English actor Charlie Hunnam was born on April 10, 1980 in Newcastle upon Tyne. He got into acting when he was discovered clowning around in a shoe store. It was the production manager of the British Children’s show Byker Grove who spotted him, and he was soon cast in the series. He got the part of the child model Jason, appearing on three episodes of the program.
Charlie Hunnam’s first major role came in 1999, when he got the part of Nathan Maloney in the Channel 4 drama Queer as Folk. Immediately after being cast, he was chosen to play the young anarchist Daz on the British film, Whatever Happened to Harold Smith? When he completed both productions, Hunnam flew to Los Angeles, California to pursue a career in acting. While there, his career began to expand and he rose to prominence. He got a recurring role in the WB’s Young Americans, a drama also starring Kate Bosworth. In 2002, Hunnam got the part of Embry Larkin in the suspense thriller Abandon, gaining international attention opposite Katie Holmes. That year, he was also given the title role in Nicholas Nickleby, which was based on the novel by Charles Dickens. He continued to audition for television shows and blockbusters, even trying out for Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones. Though he didn’t get a role, he was later seen on Undeclared, appearing on more than ten episodes until 2003. Hunnam’s next project became Cold Mountain, which starred Jude Law. He then played Pete Dunham on Hooligans, a crime drama directed by Lexi Alexander. In 2006, Hunnam got a part in Alfonso Cuaron’s Children of Men, a sci-fi thriller that was nominated for three Oscar awards. Hunnam later joined the cast of the FX series Sons of Anarchy, portraying the character Jackson ‘Jax’ Teller. He then signed on for roles in The Stanford Prison Experiment and The Last Full Measure.