Taron Egerton
Taron David Egerton is a Welsh actor and singer. He is the recipient of such accolades as a Golden Globe Award and has been nominated for two British Academy Film Awards, a Grammy Award, and a Screen Actors Guild Award.
He gained worldwide recognition for starring as Gary "Eggsy" Unwin in the action comedy film ' and its sequel '.
Egerton has also starred in several biopics, portraying Edward Brittain in the drama Testament of Youth, Edward "Mad Teddy" Smith in the crime thriller Legend, the titular character in the sports film Eddie the Eagle, and singer-songwriter Elton John in the musical Rocketman, for which he received critical praise and won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy.
Early life
Taron David Egerton was born on 10 November 1989 in Birkenhead, Merseyside, to parents from nearby Liverpool. His grandmother is Welsh. He has two younger sisters. His first name is a variation of taran, which means 'thunder' in Welsh. His father is a musician who used to run a bed-and-breakfast, and his mother is a social worker. His parents divorced when he was very young, and from then on he lived with his mother. He then moved with her to Llanfairpwllgwyngyll on the Welsh island of Anglesey, where he went to primary school.Egerton moved to Aberystwyth when he was 12. As a child, he had an interest in animation and making sculptures as well as drawing. He began acting at the age of 15 after his friend convinced him to do a youth theatre programme. He says he was the "class clown" and acting seemed to be a better use of that energy. He attended Ysgol Penglais School before he went on to the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, where he graduated with a BA in acting in 2012. While there, he received the Stephen Sondheim Society's Student of the Year Award in 2011.
Career
2011–2018: Debut and ''Kingsman''
Egerton made his acting debut in 2011 with a small role in two episodes of the ITV series Lewis as Liam Jay. Later, he was added to the main cast of the Sky1 series The Smoke. Egerton played Gary "Eggsy" Unwin, the young protégé of Harry Hart, in Matthew Vaughn's film ' and its sequel, '. The first movie's success launched Egerton into fame and resulted in him signing a three-movie contract with 20th Century Fox.Egerton co-starred in Testament of Youth, based on the life of Vera Brittain, and appeared in the two-part episode "The Ramblin' Boy" in the seventh series of Lewis as Liam Jay. In 2015, it was announced that Egerton would be starring in Billionaire Boys Club. Egerton voiced Johnny the gorilla in the animation film Sing in 2016. He was named one of GQ 50 best-dressed British men in 2015 and 2016. In 2018, Egerton played the title character in Robin Hood.
2019–present: ''Rocketman'' and acclaim
In 2019, Egerton starred as musician Elton John in the biopic Rocketman, receiving critical acclaim for his performance. It earned him the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy and a nomination for the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role. In June 2019, Egerton performed a live duet of "Your Song" with Elton John at the opening night of the U.K. leg of John's farewell world tour Farewell Yellow Brick Road in Brighton & Hove.Personal life
Although born in England with only one Welsh grandparent, Egerton considers himself to be Welsh "through and through" and is bilingual, speaking both Welsh and English.Egerton has stated that he finds an "umbrella in the rain" type of romance better than the dating app experience common to his generation, stating: "Actually, I have asked a girl out Kamikaze-style. I stopped her on the Tube and said, 'I think you're gorgeous, I think we should go for a drink some time.' It's terrifying, but ultimately so much more rewarding." He later took half a day off from drama school to go on a date with her.
Egerton has spoken in favour of activist causes. In 2015, he responded to a question asked of a female co-star about misogyny: "I don't think things are changing fast enough—but you didn't seem to want to ask me that. It's not just a question for the women." "I'm the epitome of an actor who walks into a room and has the upper hand just because I'm a mid-twenties Caucasian male. How frustrating must the industry be for a person of colour?" Egerton has shown support for the LGBT community as well, stating in an interview about his performance in Rocketman, "Elton John's a gay icon. And who are we, as frankly heterosexual filmmakers, to not put that element of his story? How dare we. And that's not what we did." Having lost a grandmother to motor neuron disease, Egerton is also an ambassador for the MND Association.
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Director | Notes |
| 2012 | Pop | Andy | Edward Hicks | Short film |
| 2013 | Hereafter | Tamburlaine | Johnny Kenton | Short film |
| 2014 | Testament of Youth | Edward Brittain | James Kent | |
| 2014 | ' | Gary "Eggsy" Unwin | Matthew Vaughn | |
| 2015 | Legend | Edward "Mad Teddy" Smith | Brian Helgeland | |
| 2016 | Eddie the Eagle | Eddie "The Eagle" Edwards | Dexter Fletcher | |
| 2016 | Sing | Johnny | Garth Jennings | |
| 2017 | Love at First Sight | Johnny | Matthew Nealson | Sing short film |
| 2017 | ' | Gary "Eggsy" Unwin / Galahad | Matthew Vaughn | |
| 2018 | Billionaire Boys Club | Dean Karny | James Cox | |
| 2018 | Robin Hood | Robin Hood | Otto Bathurst | |
| 2019 | Rocketman | Elton John | Dexter Fletcher | |
| 2021 | Sing 2 | Johnny | Garth Jennings | Filming |
| 2021 | Tetris | Henk Rogers | Jon S. Baird | Pre-production |