Who is Charlie Hunnam: Biography, Personal Life, Career, Net Worth and More

Who is Charlie Hunnam: Biography, Personal Life, Career, Net Worth and More

Charlie Hunnam is an English actor from Newcastle, England. Hunnam is best known for his roles as Jackson “Jax” Teller in the FX drama series ‘Sons of Anarchy’ for which he was twice nominated for the Critics’ Choice Television Award for Best Actor. He is also known for starring in the role of Guy Ritchie’s ‘King Arthur: Legend of the Sword’.

The actor began his acting career when he was seventeen years old. He wrote the screenplay for Vlad, which was later taken up for production. He has managed to build a successful career.

Charlie Hunnam Biography: Early Life and Education

Charlie Hunnam is a British Actor. He was born on April 10, 1980, in Newcastle, England to Willam Hunnam and Jane Bell. He attended Elizabeth Grammar School and then proceeded to Cumbria College of Art and Design from where he graduated with a degree in theory and history of film.

The actor was born to William ‘Billy’ Hunnam and Jane (Bell) Hunnam and was given the name Charlie Matthew Hunnam at birth.

His nationality is British while his ethnicity is mixed (Irish, English, Scottish). Even though he is British, Charlie Hunnam's accent sounds like a mixture of many. His dad was a scrap metal merchant while his mother was a business owner. Charlie's maternal grandmother was a portrait artist based in Newcastle.

Charlie’s parents divorced when he was two years old, and his mother remarried. He grew up with three siblings; William ‘Billy’ and two half-siblings, Oliver and Christian.

He attended Manor School and later Elizabeth Grammar School when his mother moved to Melmerby, Cumbria. He then completed his degree in Theory and History of Film from Cumbria College of Art and Design.

Charlie was spotted by a production manager of the Newcastle-based children’s show, Byker Grove. The production manager gave him the opportunity to play the character of Jason for three episodes in Byker Grove. After this, he got himself in the British-made teen series, Microsoap. It was this movie that land major roles in the movie industry.

Charlie Hunnam's Personal Life

Photo: Page Six

Charlie Hunnam was raised in Newcastle upon Tyne by scrap metal seller Billy Hunnam and businesswoman Jane Hunnam, before moving to Cumbria after his parents' break-up. He was expelled from Queen Elizabeth Grammar School and continued to complete his exams at home. He later studied film and performing arts at Cumbria College of Art and Design. He married Katharine Towne in Las Vegas in 1999 but divorced three years later.

Currently, Charlie Hunnam has been in a long-term relationship with artist Morgana McNelis. The couple has been together since 2005.

Charlie Hunnam's Physical Appearance

The actor stands at a height of 6 feet 1 inch and weighs about 88 kg. His chest size is 46 inches, waist size is 34 inches, and arms/biceps size is 16.5 inches. He wears shoe size 9 (US).

Charlie Hunnam's Career

When he was goofing around in a shoe store on Christmas Eve, he was spotted by a production manager of the Newcastle-based children’s show, ‘Byker Grove.’ Eventually, the production manager presented him with an opportunity to play the character of ‘Jason’ for three episodes in ‘Byker Grove.’ He was 17 years old when he landed the role.

Following his startling debut, he did not get into mainstream acting until he was 18. With the help of an agent, he got himself a role in the British-made teen series Microsoap.’

It was his spectacular performance in ‘Microsoap’ that helped him land a major role in the ‘Channel 4’ drama ‘Queer as Folk,’ which revolved around the life of a homosexual teenager. In the series, he portrayed the role of a 15-year-old teenager named ‘Nathan Maloney.’

The role of ‘Nathan Maloney’ proved to be a turning point in his career. He beautifully administered the challenging task of turning the character from a shy, introverted, and innocent chap to a cocky, know-it-all gay, so much so that he became a role model for LGBT youth groups. The show was largely appreciated and recorded the highest ratings at the time.

Following the ground-breaking ratings, he reprised his role as ‘Nathan Maloney’ in the two-hour sequel, ‘Queer as Folk 2.’ He then made his big-screen debut, starring as ‘Daz’ in the film ‘Whatever happened to Harold Smith?’ which was released in 1999.

He then moved to Los Angeles, USA. His first stint at US television was a recurring role in the short-lived teen drama ‘Young Americans for the ‘WB Television Network.’ Following this, he starred in a regular role as an English drama student ‘Lloyd Haythe’ in the ‘Fox’ series ‘Undeclared.’ His perfect portrayal made the character of ‘Llyod’ seem believable and authentic.

In 2002, he made his American film debut with the psychological thriller ‘Abandon’ in which he was cast to play the role of ‘Embry Larkin,’ the missing boyfriend of a college student, played by Katie Holmes. In the movie, Larkin’s case is reopened two years later by a police detective who looks into a series of other missing cases.

The same year, he was cast to play the role of the protagonist in the movie ‘Nicholas Nickelby.’ The movie was an adaptation of Charles Dickens’ novel. In the movie, he played the role of a 19th-century man whose life turns upside down after the tragic death of his father. He appeared alongside actor Christopher Plummer who played his uncle in the film.

In 2003, he was cast along with Nicole Kidman, Jude Law, and Renée Zellweger in the movie ‘Cold Mountain.’ In the movie, he played the pivotal character of a ‘Civil War’ marauder who joins the home guard and kills deserters for cash.

He returned to the UK to star in the film ‘Green Street Hooligans.’ In the film, he played the role of a treacherous thug who encounters an American student expelled from ‘Harvard’ and teaches him the details pertaining to football hooliganism. The movie earned negative critical reviews for the unrealistic and wrongful deliverance of the Cockney accent.

Following a dismal performance as an English thug, he went on to star in the dystopian sci-fi-thriller ‘Children of Men.’ The movie had him playing the role of ‘Patric,’ a member of ‘The Fishes.’ It also starred Clive Owen and Clare-Hope Ashitey.

His performance in ‘Green Street Hooligans’ was noticed by Kurt Sutter who cast him in the role of ‘Jackson Teller’ in the television biker drama, ‘Sons of Anarchy.’ The role, which had him playing the vice president of a biker gang, got him his real breakthrough and proved to be the role of a lifetime. It also earned him a couple of nominations at award ceremonies.

In 2011, he was cast in various films, including the philosophical drama/thriller ‘The Ledge.’ The following year, he was seen in the crime drama film ‘Deadfall.’ The same year, he played an important role in the indie comedy ‘3,2,1..Frankie Go Boom’ and then played ‘Raleigh Becket’ in the sci-fi movie ‘Pacific Rim’ in 2013.

In 2015, he was cast to play ‘Alan McMichael’ in Guillermo del Toro-directed horror flick ‘Crimson Peak.’ Also starring Mia Wasikowska, Jessica Chastain, Tom Hiddleston, and Jim Beaver, the film premiered on September 25, 2015, at ‘Fantastic Fest.’

He starred in the adventure drama ‘The Lost City of Z’ (2016) as geographer ‘Percy Fawcett.’ In 2017, he played the title role in the film ‘King Arthur: Legend of the Sword.’ In 2019, he played ‘Sergeant O'Neill’ in the Justin Kurzel-directed British-Australian biographical film ‘True History of the Kelly Gang.’

Why did Charlie Hunnam leave 'Fifty Shades of Grey'?

In September 2013, Universal Pictures announced that Charlie Hunnam would portray Christian Grey in the movie adaptation of the popular E. L. James novel. The following month the studio announced that Hunnam would not star in the film because of scheduling conflicts with 'Sons of Anarchy.' Hunnam was replaced in the role by actor Jamie Dornan.

Charlie Hunnam's Net Worth

Photo: watchersonthewall

Charlie Hunnam is an English actor and screenwriter who has a net worth of $20 million. He is best known for playing biker Jax Teller on the FX series "Sons of Anarchy," a role that earned him several award nominations. Hunnam has also starred in "Queer as Folk" and "Undeclared" and had the leading role in 2002's "Nicholas Nickleby" and 2017's "King Arthur: Legend of the Sword." Though Charlie is mostly known for his acting work, he sold his screenplay, "Vlad," to Summit Entertainment and Brad Pitt's Plan B Studios shortly before landing his role in "Sons of Anarchy."

Charlie Hunnam's Real Estate

In 2016, Charlie paid $2.7 million for a renovated 4-bedroom home in the Hollywood Hills. In 2002, he bought a bungalow in the Fairfax area of Los Angeles for approximately $695,000, and he listed it for rent in 2017, asking for $6,500 per month.

Favorite Quotes from Charlie Hunnam

“It always seemed to me like it was a significant thing to do with one’s life to be an actor ’cause I love movies and I felt like, not to be grandiose about it, but there is something important about the film with the function it provides to general society.” – Charlie Hunnam

“The landscape of cinema is not original. Not to say there aren’t great movies being made, but it’s much easier for studios to make movies that have built-in audiences. So it’s all remakes, adaptations, a lot of remakes of adaptations.” – Charlie Hunnam

“Right before I got Sons of Anarchy, I actually quit acting for 18 months and didn’t read a single script, and I wrote a film. I felt like I needed to do something that I had control over, as an artist, and also just do something where I felt like I had some control over my life, as just a human, out in the world.” – Charlie Hunnam

“I was playing pretty boys and these angelic roles like Nicholas Nickleby and all that stuff. And I was like, ‘What am I doing? This isn’t who I am, as a man or an artist.’ I had to overcome people’s belief that I was too pretty to be a badass.” – Charlie Hunnam

“I got expelled from high school and then did my exams at home. I decided, through that experience, that I was going to expedite my plan and didn’t go to university. Instead, I went to a community college and studied the theory and history of film with the idea that I wanted to write and direct.” – Charlie Hunnam

3 Lessons from Charlie Hunnam and Sons of Anarchy

Now that you know all about Charlie Hunnam’s net worth, and how he achieved success; let’s take a look at some of the best lessons we can learn from him:

1. Chances Are Meant To Be Taken

If you can recall, Jax was doing everything it took to get his club out of the spotlight and off the cops’ radar so that he could go legit and make things work while still keeping the integrity of SAMCRO and all it stood for. The chances he took were great and didn’t always pan out but they were worth the effort at least.

2. To Be a Strong Leader It Takes Following a Strong Leader

Some people might think this means Clay, but in truth, Clay was always more of a usurper than anything and pretended to the strength that he had.

A man that would gladly kill off his friend and leader and start making back-alley deals to keep his position isn’t much of a man or a leader. Unfortunately, Jax had to learn that a good leader will make sacrifices at times, even if it’s a sacrifice he can’t bear to make.

3. Recognize Those That Are Worth Your Time

Maybe you’ll remember, as Allison Keene of Collider did, about Rat Boy and how Jax recognized his worth during one episode when he was finally patched in. A real leader recognizes who’s worth their time and who isn’t.

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