Will Sharpe

William Tomomori Fukuda Sharpe (born 1986 ) is an English actor and filmmaker. After writing for comedy shows and appearing in the medical drama Casualty (2009–2010), he made his feature directorial debut with Black Pond, for which he received a BAFTA nomination. He created, wrote, directed, and starred in the Channel 4 comedy-drama Flowers (2016–2018) and starred in the BBC Two series Defending the Guilty (2018–2019). His appearance in Giri/Haji (2019) earned him a BAFTA for Best Supporting Actor.

Sharpe went on to direct the film The Electrical Life of Louis Wain and the Sky Atlantic miniseries Landscapers (both 2021). He received a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for his appearance in the second season of The White Lotus (2022).

Early life and education Sharpe was born William Tomomori Fukuda Sharpe on 22 September 1986 in London to a British father and a Japanese mother. Raised in Tokyo, his family moved back to England and settled in Surrey when Sharpe was eight years old. The oldest of three siblings, Sharpe is the brother of the television and film composer Arthur Sharpe.

Educated at Winchester College, Sharpe later studied Classics at the University of Cambridge where he was the president of the Cambridge Footlights.

Career Sharpe graduated in 2008 and joined the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) for their 2008/2009 season. He spent a year at the RSC, appearing in such plays as The Taming of the Shrew, The Merchant of Venice, and The Tragedy of Thomas Hobbes, in which he played a young Isaac Newton. He played the character of Yuki Reid in the BBC medical drama Casualty.

Sharpe is known for writing, directing, and starring in the dark comedy-drama Flowers, which premiered on Channel 4 in 2016.

In 2020, Sharpe won a BAFTA Television Award for his supporting role as Rodney Yamaguchi in BBC drama Giri/Haji—a role The Independent called 'one of the most riotously funny turns since Richard E Grant stepped out as Withnail.' Sharpe directed and co-wrote the 2021 biographical comedy-drama film The Electrical Life of Louis Wain, starring Benedict Cumberbatch as the artist Louis Wain. In 2022, Sharpe joined the cast of the HBO series The White Lotus in its second season, set in Sicily, as Ethan Spiller, a newly wealthy tech entrepreneur on vacation. This role earned him a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series.

In 2023, Sharpe was announced as the director of the film adaptation of Japanese Breakfast frontwoman Michelle Zauner's memoir, Crying in H Mart. In 2025, Zauner said that Sharpe had stepped down from the project. In 2024, Sharpe had a supporting role in the comedy-drama film A Real Pain, alongside Jesse Eisenberg and Kieran Culkin. That same year, he starred in Emmanuelle. Sharpe also began hosting the paranormal podcast Extrasensory. In 2025, he was cast in a lead role in the romantic comedy series Too Much as well as the British series Amadeus. He will also appear in one episode of the upcoming series Prodigies.

Personal life Sharpe has type two bipolar disorder. He is married to actress Sophia Di Martino, with whom he has been in a relationship since 2009. They have two children, born in 2019 and 2021.

Filmography +Key Denotes works that have not yet been released

Film Year Title Role NotesRef. 2009 Cockroach Kiyoshi Short; also director and writer 2011 Black Pond Tim Tanaka Also co-director and writer 2016 The Darkest Universe Zac Pratt Also director and writer 2021 The Electrical Life of Louis Wain Director and writer 2022 The House Elias (voice) Segment: "III"2024 A Real Pain James Emmanuelle Kei

Television Year Title Role NotesRef.2008 Never Mind the Buzzcocks Writer The Wrong Door Various 3 episodes 2009–2010 Casualty Yuki Reid 51 episodes 2011 Sirens Student Episode: "I.C.E."2012 Sherlock Corporal Lyons Episode: "The Hounds of Baskerville" Dirk Gently David Cho Episode #1.22014 The Life of Rock with Brian Pern Himself Episode: "Jukebox Musical" Babylon Rick Episode: "Hackney Wick" 2016–2018 Flowers Shun 12 episodes; also director and writer 2017 W1A Michael Chung 3 episodes 2018–2019 Defending the Guilty Will Packham 7 episodes 2019 Giri/Haji Rodney Yamaguchi 8 episodes 2021 Landscapers Miniseries; also director and writer 2022 The White Lotus Ethan Spiller Main role (season 2) 2025 Too Much Felix Main role 2025 Amadeus Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Lead role Prodigies Ren Lead role; also creator, director, and writer

Awards and nominations Year Association Category Project ResultRef.2012 Evening Standard British Film Awards Most Promising Newcomer – shared with Tom Kingsley Black Pond BAFTA Film Award Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer Black Pond 2017 BAFTA Television Award Best Scripted Comedy Flowers 2020 Best Supporting Actor Giri/Haji 2022 Best Director – Fiction Landscapers Mini-Series Saraqusta Film Festival Best Script The Electrical Life of Louis Wain 2023 BAFTA Television Award Best Supporting Actor The White Lotus Primetime Emmy Awards Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series Actor Awards Outstanding Ensemble in a Drama Series