Miles Teller

Miles Teller (born February 20, 1987) is an American actor. He made his feature film debut with the independent drama Rabbit Hole, and gained wider recognition for his roles in the coming-of-age film The Spectacular Now (2013) and the Divergent film trilogy (2014–2016). His breakthrough role came in the drama Whiplash (2014), which earned him critical acclaim, and led him to garner a nomination for the BAFTA Rising Star Award.

Teller went on to star in the superhero film Fantastic Four (2015) as Mister Fantastic and in the biographical film War Dogs (2016). He garnered a mainstream resurgence for his starring role in the action film Top Gun: Maverick (2022). On television, he has starred in the Amazon Prime Video crime drama Too Old to Die Young (2019), the Paramount+ miniseries The Offer (2022), and the Apple TV+ film The Gorge (2025). As a co-producer of the latter, he was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Television Movie.

Early life

Teller was born in Downingtown, Pennsylvania, on February 20, 1987. His mother, Merry, is a real estate agent, and his father, Michael, is a nuclear power plant engineer. He has two older sisters, Erin and Dana. His paternal grandfather was of Russian Jewish descent, and his ancestry also includes English, Irish and African-American forebears.

Teller spent his early years in Pennsylvania and Delaware before his family moved to Citrus County, Florida, when he was 12. He also played baseball and had dreams of turning professional. He graduated from Lecanto High School in Lecanto, Florida. He earned a BFA in drama in 2009.

In 2007, Teller was a passenger in a car that lost control at and flipped eight times. He has multiple scars on his face from the crash.

Career Early work and breakthrough (20042021) Teller appeared in many short films between 2004 and 2010. After graduating from Tisch School of the Arts in 2009, Teller starred in the stage musical Footloose in high school, In 2013, he starred in 21 & Over and The Spectacular Now, opposite Shailene Woodley.

In Damien Chazelle's second film Whiplash (2014), Teller played a drummer who tries to impress his abusive jazz teacher (J. K. Simmons), which earned him nominations for the Gotham Independent Film Award for Best Actor, the Satellite Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture and the BAFTA Rising Star Award. Despite the acclaim that the film received and the intensity of his prep time, Teller said in an interview in 2015 that after taxes he "made like $8,000" for the movie.

Teller received further recognition for playing Peter Hayes in Divergent (2014), and the film's sequels, Insurgent (2015) and Allegiant (2016). He has also played Mister Fantastic in the reboot film Fantastic Four (2015) and arms dealer David Packouz in War Dogs (2016). He trained for 5 months to get in shape for the role of biopic boxer Vinny Paz in film Bleed for This (2016). In September 2021, it was reported that filming on The Offer, the Paramount+ miniseries about the production of the film The Godfather in which Teller plays producer Albert S. Ruddy, was temporarily halted due to COVID concerns. The miniseries aired from April to June 2022. In November 2021, he appeared in Taylor Swift's music video "I Bet You Think About Me" directed by Blake Lively.

Top Gun: Maverick and beyond (2022present) In 2022, he starred in Top Gun: Maverick. He was initially hesitant to accept the role, as he was wary of the potential success and attention he would receive from starring in a major film alongside Tom Cruise. He was convinced to accept it by Cruise himself, who persuaded him that he was perfect for the role. In May 2022, Teller stated that he had been pitching a follow-up film centered around his character to the studio. Teller referred to his pitch as Top Gun: Rooster. By July of the same year, he stated that he has been having ongoing discussions regarding a sequel with Cruise. In regard to the popularity and support, Teller said that the experience has "been awesome" and that "I've never really experienced something like this in my life."

Teller made his hosting debut on the opener of the 48th season of Saturday Night Live in 2022, and during the Super Bowl LVII telecast in 2023, Teller, his wife, and their dog starred in a commercial for Bud Light in which they pass the time while waiting for a customer service representative to speak to them, dancing to the on-hold music.

Personal life

Teller became engaged to model Keleigh Sperry at the Molori Safari Lodge in the Madikwe Game Reserve, South Africa, on August 20, 2017. They married on September 1, 2019, in Maui, Hawaii. In 2025, their home was destroyed by the Palisades Fire. Later that year, Teller visited Lecanto High School to inspire and answer questions by students, and the school named their theater the "Miles Teller Theatre".

On top of his work as an actor, Teller has also expanded into business ventures and became an early investor in The Finnish Long Drink. In April 2026, the company was acquired in a deal valued at more than $325 million, with Teller stating that he did not plan on retiring from acting despite his success as a businessman.

Filmography Film

Year Title Role Notes 2010 Rabbit Hole Jason 2011 Footloose Willard Hewitt 2012 Project X Himselfcredited as "Miles"2013 The Spectacular Now Sutter Keely 21 & Over Miller 2014 Whiplash Andrew Neiman That Awkward Moment Daniel Divergent Peter Hayes Two Night Stand Alec 2015 The Divergent Series: Insurgent Peter Hayes Fantastic Four Reed Richards / Mister Fantastic 2016 The Divergent Series: Allegiant Peter Hayes Get a Job Will Davis War Dogs David Packouz 2017 Only the Brave Brendan "Donut" McDonough Thank You for Your Service Adam Schumann 2022 Top Gun: Maverick Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw Spiderhead Jeff 2025 The Gorge Levi Also executive producer Eternity Larry Cutler Also executive producer 2026 Michael John Branca Debut film Paper Tiger Irwin Pearl The Ark and the Aardvark Gilbert (voice) In production +Key Denotes films that have not yet been released

Television Year TitleRoleNotes 2009 The Unusuals James Boorland Episode: "Boorland Day" 2019 Too Old to Die Young Martin Jones Miniseries, 10 episodes 2022 The Offer Albert S. Ruddy Miniseries, 10 episodes; also executive producer Saturday Night Live Himself (host) Episode: "Miles Teller/Kendrick Lamar" 2025 Episode: "Miles Teller/Brandi Carlile"

Video games Year TitleRoleNotes 2026 Battlefield 6 Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw Top Gun cross-over event

Music videos YearTitleRoleArtist 2021 "I Bet You Think About Me" Groom Taylor Swift featuring Chris Stapleton

Awards and nominations Year Award Category Work Result Chlotrudis Awards Best Supporting Actor Rabbit Hole Alliance of Women Film Journalists Best Depiction of Nudity, Sexuality, or Seduction The Spectacular Now Indiana Film Journalists Association Best Actor Napa Valley Film Festival Rising Star Award Himself Sundance Film Festival Special Jury Prize for Dramatic Acting The Spectacular Now British Academy Film Awards Rising Star Award Whiplash Chlotrudis Awards Best Actor The Spectacular Now Georgia Film Critics Association Breakthrough Award 21 & Over and The Spectacular Now Golden Schmoes Awards Breakthrough Performance of the Year Whiplash Gotham Independent Film Awards Best Actor MTV Movie Awards Best Kiss The Spectacular Now Best Breakthrough Performance Satellite Awards Best Actor Whiplash Young Hollywood AwardsBest ThreesomeThat Awkward Moment (shared with Zac Efron and Michael B. Jordan) Chlotrudis Awards Best ActorWhiplash CinemaCon Awards Ensemble Award Fantastic Four MTV Movie Awards Best Male Performance Whiplash #WTF Moment Best Musical Moment Teen Choice Awards Choice Movie Scene Stealer The Divergent Series: Insurgent Golden Raspberry Awards Worst Screen Combo Fantastic Four Indiana Film Journalists Association Best Actor Bleed for This Teen Choice Awards Choice Movie Scene Stealer The Divergent Series: Allegiant Hollywood Critics Association Midseason Film Awards Best Supporting Actor Top Gun: Maverick People's Choice Awards The Male Movie Star of 2022 MTV Movie & TV Awards Best Duo Astra TV Awards Best Actor in a Limited Series or TV Movie The Gorge Critics' Choice Super Awards Best Actor in a Science Fiction/Fantasy Movie Primetime Emmy Awards Outstanding Television Movie Savannah Film FestivalDistinguished Performance Award Eternity