Charlie Cox

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Charlie Cox
Cox at the 2017 San Diego Comic-Con
Born
Charlie Thomas Cox

(1982-12-15) 15 December 1982 (age 41)
London, England
EducationBristol Old Vic Theatre School
OccupationActor
Years active2002–present
Spouse
Samantha Thomas
(m. 2018)
Children2

Charlie Thomas Cox[1] (born 15 December 1982)[2] is an English actor. He is best known for portraying Matt Murdock / Daredevil in the television series Daredevil (2015–2018) and other projects as part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Cox portrayed Owen Sleater in the second and third seasons of HBO's Boardwalk Empire (2011–2012) and Jonathan Hellyer Jones in the 2014 film The Theory of Everything. More recently, he starred in the RTÉ drama series Kin (2021) and the Netflix spy miniseries Treason (2022). Cox's breakout role was as Tristan Thorn in the 2007 fantasy film Stardust, one of a series of roles he had in predominantly British productions during the first decade of his career. He made his West End debut the following year in a revival of the Harold Pinter plays The Lover and The Collection. Following his successes on-screen in the 2010s, he acted in a 2019 stage production of Harold Pinter's Betrayal, first in the West End and then on Broadway.

Early life[edit]

Cox was born in London, England, and raised in East Sussex. He is the son of Patricia (née Harley) and Andrew Frederick Seaforth Cox, a publisher.[3][4] He is the youngest of five children and has one brother and three half-siblings from his father's first marriage.[5]

Cox was raised Catholic[6][7] and was educated at two private boarding schools: Ashdown House School in the village of Forest Row in East Sussex and Sherborne School in the market town of Sherborne in Dorset.[8][4] Growing up, Cox did not consider a career in acting and only seriously considered it during his last few years of school.[9] After graduating from Sherborne in 2001, he moved to London and began training at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School the following year.[3]

Career[edit]

Early career (2002–2006)[edit]

Cox was cast in his first significant professional role at age eighteen in the psychological thriller Dot the i, released in 2003. Following filming, he enrolled at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School. In the summer following his first year of study, He was cast as Lorenzo in the 2004 Al Pacino-vehicle The Merchant of Venice, breaking the school's policy of not allowing students to audition for outside productions.[10] Subsequently, he decided not to return to school and continued working, appearing in guest spots on TV and supporting roles in movies like the 2005 historical drama Casanova and the 2006 BBC sci-fi film A for Andromeda.[11]

Prominence in television and film (2007–2014)[edit]

Cox's breakout role was as the main protagonist, Tristan Thorn, in the 2007 fantasy film Stardust, in which he starred opposite Claire Danes. The film was successful with both critics and audiences globally and introduced Cox to a wider audience.[12][13] He made his West End debut the following year in Harold Pinter's The Lover/The Collection at the Ambassadors Theatre in London. It began previews on 15 January 2008 and opened on 29 January.[14]

He was next seen in the 2008 film Stone of Destiny as Ian Hamilton and in the 2009 historical drama Glorious 39, which were widely released in the United Kingdom. In 2010 he had the title role in Heinrich von Kleist's The Prince of Homburg at the Donmar Warehouse in London. In September of that year, he played the closeted gay Duke of Crowborough in the first episode of the ITV drama series Downton Abbey. In 2011 he played St. Josemaría Escrivá in the Roland Joffé film There Be Dragons and Ishmael in Encore's Moby Dick miniseries.

Also in 2011, he signed on for a recurring role in the second season of the Martin Scorsese-produced HBO original series Boardwalk Empire as Owen Sleater, an Irish enforcer with ties to the IRA.[15][16] His character became a regular for the series' third season, broadcast in September 2012. He received a Screen Actors Guild Award as part of the ensemble in 2011 and another nomination the following year.

In 2013 he starred in the independent film Hello Carter and the BBC Cold War thriller Legacy. He had lead roles in two unproduced CBS TV pilots: a political drama titled The Ordained in February 2013 and an untitled Wall Street show executive-produced by John Cusack in February 2014.[17][18] At the end of 2013, production began on the film The Theory of Everything, where Cox portrays Jonathan Hellyer Jones, the second husband of Jane Hawking. The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in September 2014 and was nominated for Best Picture at the 2015 Academy Awards.

Daredevil (2014–2018)[edit]

Cox with Daredevil castmates Élodie Yung and Jon Bernthal in 2016

Cox portrayed Matt Murdock in Marvel's Daredevil TV series as well as the 2017 team-up miniseries event The Defenders, produced and released through Netflix.[19] His performance was praised and given a Helen Keller Achievement Award for his role by the American Foundation for the Blind.[20]

It was announced that Cox had won the role in May 2014, and later reported that Marvel had considered him for it since 2012.[21][22] Production on the first season began in summer 2014, and it premiered on Netflix in April 2015. It ran for three seasons and was produced over four years, concluding in late 2018. In the following years, Cox shared his interest in reprising the role in a future project,[23] also noting his contractual obligations by Marvel Studios to do so.[24]

Between filming seasons of Daredevil, Cox made his New York theater debut, co-starring in the off-Broadway production of Incognito at the Manhattan Theatre Club.[25] In late 2017 it was announced that he had joined the cast of Stripped, a thriller produced by Lorenzo di Bonaventura, who also produced Cox's breakout film Stardust,[26] but it was never produced.[27] He also acted opposite Michael Caine, Jim Broadbent, Ray Winstone, and others in the 2018 film King of Thieves, based on the true story of the 2015 Hatton Garden jewelry heist in London;[28] it reunited him with James Marsh, who directed him in 2014's The Theory of Everything.

New projects and return to Daredevil (2019–present)[edit]

After Daredevil abruptly ended, Cox took the opportunity to star opposite Tom Hiddleston and Zawe Ashton in the West End production of Harold Pinter's Betrayal, which opened on 14 March 2019 and closed on 8 June.[29][30] Cox was sought for the role by director Jamie Lloyd, who had previously directed him in the 2008 production of the Pinter play The Lover and The Collection. Betrayal transferred to Broadway with the original cast for a 17-week limited engagement, beginning previews on 14 August and closing on 8 December 2019.[31]

During this period, Cox also took part in some of his friends' projects; in late 2018 he acted in the short film The Knot, directed by Daredevil and The Defenders script supervisor Rebecca Schwab,[32] and in a 2019 episode of Daredevil costar Deborah Ann Woll's Dungeons & Dragons internet show Relics and Rarities.[33]

In fall 2020, Cox began filming the RTÉ Dublin crime series Kin, in which he stars with Aidan Gillen, Clare Dunne, Maria Doyle Kennedy, Ciarán Hinds, and Emmett Scanlan.[34] The eight-part series was released on 9 September 2021, on AMC+ in the US and Canada, and on 12 September 2021, on RTE in Ireland.[35] The show's second season was broadcast in 2023.

In December 2021, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige confirmed that Cox would be reprising the role of Daredevil in the studio's Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) productions; his first project "remain[ed] to be seen" at that time.[36] The first Marvel Studios production he appeared in was Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021),[37] in which Matt Murdock gives legal advice to Peter Parker for ostensibly murdering Mysterio. In July 2022, he was confirmed to be reprising the role in the Disney+ television series She-Hulk: Attorney at Law (2022) and Echo, and that he would additionally lend his voice to the character in the upcoming animated series Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man (2024), and star in the revival Daredevil: Born Again (2024).[38][39]

Cox also starred in the British spy drama miniseries Treason, which premiered on Netflix on 26 December 2022.[40]

Personal life[edit]

In September 2018, Cox married Samantha Thomas, Executive Vice President of Bron TV, with whom he has a daughter and a son.[41][42][43][44] At the time of their marriage, they both worked for Marvel Television, where Thomas was Vice President of Original Programming and Cox starred in Daredevil.[42][45] The family lives in Connecticut.[46] Cox has previously lived in New York City, Los Angeles, and in the Chelsea and Highbury neighbourhoods of London.[47][48] He is a football fan and supports Arsenal F.C.[49][50][51]

Filmography[edit]

Film[edit]

Year Title Role Notes
2003 Dot the i Theo
2004 The Merchant of Venice Lorenzo
2005 Things to Do Before You're 30 Danny
Casanova Giovanni Bruni
2006 The Maidens' Conspiracy Diafebus
2007 Stardust Tristan Thorn
2008 Harry, Henry and the Prostitute Harry Short film
Stone of Destiny Ian Hamilton
2009 Big Guy Chuck Short film
Perfect Paul Short film
Glorious 39 Lawrence
2011 There Be Dragons Josemaría Escrivá
Nancy, Sid and Sergio Sergio Short film
2012 A Sunny Morning Adam Short film
2013 Hello Carter Carter
2014 The Theory of Everything Jonathan Hellyer Jones
Dracula Untold Caligula Scenes cut
2017 Eat Locals Henry
2018 King of Thieves Basil
2019 The Knot The Second Ex Short film
2021 Spider-Man: No Way Home Matt Murdock Cameo

Television[edit]

Year Title Role Notes
2002 Judge John Deed Young Vicar Episode: "Everyone's Child"
2006 Lewis Danny Griffon Premise pilot
A for Andromeda Dennis Bridger Television film
2010 Downton Abbey Duke of Crowborough Episode: "1.1"
2011 Moby Dick Ishmael Miniseries; 2 episodes
2011–2012 Boardwalk Empire Owen Sleater Main role (season 3), supporting (season 2); 23 episodes
2013 The Ordained Tom Reilly Unaired pilot
Legacy Charles Thoroughgood Television film
2015–2018 Daredevil Matt Murdock / Daredevil Lead role; 39 episodes
2017 The Defenders Miniseries; main role; 8 episodes
2019 Relics and Rarities Seamus O'Flanagan Episode: "The Ascent of the Angler"
2021–present Kin Michael Kinsella Main role; 16 episodes
2022 She-Hulk: Attorney at Law Matt Murdock / Daredevil Special guest star; 2 episodes
Marvel Studios: Assembled Himself Episode: "The Making of She-Hulk: Attorney at Law"
Treason Adam Lawrence Main role; 5 episodes[52]
2024 Echo Matt Murdock / Daredevil Episode: "Chafa"
Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man In production; voice role[53]
2025 Daredevil: Born Again Lead role; 18 episodes[54][55]

Stage[edit]

Year Title Role Venue/Company Dates Notes
2005 'Tis Pity She's a Whore Giovanni Southwark Playhouse 28 September – 22 October 2005 London production
2008 The Lover/The Collection John/Bill Ambassadors Theatre
15 January – 3 May 2008
West End revival
2010 The Prince of Homburg The Prince of Homburg Donmar Warehouse
22 July – 4 September 2010
Off-West End production
2016 Incognito Henry Maison, Michael Wolf, Hans Albert Einstein, Ben Murphy, Freddy Myers, Greg Barraclough Manhattan Theatre Club
3 May – 10 July 2016
Original Off-Broadway production
2019 Betrayal Jerry Harold Pinter Theatre
5 March – 8 June 2019
West End revival
Bernard B. Jacobs Theater
14 August – 8 December 2019
Broadway transfer

Awards and nominations[edit]

Year Award Category Recipient Result
2012 Screen Actors Guild Awards Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series Boardwalk Empire Won
2013 Nominated
2015 Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Motion Picture The Theory of Everything Nominated
2015 Helen Keller Achievement Awards Honoree Daredevil Won
2016 Saturn Awards Best Actor in a Television Series Nominated
2017 Nominated
2017 Lucille Lortel Awards Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play Incognito Nominated
2019 Saturn Awards Best Actor in Streaming Presentation Daredevil Nominated

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Charlie Cox". Rotten Tomatoes.
  2. ^ "UPI Almanac for Friday, Dec. 15, 2017". United Press International. Archived from the original on 15 December 2017. ...actor Charlie Cox in 1982 (age 35)
  3. ^ a b "Charlie Cox: Star turn". The Independent. 29 January 2008.
  4. ^ a b "EJ Podcast #063 with Charlie Cox". EJ SCOTT. 1 February 2015. Retrieved 24 September 2020.
  5. ^ Mosley, Charles, ed. (2003). Burke's Peerage, Baronetage & Knightage (107 ed.). Wilmington, Delaware, U.S.: Burke's Peerage.
  6. ^ "British actors line up for film about life of Opus Dei founder". Catholic Online. 4 September 2009. Archived from the original on 28 January 2015. Retrieved 27 January 2015. St Josemaria is played by the English actor Charlie Cox, who is a Catholic. "I've been brought up a Catholic."
  7. ^ "Interview: Charlie Cox". Busted Halo. 3 May 2011.
  8. ^ Hassell, Rachel (2015). "Sherborne School and the Oscars" (PDF). oldshirburnian.org.uk.
  9. ^ "Last Call with Carson Daly S18 E38". NBC. 13 November 2018. Retrieved 15 November 2018.
  10. ^ Weber, Bruce (15 June 2016). "Charlie Cox Takes Off the 'Daredevil' Mask to Go 'Incognito'". The New York Times. Retrieved 29 October 2018.
  11. ^ Olsen, Mark (5 August 2007). "'Stardust' gave him the space to grow". Los Angeles Times. ISSN 0458-3035. Retrieved 5 April 2022.
  12. ^ "Stardust (2007)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 5 April 2022.
  13. ^ Still, Jennifer. "The Eternal Magic of Stardust, as Explained by Charlie Cox". Vanity Fair. Retrieved 29 October 2018.
  14. ^ Billington, Michael (30 January 2008). "Theatre review: The Lover/The Collection / Comedy Theatre, London". the Guardian. Retrieved 5 April 2022.
  15. ^ Shaw, Marty (1 February 2011). "Charlie Cox Joins The Boardwalk Empire". BSC. Archived from the original on 17 February 2011. Retrieved 27 January 2015.
  16. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (31 January 2011). "TV Castings: Teri Polo, Darrell Hammond book pilots, Boardwalk adds a Recurring". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 16 February 2011.
  17. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (22 February 2013). "Charlie Cox To Play The Lead in CBS Pilot 'The Ordained'". Deadline. Retrieved 29 October 2018.
  18. ^ "'Boardwalk Empire's' Charlie Cox to Star in CBS' Wall Street Drama". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 5 April 2022.
  19. ^ "Charlie Cox to Star in 'Daredevil' TV Series for Marvel and Netflix". Variety. 27 May 2014. Retrieved 27 May 2014.
  20. ^ "Helen Keller Achievement Awards 2015". American Foundation for the Blind. Archived from the original on 22 February 2016. Retrieved 20 June 2015.
  21. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (27 May 2014). "Charlie Cox To Play The Lead In Marvel's Netflix Series 'Daredevil'". Deadline. Retrieved 23 September 2020.
  22. ^ "7 Things We Learned About Netflix's New 'Daredevil' series". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 23 September 2020.
  23. ^ McLevy, Alex (24 January 2019). "Charlie Cox on working with Michael Caine, Daredevil, and why we like on-screen criminals". The A.V. Club. Retrieved 5 April 2022.
  24. ^ Burlingame, Russ (6 September 2017). "Daredevil's Charlie Cox is Contractually Obligated to do Marvel Movies if They Ask". ComicBook. Retrieved 5 April 2022.
  25. ^ "Manhattan Theatre Club – Incognito". Manhattan Theatre Club. Archived from the original on 29 October 2018. Retrieved 29 October 2018.
  26. ^ Busch, Anita (7 September 2017). "Patrick O'Brien To Make Directorial Debut in 'Stripped' From Di Bonaventura Pics". Deadline. Retrieved 11 January 2019.
  27. ^ Kay, Jeremy (24 October 2018). "Radiant Films to launch AFM sales on 'Stripped' starring Charlie Cox". Screen. Retrieved 11 January 2019.
  28. ^ "Hatton Garden Heist Pic Gets Studiocanal Backing". 12 May 2017. Retrieved 12 May 2017.
  29. ^ Williams, Stacey (10 January 2019). "Daredevil's Charlie Cox joins Tom Hiddleston on stage in Pinter's Betrayal". Daily Mirror. Retrieved 11 January 2019.
  30. ^ "BETRAYAL - FAQS". Pinter at the Pinter. Retrieved 11 January 2019.
  31. ^ McPhee, Ryan (27 June 2019). "Tom Hiddleston Will Make Broadway Debut in Betrayal". Playbill. Retrieved 7 August 2019.
  32. ^ "THE KNOT A Psychological Horror Short Film". Indiegogo. Retrieved 15 August 2019.
  33. ^ "Relics and Rarities | Geek and Sundry. He is also going to play as Daredevil in MCU Movies". geekandsundry.com. Archived from the original on 21 February 2019. Retrieved 15 August 2019.
  34. ^ White, Peter (6 November 2020). "Aidan Gillen, Charlie Cox & Clare Dunne To Star In Irish TV Drama 'Kin' From Bron Studios, Headline Pictures & NENT Studios For RTÉ". Deadline. Retrieved 7 November 2020.
  35. ^ "KIN – RTE TV Series – Supporting Roles - Character Briefs". Google Groups. Retrieved 7 November 2020.
  36. ^ O'Connell, Sean (5 December 2021). "Kevin Feige Confirms Daredevil Casting In The MCU And Fans Will Be Pumped". CinemaBlend. Archived from the original on 6 December 2021. Retrieved 5 December 2021.
  37. ^ Acuna, Kirsten. "'Spider-Man: No Way Home' brings back a beloved character fans never thought they'd see again". Insider. Retrieved 17 December 2021.
  38. ^ Kit, Borys; Couch, Aaron (7 July 2022). "Charlie Cox, Vincent D'Onofrio Returning for Marvel Series 'Echo'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 7 July 2022.
  39. ^ July 22, Nick Romano; EDT, 2022 at 05:38 PM. "Charlie Cox will return as Daredevil for 'Spider-Man: Freshman Year'". EW.com. Retrieved 22 July 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  40. ^ "'Treason': Ciarán Hinds Joins Charlie Cox in Netflix Spy Drama". Collider. 14 March 2022. Retrieved 25 April 2022.
  41. ^ "Charlie Cox". Spotify. 17 February 2022.
  42. ^ a b McKenna Aiello (21 October 2016). "Charlie Cox Welcomes His First Baby With Samantha Thomas". E! News.
  43. ^ Chloe Schama (1 October 2019). "Tom Hiddleston, Zawe Ashton, and Charlie Cox Are Stuck in a Miserable Love Triangle That Makes Them Perfectly Happy". Vogue.
  44. ^ Barndhardt, Adam (30 April 2020). Exclusive Interview with Charlie Cox (video). ComicBook. 00:00-00:44 minutes in.
  45. ^ "Produced By Conference - 2013 - Speakers". producedbyconference.com. Archived from the original on 31 October 2018. Retrieved 30 October 2018.
  46. ^ Riley, Jenelle (14 August 2019). "'Betrayal' Cast Tom Hiddleston, Zawe Ashton and Charlie Cox on Pinter, Broadway and Fate". Variety. Retrieved 15 August 2019.
  47. ^ Stone, Simon (6 February 2018). "Why I'm selling my #unique space: This week, we talk to actor, Charlie Cox, about his London home and why its time to move on". Unique Property Company. Archived from the original on 27 April 2019. Retrieved 22 October 2018.
  48. ^ Property & Travel TV (6 February 2018), We meet actor Charlie Cox, as he lists his London home for sale, archived from the original on 22 December 2021, retrieved 22 October 2018
  49. ^ "Charlie Cox interview: 'Maybe I'm not good enough to play Bond'". The Independent. Retrieved 29 October 2018.
  50. ^ "Surprise Guest Charlie Cox Expresses His Love For Arsenal at NYCC". Bleeding Cool. 8 October 2017. Retrieved 29 October 2018.
  51. ^ "Cox: I bought a giant octopus". Metro. 21 February 2008. Retrieved 29 October 2018.
  52. ^ Villei, Matt (14 March 2022). "'Treason': Ciarán Hinds Joins Charlie Cox in Netflix Spy Drama". Collider. Retrieved 20 May 2022.
  53. ^ Lovitt, Maggie (22 July 2022). "Charlie Cox Returns as Daredevil in 'Spider-Man: Freshman Year' Animated Series". Collider. Retrieved 22 July 2022.
  54. ^ Kim, Matt (19 May 2022). "A New Daredevil Series Is in the Works at Disney Plus". IGN. Retrieved 3 July 2022.
  55. ^ "Marvel's Daredevil being revived as Disney+ series". Digital Spy. 19 May 2022.

External links[edit]