Charles Matthew Hunnam (; born 10 April 1980) is a British actor from Newcastle upon Tyne, England. He is perhaps best known for his role as Jax Teller in the FX series Sons of Anarchy (2008–2014). His portrayal was nominated twice for the Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Actor.
Hunnam has been featured as the lead in numerous films including: Nicholas Nickleby as Nicholas Nickleby (2002), Raleigh Becket in Pacific Rim (2013), Alan McMichael in Crimson Peak (2015), Percy Fawcett in The Lost City of Z (2016), the title role in King Arthur: Legend of the Sword (2017), William "Ironhead" Miller in Triple Frontier, Raymond Smith in The Gentlemen (both in 2019), and Detective Charlie Waldo in Last Looks (2022).
His notable television roles include Nathan Maloney in the Channel 4 drama Queer as Folk (1999–2000), Lloyd Haythe on the Fox series Undeclared (2001–2002) and Dale Conti/Lindsay "Linbaba" Ford in the Apple TV+ series Shantaram (2022).
Early life
Charles Matthew Hunnam was born in Newcastle upon Tyne on 10 April 1980, the son of Jane Bell, a ballet dancer and business owner, and William Hunnam. One of his grandmothers was a portrait artist. He has said that his mother "did a very good job" of being a single parent. He has an older brother named William and two younger half brothers on his mother's side named Oliver and Christian.
At age 12, when his mother remarried, the family moved to Melmbury in Cumbria. During his adolescence, he played rugby and fought with his classmates. After that, instead of going to university, he decided to go to the Cumbria College of Art and Design in Carlisle (now part of the University of Cumbria) to study performing arts. He graduated with a dual degree in film theory and film history with a side in performing arts. He planned to write and direct his own films.
Career
Early work
Hunnam was discovered at the age of 17 in a branch of JD Sports on Christmas Eve, while playing around with his brother during a trip to buy shoes. A production manager for the Newcastle-based teen drama Byker Grove approached Hunnam and he was later cast in his first role as Jason for three episodes of the show. He also had a brief modelling career where he did a photo shoot for Kangol Caps and then decided modelling was not for him. Hunnam's first major role came at age 18 when he was cast by Russell T Davies as 15-year-old schoolboy Nathan Maloney in Davies' Channel 4 drama Queer as Folk. He followed this up with his role as Daz in the film Whatever Happened to Harold Smith? (1999) and then moved to the United States.
His career expanded to include a recurring role as Gregor Ryder in the WB series Young Americans. He then appeared in the short-lived Fox series Undeclared as a British drama student called Lloyd Haythe. Despite critical acclaim, the series was cancelled after one season. Hunnam then appeared on the large screen in Abandon (2002), Nicholas Nickleby (2002), and Cold Mountain (2003). Hunnam stated he did not wish to simply take any role offered to him, saying, "I have 60 years to make the money, but the choices I make in the next five years are really going to define my career."
This decision resulted in his return to the UK to take the lead role of Pete Dunham in the film Green Street (2005); however, his attempt at delivering a Cockney accent resulted in his inclusion in many critics' "worst accents in movie history" lists. Hunnam said his role as Patric, a member of "The Fishes" in Children of Men (2006), was the final part in his "trilogy of mad men": "I played the psycho in Cold Mountain, my character in Green Street Hooligans is fairly psychotic and now I've got this role."
2008–2012
From 2008 to 2014, Hunnam starred in Sons of Anarchy as Jackson "Jax" Teller leader of SAMCRO, a prominent motorcycle club set in the fictional town of Charming, California. Hunnam was cast after Kurt Sutter, the creator of the show, saw him in Green Street Hooligans. His portrayal as Jax Teller has led Hunnam to receive a Critics' Choice Television Award nomination, three EWwy Award nominations for Best Lead Actor in a Drama series, and a PAAFTJ Award nomination for Best Cast in a Drama Series.
In 2011, Hunnam played the role of Gavin Nichols in the philosophical drama/thriller The Ledge by Matthew Chapman.
In 2012, he starred as the title character in the indie comedy 3,2,1... Frankie Go Boom alongside his Sons of Anarchy co-star Ron Perlman. Hunnam said he considered the day he filmed scenes with Perlman the best and funniest day of filming he's had in his career. He also appeared as Jay, an ex-boxer, in Stefan Ruzowitzky's crime drama Deadfall (2012).