Frank Dillane

Frank Stephenson Dillane (born 21 April 1991) is a British actor and musician. He is known for his roles as Nick Clark on Fear the Walking Dead (2015–2018) and 16-year-old Tom Riddle in the film Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. He also appeared as Henry Coffin in the film In the Heart of the Sea (2015). Dillane plays a recurring role in the 2022 gothic romance miniseries The Essex Serpent.

Dillane was the recipient of the 2025 Un Certain Regard Best Actor Award at Cannes for his portrayal of Mike in Urchin.

Early life and family Dillane was born in London, England. His father is actor Stephen Dillane. His paternal grandfather was born in Australia to Irish parents. His mother, Naomi Wirthner, is British-Jamaican of Mulatto or Afro-European heritage ; she manages a theatre company called The Barebones Project. His paternal uncle is actor Richard Dillane. He spent part of his childhood in Brixton, before moving to Forest Row in East Sussex.

After passing his A-level examinations, Dillane was accepted to the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) and graduated in 2013, with a Bachelor of Arts in acting.

Dillane played James Papadopoulos in the independent movie Papadopoulos & Sons (directed by Marcus Markou) in 2011. After Dillane was cast, his father decided to rearrange his own filming schedule to play Harry Papadopoulos (James' dad). Stephen Dillane declared it was rare to have the opportunity "to work with your children after they left home".

Kim Dickens, Cliff Curtis and Frank Dillane speaking at the 2015 San Diego Comic-Con, for Fear the Walking Dead. In July 2013, Dillane played in Candida at Theatre Royal, Bath, directed by Simon Godwin. In 2014, he played the role of Keyes in Viena and the Fantomes, directed by Gerardo Naranjo; Dakota Fanning also starred in the film. Also in 2014, he was cast in a proposed adaptation of Peter Goldsworthy's best-selling novel Maestro, which was to be directed by Catherine Jarvis.

Dillane starred as Nick Clark, a "shaggy-haired recovering addict", in the horror drama series Fear the Walking Dead from its debut in 2015 until its fourth season. The role was a breakout role for Dillane, who was a fan favourite on the show. In 2016, he was nominated for a Saturn Award for Best Younger Actor in a Television Series for his work on Fear the Walking Dead.

He played Owen Coffin in In the Heart of the Sea (2015). This adventure-drama film directed by Ron Howard is based on Nathaniel Philbrick's non-fiction book of the same name about the sinking of the American whaling ship Essex in 1820, an event that inspired the novel Moby-Dick. directed by the Wachowskis.

In 2024, Dillane starred in the ITV serial drama Joan as Boisie Hannington, alongside Sophie Turner, portraying the lead role as diamond thief Joan Hannington.

The same year, Dillane starred in Harvest. The film premiered at the 81st Venice International Film Festival, where it competed for the Golden Lion .

Most recently, Dillane played the starring role in Harris Dickinson's feature film directorial debut, Urchin, winning Un Certain Regard for Best Actor at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival .

Next, Dillane will star as John Willoughby, Marianne (Esmé Creed-Miles)'s love interest, in Focus Features and Working Title Films' new adaptation of Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility, from BAFTA nominated director Georgia Oakley (Little Bird, Blue Jean).

Filmography Film Year Title Role Notes 1997 Welcome to Sarajevo Christopher Henderson 2009 Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince 16-year-old Tom Riddle 2012 Papadopoulos & Sons James Papadopoulos 2015 In the Heart of the Sea Henry Coffin 2018 Astral Alex Harmann 2019 How to Build a Girl Tony Rich 2020 Viena and the Fantomes Keyes 2024 Harvest Master Jordan 2025 Urchin Mike 2026 John Willoughby Completed Filming

Television Year Title Role Notes 2015 Sense8 Shugs 3 episodes 2015–2018 Fear the Walking Dead Nick Clark Main role (seasons 1–4) 2016 Fear the Walking Dead: Flight 462 Episode: "Part 16" 2021 The Girlfriend Experience Christophe 8 episodes 2022 The Essex Serpent Dr. Luke Garrett Mini-series; 6 episodes 2024 Renegade Nell Charles Devereux / Isambard Tulley Main role; 8 episodes Joan Boisie 6 episodes

Awards and nominations Year Award Category Work ResultRef. 2016 Saturn Awards Best Performance by a Younger Actor in a Television Series