David Moorst

Moorst grew up in the Haresfinch neighbourhood in St Helens, Merseyside (formerly part of Lancashire).^[5][4] His mother, who is a school administrator, raised him and his elder brother as a single parent.^[6] He attended Cowley International College, where he played in a brass band and performed in his school's musicals.^[1][4] He also took part in the National Youth Theatre as a teenager. Moorst took his A Levels in Music, Performing Arts, and Graphic Design^[7] before securing a place at London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA), having been encouraged by his teacher to apply for drama school.^[5] He graduated from LAMDA in 2014.^[8]

Moorst's acting career has spanned across both the stage and the screen. His stage performances, in particular, have earned him positive critical reviews over the year.

Moorst's first stage role after graduating from LAMDA was as apprentice miner Malcolm in Beth Steel's Wonderland, staged at Hampstead Theatre in 2014.^[9] Critic Charles Spencer described Moorst's performance as "deeply touching" in his review of the play for The Telegraph.^[10] His breakthrough role came the following year, when he starred as teenager Liam in the Royal Court Theatre production of Violence and Son, written by Gary Owen. Writing for The Telegraph, Dominic Cavendish described Moorst as "a complex joy to watch"^[11] while The Guardian's Michael Billington praised the young actor for "outstandingly catch[ing] Liam’s mix of smart-arse knowingness, sexual nervousness and aching loneliness".^[12] The role earned Moorst the Emerging Talent Award at the 2015 Evening Standard Theatre Awards^[13] as well as the Jack Tinker Award for Most Promising Newcomer at the Critics' Circle Theatre Awards the following year.^[14] Also in 2015, Moorst had his first musical theatre role, starring as Jack in the production of Into the Woods at the Royal Exchange, Manchester.^[6] Though the production overall received mixed reviews, Exeunt Magazine noted that Moorst was "particularly excellent"^[15] and WhatsOnStage named the actor as the cast member who made "the most of his role".^[16]

In 2016, Moorst appeared in Mark Hayhurst's First Light at Minerva Theatre, Chichester^[17] and in the revival production of Shopping and Fucking at the Lyric Theatre, Hammersmith.^[18] In 2018, he played Andy in Alan Bennett's hospital drama Allelujah! at the Bridge Theatre,^[19] whose premier coincided with the 70th anniversary of the foundation of the NHS.^[20] In 2019, he returned to the Royal Exchange in Manchester for Simon Stephens's Light Falls. The production received a 5-star review from The Telegraph, with Moorst's performance described as "superb".^[21] The same year, he was cast as Puck in the Bridge Theatre's production of A Midsummer Night's Dream, which required the actor to train in aerial acrobatics at the National Centre for Circus Arts.^[22] His performance was positively remarked upon in reviews by The Independent^[23] and The New York Times.^[24] Moorst later reprised the role when the production returned to the Bridge Theatre in 2025.^[25] In 2022, he was cast as Dill Harris in the West End premier of To Kill a Mockingbird, an adaptation of Harper Lee's novel of the same name.^[26] The role landed him a nomination for Best actor in a supporting role at the 2023 Laurence Olivier Awards.^[27] In 2024, he played Geoffrey in A Taste of Honey at Manchester Royal Exchange. His performance was highlighted in a review by Manchester Evening News as "a heart-breaking and thoughtful piece of acting that starts off comic and becomes something much more interesting".^[28]

On television, Moorst has had guest roles in BBC One's Holby City (2014), Partners in Crime (2015), and Killing Eve (2022) and ITV's Grantchester (2016). His breakthrough role, however, was footman Alfie in Series 4 of the Netflix series Bridgerton (2026),^[4] where his character quickly became a fan favourite.^[29]

Moorst's first major film role was as Joseph in Mike Leigh's 2018 release, Peterloo.^[30] He has since appeared in Waiting for the Barbarians (2019),^[31] Blitz,^[32] and William Tell^[33] (both released in 2024).