Charlie Hunnam - biography and personal life. Charlie Hunnam: biography and best films

The actor starred for the April Men's Health and in his interview spoke about numerous body transformations for the sake of roles, as well as about life before Hollywood and hobbies

Photo: DR

Charlie played the biker from the Sons of Anarchy project for seven years. To play his character, he studied Brazilian jiu-jitsu for about a year, watched all the matches and practiced wrestling in his backyard. This spring, two large-scale projects with his participation will be released at once - “The Sword of King Arthur” (premiere in May) and “The Lost City of Z” (in April), in which he needed to be in excellent physical shape. In addition, he recently completed filming in the drama “The Moth” (the plot of this film, as well as its release date, are still unknown).

However, it’s not just filming that motivates him to keep himself in good shape.

"I'm interested in being on high level in all types of fitness,” he says. “Running, swimming, jumping, lasso, hiking, jiu-jutsu - I do everything. I also try to have sex as often as possible. This is an important part of a fitness program. I want to be active at seventy. I want to run in the mountains at this age.”

For his role in the film The Sword of King Arthur, he gained about 10 kilograms. Then he dropped 20 for the role of British Colonel Percival Fossett in The Lost City of Z. He ate practically nothing. Filming took place in the deadly heat of the Colombian jungle. But the hardest thing, according to Hunnam, was being isolated - he deliberately did not talk to anyone on set and did not even call his girlfriend for four months.

“I had to play this man [hungry, suffering] every day, so I just decided to live in it. I felt fear and loneliness." He says the scenes were shot in sequence, so that by the end of the period everyone on the crew went a little crazy, even director James Gray.

To film The Moth, he again had to transform his body. First, he gained weight (after working in The Lost City of Z), and then lost it again - already about 25 kilograms. “The second time my body was reluctant to do it,” says the actor. He went on a vegan diet again, and also... started smoking. And he smoked like crazy, diluting it with liters of coffee for three months. “My body became a dump,” says Charlie. “And then it was hard to quit smoking.”

Charlie Hunnam, now 36 years old, was born in Newcastle, England. He says it was a violent place where children were constantly picking on each other, and he was often the target of bullies - he had to fight. But he had many friends and interesting hobbies: drawing, photography, rugby.

When he was 12, his mother moved him and his brother to a small town in Wales, and everything changed: he became an outsider. He spent everything free time alone and watched a movie. Although the boys' parents divorced when Charlie was 2, he remained close to his father, a metal trader who died four years ago. But Charlie says that he feels him nearby:

“My father was one of the most difficult rebels I have ever met. It seems to me that in my work I often embody his image.”

Charlie arrived in Los Angeles when he was 18. He had no education, but only an abstract dream of becoming an actor. He began a career in modeling and television, which eventually led to Sons of Anarchy. He is always passionate about something: he wants to speak Spanish fluently - he takes lessons; loves to cook - learns from tutorials. And Hunnam wants to get a black belt in jiu-jitsu by age 45.

He says that he is not close to a luxurious lifestyle. He drives a beat-up Cadillac that is already 14 years old, he doesn’t care much about fame, and he doesn’t like social networks - it seems to him that they divide people. He has been living with his girlfriend Morgana McNeils for 11 years, and his dream is to roam the world with her.

Charlie Hunnam's childhood and family

The actor grew up in a neighborhood where all issues were resolved with fists. The constant threat of danger strengthened the future actor, and in adult life Charlie always used the experience he gained in his youth to play tough guy roles. School time the actor still remembers it as a lesson in survival.

Charlie is the second child in the family; the actor has an older brother, William "Billy". When Hannam was 12 years old, his mother remarried and the family moved to the village of Melmerby in Cumbria, England. In her second marriage, Jane gave birth to two more brothers, Oliver and Christian.

IN school years the future actor was fond of playing rugby. He was expelled from high school due to dyslexia, so he was forced to graduate externally, after which he entered the Cumbria College of Art and Design, where he received higher education in film theory and history.

Charlie Hunnam's career

In 1999, two episodic serial roles later, Hunnam was cast in the lead role in the TV series Queer as Folk about the lives of gay men. The series became so popular that Charlie, who brilliantly played 15-year-old gay Nathan Maloney, was considered knowledgeable enough to take part in a parliamentary debate on the discriminatory law that set the age of sexual consent in the UK at 16.

After success at home, the young man tried his hand at Hollywood. But at first, no one wanted to invite the actor, who moved to Los Angeles, to play “ cool heroes”, justifying the refusals by saying that Charlie is “too nice and polite.” Hunnam began to work out intensely and began the habit of showing up to auditions unshaven.

At the beginning of his career, the desperate actor even wrote a script for a film about Vlad III the Impaler, known as Vlad Dracula. In 2002, while filming the war drama Cold Mountain in Romania, in which Charlie played a small role, he collected stories about the bloody prince from local residents. Hunnam said that after that he had no work for almost a year and a half, and if he had not sold the script to the film studio Summit Entertainment, he would have had to return to his mother in England. Hunnam's script was bought by Brad Pitt's studio.

Charlie Hunnam in the movie "Hooligans"

But in 2004, he was approved for a role in the film “Hooligans”: Charlie played the tough leader of a group of fans of the London club West Ham United. The film with the participation of Elijah Wood and Hunnam received high marks from critics and viewers, and Charlie began to be inundated with interesting job offers. This was the young actor's first breakthrough in big cinema.

Now in Charlie Hunnam's filmography there is a variety of genres - from cute comedies (Undecided, 2001-2003; Frankie Makes a Rustling, 2011) and stories about incredible love(“The Price of Passion”, 2011; “Nicholas Nickleby”, 2002) to films in the genre of adventure and fantasy (“Crimson Peak”, 2015; “The Lost City of Z”, 2016) and crime stories (“Sons of Anarchy”, 2008-2014 ; "Blackbird", 2011).

Here's Why Charlie Hunnam Wasn't At Comic Con

In 2013, Universal Pictures announced Hunnam for the lead role in the film adaptation. scandalous romance"50 Shades of Grey", but some time later Charlie refused to participate in the project, citing being busy with other projects. Hunnam became the third actor to turn down the role of handsome billionaire Christian Grey, who was eventually played by model Jamie Dornan.

In September 2016, filming began on a remake of The Moth, starring Hunnam and Mr. Robot star Rami Malek. The director's chair was taken by Danish director Michael Noer.

Charlie Hunnam in The Legend of King Arthur

In May 2017, Guy Ritchie's new film The Sword of King Arthur was released in Russia, in which Hunnam played the main role of Arthur. Interpretation from the controversial director " Big jackpot” and the tape “Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels” you shouldn’t have expected a classic interpretation of the legend. And so it happened - in the film, Arthur appeared as the leader of a youth gang fighting for power.

Personal life of Charlie Hunnam

In 2005, Hunnam began dating artist and jewelry designer Morgana McNelis. The couple settled in the suburbs of Los Angeles, started small farm with chickens and ducks. The actor has admitted more than once that he does not like clubs and the glamorous Hollywood party, and his girlfriend fully supports him in this.

Hunnam has two cats - George and Mavis. In one of his interviews, Charlie admitted that of all the scents in the world, he likes the smell of his cats' fur the most.

The actor collects Nike sneakers. His collection includes more than 85 pairs of models from the 90s. “You know, as a child I couldn’t afford such shoes and was envious of my peers who sported Nikes. And guess what now? Yes, I can buy every pair in this world!” Charlie once opened up.

Charlie Hunnam now

The career of this Briton is actively gaining momentum. From an actor with a baggage of mediocre roles, Charlie Hunnam, over several years of fruitful work, rose to the top of the most promising and in demand, and all thanks to his selectivity to characters and scripts. In Charlie's piggy bank for quite a long time acting life only 18 roles and not all of them can be called successful in terms of “work for the future.” What is the secret of his popularity? Perhaps it's because Hunnam doesn't go against his inner self, and that's why he's an A-list celebrity.

Star dossier

Newcastle Boy - Brief Biography

Watching this self-confident and handsome handsome man, one gets the impression that he is the darling of fate, born with a silver spoon in his mouth. In fact, Charlie Hunnam is an ordinary guy who, as a child, only dreamed of wealth and a better life. Apparently, the universe is favorable to this handsome guy with a radiant smile and a tempered character, but first things first.

Charlie was born in April 1980, in Newcastle. His father was a scrap metal buyer, and his mother had a small souvenir shop.

His parents divorced when Charlie was two years old, but he always had a good relationship with his father and they communicated until his death in 2014.

“My father was the toughest man I know, sometimes it seems to me that in films I play exactly him.” After the divorce, my mother remarried only 10 years later and moved to provincial Melmerby. Charlie has two younger brothers. Parents worked from morning to evening to feed their huge family. There were always not enough funds, so Charlie, being the second oldest son, was already early years

started earning money.

The actor recalls his youthful efforts with a bitter smile. He knows what shorn sheep smell like and how to pick raspberries on an industrial scale.

As a child, Hunnam, like many children, loved to ride his bike through the streets of his hometown and played rugby. He was simply unstoppable on his bike and often got into accidents, and once cut his eyebrow so badly that he had to get several stitches in the hospital. The surgeon did not clean the wound well, so Charlie was left with several pebbles in his eyebrow, which caused him severe discomfort for a long time. In general, the ordinary life of an ordinary teenager, but there is one thing. Charlie grew up in a harsh place where guys constantly proved to each other who was stronger. So the actor knows firsthand about street fights.

And yet the guy was different from his peers. As a teenager, when his friends were hanging out with girls and fighting with fists, Charlie, running away from reality, disappeared at home, watching movies. Even then, he had grandiose plans for his future, and the universe gave him a chance.

The boy’s desire to become an actor appeared at the age of eight, after watching the film “Excalibur”. Therefore, when Guy Ritchie launched a project about King Arthur, the actor understood that this was a sign from above.

Carier start Hunnam had every chance of becoming a model. At the age of 16, Charlie was “lucky” to advertise Walls ice cream; soon one of the little-known English brands invited him to participate in its campaign. Then he advertised Kangol hats, but model business

Unlike most newcomers, Charlie did not go to castings and did not send his portfolio to producers and directors. He was spotted by a casting agent in a supermarket on Christmas Eve. After a few drinks in the pub, Hunnam went shopping for Christmas gifts an hour before the supermarket closed. He tried on sneakers and fooled around in front of the mirror. A woman was staring at Charlie, and he, in turn, winked at her and blew a kiss. It turned out that she was the casting producer for the TV series “Biker Grove,” and that’s how the guy got on television.

In the show “Close Friends,” 18-year-old Hunnam played a guy with an unconventional sexual orientation, and this role made him famous in England

He appeared in several episodes of the show as a guest model. Then the aspiring actor was cast in the soap “My wonderful life" The next series literally made the young man famous. Charlie was cast as a gay character in the TV show Queer As Friends. Project and participation in it young actor received favorable reviews from critics. Inspired by his first success, Charlie set off to conquer Hollywood.

Bad start overseas

Hunnam is one of the few Hollywood actors of the new generation who is not chasing the widespread recognition of his colleagues and multimillion-dollar fees. He rejected scripts in batches that could have long ago elevated him to the rank of world celebrities; this list included “50 Shades of Gray” and “Game of Thrones,” but first things first.

After a good start in his native Britain, Hunnam moved to Hollywood. Star Hills greeted the aspiring actor very coolly. He took part in the TV shows “Young Americans” and “Undecided” and even appeared in the same company with Katie Holmes in the thriller “Abandoned,” but these fruits acting profession did not bring Charlie either aesthetic or material satisfaction. Although, as Hunnam has repeatedly stated, he does not dream of fame and does not gravitate toward wealth, he just wants to live a life full of emotions, adventures, and this is what cinema gives him.
Still from the film “Abandoned”

In 2002, Hunnam first appeared on screen as the main violinist. Dixon's "Nicholas Nickleby" did not bring the actor long-awaited recognition in the film environment, but the young man gained experience and real friends in the person of Ann Hataway and Jamie Bella. In 2003, Charlie played a cameo role in the drama Cold Mountain.

As a result, after several years of hard work overseas, the Briton did not receive any worthy offers from producers in Hollywood. In addition, he acquired a bunch of unnecessary fears, a feeling of complete dissatisfaction with himself and his acting skills. He decided to end his wanderings in Hollywood, went to his native Britain and was right.

Hunnam is known for being selective in his roles even early in his career. He participated only in projects that, in his opinion, were worthwhile. The actor was broke, but did not take on work if the script did not captivate him. Charlie believes in his star, and he also believes that if you sacrifice something, but don’t give up on your dream, it will definitely come true.

Through hardship to the stars

Charlie returned to his homeland and continued to search for the very script that he would completely imbue with. Such a project was found. The low-budget drama “Hooligans” became a sip for the actor fresh air, which was necessary for his inner world and career. Charlie played Peter Dunham, the desperate leader of the football fans of one of the British clubs. The drama paid off at the box office, and directors noticed Hunnam’s charisma. Of course, experts completely criticized his terrible Californian accent, but they saw huge potential in the blond guy with a sparkling look and sculpted abs.

After arriving in Hollywood, Hunnam was very upset that he was not being cast as bad guys. At castings he was told that he was “too nice.” Charlie didn’t know what to do and even decided to fight with someone on the set during one of the castings, but his upbringing took over, and Hunnam went to Gym to look more impressive. The actor gained weight and became the owner of seductive reliefs. Only after such transformations did the directors begin to see him as a tough guy.

In 2006, Hunnam auditioned for the drama Children of Men. The secondary character performed by the Briton was immediately remembered by the audience. It was he who became the personification of the horror that threatened humanity. Despite his short stay on the set, the actor was lucky enough to take part in the film along with recognized Hollywood gurus Clive Owen, Michael Caine and Julianne Moore.

During the period when Charlie was unemployed and nearly lost his house due to the inability to pay bills, he wrote and sold a script about Vlad the Impaler, the prototype of Dracula. Brad Pitt's production center became interested in the story.

Son of Anarchy

One of the right people who was impressed by the Brit’s performance in “Hooligans” was writer and director Kurt Sutter. He can rightly be called Hunnam’s Hollywood father, because it was he who offered Charlie the role of Jax Teller in the mega-popular TV series “Sons of Anarchy.”

Surprisingly, Charlie Hunnam became widely known, at least in Europe and America, not from a big movie, but from a TV show. In 2008, he was invited to audition for a series about bikers. It came true creative dream actor, he was entrusted with the role not of a cute boy, but of a bad boy.

“Sons of Anarchy” is the series that made the British star of the first magnitude. Work on the TV show went on for eight years. With each season, the character of Charlie Jax Teller transformed and struggled with his inner demons.

Hunnam put all his acting skills and abilities into his character. As a result, the viewer saw not just a cool biker-killer, but also a father, loving husband, a man torn between his duty to brotherhood and his own feelings and desires. Hunnam showed such a flurry of conflicting emotions on screen that it became clear to film critics that his range acting roles can be huge. The public applauded the Briton, and directors began to invite him to participate in new projects in big cinema.

Photo gallery: In the company of the acting family of “anarchists”

Kurt Sutter becomes Hunnam's Hollywood father

After a long time shooting day

After participating in the show, the actors became friends in ordinary life

On the set of "Sons", 2011

The audience of the show after the third season exceeded 5 million viewers

At the Season 7 premiere of "Sons"

In 2014, the seventh and final season of the show was filmed. The actor admitted that the people on the set became a real family and transformed into friends, which is why parting with the series and the image of Jax Teller is very difficult for him. Nevertheless, the show about bikers and the criminal world of the small town of Charming has become so popular that its creators have already launched a project about the Mayantsy motorcycle club, which also appeared in the series “Sons of Anarchy.” So, according to unconfirmed reports, Charlie Hunnam in the shell of Jax Teller will return to the screens.

Big cinema - filmography

During his eight years of work on television, Hunnam managed to appear in big films. So the actor appeared in the complex drama “The Price of Passion.” His partners on the set were Liv Tyler, Patrick Wilson and Terrence Howard. The film received mixed reviews from critics as it dealt with many deep themes - life and death, religious fanaticism and atheism, gay issues, adultery and many others. As a result, the film was nominated for the Sundance Film Festival.

In 2012, Hunnam took part in two projects - the comedy Frankie Makes a Ruckus and the thriller Blackbird. As the actor himself admits, dramatic cinema is closer to his spirit. Charlie doesn't see himself as a comedian, although he doesn't mind making jokes in good company. This is probably why dramas dominate in his filmography. As for the thriller “Blackbird,” it turned out to be very chaotic, despite a fairly strong cast. Hunnam was accompanied on the set by Eric Bana and Olivia Wilde. The film did not gain much love among fans either.

One of the first brilliant directors who noted the actor’s potential was the legendary Guillermo Del Toro. The first attempt at collaboration between these two was Hunnam's failed audition for the Hellboy project. When the director told Charlie about his new creation, Pacific Rim, the actor was so inspired that he could not sleep, imagining giant robots and monsters. As a result, Hunnam played the title character and helped prevent an on-screen apocalypse. The film received average reviews from critics, but was favorably received by audiences around the world, especially among Chinese fans. As for Del Toro, he was so captivated by Hunnam's creative magnetism that he even persuaded him to play minor character in his next project, Crimson Peak.

Guillermo Del Toro: “I am fascinated by Charlie Hunnam, he is a great actor, a bright and kind guy. I would love it if my daughters brought someone like Charlie into our home as a boyfriend."

In 2013, it was announced that Hunnam had been cast as sadistic billionaire Christian Gray in the acclaimed Fifty Shades of Gray franchise. The actor himself confirmed his participation in the project and even spoke about the tangible chemistry between him and Dakota Johnson, but after a few months he dropped out of it, which extremely upset the filmmakers. Nevertheless, many film industry experts believe that with this decision, Charlie did a great favor to his career by not putting an end to it. Today it is not known for certain what was the reason for the actor’s refusal to participate in “Shades”. Hunnam said that he left the cast for family reasons and due to a banal conflict in filming schedules.

The actor wanted to take part in the sequel to the film "Pacific Rim", but due to lack of time he abandoned this idea

Not long ago, the actor admitted that he is a germaphobe (germophobia is a panicky fear of germs). And all because as a child he received psychological trauma - in the town where his family lived, an unknown infection spread, due to which a couple of children went blind. The actor remains fearful to this day. That is why kissing in front of the camera is real torture for him. The Sons of Anarchy director doesn't think so. In an interview, he said that filming intimate scenes with Charlie is a pleasure. The actor is as relaxed as possible on set, cheerful and always thinking about his partner. For Hunnam, intimate scenes are choreographed.

In 2016, Charlie Hunnam took part in the historical action film about explorer Percy Fawcett, The Lost City of Z. A British lieutenant colonel and explorer was looking for an advanced civilization in the Amazon delta. While trying to scientifically prove this fact, he and his eldest son disappeared in 1925. Director James Gray recreated this story and presented the film at the New York Film Festival in 2016. Critics greeted the film with applause. Hunnam got the main role of Percy Fawcett. The actor called this film the best thing he did in his career.

Filming took place in the Colombian jungle for five months. According to the director, at the end of the filming process everyone went a little crazy and were physically and mentally exhausted.

To get into the role, Hunnam barely spoke to anyone except for moments on the set, and did not communicate with his common-law wife. Gray said that Charlie looked very unhappy and lonely, but diligently did everything he was told. In addition, during the 8 weeks of filming, the actor lost 20 kg of weight, lightning knocked him down and an insect got into his ear, so Hunnam will remember this experience for the rest of his life.

King Arthur: Legend of the Sword

One of the long-awaited premieres of 2017 was Guy Ritchie's film The Sword of King Arthur. The original director entrusted the main role in it to Charlie Hunnam.

In the process of creating fantasy, Guy and Charlie became real friends. Watching the interaction between these two at the premiere of the film, it’s even difficult to imagine that Richie initially rejected Charlie’s candidacy for the role of Arthur. The backstory about Hunnam's involvement in the project is that he heard about Guy's new film and immediately responded, but the director was not impressed with Charlie's portfolio and his request was rejected.

Hunnam is a purposeful guy - he bought a ticket to London, invited Richie for a cup of tea and told him about his vision of the role, and what he could bring to this image. The actor's persistence won over Guy, and he gave Charlie a chance. Hunnam came to the audition and saw that Henry Cavill and Jai Courtney were vying for the role, but such rivalry only spurred the determined Briton on. The director was impressed with the actor's performance, but his physical fitness after The Lost City of Z and the final season of Sons was unimpressive. Richie was looking for a man who appearance

would have put pressure on his opponent, but Hunnam, who had lost a fair amount of his weight, could not boast of this. Charlie emerged victorious and in this situation, Richie proposed to arrange a fist fight between the contenders for the main role, but Guy decided to avoid such extremes and gave the role to the self-confident Hunnam. In turn, he made Charlie promise that before filming began, he would gain impressive muscle mass. The actor spent his days doing fitness and lifting weights, and during filming he did push-ups a thousand times a day. The result was achieved.

The film turned out to be daring, as usual in Richie's style. Foreign critics tore it to smithereens, which ensured low box office receipts for the film overseas, and the Russian audience received the film very warmly. It is still unknown whether the fantasy will become a franchise, but the fact that Hunnam is already in the top star Hollywood actors is a fact.

Mr. Hunnam has had more work lately, but knowing his selectivity and approach to each role, it is difficult to predict anything. Rumors are spreading in the media about two projects in which the actor may take part - a continuation of the adventures of King Arthur and the series “Mayans”. Hunnam also agreed to play Green Arrow and James Bond if such offers were received.

As for real projects, only one has been announced so far - the drama “The Moth”. A remake of the 1973 film of the same name. The Briton will play the lead role and play imprisoned safecracker Henry "The Moth" Charrière. The film is currently in post-production.

Awards

Actor Charlie Hunnam already has three awards:

• In 2002, the US National Board of Film Critics Award in the category " best actor"sky ensemble".
• In 2014, he received the Huading Film Awards as the best actor of the year in international projects for the film “Pacific Rim”.
• In 2017, CinemaCon Award critics named Hunnam the winner in the Male Star of the Year category.

The actor also has 8 nominations for various awards as part of the TV show “Sons of Anarchy.”

Charlie Hunnam, like the rest of the Anarchists cast, has a strained relationship with the Emmy Awards. Charlie even burst into obscene language at her. As it turned out, critics of the award for some reason ignored the series “Sons of Anarchy” for eight years, which incredibly upset Kurt Sutter, the creator of the show.

Charlie Hunnam as a model

The Briton's attractive appearance and success in the world of cinema have turned him into a model in demand in the world of gloss. Charlie is regularly invited to grace advertising campaigns of famous brands. In 2005, he was the face of Armani, advertising one of the collections of the fashion house. In 2014, the actor was invited to become the face of the Calvin Klein fragrance Reveal. The sexy blonde's partner was model Doutzen Kroes.

REVEAL Calvin Klein perfume roller

The actor has repeatedly collaborated with Vouge, Mens Hills, Mr. Porter. Charlie is constantly on the list of the most sexy men planets.

Photo gallery: Charlie Hunnam on the pages of glossies

I love you endlessly: the actor’s personal life

Charlie Hunnam, despite all his unbridled sexuality, which goes off scale and seeps through the screens, is very stable in his personal life, although at the age of 37 he has already been married and divorced.

First love

Arriving in Los Angeles, the actor went to castings for days on end. While auditioning for Dawson's Creek, Charlie met Katherine, a charming blonde actress. The young people fell madly in love with each other, and after three weeks of the affair they became legal spouses. The marriage lasted only three years. Gossips say that Catherine Towne could not stand Hunnam's infidelities and simply left him. Charlie himself jokes in an interview and admits that his wife was his first love, but three years of marriage were the most painful time in his life. Despite this fact, Catherine and Charlie are still friends to this day.

Morgana McNelis

After the divorce, Charlie is credited with affairs with Stella Parker, Rashida Jones and Sophie Dahl, but all these are fleeting affairs. But jewelry designer Morgana McNelis managed to win the blond’s heart. The couple's dating history remains a secret to the public, but their romance has lasted for about twelve years.

Little is known about Charlie's beloved. She is the owner of her own jewelry brand, Maison de Morgana jewelry designs. Morgana is actively involved in charity work supporting veterans.

Morgana gave her lover a ring with the engraving “I love you forever,” and Charlie wears it all the time. So this fact indicates the seriousness of the relationship between both of them towards each other.

A few years ago, young people moved to the suburbs of LA to their own ranch, acquired chickens, ducks, donkeys and improved their own garden. They avoid the Hollywood crowd, but they joint photos periodically appear on gossip columns. Perhaps the decision to move came after McNelis was accused of illegally selling marijuana. This incident, not without the efforts of Hannam, was smoothed over. Morgana got off with two days in prison, a suspended sentence and a multi-thousand-dollar fine. Despite everything, young people remain devoted to each other.

The actor admitted that, as a true Californian, he already has a stock of gold and a collection of weapons, and now his own autonomous farm, so if the apocalypse comes, he plans to survive.

After the popularity that befell Hunnam, it was not easy for his other half. A group of female fans constantly attacked Morgana on social networks and harassed her with insults. Charlie reacted immediately, addressed the inappropriate fans through his fan page on Facebook and asked them to stop attacking the person he loves infinitely. Hunnam said he plans to spend another 60 years with his girlfriend.

Photo gallery: Love is a wonderful country

Celebrity biographies

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10.04.15 10:06

The fact that he did not play Gray in the film Fifty Shades of Gray is probably for the best: Jamie Dornan, who received the role, is not delighted with the film. Although, perhaps, a new stage would begin in Charlie Hunnam’s biography along with this image, he is still a good actor, and the movie collected an impressive box office.

Biography of Charlie Hunnam

"Gay Icon"

A native of Newcastle, Charles Matthew Hunnam comes from a large family. His parents raised four children, and Charlie turned out to be the second child of the Hunnams. He was born on April 10, 1980, and grew up as an active and athletic boy. And Charlie’s hopes for a great acting future were born with his participation in the show “Biker Grove”. He got the role of Jason by chance: casting assistants met a handsome blond guy in a Newcastle store - Hunnam was choosing his shoes and ended up on the set.

But for real creative biography Charlie Hunnam's career began with the mini-series Queer As Folk. The nineteen-year-old Briton became the star of the project, playing one of the central roles in it. His hero, the young modest Nathan, is seduced by the handsome Stuart (Aidan Gillen, who created the image of Petyr Baelish in “Game of Thrones”). Gradually the guy falls in love with his older friend and becomes, like him, a playmaker. Nathan became a real “gay icon”, because Charlie played him very convincingly, without being embarrassed by explicit scenes.

In America!

Having starred in his homeland in the low-budget comedy “Whatever Happened to Harold Smith?”, the Englishman moved to the States. There he made his debut with a role in the show “Young Americans”, and then joined the large cast of the sitcom “Undecided”. The script for the show was written by Jude Apatow, so it was full of quite bold jokes and unusual situations, and along with Charlie in the series (which was a kind of continuation of “Hooligans and Geeks”), Apatow’s favorite Seth Rogen and Jay Baruchel played.

In between filming the sitcom, Charlie Hunnam's biography was supplemented with several films. Among them was the English classic, Dickens's Nicholas Nickleby. Despite the excellent casting (in addition to Hunnam and the young Jamie Bell, the film featured the experienced Jim Broadbent, the beautiful Anne Hathaway and the funny Alan Cummings), the drama failed at the box office. Apparently Dickens is not to everyone's taste. And the film was not bad: it even competed for the Golden Globe.

Fan and biker

Hunnam's cameo in Minghella's Cold Mountain and his role in Cuarón's post-apocalyptic film Children of Men were not very well received by the public and critics. But the low-budget American-British sports drama “Hooligans” unexpectedly covered the costs of the film by almost 10 times, and the film’s ratings were unrealistically high. The main roles in the film were played by American Elijah Wood and Briton Charlie Hunnam. Interestingly, the film about London football fans was directed by a female director, Lexi Alexander.

Charlie always said that he approaches the choice of a role very carefully, because it determines the course future career artist. So he happily plunged into the biker-criminal world of the Sons of Anarchy series, sensing that this was a story that could hook viewers. The show was launched in 2008, and in December 2014, Americans saw the last, seventh season. Hunnam did a brilliant job leading role Jax Taylor, the leader of a motorcycle gang trying to restore order in his town.

Commercial success

Charlie's participation in the blockbuster "Pacific Rim" also did not go unnoticed.

Epic high tech fantastic picture Guillermo del Toro earned more than $411 million - it was the first commercially very successful film in which a Briton had a leading role.

You won't be nice by force

When Robert Pattinson refused James's offer to play in the film adaptation of her book Fifty Shades of Gray, Ryan Gosling could have applied for the leading male role, but the project seemed uninteresting to him. Then the role of Gray was offered to Hunnam. After much hesitation, Charlie agreed, but unexpectedly met with a whole stream of negativity from fans of the novel. He decided that “you can’t be nice by force” and left the project.

Victorian thriller and Arthurian legend

Film fans were eagerly awaiting del Toro's next film with Hunnam in the title role - the Victorian mystical thriller Crimson Peak was released in October 2015. Along with Charlie, Jessica Chastain, Mia Wasikowska and Tom Hiddleston are starring in the film. The horror (or rather, gothic drama) turned out to be: atmospheric, rich in bright colors, intense.

And in the spring of 2017, Hunnam appeared in the image of the legendary King Arthur (who has not yet sat on the throne) in the new film by Guy Ritchie. The antagonist of the future monarch was played by Jude Law.

Personal life of Charlie Hunnam

Early marriage

As soon as Charlie moved to the USA, he almost immediately met Catherine Towne - this happened at one of the castings. Both auditions for Dawson's Creek didn't work out, but Catherine and Charlie's wedding followed. The marriage turned out to be short - already in 2002, the young people divorced it.

Many years together

Charlie Hunnam never did anything about his personal life. big secret, he has been dating the same girl for almost ten years now. His lover is Morgana McNelis, she designs jewelry. The star is in no hurry to formalize her relationship - apparently, the mistake of youth reminds of itself, well, these two are fine without any formalities.

Charismatic actor Charlie Hunnam confidently climbs to the top of Hollywood, getting roles in box-office films and TV series in which the whole world recognizes him. Having come to terms with fame, the actor in life remains a modest and hardworking guy who loves solitude and does not care about the opinions of others. This blue-eyed Englishman is interesting for his simple and loyal character, as well as his conscious approach to developing his career.

Charlie was born in 1980 in the UK. The boy's parents divorced immediately after his birth, after which his mother remarried. Charlie has three brothers, and he himself is the second oldest. He received a higher education with a profile in cinema and art. At a young age he received an offer to become a professional model, but fate led him to cinema.

Charlie first appeared on television at the age of 17, when the producers of the television series “Biker Grove” met him quite by chance right on the street. Tall (Charlie’s height was already 185 cm), bright, attractive and charismatic guy caught the eye of professionals. This filming was followed by another English series, after which Hunnam made a serious bet on a film career and moved to Hollywood in search of his lucky star.

Films and TV series

More on early stage acting career Charlie came to the conclusion that projects to participate in should be chosen very carefully, carefully studying all the pros and cons. Hunnam quickly realized that his first roles would define his entire career. future fate as an actor.

Despite his young age, he allowed himself to reject those roles that, according to his inner instinct, did not give him the opportunity to demonstrate all the facets of his talent. He really didn’t want to be a “hero of one role” and play one type of character all his life. In many ways, the actor was hampered by his resemblance to the Australian actor. Of course, this type of actor will always be in demand in Hollywood, but Charlie still wanted to be an original, and not a likeness of his legendary colleague.

He takes over various projects in the USA and UK. Charlie had roles in such successful projects, like “Hooligans,” “The Color of Passion” (here his co-star was herself) and “Crimson Peak.” The turning point in Hunnam's career was the invitation to play the lead role in the TV series "Sons of Anarchy", which became a real revelation among television projects those years and therefore quickly won the love of audiences around the world.

Working on the TV series “Sons of Anarchy” presented Hunnam with a serious challenge – to gain impressive muscle mass and create an athletic figure. He began hard training, and the result was not long in coming - the whole world began to envy the actor’s figure. Maintaining a pace of 4 workouts per week, the actor long years was a “model” rebel with a mountain of muscles.

The relationship between the character Charlie and his lover, successfully played by Maggie Siff, fascinated viewers in many countries for seven long seasons. By the way, after filming the series, Charlie fell in love with motorcycle riding with all his heart, and now it is his favorite hobby.

It was Charlie who was offered the role of Christian Gray in the Fifty Shades of Gray trilogy. According to fans of this love story, polled online, the actor Hunnam and the actress were the best candidates for the main roles in such an extravagant film. Charlie fit the description of a “confident, attractive millionaire” perfectly, and Alexis’s piercing gaze and innocence of the image fit perfectly into the description main character novel. However, as a result of the casting, a completely different actress was approved for the role of Anastasia -.

Judging by rumors, sparks literally flew between her and Charlie during the auditions, and it was this kind of “chemistry” between the actors that the producers were looking for. As a result, the actors were approved, and even before filming began, both of them began to be attacked by representatives of the media with tricky questions about bed scenes. Hunnam did not like the noise, increased attention and the general tone of the discussions, so after a while he refused the scandalous role and dropped out of the project, giving the role.

Another possible reason failure is called a busy schedule. The fact is that continuous filming in a successful series greatly exhausted the actor. He generally prefers to take a break between large projects and engage in self-reflection, clearing your mind of past filming and preparing for the next role. And working in “shades” meant immediately arriving from one set to another. Besides, personal life and the family demanded Charlie's presence - so he made his choice.

Personal life

Such a handsome man must have a stormy romantic life, however, the actor is quite stable in relationships. In 1999, during an audition, he met the actress, who four years later became his wife - Charlie and Catherine Towne legalized their relationship in Las Vegas.

His wife could not keep Hunnam from falling in love for a long time - he files for divorce and begins a relationship with a representative of the art world - an artist named Morgana McNelis. Charlie and his girlfriend have actually been in a civil marriage for many years, but they are in no hurry to officially marry.

The actor actively maintained a personal account on social network Instagram, where he posted behind-the-scenes photos, but his page was hacked by attackers. After this incident, Hunnam stopped publishing his pictures online.

Charlie Hunnam now

Currently, Charlie has a very busy schedule - box-office films with his participation are released with enviable consistency. In 2016, Hunnam presented the world with the film “The Lost City of Z,” in which he co-starred and.

In 2017, the long-awaited film will appear at the worldwide box office - historical picture"The Legend of King Arthur", where Charlie plays the main role. King Arthur, performed by Hunnam, will appear before the viewer in all his glory - critics have already noted the actor’s performance extremely positively.

An interesting fact is that Hunnam achieved his goal of becoming an original among actors, because now some of his colleagues are compared to him. Thus, it has been repeatedly noted by many publications that the successful actor, who gained fame thanks to his leading role in the series about the Vikings, is very similar to Charlie.

Filmography:

• "Close Friends" TV series 1999-2001
• "Young Americans" TV series 2000
• "Cold Mountain" 2003
• "Hooligans" 2004
• “The Price of Passion” 2011
• "Pacific Rim" 2013
• "Sons of Anarchy" TV series 2008-2014
• "Crimson Peak" 2015
• "The Lost City of Z" 2016
• "The Sword of King Arthur" 2017