Taron Egerton
Taron Egerton (/ˈɛdʒərtən/ EJ-ər-tən;[1] born 10 November 1989) is a Welsh actor. After graduating from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, he performed in stage plays. Egerton gained recognition for his starring role as Gary "Eggsy" Unwin, a spy, in the action comedy films Kingsman: The Secret Service (2014) and Kingsman: The Golden Circle (2017).
Taron Egerton
Egerton has also starred in several biographical films, portraying military officer Edward Brittain in the drama Testament of Youth (2014), the titular ski-jumper in the sports film Eddie the Eagle (2016), and singer Elton John in the musical Rocketman (2019). The last of these earned him a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor. He has since starred as Jimmy Keene in the miniseries Black Bird (2022), for which he was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award, and as Henk Rogers in the biopic Tetris (2023).
Early life
Egerton was born in Birkenhead on 10 November 1989.[2][3] His mother worked in social services, while his father ran a bed-and-breakfast near Liverpool;[4] both of them are Liverpool natives.[5] He has two younger half-sisters.[4] Although born in England, Egerton considers himself to be Welsh "through and through" and is fluent in both Welsh and English.[6][7]
Egerton's parents divorced when he was two, and he subsequently moved with his mother to the Welsh island of Anglesey, where he went to primary school.[3][5] The family then relocated to Aberystwyth when he was 12 years old.[3] He became lonely due to losing childhood friends.[8] He began acting at age 15,[9] which he later explained was "as much about trying to be social and make friends as it was an interest in acting".[8] He attended the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, from which he graduated in 2012.[9]
Career
Early work and Kingsman films (2012–2018)
Egerton performed in a stage production of the play The Last of the Haussmans at the National Theatre in London in 2012.[10] After appearing in the crime drama series Lewis, he was cast as the lead role in Matthew Vaughn's Kingsman: The Secret Service, an action comedy film adaptation of the comic book The Secret Service by Mark Millar and Dave Gibbons, in 2013.[5][11] He portrayed British Army officer Edward Brittain in the 2014 biographical drama film Testament of Youth, earning a nomination for Best British Newcomer at the BFI London Film Festival.[12][13] Kingsman: The Secret Service was released in 2015, garnering highly favorable reviews that described it as "fun, stylish and subversive" as well as grossing over $400 million.[14][15] Writing for TheWrap, James Rocchi deemed Egerton to be "a naturally charismatic presence with smarts behind his smile" as Gary "Eggsy" Unwin, a recruit for an espionage organisation.[16] Egerton rose to fame with the role.[5] He starred in the crime film Legend that same year.[4]
Public image and personal life
Egerton lives in West London.[4] He describes himself as having come from a working-class background.[46] Having lost a grandmother to motor neurone disease, he is an ambassador for the Motor Neurone Disease Association.[7][47] He supports gay rights.[48]
Egerton was named one of the 50 best-dressed British men in 2015 and 2016 by British GQ.[49][50]