We will genuinely never tire of seeing established British talents like Tom Hiddleston, Idris Elba, and Tom Hardy [1] on our screens, but we also love discovering new male British actors to add to our watch list before they hit the big time. Remember when John Boyega was just that kid from Attack the Block [2], and Tom Holland [3] was a child star from The Impossible who was yet to rub shoulders with Robert Downey Jr.? This year, with big projects like the Game of Thrones prequel and a new Jane Austen adaptation in production, there are plenty of big roles up for grabs for some of the UK's hottest rising stars. We've picked 24 of the names and faces we'll be looking out for in the coming months. Keep reading to find out more about these up-and-coming actors who'll be all over stage and screen in 2019 and beyond.
Asa Butterfield
Asa Butterfield graduated from child (super)star to bright young thing thanks to his starring role in Netflix's Sex Education. We don't blame you if you didn't realise that Otis is actually that cute kid from The Boy in the Striped Pajamas and Hugo. Sex Education returns for a second series this year, but Asa will also be hitting the big screen. He's set to star in The Liar, based on Stephen Fry's novel of the same name.
Josh O'Connor
Josh O'Connor's been on our radar for a while, not least because of his role in ITV's The Durrels and a career-making performance in 2017's God's Own Country. But 2019 is the year he'll become a household name, thanks to the fact he's taking on the role of Prince Charles in Netflix's big budget drama The Crown. He'll also tackle one of Jane Austen's more divisive creations when he plays Mr. Elton in a new adaptation of Emma.
Chance Perdomo
Not only is Chance Perdomo winning over the Gen-Z crowd with his role in Netflix's Chilling Adventures of Sabrina (yes, he's seen your thirst posts [4]) he's also proved himself to be a force to be reckoned with when it comes to drama too, with a TV BAFTA nomination under his belt for his work in Killed by My Debt. After all, how many 22-year-old actors can say they've been nominated in the same acting category as Hugh Grant [5] and Benedict Cumberbatch?
Angus Imrie
Yep, it's the creepy nephew from Fleabag. Angus Imrie is the son of actors Celia Imrie and Benjamin Whitrow, and as well as that memorable Fleabag role, is probably best known for voicing Josh in Radio 4's The Archers. His recent portrayal of a young Merlin in Joe Cornish's The Kid Who Would Be King was one of the film's highlights, and no doubt an indicator of a long career to come. You can currently catch Angus in the Starz production The Spanish Princess.
Arinzé Kene
It seems odd to be referring to Arinzé Kene as a rising star when he's been working steadily for a decade on stage and screen, but this is a drum that deserves to be beaten one more time as his TV roles have seen him woefully underused (see Informer and Our Girl). Hopefully, this will be year he's given the prime time starring role he deserves. In the meantime, you can catch him next in the film adaptation of Caitlin Moran's How to Build a Girl.
Callum Turner
If he didn't win your heart as Theseus Scamander in Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, perhaps you recognise Callum Turner from his turns in Glue, War and Peace, or The Only Living Boy in New York? Next up, you'll see him as the rakish Frank Churchill in Emma, and in the TV miniseries The Capture.
Toby Regbo
Toby Regbo has been making a name for himself as the go-to for period dramas, with roles in Glorious 39, Reign, The Last Kingdom, and Medici: Masters of Florence, but he's also got another fun claim to fame: he's young Dumbledore! Toby played the Hogwarts legend in both Harry Potter [6] and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 and Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald. It remains to be seen whether he'll actually grow up to be Jude Law [7], but we live in hope. In the meantime, his next big role is in the Game of Thrones prequel, so expect to see a lot more of him in the coming months.
Nabhaan Rizwan
If you didn't catch Nabhaan Rizwan's incredible breakout performance in the BBC drama Informer [8], you missed a treat. It's hard to believe that was his first-ever TV credit, but something tells us it won't be his last. Look out for this rising star in the months, and years, to come.
Johnny Flynn
Actor and musician Johnny Flynn's career sways from the sublime (The BBC's lavish Les Miserables adaptation) to the oh-so-slightly ridiculous (Channel 4's hilariously-named Scrotal Recall, which was thankfully renamed Lovesick and given a second chance by Netflix [9]). He provided the music to the much-loved BBC Four show Detectorists and recently hit the stage in London alongside Kit Harington in True West. His next role looks set to be the one that really catapults him into the big time: he's set to play David Bowie in the biopic Stardust.
Frank Dillane
Another Hogwarts alumni (kinda), Frank Dillane came to most people's attention when he portrayed a young Tom Riddle with all the requisite creepiness in Harry Potter [10] and the Half-Blood Prince and since then has had prominent roles in In the Heart of the Sea, Sense8, and most recently Fear the Walking Dead [11]. The son of Game of Thrones actor Stephen Dillane, this is one apple that doesn't fall far from the tree.
Tom Brittney
When James Norton hung up his dog collar and departed Grantchester, little did we know an equally easy-on-the-eye vicar would take his place in the gentle ITV detective drama. Tom Brittney's also played the bad guy in the brilliant UnReal (catch it on Amazon Prime, thank us later) and may also be recognisable from small roles in Outlander [12], Humans, and Film Stars Don't Die in Liverpool.
Ivanno Jeremiah
Another actor who's signed up for the Game of Thrones prequel, Ivanno Jeremiah might already be on your radar following his roles in TV shows like Humans and Cold Feet. He's currently starring alongside Lena Heady in the film The Flood. No doubt he got a bit of insider info on the world of Westeros from his costar.
Himesh Patel
If you caught Danny Boyle's movie Yesterday you'll recognise Himesh Patel from the sweet film about a world where nobody but him remembers the Beatles [13]. However, he's not exactly a brand-new discovery. If you're a soap fan, he's no doubt recognisable to you for his 9-year tenure as Tamwar Masood in EastEnders too.
Alex Lawther
Alex Lawther has seemingly cornered the market for playing totally creepy weirdos, with two of his stand-out roles — as James in The End of the F***ing World and Kenny in the Black Mirror episode "Shut Up and Dance" — putting him firmly in the "People I Don't Want to Run Into on a Dark Night" category. But he also turned heads as a young Alan Turing in The Imitation Game, and Tibby in Howard's End. With the London Film Critics' Circle Award for Young British Performer of the Year under his belt, his future looks bright.
Rahul Kohli
Fans of iZombie will recognise Rahul Kohli as the show's wisecracking medical examiner, Dr. Ravi Chakrabarti. Now the show is over, he's lined up a voice role as the Scarecrow in the upcoming Harley Quinn animated series, and will also star in Netflix's The Haunting of Bly Manor. An avid gamer, he also lends his voice to a character in Gears 5. He says the only thing left on his bucket list is landing role in an upcoming Star Wars film. Given the proliferation of British stars across the franchise, it could be time to start a petition, perhaps?
Joe Cole
Not to be confused with the football player of the same name, this Joe Cole is best known for playing John, the third Shelby brother in the BBC's brilliant drama Peaky Blinders [14]. He's also put in an appearance in Black Mirror, and garnered critical acclaim for his work in the film A Prayer Before Dawn.
Finn Cole
Yep, there are two of them. Finn is one of Joe Cole's younger brothers (there are five brothers in total) and also has a starring role in Peaky Blinders, having joined the cast in series 2 as Michael Gray, Polly's long-lost son. Finn's also a success on the other side of the Atlantic, having landed a role in TNT's Animal Kingdom.
Hero Fiennes-Tiffin
Hero Fiennes-Tiffin is making waves due to his appearance in After, a film based on a series of novels that began life as One Direction fan fiction. It's basically Fifty Shades of Grey for the under 30s, and Hero is essentially playing Harry Styles, so needless to say he's become something of a heartthrob as a result. If the name sounds familiar, that's because Hero is part of that Fiennes family: actors Ralph and Joseph are his uncles, his mother is filmmaker Martha Fiennes. Before After, Hero had small roles in a number of films and TV shows, including Harry Potter [15] and the Half Blood Prince (as young uncle Voldemort, natch). After After? Well, the sequel is already in development, and with five books and over one million words available as source material, there could be a lot more to come.
Nikesh Patel
Nikesh Patel got his big break with a starring role in Channel 4's lavish period drama Indian Summers, alongside Julie Walters. The second series (in 2016) wasn't as universally-loved at the first, but this rising star needn't have worried. He's since appeared in Doctor Who, voiced a character in Midnight's Children for Radio 4, and is soon to appear as Foaly in the upcoming adaptation of the much-loved Artemis Fowl novels.
Will Tudor
Another of those "Where do I know that guy from?" Will Tudor played the angelic-looking Odi in Humans, appeared as Jonathan Morgenstern in Shadowhunters and also popped up in Game of Thrones as Olyvar. Your mum might recognise him for playing Christopher Dean in the TV movie Torvill & Dean last Christmas.
Charlie Rowe
A former child star (who you may have seen in The Golden Compass or Never Let Me Go) Charlie Rowe was also one of the front-runners for the role of Peter Parker/Spider-Man in Captain America: Civil War and the many other MCU movies that followed. After narrowly losing out to fellow Brit Tom Holland [16], Charlie instead went on to land roles in projects like Vanity Fair, Salvation, and Rocketman.
Fady Elsayed
Fady Elsayed will be no stranger to fans of Doctor Who, thanks to his role in the show's BBC3 spin-off, Class. But he's also had some serious success on the big screen, too. His first major role, in My Brother the Devil, earned him a best newcomer nomination at the BFI Film Festival. His most recent role, as fixer Mourad in the Marie Colvin biopic A Private War, was yet another indication of this 25-year-old's potential.
Max Lloyd-Jones
You'd be forgiven for not realising that Max Lloyd-Jones is a Brit, given that he's worked almost exclusively across the Pond, with roles in shows like Switched at Birth, Once Upon a Time, and most recently, the Hallmark channel's long-running historical drama When Calls the Heart. His next project is Lifetime's adaptation of the V.C Andrews novel Web of Dreams.
Edward Bluemel
With roles in A Discovery of Witches, Sex Education, and Killing Eve under his belt, Edward Bluemel's star is very much on the rise. He's also got plenty of stage experience under his belt, including a role in Touch, a production by the creators of Fleabag. Expect to see a lot more of this guy very soon.