Austin Stowell

Austin Miles Stowell (born December 24, 1984) is an American actor. He is known for his roles in Dolphin Tale, its sequel Dolphin Tale 2 (2014), Love and Honor (2013), Whiplash (2014), as Francis Gary Powers in Steven Spielberg's Bridge of Spies (2015), as Nately in Catch-22 (2019), The Hating Game (2021), and as young Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs in the prequel series NCIS: Origins (2024–present).

Early life Stowell was born as the youngest of three sons, in Kensington, Connecticut. There, he was raised by his father, Robert, a retired steelworker, and his mother, Elizabeth, a schoolteacher.

He graduated from Berlin High School in 2003, to pursue a professional career in acting. Upon acceptance at the University of Connecticut in Storrs, he studied with the Department of Dramatic Arts, a division of the School of Fine Arts. Upon graduating, he relocated to Los Angeles to pursue acting professionally.

Career Stowell made his television debut in 2009 playing Jesse on ABC Family's The Secret Life of the American Teenager, which ended up turning into a recurring guest role. Later, he appeared as Chad in an episode of the Comedy Central sitcom Secret Girlfriend.

The next year, Stowell appeared in episodes of 90210 and NCIS: Los Angeles, before making his feature film debut in 2011 as an ER medic in the drama Puncture starring Chris Evans. Also that year, he starred alongside Harry Connick, Jr. and Nathan Gamble in Dolphin Tale, a story centered on the friendship between a boy and a dolphin whose tail was lost in a crab trap, as Kyle Connellan.

In 2013, Stowell starred as Dalton Joiner alongside Liam Hemsworth in the historical romantic drama Love and Honor, which also starred Teresa Palmer and Aimeé Teegarden. He also made an appearance as a backstage flirt in the biographical drama Behind the Candelabra starring Michael Douglas and Matt Damon. He was also in the Hallmark movie A Way Back Home.

In 2014, he began with being a part of the ensemble cast for the critically acclaimed drama Whiplash, where he portrayed the role of Ryan. The film follows a promising young drummer enrolling at a cut-throat music conservatory where his dreams of greatness are mentored by an instructor who will stop at nothing to realize a student's potential. Later in the year, he appeared in Warren as Ted Gordon and Behaving Badly as Kevin Carpenter, before returning to his character Kyle Connellan in Dolphin Tale 2.

In 2015, Stowell starred alongside Edward Burns in the series Public Morals playing the role of Sean O'Bannon. The series follows the New York City Public Morals Division in the 1960s, where cops walk the line between morality and criminality as the temptations that come from dealing with all kinds of vice can get the better of them. In November, Stowell portrayed Francis Gary Powers in the Steven Spielberg historical drama Bridge of Spies, which starred Tom Hanks. In 2016, he played Eddie in In Dubious Battle alongside James Franco and Vincent D'Onofrio,

In 2017, Stowell starred alongside Dominic Cooper as Hank in Stratton, a film following a British Special Boat Service commando who tracks down an international terrorist cell. Later, he portrayed Larry King in Battle of the Sexes, which followed the true story of the 1973 tennis match between World number one Billie Jean King and ex-champ and serial hustler Bobby Riggs. The film starred Emma Stone and Steve Carell. Stowell was also featured in the Fox television pilot Controversy as Matt Kellerman opposite Anthony Edwards and Erin Moriarty. In 2019, he portrayed the role of Nately in the Hulu mini-series Catch-22, based on the classic Joseph Heller novel, before starring opposite Haley Bennet in Swallow, playing the role of Richie Conrad. which follows a collection of guests who live out their most elaborate fantasies in relative seclusion on a luxurious island. The film also starred Michael Peña, Maggie Q, Lucy Hale, and Ryan Hansen. He would also portray Lieutenant Theodore Cole in an episode of the Apple TV+ series Amazing Stories, the episode follows a WWII pilot crashing in modern-day Ohio, where a young widow and her stepson are swept up in his search for home.

Stowell appeared in an episode of The White Lotus as a hotel guest in 2021. During the holiday season, he would reunite with his Fantasy Island co-star Lucy Hale for the adaptation of Sally Thorne's romance novel The Hating Game where Stowell portrayed Joshua Templeman. In the summer of 2022, he appeared in the Netflix miniseries Keep Breathing, where he portrayed the role of Sam. The series follows Liv, the lone survivor of a plane crash in the Canadian wilderness.

In 2023, he starred in Peacock's A Friend of the Family limited series, portraying Pete Welch. The series follows the harrowing true story of the Broberg family, whose daughter Jan was kidnapped multiple times over a period of years in the 1970s by a charismatic, obsessed family "friend". Also in 2023, he appeared in four episodes of the Showtime miniseries Three Women, starring Shailene Woodley and Betty Gilpin.

In March 2024, he was announced to play a young Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs in the new NCIS series NCIS: Origins,

He also starred in The Inheritance which was released in June 2024, where he portrayed Drew Abernathy alongside Peyton List and Rachel Nichols.

Stowell's upcoming projects include The Long Home, a film directed and starring James Franco, and This Tempting Madness, a thriller written and directed by Jennifer E. Montgomery.

Filmography Film

Television Year Title RoleNotesRef. 2009 Secret Girlfriend Chad Episode: "You Get an Aquarium Girl" 2009–2011 Jesse 17 episodes2010 90210 Episode: "Senior Year, Baby" NCIS: Los Angeles Marine Corporal Andrew Peterson Episode: "Special Delivery"2013 Behind the Candelabra Backstage Flirt Television film Shuffleton's Barbershop Trey Cole Television film 2015 Public Morals Sean O'Bannon 10 episodes 2017 Controversy Matt Kellerman Television film 2019 Catch-22 Nately Series regular 2020 Amazing Stories Lieutenant Theodore Cole Episode: "The Rift" 2021 The White Lotus Hotel Guest Episode: "Departures"2022 Keep Breathing Sam 4 episodes A Friend of the Family FBI Agent Pete Walsh Miniseries 2024 Three Women Aidan Recurring role; 4 episodes 2024–present NCIS: Origins Leroy Jethro Gibbs Main role