Freddie Stroma

Stroma was born 8 January 1987 in London, England,^[3] to father Stefan Sjöström, a Swedish computer industry executive, and German-French mother Crystal Kupper, and grew up in Ascot, England, in Berkshire, about 25 miles west of London.^[2] He was educated at Sunningdale School and the boys-only boarding school Radley College in Oxfordshire, leaving in 2005.^[4][1][5] He has an older sister, Antonia Sjöström, and a younger brother, Philipp Sjöström.^[2]

When he was 16, Stroma was accepted to the National Youth Theatre of Great Britain.^[2] He had roles on various British TV shows, including Casualty and BBC's detective show, Mayo (aka The Gil Mayo Mysteries). While studying neuroscience at University College London,^[5] Stroma continued to work as an actor and model. He took a year off from university to play the role of Cormac McLaggen in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. After filming was over, Stroma completed his degree at University College London.^[2] In 2009, he attained a 2:1 BSc (an upper-second-class degree) in Neuroscience.^[5]

During his time at university, Stroma was cast in the role as Cormac McLaggen first in Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince, a role he reprised in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 and 2.^[6] In 2010, Stroma played the role of Cool Brett in the crime-thriller film 4.3.2.1.

In 2011, Stroma appeared in the direct-to-DVD romantic film A Cinderella Story: Once Upon a Song as a British student, Luke Morgan. He played opposite Katie Gibbs (played by Lucy Hale) as her love interest.^[7]

He had a minor role in Pitch Perfect, a 2012 comedy about the world of collegiate a cappella choirs. He played a radio station manager at the local college radio station.^[8][9]

In 2014, he was cast in the role of Jack in the psychological thriller After the Dark, which was formerly known as The Philosophers, with his former Harry Potter co-star Bonnie Wright.^[10] The film was shot on location in Jakarta.^[11]

In June 2015, Stroma was one of the romantic interests, Adam Cromwell, in the Lifetime dramedy Unreal.^[12] He plays British bachelor who is competing on a fictionalized The Bachelor-type reality show called Everlasting.^[13] Stroma's character is manipulated as much as the women who are vying for his attention in the show that is a behind-the-scenes view of reality dating shows.^[14][15]

Unreal was picked up for a second season^[16][17] but Stroma had said that he does not think his character will be back.^[18] However, during a Paley Center panel on Unreal^[19] he said that he is hopeful as the show will continue to feature Everlasting.^[20] After the season 1 finale, Sarah Gertrude Shapiro, one of the co-creators of Unreal, confirmed that Stroma would be back in season 2.^[21]

Stroma had a role in the Michael Bay film 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi (2016), playing Yale University graduate student Brit Vayner, an undercover CIA officer in Libya.^[22]

In 2020, he played a guest role on Netflix's period drama Bridgerton, appearing as Prince Frederick of Prussia opposite Phoebe Dynevor and Regé-Jean Page.^[23]

Stroma replaced Chris Conrad in the role of Adrian Chase / Vigilante for the series Peacemaker after Conrad left the show after already filming five-and-a-half episodes of its first season. This required Stroma to reshoot all of Conrad's maskless scenes, while those of Conrad in the suit were kept with Stroma doing voiceovers.^[24][25] Following the conclusion of the second season in 2025, James Gunn announced there were no plans for a third season.^[26]

Stroma said he modelled (and acted) to help pay for university. He modelled for Acne Underwear in their Underwear Collection Autumn/Winter 2008.^[11][27] He uses Stroma as a surname instead of Sjöström because there is an NHL player named Fredrik Sjöström. Stroma plays guitar and can sing but he is not classically trained in either.^[11]

Stroma began dating his Unreal co-star Johanna Braddy in the summer of 2015.^[28] Stroma and Braddy became engaged in May 2016,^[29] and were married on 30 December 2016, in Atlanta, Georgia.^[30]