Joel Edgerton was born in Blacktown, New South Wales. He attended the Nepean Drama School in western Sydney before transitioning into stage and screen roles. Edgerton launched his film career in Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones and Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, portraying a young Owen Lars, stepbrother of Anakin Skywalker and uncle to Luke Skywalker.
Next, Edgerton can be seen in the Barry Jenkins’ helmed Amazon Original series The Underground Railroad. He will star as Ridgeway, a slavecatcher, alongside Thuso Mbedu, Chase W. Dillon, and Aaron Pierre. The anticipated series is set to premiere in Spring 2021. Later this summer, Edgerton will appear in the medieval fantasy film, The Green Knight opposite Dev Patel and Alicia Vikander. The feature film is directed by David Lowery and will be released in theaters nationwide on July 30, 2021 by A24.
Joel Edgerton was born in Blacktown, New South Wales. He attended the Nepean Drama School in western Sydney before transitioning into stage and screen roles. Edgerton launched his film career in Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones and Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, portraying a young Owen Lars, stepbrother of Anakin Skywalker and uncle to Luke Skywalker.
Next, Edgerton can be seen in the Barry Jenkins’ helmed Amazon Original series The Underground Railroad. He will star as Ridgeway, a slavecatcher, alongside Thuso Mbedu, Chase W. Dillon, and Aaron Pierre. The anticipated series is set to premiere in Spring 2021. Later this summer, Edgerton will appear in the medieval fantasy film, The Green Knight opposite Dev Patel and Alicia Vikander. The feature film is directed by David Lowery and will be released in theaters nationwide on July 30, 2021 by A24.
Currently, Edgerton is in production for Thomas W. Wright’s crime thriller The Unknown, which he also produces alongside co-star Sean Harris. Next, he will begin production for the Sam Esmail-produced TV series Gaslit, a modern take on Watergate that focuses on the untold stories and forgotten characters of the infamous Nixon scandal. Edgerton will executive produce and star in the series alongside Julia Roberts and Sean Penn.
Edgerton last appeared in the Netflix Original film, The King, which he also co-wrote along with director David Michod. The film premiered at the 2019 Venice Film Festival before streaming on Netflix on November 1, 2019.
In November 2018, Edgerton directed the bibliographical drama Boy Erased, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2018. Edgerton starred alongside Lucas Hedges, Nicole Kidman, and Russell Crowe.
Earlier in 2018, Edgerton starred in the France Lawrence-directed thriller Red Sparrow alongside Jennifer Lawrence. Edgerton also appeared in Gringo, opposite Charlize Theron and David Oyelowo, which was released by Amazon on March 9, 2018.
In 2017, Edgerton starred in Netflix’s action-crime film Bright, opposite Will Smith. It was released on December 22, 2017, and subsequently renewed for a sequel. Within its first month on Netflix, Bright became one of the streaming service’s most-viewed original titles.
In the fall of 2016, Edgerton co-starred in the drama, Loving, directed by Jeff Nichols, alongside Ruth Negga, Michael Shannon, and Nick Kroll. Edgerton was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Lead Actor for his performance as Richard Loving. In January 2016, Edgerton starred in the Western Jane Got a Gun opposite Natalie Portman. In March 2016, Edgerton also appeared in the Jeff Nichols film Midnight Special opposite Michael Shannon and Kirsten Dunst.
In September 2015, Edgerton starred in Scott Cooper’s action crime drama Black Mass alongside Johnny Depp, Benedict Cumberbatch and Dakota Johnson. Based on the 2001 book by Dick Lehr and Gerard O’Neill, the story unveils the true-life events of infamous South Boston criminal Whitey Bulger, the brother of a state senator who became an FBI informant to take down a Mafia family invading his territory. Edgerton plays Bulger’s childhood friend and corrupt FBI agent, John Connolly. The film had its world premiere at the 72ndAnnual Venice Film Festival and was released by Warner Bros. Black Mass was also featured at Telluride Film Festival and the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival and earned Edgerton the Santa Barbara International Film Festival Virtuoso award, which celebrates breakthrough performances.
August 2015 marked Edgerton’s feature directorial debut with The Gift, starring Jason Bateman. Edgerton co-starred with Rebecca Hall, and also wrote the script and produced the film. For this, he was nominated for a Directors Guild of America Award for First-Time Feature Film Direction.
In December 2014, Edgerton starred in Ridley Scott’s epic retelling of the Biblical story Exodus: Gods and Kings. Edgerton paired with Christian Bale as they played on-screen brothers Moses and Rhamses. Earlier in 2014, Edgerton appeared in the psychological thriller Felony, which he wrote, produced, and starred in. The Australian film premiered at the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival.
In 2013, Edgerton portrayed the character of Tom Buchanan in Baz Luhrmann’s remake of The Great Gatsby, starring alongside Leonardo DiCaprio and Carey Mulligan. In December 2012, Edgerton had a pivotal role alongside Jessica Chastain and Chris Pratt in Kathryn Bigelow’s Zero Dark Thirty, which was nominated for Best Picture at the 85th Annual Academy Awards. Edgerton also appeared in The Odd Life of Timothy Green opposite Jennifer Garner, the critically acclaimed, mixed-martial-arts drama Warrior opposite Nick Nolte and Tom Hardy, and the prequel of John Carpenter’s The Thing, opposite Mary Elizabeth Winstead.
In 2010, Edgerton starred in the Australian film Animal Kingdom, which received the World Cinema Jury Prize at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival and was also awarded the Australian Film Institute/AFI Awards for AFI Best Film and AFI Member’s Choice. Edgerton was honored with an AFI Award for Best Supporting Actor on behalf of the film.
In 2008, Edgerton was seen in the film The Square, directed by his brother Nash Edgerton. That same year, Edgerton starred in Acolytes, an Australian film about teenagers who get revenge on a serial killer. In 2007, Edgerton was seen in the film Whisper with Josh Holloway. He also had a significant role in the 2006 American film Smokin’ Aces.
In 2005, Edgerton appeared in the British comedy Kinky Boots, in a lead role alongside Chiwetel Ejiofor. That same year, Edgerton lent his voice to the title character of The Mysterious Geographic Explorations of Jasper Morello, an Academy Award-nominated animated short film.
Off the screen Edgerton starred alongside Cate Blanchett as Stanley in the Sydney Theatre Company’s acclaimed 2009 production of A Streetcar Named Desire. He has appeared in multiple stage productions, most notably at The Sydney Theatre Company - Blackrock, Third World Blues and Love for Love - and Bell Shakespeare - Henry IV. On television, Edgerton is known for playing the role of Will on the series The Secret Life of Us for which he was nominated for an AFI Award.
Edgerton currently splits his time between Australia, New York and Los Angeles.
