David Jonsson
British actor (born 1993)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
David Jonsson (born 4 September 1993) is a British 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 (2020–2022), as well as his roles in the films Rye Lane (2023), Alien: Romulus (2024), and The Long Walk (2025).
David Jonsson | |
|---|---|
Jonsson in 2025 | |
| Born | 4 September 1993 London, England |
| Other name | David Jonsson-Fray |
| Education | Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (BA) |
| 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] At the 2026 Comic-Con, Jonsson was announced as the new actor to portray Black Panther in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Early life and education
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 Sierra Leone and also some Nigerian,[9] Caribbean, and Swedish ancestry.[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 City. 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 the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (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 University of Oxford to familiarise himself with such a different background from his own.
In 2021, Jonsson won an award at the Black British Theatre Awards for his performance in and breathe... at the Almeida Theatre, 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 was also praised for his role in the film Wasteman (2025), where he was nominated for Best Lead Performance at the 2025 British Independent Film Awards.
Jonsson is developing his first television script Hype with Clerkenwell Films.[26] In addition, he has roles in the upcoming films Benn/Eubank and Scandalous!.[27]
In 2026, It was announced at San Diego Comic-Con that Jonsson will portray T'Challa II / Toussaint / Black Panther in the Marvel Cinematic Universe film Black Panther III, scheduled to be released on December 15, 2028.[28]
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 | |
| Wasteman | Taylor | Also executive producer[29] | |
| 2027 | The Chaperones † | Post-production |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Endeavour | Cromwell Ames | Episodes: "Quartet" and "Icarus" |
| 2019 | Deep State | Isaac Turner | Recurring role; series 2 |
| 2020–2022 | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016–2017 | 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[30] |
| 2021 | and breathe... | Junior |
Awards and nominations
| Award | Year | Category | Work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Astra Film Awards | 2026 | Best Supporting Actor – Drama | The Long Walk | Nominated | [31] |
| Austin Film Critics Association | 2025 | Best Supporting Actor | Nominated | [32] | |
| 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 | [33] |
| British Independent Film Award | 2023 | Best Joint Lead Performance (with Vivian Oparah) | Rye Lane | Nominated | [34] |
| 2025 | Best Lead Performance | Wasteman | Nominated | [34] | |
| Film Independent Spirit Awards | 2026 | Robert Altman Award | The Long Walk | Won | [35] |
| Florida Film Critics Circle | 2025 | Best Supporting Actor | Runner-up | [36] | |
| London Film Critics Circle | 2026 | British/Irish Performer of the Year | Nominated | [37] | |
| Saturn Awards | 2025 | Best Supporting Actor | Alien: Romulus | Nominated | [38] |
| Seattle Film Critics Society | 2025 | Best Actor in a Supporting Role | The Long Walk | Nominated | [39] |