David Jonsson
British actor (born 1993)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
David Chuckie Jonsson (born 4 September 1993) is an English actor. He began his career on the West End, winning a Black British Theatre Award for his performance in the play and breathe... (2021). He is known for his performance in the BBC Two and HBO television series Industry (2020–22), as well as his roles in the films Rye Lane (2023), Alien: Romulus (2024), and The Long Walk (2025).
4 September 1993
David Jonsson | |
|---|---|
Jonsson in 2025 | |
| Born | David Chuckie Jonsson 4 September 1993 London, England |
| Other names | David Jonsson-Fray |
| Education | Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (B.A., 2016) |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 2016–present |
| Awards | See below |
In 2022, Jonsson appeared on the Evening Standard list of Londoners to watch[1] and was one of British GQ's Men of the Year Honourees.[2] He was named a 2023 Bright Young Thing by Tatler[3] and a Screen International Star of Tomorrow.[4] In 2025, he won the BAFTA Rising Star Award[5] and was nominated at the British Independent Film Awards in the Best Lead Performance category for his role in the film Wasteman (2025).[6]
Early life
Jonsson grew up in Custom House, an area of the East London Docklands.[7] His father was an IT engineer at Heathrow Airport and his mother worked for the Metropolitan Police. Jonsson is the youngest of four, with an older brother and two older sisters.[8] He describes his background as Creole, with family from West Africa (Nigeria and Sierra Leone),[9] the Caribbean and Sweden.[10]
After getting in trouble at and dismissed from school, Jonsson transferred to a school in Hammersmith.[8] He told his mother he wanted to be an actor. After completing his GCSEs, Jonsson spent two years in New York. Upon returning to London at the age of 18,[11] he joined the National Youth Theatre and won a scholarship to study at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA), graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in Acting in 2016.[12]
Career
Upon graduating from RADA, Jonsson was cast in his professional stage debut as William Davison in the play Mary Stuart at the Almeida Theatre.[13] The production transferred to Duke of York's Theatre in early 2017, marking Jonsson's West End debut. That same year, he appeared on the West End again, this time in Don Juan in Soho alongside David Tennant at Wyndham's Theatre.[14]
In 2018, Jonsson made his television debut in two episodes of the ITV detective drama Endeavour. He wrote, directed, and starred in a short film titled Gen Y. The following year, he played the recurring character Isaac Turner in the second series of the Fox UK espionage thriller Deep State.[15]
Jonsson starred as Augustus "Gus" Sackey in the first two series of the BBC Two and HBO investment banking drama Industry from 2020 to 2022.[16][17][18][19] To prepare for the role, he visited the character's alma maters Eton College and Oxford University to familiarise himself with such a different background from his own.
In 2021, Jonsson won a Black British Theatre Award for his performance in and breathe... at the Almeida, and presented the Jean-Michel Basquiat episode of Great Lives for BBC Radio 4.[20]
Jonsson made his feature film debut opposite Vivian Oparah in the romantic comedy Rye Lane, which opened at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival to critical acclaim.[18][19][21] He also played the lead character Luke Fitzwilliam in the BBC's 2023 adaptation of Agatha Christie's Murder Is Easy.[22][23]
In 2023, Jonsson was cast in Alien: Romulus as the synthetic Andy, which released in 2024, that led to him winning the 2025 BAFTA Rising Star Award.[24][5] He is expected to return as Andy in the sequel.[25] Later in 2024 he was cast as Pete McVries in The Long Walk, which released in 2025 to positive reviews, with specific praise for his performance.
Jonsson is developing his first television script Hype with Clerkenwell Films.[26] In addition, he has upcoming roles in the films Wasteman, Benn/Eubank, and Scandalous![27]
Filmography
| † | Denotes titles that have not yet been released |
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Rye Lane | Dom | |
| 2024 | Alien: Romulus | Andy Carradine | |
| Bonhoeffer | Frank Fisher | ||
| 2025 | The Long Walk | Pete McVries (#23) | |
| Wasteman | Taylor | Also executive producer[28] | |
| TBA | The Chaperones † | Post-production |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Endeavour | Cromwell Ames | Episodes: "Quartet", "Icarus" |
| 2019 | Deep State | Isaac Turner | Regular role; series 2 |
| 2020–22 | Industry | Augustus "Gus" Sackey | Main role |
| 2023 | Murder Is Easy | Luke Fitzwilliam | Miniseries |
| 2024 | The Road Trip | Marcus | Main role |
| 2025 | Too Much | Oriel Terrabianco | Episode: "One Wedding and a Sex Pest" |
Audio drama
| Year | Title | Voice role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | UNIT: The New Series | Cpl. James Morley | Episode: "Invocation" |
Stage credits
| Year | Title | Role | Venue | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016–17 | Mary Stuart | William Davison | Almeida Theatre, London | |
| Duke of York's Theatre, London | ||||
| 2017 | Don Juan in Soho | Col | Wyndham's Theatre, London | |
| 2020 | “Daddy” A Melodrama | Franklin | Almeida Theatre, London | Rehearsals only[29] |
| 2021 | and breathe... | Junior |
Awards and nominations
| Award | Year | Category | Work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| British Academy Film Award | 2025 | Rising Star Award | Alien: Romulus | Won | [5] |
| Black British Theatre Award | 2022 | Best Male Actor in a Play | and breathe... | Won | [30] |
| British Independent Film Award | 2023 | Best Joint Lead Performance (with Vivian Oparah) | Rye Lane | Nominated | [31] |
| 2025 | Best Lead Performance | Wasteman | Nominated | [31] | |
| Saturn Awards | 2025 | Best Supporting Actor | Alien: Romulus | Nominated | [32] |