Ed Westwick

1.1. Birth and upbringing

Westwick was born on 27 June 1987 in Hammersmith, London, England. He was raised in Stevenage, Hertfordshire, as the youngest of three boys. His mother, Carole (née Blenkiron), worked as an educational psychologist, and his father, Peter Westwick, was a university lecturer. From the age of six, he began taking music lessons and attending a Saturday morning drama school, indicating an early exposure to artistic pursuits.

1.2. Education

Westwick received his education at The Barclay School and North Hertfordshire College. During his time at North Hertfordshire College, he pursued A-levels in business, law, and communication. Furthering his dramatic training, he became a member of the prestigious National Youth Theatre in London, a program known for nurturing young acting talent.

2.1. Acting career

Westwick's acting journey began with a significant opportunity through the National Youth Theatre. Following an open audition casting call sent to the National Youth Theatre, he made his film debut in Breaking and Entering in 2006. In the same year, he also had a minor role in the critically acclaimed film Children of Men. His early television appearances included guest roles in British series such as Doctors as Holden, Casualty as Johnny Cullin, and Afterlife as Darren.

His breakthrough came in 2007 when he was cast as Chuck Bass in The CW's teen drama series Gossip Girl, an adaptation of the book series by Cecily von Ziegesar. Westwick relocated to Los Angeles for the role and noted that the show "changed my life," as work opportunities in the UK had been limited at the time. For his portrayal of Chuck Bass, an iconic character known for his distinctive persona, Westwick adopted an American accent, reportedly modeled on the character Carlton Banks from The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. The success of Gossip Girl brought him significant acclaim and recognition. People named him one of 2008's Sexiest Men Alive, and he appeared on their "100 Most Beautiful" list in 2009 alongside the entire cast of Gossip Girl. He received the Teen Choice Awards for Best TV Villain in both 2008 and 2009 and was recognized as Breakthrough Talent by GQ in 2010. His character, Chuck Bass, was also notably named number one in Entertainment Weekly's "Best Dressed TV Characters of 2008" (tied with Leighton Meester's character Blair Waldorf) and included in their "Best Performances" list alongside Meester.

In 2008, Westwick expanded his portfolio by becoming the new face of K-Swiss. That same year, he appeared as Joey in the horror film 100 Feet. In 2009, he played Randy Holt in S. Darko, the sequel to Donnie Darko, and guest-starred in the third season of the Showtime original series Californication as Chris "Balt" Smith, a student with a fascination for vampire literature. He was initially slated to play Heathcliff in the film adaptation of Wuthering Heights in May 2009, but a change in director in January 2010 led to the recasting of roles.

In 2010, Westwick starred as a Bellboy in The Commuter, a short film by the McHenry Brothers notable for being shot entirely on a Nokia N8 smartphone. In January 2011, he joined the cast of Clint Eastwood's film J. Edgar, a biographical drama about J. Edgar Hoover, the controversial first director of the FBI. The same year, he featured in the romantic comedy Chalet Girl. He also lent his voice to audiobooks, co-narrating City of Fallen Angels by Cassandra Clare and narrating Clare's second novel, Clockwork Prince, from The Infernal Devices series. By mid-2011, Westwick became an international celebrity endorser for Penshoppe, a prominent local clothing brand in the Philippines.

Westwick continued to take on diverse roles, co-starring as the main antagonist Tybalt in the 2013 film adaptation of Romeo & Juliet. He then took on the lead role of Will Reeves in the film adaptation of Anthony Bourdain's novel Bone in the Throat, which premiered at South by Southwest in March 2015. He also co-starred in the horror comedy film Freaks of Nature, released in October 2015. In March 2015, he joined the cast of ABC's short-lived crime drama series Wicked City, portraying Kent Grainger, a sadistic Sunset Strip serial killer. Although the series was cancelled after airing three episodes, Hulu later picked it up to air the remaining five. Westwick next appeared in Jim Gillespie's Billionaire Ransom, released in August 2016, and starred as Ben Collins in the thriller The Crash, released in January 2017. He also provided voice work for an episode of Family Guy in 2017 and appeared in four episodes of Snatch. From 2017 to 2019, Westwick starred as Vincent Swan in the BBC Two television comedy series White Gold, which aired two seasons totaling twelve episodes. His more recent film credits include Enemy Lines (2020), Me You Madness (2021), in which he co-starred and was directed by Louise Linton, Wolves of War (2022), Deep Fear (2023), and DarkGame (2024).

2.2. Music career

Parallel to his acting career, Westwick has been actively involved in music. He was a prominent member of the British band The Filthy Youth. Formed in 2006, the punk band drew inspiration from iconic groups like the Rolling Stones, The Doors, and Kings of Leon. Two of their songs, "Come Flash All You Ladies" and "Orange," were notably featured in an episode of Gossip Girl during its first season. The band's lineup included Benjamin Lewis Allingham on guitar, Jimmy Wright on guitar, Tom Bastiani on bass, and John Vooght as the drummer. More recently, Westwick has taken on the role of vocalist for the band For You, which released its debut single "Tailspin" on 15 January 2023.

6.1. Film

6.2. Television

6.3. Music videos