Austin Butler

Austin Robert Butler (born August 17, 1991) is an American actor. Known for his performances on stage and screen, he has received a British Academy Film Award and Golden Globe Award as well as nominations for an Academy Award, two Critics' Choice Awards, and two Screen Actors Guild Awards. He was named by Time magazine as one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2023.

Butler began his career on television, appearing in sitcoms on Disney Channel and Nickelodeon, most notably on Zoey 101 (2007–2008), and later in teen dramas, including recurring parts on The CW's Life Unexpected (2010–2011) and Switched at Birth (2011–2012). He went on to star in The Carrie Diaries (2013–2014) and The Shannara Chronicles (2016–2017).

Butler's film breakthrough came as Tex Watson in Quentin Tarantino's period dramedy Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019). He gained wider recognition for portraying Elvis Presley in Baz Luhrmann's biopic Elvis (2022), which earned him a BAFTA Award and Golden Globe Award, as well as a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actor. He has since starred in the Apple TV+ miniseries Masters of the Air (2024), Denis Villeneuve's sci-fi epic Dune: Part Two (2024), and Darren Aronofsky's crime thriller Caught Stealing (2025).

On stage, Butler made his Broadway debut in the revival of Eugene O'Neill's The Iceman Cometh (2018).

Early life and education Butler was born on August 17, 1991, in Anaheim, California, the son of Lori Anne (née Howell), an aesthetician, and David Butler who is of Irish descent. The two divorced when he was seven. He has an older sister, Ashley (b. 1986), who worked as a background actress alongside him on Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide. His maternal great-great-grandparents, Matti Matinpoika Sillanpää and Liisa Jaakontytär Järvelä, were Finnish immigrants from Ostrobothnia, Finland, who settled in Wisconsin.

When Butler was thirteen, he was approached by a representative from a background acting management company at the Orange County Fair who helped him get started in the entertainment industry. He found that he enjoyed it and soon began taking acting classes. His friend on the show, Lindsey Shaw, introduced him to her manager, Pat Cutler, who signed him and launched his career. From that point on, Butler began taking acting seriously as a career. Later that year, he guest-starred in episodes of the Disney Channel sitcoms Wizards of Waverly Place and Jonas as well as on CSI: Miami and The Defenders. In the film, Butler plays Peyton Leverette, the love interest of Sharpay.

In 2011, he booked the recurring role of Wilke on the ABC Family series Switched at Birth, debuting on June 27, 2011. In the same year, he signed on to play the lead role of Zack Garvey in the Lifetime television film The Bling Ring, made by Dick Clark Productions and directed by Michael Lembeck, based on the burglary group of the same name who targeted the homes of Hollywood's celebrities. The film was released on September 26, 2011. In January 2012, Butler guest-starred on the NBC comedy Are You There, Chelsea?

In his early twenties, Butler continued to act in teen-oriented television series, but gained greater recognition for his starring roles in The Carrie Diaries and later The Shannara Chronicles; he also branched out into new stage and film projects. In March 2012, Butler was cast in The CW's Sex and the City prequel series The Carrie Diaries to play Sebastian Kydd, a brooding heartthrob attending the same high school as Carrie Bradshaw, played by AnnaSophia Robb. The Carrie Diaries is based on Candace Bushnell's novel by the same name and follows Bradshaw's life in the 1980s as a teenager in New York City. The show was cancelled after two seasons.

In April 2014, it was announced that Butler had joined the cast of the play Death of the Author at the Geffen Playhouse in Los Angeles. He played the role of Bradley, a pre-law student with a double major in political science and math who is set to graduate from a wealthy university. The play was directed by Bart DeLorenzo and written by Steven Drukman. Following previews on May 20, 2014, the play ran from May 28 to June 29.

Butler then joined the cast of Arrow in the recurring role of Chase. His character was a DJ and a love interest of Willa Holland's character Thea Queen. He co-starred with Miranda Cosgrove and Tom Sizemore in the 2015 thriller film The Intruders, and appeared in Kevin Smith's 2016 horror-comedy film Yoga Hosers about 15-year-old yoga nuts Colleen Collette and Colleen McKenzie. The film also stars Johnny Depp, Lily-Rose Depp, Harley Quinn Smith and Haley Joel Osment. In 2016, he began playing the role of Wil Ohmsford in The Shannara Chronicles, MTV's television adaptation of the Terry Brooks novel The Elfstones of Shannara. The series was cancelled after two seasons.

Butler made his Broadway debut playing Don Parritt, the "lost boy" in The Iceman Cometh, which starred Denzel Washington and David Morse. Previews for the limited run began in March 2018, and the play closed in July 2018. Per Hilton Als's review of the play in The New Yorker: "Although there are many performers in George C. Wolfe's staging of Eugene O'Neill's phenomenal [...] drama, The Iceman Cometh, [...] there is only one actor, and his name is Austin Butler."

2019–present: Breakthrough and stardom

In 2019, Butler appeared in the Quentin Tarantino film Once Upon a Time in Hollywood as a fictional version of Manson Family member Tex Watson. Though he had limited screen time, his performance has been described as "intense" and "brooding". He received numerous nominations as a member of the film's ensemble cast. In that same year, Butler was cast as Elvis Presley in the biopic Elvis, directed by Baz Luhrmann. The film premiered at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival. Butler's performance received critical acclaim, as well as praise from the Presley family. He described the part as "the most intimidating thing I've ever done. I honestly didn't sleep for about two years." The role earned him several nominations for Best Actor awards, including the Academy Award, BAFTA, Critics' Choice, Golden Globe and SAG Awards, winning the BAFTA and Golden Globe. Butler hosted an episode of Saturday Night Live later that year.

In June 2023, Butler was invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences as an actor. The 50th Telluride Film Festival marked the premiere of Jeff Nichols's 1960s-set drama The Bikeriders, in which he played a member of a motorcycle club. The following year, he portrayed Gale Cleven in the war drama miniseries Masters of the Air. He next played the villainous Feyd-Rautha in Denis Villeneuve's science fiction epic Dune: Part Two (2024). Butler received praise for his commitment to the role, physical transformation, and complex character work.

Butler next starred as radical cult leader Vernon Jefferson Peak in Ari Aster's Western film Eddington, alongside Joaquin Phoenix, Emma Stone and Pedro Pascal, and in Darren Aronofsky's crime thriller Caught Stealing as Henry "Hank" Thompson, a bartender caught up in a web of crime, alongside Zoë Kravitz, Regina King, and Bad Bunny. In May 2025, It was announced that Butler would be joining Jeremy Allen White in A24's Henry Dunham Crime Pic Enemies.

In February 2026, it was announced that Butler would portray Lance Armstrong in Edward Berger's biopic about Armstrong.

Personal life Butler enjoys creating and recording music. He taught himself to play guitar at the age of thirteen and piano at sixteen. From 2011 to 2019, Butler dated actress Vanessa Hudgens. In December 2021, he began dating actress and model Kaia Gerber. They broke up at the end of 2024.

Filmography Film

Year Title Role Notes 2009 Aliens in the Attic Jake Pearson 2011 Sharpay's Fabulous Adventure Peyton Leverett Direct-to-video 2012 My Uncle Rafael Cody Beck 2015 The Intruders Noah Henry 2016 Yoga Hosers Hunter Calloway 2018 Dude Thomas Daniels2019 The Dead Don't Die Jack Once Upon a Time in Hollywood Tex Watson 2022 Elvis Elvis Presley 2023 The Bikeriders Benny 2024 Dune: Part Two Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen 2025 Eddington Vernon Jefferson Peak Caught Stealing Hank ThompsonTBA Post-production

Television

Year Title Role Notes 2005–2007 Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide Lionel Scranton Uncredited; 41 episodes

Theater Year Title Role Playwright Venue Ref. 2014 Death of the Author Bradley Steven Drukman Geffen Playhouse, Los Angeles 2018 The Iceman Cometh Don Parritt Eugene O'Neill Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre, Broadway

Discography Elvis (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) (2022)

Awards and nominations Year Award Category Work Result Young Artist Awards Best Young Ensemble Cast in a Feature Film Aliens in the Attic Best Leading Young Actor in a TV Series (Comedy or Drama) Ruby & The Rockits Capri Hollywood International Film FestivalBest Ensemble CastOnce Upon a Time in Hollywood Critics' Choice Movie Awards Best Acting Ensemble Screen Actors Guild Awards Outstanding Cast in a Motion Picture Atlanta Film Critics Circle Best Breakthrough Performer Elvis AACTA Awards Best Lead Actor Chicago Film Critics Association Best Actor Most Promising Performer Dallas–Fort Worth Film Critics Association Best Actor Dublin Film Critics' Circle Best Actor Florida Film Critics Circle Best Actor Breakout Award Greater Western New York Film Critics Association Best Actor Breakthrough Performance Indiana Film Journalists Association Best Lead Performance IndieWire Critics Poll Best Performance Las Vegas Film Critics Society Best Actor New York Film Critics Online Breakthrough Performance North Texas Film Critics Association Best Actor Online Association of Female Film Critics Best Male Lead Breakthrough Performance People's Choice Awards Drama Movie Star of 2022 Philadelphia Film Critics Circle Best Breakthrough Performance Phoenix Critics Circle Best Actor Phoenix Film Critics Society Breakthrough Performance St. Louis Gateway Film Critics Association Best Actor Sunset Circle Awards Best Actor UK Film Critics Association Actor of The Year Utah Film Critics Association Best Actor Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association Best Actor AACTA International Awards Best Actor Academy Awards Best Actor Alliance of Women Film Journalists Best Actor Austin Film Critics Association Best Actor Breakthrough Artist Award British Academy Film Awards Best Actor in a Leading Role Chicago Indie Critics Best Actor Columbus Film Critics Association Breakthrough Film Artist Critics Association of Central Florida Best Actor Critics' Choice Movie Awards Best Actor Denver Film Critics SocietyBest Actor DiscussingFilm Critic Awards Best Actor Georgia Film Critics Association Best Actor Golden Globe Awards Best Actor in a Motion Picture Drama Hawaii Film Critics Society Best Actor Hollywood Film Critics Association Best Actor Houston Film Critics SocietyBest Actor Irish Film & Television AwardsBest International Actor Iowa Film Critics Association Best Actor London Film Critics' Circle Actor of the Year Minnesota Film Critics AllianceBest Actor Music City Film Critics Association Best Actor North Carolina Film Critics Association Best Actor Best Breakthrough Performance North Dakota Film Society Best Actor Online Film Critics Society Best Lead Actor Palm Springs International Film Festival Breakthrough Performance Award Portland Critics Association Best Actor San Diego Film Critics Society Best Actor Breakthrough Artist San Francisco Bay Area Film Critics Circle Best Actor Satellite Awards Best Actor – Comedy or Musical Screen Actors Guild Awards Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role Seattle Film Critics Society Best Actor in a Leading Role Vancouver Film Critics Circle Best Actor 2024 Kids' Choice Awards Favorite Villain Dune: Part Two Seattle Film Critics Society Villain of the Year 2025 Saturn Awards Best Supporting Actor