, written with Robert Macfarlane. It was published in the UK on 3 October 2024. The book is based off of and inspired by the song of the same name, featured on their 2021 album, Lost in the Cedar Wood. It is illustrated by Emily Sutton.

Flynn has narrated a number of books and an audio drama.

  • The Lost Spells Macfarlane, R., & Morris, J. (2020). The Lost Spells. Anansi Audio.
  • The Octopus Man Gibson, J. (2021). The Octopus Man. Weidenfeld & Nicolson.
  • The Waves Woolf, V. (2021). The Virginia Woolf Collection. Audible Audio.
  • Isaac and the Egg Palmer, B. (2022). Isaac and the Egg. Headline Publishing Group.
  • Mrs. Wickham Page, S. (2022). Mrs. Wickham. Audible Audio.

Recognition and awards

In 2005, Flynn was one of Screen International's Stars of Tomorrow.

Flynn was longlisted in the Evening Standard Awards and the What's On Stage Awards for best Newcomer for his role in The Heretic in 2012. He was nominated for an Olivier Award for Best Performance in a Supporting Role, for his role in Jerusalem the same year. He won a commendation in the 2012 Ian Charleson Awards for his role as Viola in Twelfth Night at the Globe Theatre. In 2018 he won a Theatre World Award for his performance in the Off-Broadway production of Hangmen at the Atlantic Theatre, New York. His radio play Magnitsky the Musical won Best Original Single Drama at the BBC Audio Awards in 2021.

Personal life

In 2011, Flynn married theatre designer Beatrice Minns, whom he had dated on and off since secondary school. They have three children together and live in east London.

Discography

Singles and EPs

Soundtracks

Albums

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Notes
2006 Crusade in Jeans Dolf Vega
2011 Lotus Eaters Charlie
2012 Something in the Air N/A
2014 Song One James Forrester
2015 Clouds of Sils Maria Christopher Giles
A Smallholding Tonkey
2016 Love Is Thicker Than Water Arthur
2017 Contractor 014352 Guy Bricklin Short film
Beast Pascal Renouf
2019 Cordelia Frank
2020 Emma George Knightley
Stardust David Bowie
2021 The Dig Rory Lomax
The Score Mike
Operation Mincemeat Ian Fleming
2022 The Outfit Francis
Scrooge: A Christmas Carol Bob Cratchit Voice
2023 One Life Nicholas Winton
TBA A Prayer for the Dying Jacob Hansen

Television

Year Title Role Notes
2005 Murder in Suburbia Josh Egan Episode: "Witches"
2006 Holby City Karl Massingham Episode: "Flight of the Bumblebee"
2008 Kingdom David Matthews Episode: #2.5
2014–2018 Lovesick Dylan Witter 22 episodes
2014 Detectorists Johnny Piper Episode: #1.3
2015 Brotherhood Toby 8 episodes
2016 The Nightmare Worlds of H. G. Wells Alec Harringay Episode: "The Devotee of Art"
2017 Inside No. 9 Elliot Quinn Episode: "Private View"
2017 Genius Young Albert Einstein 8 episodes
Nominated—Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Movie/Miniseries
2018 Vanity Fair William Dobbin 7 episodes
2018 Genius Alain Cuny Episode: "Picasso: Chapter Two"
2018 Les Misérables Felix Tholomyès Episode: "#1.1"
2023 The Lovers Seamus 6 episodes
2024 Ripley Dickie Greenleaf 8 episodes

References

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