Ed Skrein

Edward George Skrein (; born 29 March 1983) is an English actor, filmmaker and rapper. He rose to prominence as the supervillain Francis Freeman / Ajax in the superhero comedy film Deadpool. He also starred in the films The Transporter: Refueled (2015), Alita: Battle Angel (2019), Midway (2019), Rebel Moon – Part One: A Child of Fire (2023), Rebel Moon – Part Two: The Scargiver (2024), and Jurassic World Rebirth (2025).

Early life Edward George Skrein was born on 29 March 1983 in the London borough of Camden. He grew up in the area and in other nearby boroughs, including Haringey and Islington.

His paternal grandparents were Austrian Jewish refugees, from Vienna, who moved to England in the 1930s to escape the Nazis; his grandmother came over on the Kindertransport.

He attended Fortismere School, then graduated from the Byam Shaw School of Art with a BA in fine art painting.

Career Music In 2004, Skrein released a three track EP under the record label Dented Records. In 2007, he released his first album, The Eat Up. He has collaborated with a variety of artists including Foreign Beggars, Asian Dub Foundation, Plan B, Dubbledge and Doc Brown. Later that year, Skrein released a collaborative EP, Pre-Emptive Nostalgia, with the group A State of Mind. In 2009 Skrein collaborated with rapper Dr Syntax to bring the collaborative album Scene Stealers under the name Skreintax.

Acting Skrein made his acting debut in Plan B's short film Michelle. Skrein got his first lead role in Plan B's Ill Manors. Skrein portrayed Daario Naharis in the third season of the television series Game of Thrones. However, in the fourth season of the series, he was replaced by Dutch actor Michiel Huisman. Skrein states that it was not his choice to leave the show. In 2014, Skrein was cast in The Transporter: Refueled, replacing Jason Statham as the lead. Though the film was critically panned, his performance was praised. In 2016, Skrein played the lead villain, Ajax/Francis, in the blockbuster action film Deadpool. In 2017, Skrein also appeared in the music video for 'Eye Contact' by Ocean Wisdom playing the bad guy.

In 2018, Skrein starred in psychological revenge thriller In Darkness, alongside Natalie Dormer and Stacy Martin; principal photography began in early 2016. He was slated to star in the Hellboy reboot as Ben Daimio, a Japanese-American character; after controversy over his casting, Skrein announced on Twitter that he was stepping down from the role in the hopes an actor of the proper ethnicity would be cast.

In 2019, he starred in Roland Emmerich’s blockbuster movie Midway, co-starring Mandy Moore, Patrick Wilson, Luke Evans, Aaron Eckhart, Nick Jonas, Dennis Quaid and Woody Harrelson.

In 2022, Skrein starred as Vince in I Used to Be Famous. Leslie Felperin, writing for The Guardian, gave the film 3/5 stars, calling it a "sweet-natured but predictable comedy drama".

In February 2026, he was cast as the Norse god Baldur in the upcoming live-action adaptation of the two Norse mythology-based video games in the God of War series.

Writing and directing Skrein wrote and directed the short drama film Little River Run (2020), which was released via his Instagram page.

Personal life Skrein has a son who was born in the U.S. in 2011; he has not disclosed the mother's identity. He has three children, as revealed in an interview for the promotion of his film Rebel Moon.

Skrein has been a swimming coach for Greenwich Leisure Limited since he was 15 years old, working at leisure centres on Caledonian Road and in Archway.

Discography

Studio albums Title Details The Eat Up Released: 2007 Label: Dented Records Formats: CD, Digital download

Extended plays Title Details Mind Out/Once Upon a Skrein Released: 2004 Label: Dented Records Formats: CD, Digital download Pre-Emptive Nostalgia (with A State of Mind) Released: 2007 Label: Dented Records Formats: CD, Digital download Scene Stealers (with Dr Syntax) Released: 2009 Label: Skreintax Formats: CD, Digital download

Filmography Film Year Title Role Notes 2012 Piggy Jamie Ill Manors Edward "Ed" Richardson David 2013 Goldfish Vincent Short film 2014 Northmen: A Viking Saga Hjorr 2015 Sword of Vengeance Treden Tiger House Callum Kill Your Friends Danny Rent Frank Martin Jr. 2016 Deadpool Francis Freeman / Ajax MTV Movie Award for Best Fight Nominated – Teen Choice Award for Choice Movie VillainNominated – MTV Movie Award for Best Villain Shane White 2018 In Darkness Marc Patrick Vet Tau Alex Little River Run Short film; director and writerEncounters Short Film Festival Teen Jury Award If Beale Street Could Talk Officer Bell 2019 Alita: Battle Angel Zapan Born a King Philby Maleficent: Mistress of Evil Borra Midway Lieutenant Dick Best 2021 Naked Singularity Craig Mona Lisa and the Blood Moon Fuzz 2022 Taco Bell: Fry Again The Time Fryer Video short I Used to Be Famous Vince 2023 Rebel Moon – Part One: A Child of FireAdmiral Atticus Noble 2024 Rebel Moon – Part Two: The Scargiver 2025 Jurassic World Rebirth Bobby Atwater 2026 Dudley Clarke Post-production

Television Year Title Role Notes 2013 Anthony Walsh 3 episodesGame of Thrones Daario Naharis3 episodes 2023 All the Light We Cannot See Herr Seidler American drama limited series 2026 Ride or Die Billy 8 episodes Baldur Supporting role