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Luke Evans

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This article is about the actor and singer. For other people, see Luke Evans (disambiguation).

Luke Evans
Luke Evans attending Queen Elizabeth's II birthday party held at the Royal Albert Hall in 2018.
Evans in 2018
Born
Luke George Evans

(1979-04-15) 15 April 1979 (age 45)
Pontypool, Torfaen, Wales
Alma materLondon Studio Centre
Occupations
  • Actor
  • singer
Years active2000–present
Musical career
Genres
LabelsBMG
Websitelukeevansofficial.com

Luke George Evans (born 15 April 1979)[1] is a Welsh actor and singer. He began his career on the stage, and performed in London's West End productions of Rent, Miss Saigon, and Piaf before making his film breakthrough in the Clash of the Titans 2010 remake. Following his debut, Evans was cast in the action and thriller films Immortals (2011), The Raven (2012), and the re-imagined The Three Musketeers (2011).

In 2013, Evans starred as the antagonist Owen Shaw in Fast & Furious 6, and also played Bard the Bowman in Peter Jackson's three-part adaptation of J. R. R. Tolkien's The Hobbit.[2] Evans portrayed the vampire Dracula in the character's 2014 film origin story Dracula Untold.[3] Evans then portrayed Gaston in Disney's live-action adaptation of Beauty and the Beast (2017), psychologist William Moulton Marston in the biographical drama Professor Marston and the Wonder Women (2017), Wade McClusky in Midway and the Coachman in Disney's live-action remake of Pinocchio (2022). He released his debut album, At Last, on 22 November 2019. In 2020, he starred in a three-part miniseries The Pembrokeshire Murders. In 2021, he had a main role in the Hulu drama series Nine Perfect Strangers. He then starred in the black ops military series Echo 3 (2022).

Early life and education

[edit]

Luke George Evans was born on Easter Sunday, 15 April 1979, in Pontypool,[4] and brought up in Aberbargoed,[1] the only child of Yvonne and David Evans.[5][6] He was raised as a Jehovah's Witness, though he left the religion when he was 16 and left school at the same time.[7]

At age 17, he moved to Cardiff,[8] where he studied with singing coach Louise Ryan.[9] In 1997, he won a scholarship to London Studio Centre, then in Kings Cross, London.[10] He graduated in 2000.[11]

Career

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Evans at the 2014 San Diego Comic-Con

From 2000 to 2008, Evans starred in many West End productions including La Cava, Taboo, Rent, Miss Saigon and Avenue Q, as well as several fringe shows in London and at the Edinburgh Festival.

In 2008, he landed his most significant stage role playing Vincent in the play Small Change written and directed by Peter Gill at the Donmar Warehouse. His performance drew attention from film casting directors and U.S. talent agencies, and he was nominated for the Evening Standard Award for Outstanding Newcomer. Later that same year he did his second show at the Donmar Warehouse, Piaf, in which he played Yves Montand.

Evans had his first film audition at age thirty. In 2009, he landed his first film role, playing the Greek god Apollo in the 2010 remake Clash of the Titans. Also in 2010, he appeared as Clive in the film Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll, directed by Matt Whitecross, as the Sheriff of Nottingham's thug in Robin Hood, alongside Matthew Macfadyen (whom he would later play alongside again in The Three Musketeers), and played handyman and good guy Andy, in director Stephen Frears' film Tamara Drewe, based on Posy Simmond's comic strip. Evans went on to portray DI Craig Stokes in Blitz (2011), the film adaptation of Ken Bruen's novel of the same name, in which he starred with Jason Statham and Paddy Considine. In early 2010, he shot the independent film, Flutter, directed by Giles Borg.

Evans played the Musketeer Aramis in Paul W. S. Anderson's version of The Three Musketeers (filmed in 2010 and released in 2011). He was cast in a lead role in Tarsem Singh's Greek epic, Immortals (2011), in which he played the King of the Gods, Zeus. And at the end of 2010, he took a role opposite John Cusack in James McTeigue's film The Raven, replacing Jeremy Renner. In the film, released in 2012 and set in mid-nineteenth century Baltimore, Evans played Detective Emmett Fields, who investigates a series of murders inspired by the poetry and short stories of Edgar Allan Poe.[12] Shooting took place in Budapest and Serbia in November 2010. In 2011, he shot No One Lives, a psychological horror film directed by Ryuhei Kitamura, in New Orleans, and began filming a role in Peter Jackson's three-part adaptation of J. R. R. Tolkien's The Hobbit, playing the role of Bard the Bowman.[2]

Evans at the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival

In 2013, Evans played the antagonist Owen Shaw in Fast & Furious 6, and in 2014, he played Dracula in the film Dracula Untold.[13][14][15] Evans was cast as Eric Draven in the reboot of The Crow. In June 2014, he joined the cast of the film High-Rise with Tom Hiddleston and Jeremy Irons.[16] In January 2015, Evans officially exited The Crow to pursue other projects.[17] The same year, GQ named him one of the 50 best dressed British men.[18]

In 2016, Evans appeared in the thriller film The Girl on the Train, co-starring Emily Blunt.[19] In 2017, he had the villainous role of Gaston in Disney's live-action adaptation of Beauty and the Beast, directed by Bill Condon and co-starring Emma Watson and Dan Stevens.[20] Evans was also set to reprise his role as Gaston in a Beauty and the Beast prequel limited series for Disney+, alongside Josh Gad, who was serving as co-creator, co-writer and executive producer.[21]

He also played the lead role, William Moulton Marston, the creator of Wonder Woman, in the film Professor Marston and the Wonder Women.

In 2018, Evans starred in TNT drama The Alienist, as newspaper illustrator John Moore.[22] The following year, he announced the release of his debut studio album, At Last, which was released on 22 November 2019.[23]

On 8 November 2019, Evans starred in Roland Emmerich's war movie Midway, alongside Ed Skrein, Patrick Wilson, Mandy Moore, Aaron Eckhart, Nick Jonas, Dennis Quaid, and Woody Harrelson.[24][25][26][27][28][29]

In 2021, Evans played Lars Lee in the Hulu miniseries, Nine Perfect Strangers, based on the novel of the same name by Liane Moriarty, which features Nicole Kidman in the lead role, alongside Melissa McCarthy, Michael Shannon, Samara Weaving, Asher Keddie, and Bobby Cannavale.[30]

He also played The Coachman in Robert Zemeckis' live-action film adaptation of Disney's Pinocchio, with Tom Hanks.[31]

Evans was awarded Man of the Year at the ninth annual Virgin Atlantic Attitude Awards.[32]

Personal life

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While Evans is gay,[33] he chooses not to discuss his sexuality in the press, asserting his personal life to be private.[34] He deliberately shields his family from the press.[34] When asked about the opinion that Hollywood might have of his sexuality, he argued that his private life is not connected to Hollywood and that "Talent, success, what you do in your personal life – I don't see how one should have an effect on the other."[34]

Between 2014 and 2016, Evans dated actor and model Jon Kortajarena.[35] Since 2021, he has been in a relationship with Fran Tomas.[36]

Discography

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Studio albums

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Title Details Peak chart positions Certifications
UK
[37] 		AUS
Dig.
[38] 		IRE
[39]
At Last
  • Released: 22 November 2019[40]
  • Label: BMG
 11 30 84
A Song for You
  • Released: 4 November 2022[42]
  • Label: BMG
 4 — —

Soundtrack albums

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Title Release date
Beauty and the Beast 10 March 2017

Singles

[edit]
Title Year Album
"Love Is a Battlefield"[43][non-primary source needed] 2019 At Last
"Changing"[44][non-primary source needed]
"Horizons Blue"[42][non-primary source needed] 2022 A Song for You
"Come What May"
(featuring Charlotte Church)[45]
"Say Something"
(featuring Nicole Kidman)[46]

Tours

[edit]
  • At Last! The Live Tour (2021)[47]

Filmography

[edit]
Key
† Denotes works that have not yet been released

Film

[edit]
Year Film Role Director Notes
2002 Ding Dong Gareth Tracy Spottiswoode Short film
Taboo Billy — Musical
2009 Don't Press Benjamin's Buttons Benjamin's Father Short film
2010 Cowards and Monsters Paul
Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll Clive Richards Mat Whitecross
Clash of the Titans Apollo Louis Leterrier
Robin Hood Sheriff's Thug Ridley Scott
Tamara Drewe Andy Cobb Stephen Frears
2011 Blitz DI Craig Stokes Elliott Lester
The Three Musketeers Aramis Paul W. S. Anderson
Immortals Zeus Tarsem Singh
Flutter Adrian Giles Borg
2012 Ashes Crewcut Mat Whitecross
The Raven Inspector Emmett Fields James McTeigue
No One Lives Driver Ryuhei Kitamura
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey Bard, son of Girion, Lord of Dale Peter Jackson Extended edition only
2013 Fast & Furious 6 Owen Shaw[48] Justin Lin
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug Bard and Girion, Lord of Dale Peter Jackson Dual role
2014 Dracula Untold Vlad III Țepeș / Dracula Gary Shore
The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies Bard Peter Jackson
2015 Furious 7 Owen Shaw James Wan Cameo
High-Rise Richard Wilder Ben Wheatley
2016 Message from the King Dr. Paul Wentworth Fabrice Du Welz
The Girl on the Train Scott Hipwell Tate Taylor
2017 Beauty and the Beast Gaston Bill Condon
The Fate of the Furious Owen Shaw F. Gary Gray Cameo
Professor Marston and the Wonder Women William Moulton Marston Angela Robinson
2018 State Like Sleep Emile Meredith Danluck
10x10 Robert Lewis Suzi Ewing
2019 Ma Ben Hawkins Tate Taylor
Murder Mystery Charles Cavendish Kyle Newacheck
Anna Alex Tchenkov Luc Besson
StarDog and TurboCat Felix (voice) Ben Smith
Angel of Mine Mike Kim Farrant
Midway Commander Wade McClusky Roland Emmerich
2021 Crisis Bill Simmons Nicholas Jarecki
2022 Disney's Pinocchio The Coachman Robert Zemeckis
Scrooge: A Christmas Carol Ebenezer Scrooge Stephen Donnelly Voice
2023 Our Son Nicky Bill Oliver
Good Grief Oliver Dan Levy
2024 Weekend in Taipei John Lawlor George Huang
5lbs of Pressure Adam Phil Allocco
TBA World Breaker TBA Brad Anderson Post-production

Television

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Year Title Role Notes
2013 The Great Train Robbery Bruce Reynolds Miniseries
2016, 2018 Robot Chicken Various characters (voices) 2 episodes
2017 The Grand Tour Himself Episode: "Jaaaaaaaags"
2018–2020 The Alienist John Moore Main role
2020–2021 Crossing Swords King Merriman (voice) Main role; 20 episodes
2021 The Pembrokeshire Murders Steve Wilkins Miniseries; 3 episodes
Nine Perfect Strangers Lars Lee Main role; 8 episodes
2022–2023 Echo 3 Bambi Main role
2024 The Way Hogwood Miniseries (episodes unknown)
TBA Criminal Tracy Lawless [49]

Video games

[edit]
Year Title Voice role Notes
2013 Fast & Furious: Showdown Owen Shaw

Theme park rides

[edit]
Year Title Voice role Notes
2015 Fast & Furious: Supercharged Owen Shaw

Awards and nominations

[edit]
Year Award Category Nominee / work Result
2014 Monte-Carlo Television Festival Outstanding Actor in a Mini-Series The Great Train Robbery Nominated
Acapulco Black Film Festival Best Ensemble Cast Fast & Furious 6 Nominated
2015 British Independent Film Awards Best Supporting Actor High Rise Nominated
2017 MTV Movie & TV Awards Best Duo (with Josh Gad) Beauty and the Beast Nominated
Teen Choice Awards[50] Choice Movie: Villain Won
Choice Hissy Fit Nominated
2020 Virgin Atlantic Attitude Awards The Man of the Year Himself Won[32]
2023 BAFTA Cymru Awards Entertainment Programme Luke Evans: Showtime! Won[51]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b "Evans finds himself among the stars". walesonline. 8 September 2010. Archived from the original on 15 October 2012. Retrieved 1 March 2015.
  2. ^ a b Fleming, Mike (16 June 2011). "Luke Evans To Play Bard in 'The Hobbit'". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on 17 June 2011. Retrieved 16 June 2011.
  3. ^ Justin Vactor. "Luke". Screen Rant. Archived from the original on 6 July 2015. Retrieved 1 March 2015.
  4. ^ "Pontypool-born Luke Evans hopes to be new Bourne star". walesonline. 9 April 2011. Archived from the original on 6 October 2014. Retrieved 1 March 2015.
  5. ^ "Aberbargoed actor Luke Evans' success in Hollywood". Wales Online. 3 June 2010. Archived from the original on 19 November 2020. Retrieved 25 July 2013.
  6. ^ Rachel Mainwaring (30 May 2010). "Welsh actor Luke Evans is hot Hollywood property". Wales Online. Archived from the original on 15 October 2012. Retrieved 25 July 2013.
  7. ^ "Hobbit star Luke Evans swaps the valleys for the Shire". The Guardian. 7 December 2013. Archived from the original on 10 December 2013. Retrieved 11 December 2013.
  8. ^ "Luke Evans Interview TAMARA DREWE". Collider. Archived from the original on 14 December 2013. Retrieved 1 March 2015.
  9. ^ "Welsh actor Luke Evans is hot Hollywood property". walesonline. 29 May 2010. Archived from the original on 15 October 2012. Retrieved 1 March 2015.
  10. ^ Mo-Net s.r.l. Milano-Firenze. "Luke Evans". mymovies.it. Archived from the original on 16 February 2015. Retrieved 1 March 2015.
  11. ^ Godfrey, Alex (7 December 2013). "Hobbit star Luke Evans swaps the valleys for the Shire". The Guardian.
  12. ^ Leins, Jeff. "Luke Evans, Alice Eve Join 'The Raven'". News in Film. Archived from the original on 9 January 2011. Retrieved 13 October 2010.
  13. ^ Mike Fleming Jr (4 May 2013). "'The Crow' Reboot Flies With Luke Evans – Deadline". Deadline. Archived from the original on 31 July 2014. Retrieved 1 March 2015.
  14. ^ The Deadline Team (25 April 2013). "Universal Dates 'Dracula' Origin Pic For August 8, 2014 – Deadline". Deadline. Archived from the original on 19 June 2014. Retrieved 1 March 2015.
  15. ^ Pamela McClintock (11 September 2013). "Title Change: 'Dracula' Renamed 'Dracula Untold'". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on 17 October 2013. Retrieved 10 February 2022.
  16. ^ Oliver Lyttelton (13 June 2014). "'The Hobbit' Star Luke Evans Joins Tom Hiddleston in Ben Wheatley's 'High Rise'". Indie Wire. Archived from the original on 16 June 2014. Retrieved 10 February 2022.
  17. ^ "Luke Evans Officially Exits 'The Crow' Reboot; Relativity Seeking New Star". TheWrap. 24 January 2015. Archived from the original on 11 March 2015. Retrieved 1 March 2015.
  18. ^ "50 Best Dressed Men in Britain 2015". GQ. 5 January 2015. Archived from the original on 7 January 2015.
  19. ^ "Luke Evans in The Girl on the Train". Rotten Tomatoes. 12 October 2016. Archived from the original on 9 October 2016. Retrieved 12 October 2016.
  20. ^ "Luke Evans To Star Opposite Emma Watson In Disney's Beauty And The Beast". 4 March 2015. Archived from the original on 21 September 2019. Retrieved 19 February 2020.
  21. ^ Goldberg, Lesley (6 March 2020). "'Beauty and the Beast' Prequel Series in the Works at Disney+ (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on 8 March 2020. Retrieved 7 March 2020.
  22. ^ "It's time to light a fire under sleepy 'Alienist'". 20 February 2018. Archived from the original on 21 February 2018. Retrieved 24 February 2018.
  23. ^ Dommu, Rose (9 October 2019). "Luke Evans to Cover Cher's 'If I Could Turn Back Time' on Debut Album". Out. Archived from the original on 13 October 2019. Retrieved 13 October 2019.
  24. ^ Donnelly, Matt (31 October 2019). "Roland Emmerich Just Made a $100 Million Indie Film. Will It Work?". Variety. Archived from the original on 31 October 2019. Retrieved 31 October 2019.
  25. ^ Fleming, Mike Jr. (23 May 2017). "Bona Film Group Stakes $80M On Roland Emmerich/Mark Gordon WWII Battle Pic 'Midway:' Cannes". Deadline. Archived from the original on 15 March 2020. Retrieved 24 May 2017.
  26. ^ Wiseman, Andreas (2 May 2018). "Roland Emmerich's WWII Epic 'Midway' Sets Sail With Woody Harrelson, Mandy Moore & AGC Studios — Cannes Hot Pic". Deadline. Archived from the original on 3 March 2020. Retrieved 4 May 2018.
  27. ^ Kit, Borys (3 July 2018). "Luke Evans Joins Roland Emmerich's Naval Action Movie 'Midway' (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on 4 April 2019. Retrieved 10 February 2022.
  28. ^ Marc, Christopher (24 July 2018). "Roland Emmerich's WWII Epic 'Midway' Adds 'The Guest' Cinematographer". thegww.com. Archived from the original on 17 October 2018. Retrieved 24 July 2018.
  29. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (5 September 2018). "Roland Emmerich's WWII Epic 'Midway' To Open Veterans Day Weekend 2019". Deadline. Archived from the original on 31 March 2020. Retrieved 6 September 2018.
  30. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (26 June 2020). "Luke Evans Joins 'Nine Perfect Strangers' Hulu Limited Series". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on 27 June 2020. Retrieved 26 June 2020.
  31. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (26 January 2021). "'Beauty And The Beast' Star Luke Evans Joins Disney's Tom Hanks 'Pinocchio' Movie". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on 26 January 2021. Retrieved 26 January 2021.
  32. ^ a b "2020 Virgin Atlantic Attitude Awards: From Taylor Swift to Luke Evans". Attitude. Stream Publishing Limited. 1 December 2020. Archived from the original on 2 December 2020. Retrieved 2 December 2020.
  33. ^ Barclay 2002, p. 55.
  34. ^ a b c Swithinbank 2017.
  35. ^ "Luke Evans splits from Jon Kortajarena". The Times of India. 29 January 2017. Archived from the original on 15 April 2019. Retrieved 7 December 2018.
  36. ^ Phillips, Hedy (9 January 2023). "Luke Evans and Boyfriend Fran Tomas Hit the Miami Shore in Speedos After Red Carpet Debut as Couple". People. Archived from the original on 19 July 2023. Retrieved 24 October 2023.
  37. ^ "Luke Evans | full Official Chart history". Official Charts Company. Archived from the original on 28 January 2020. Retrieved 30 November 2019.
  38. ^ "ARIA Australian Top 50 Digital Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. 2 December 2019. Archived (PDF) from the original on 30 November 2019. Retrieved 30 November 2019.
  39. ^ "Irish Albums Chart: 29 November 2019". Irish Recorded Music Association. Archived from the original on 28 July 2017. Retrieved 30 November 2019.
  40. ^ "Luke Evans". Genius. Archived from the original on 19 November 2020. Retrieved 20 November 2019.
  41. ^ "British certifications – Luke Evans". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 17 December 2022. Type Luke Evans in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
  42. ^ a b "Horizons Blue, my new single, is out now! Horizons Blue is taken from my new album A Song For You". 23 September 2022. Archived from the original on 10 October 2022. Retrieved 10 October 2022 – via Facebook.
  43. ^ "Love Is A Battlefield was released #onthisday in 2019 and it was the first single to be taken from my debut album!". October 2022. Archived from the original on 10 October 2022. Retrieved 10 October 2022 – via Twitter.
  44. ^ "Luke Evans Changing". 23 October 2019. Archived from the original on 10 October 2022. Retrieved 10 October 2022 – via Facebook.
  45. ^ "Luke Evans Teams Up with Charlotte Church". Entertainment Focus. 14 October 2022. Archived from the original on 14 October 2022. Retrieved 14 October 2022.
  46. ^ "Listen to Luke Evans and Nicole Kidman become musical icons on new duet 'Say Something'". Entertainment Weekly. 26 October 2022. Archived from the original on 28 October 2022. Retrieved 28 October 2022.
  47. ^ @thereallukevans (7 April 2020). "Hey guys, I'm really happy to announce that my postponed tour dates have now been rescheduled!!..." (Tweet). Archived from the original on 20 June 2020. Retrieved 18 June 2020 – via Twitter.
  48. ^ "Luke Evans Joins Sixth 'Fast & Furious' Film". The Hollywood Reporter. 9 May 2012. Archived from the original on 18 August 2012. Retrieved 10 February 2022.
  49. ^ Otterson, Joe (11 July 2024). "Luke Evans Joins Crime Drama Series Criminal at Amazon in Lead Role (Exclusive)". Variety. Archived from the original on 11 July 2024.
  50. ^ Ramos, Dino-Ray (13 August 2017). "Teen Choice Awards 2017 Winners: 'Wonder Woman', 'Beauty And The Beast', 'Riverdale' Among Honorees". Deadline. enske Business Media, LLC. Archived from the original on 14 August 2017. Retrieved 14 August 2017.
  51. ^ "2023 BAFTA Cymru Awards: The Nominations". BAFTA. 6 September 2023.

Sources

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