1. Overview
Jack Reynor is an Irish actor born on January 23, 1992, in Longmont, Colorado, United States. He rose to prominence through a variety of roles across film and television, earning critical acclaim and international recognition. His career began with early television appearances before a breakthrough performance in the 2012 film What Richard Did, which earned him an IFTA Award for Best Actor. Reynor gained widespread international exposure for his role as Shane Dyson in the 2014 blockbuster Transformers: Age of Extinction. He continued to garner awards, including the World Cinema Dramatic Special Jury Award for Acting at the Sundance Film Festival for his performance in the 2014 drama Glassland. Other notable film credits include Macbeth (2015), Sing Street (2016), and the acclaimed horror film Midsommar (2019). On television, he is recognized for leading roles in series such as Strange Angel (2018-2019) and The Peripheral (2022). Beyond acting, Reynor has also ventured into directing and writing, with the short film Bainne (2019).
2. Early life
Jack Reynor was born on January 23, 1992, in Longmont, Colorado, United States, to an Irish mother and an American father. He has a younger brother and sister. Reynor initially resided in Boulder, Colorado, with his mother, Tara Reynor O'Grady, who is known as a human rights activist. At the age of two, he moved with his mother to Valleymount, County Wicklow, Ireland, where he spent his formative years living with his mother and maternal grandparents, Damien and Pat Reynor. He attended primary school in Valleymount.
His interest in acting was sparked in 1999 when he played an altar boy as an extra on the set of the film Country, directed by Kevin Liddy. In 2004, Reynor relocated to Dublin to enroll at Belvedere College, a private Jesuit secondary school. During his time there, he actively participated in and performed in numerous theatrical productions on stage, further developing his acting skills.
3. Career
Jack Reynor's professional journey as an actor began in television, leading to significant roles in both independent and major studio films, and establishing his international recognition in the industry.
3.1. Early career and breakthrough
Reynor made his professional acting debut in 2010 in the television film Three Wise Women. In early 2010, he was cast as Robbie, "the boy next door," in the live-format, unscripted film Dollhouse, directed by Kirsten Sheridan, which premiered at the Berlinale in 2012.
His critically acclaimed breakthrough came with his portrayal of Richard Karlsen in Lenny Abrahamson's feature film What Richard Did, which screened at the 2013 Tribeca Film Festival. The film depicts the unraveling world of a high school rugby star following his involvement in a careless act of violence. For his powerful performance, Reynor received the Irish Film and Television Academy (IFTA) award for Best Actor in 2013.
3.2. Major film roles
In January 2013, Reynor was cast as Shane, an Irish race car driver, in Transformers: Age of Extinction. The film, co-starring Mark Wahlberg and Nicola Peltz, was released in June 2014 and achieved significant worldwide box office success, grossing over 1.10 B USD and becoming the highest-grossing film in Chinese history at the time.
Days after concluding the global press tour for Transformers, Reynor traveled to London to film Andy Serkis' Mowgli in 2015, which was later released by Netflix in 2018. In this film, he appeared alongside prominent actors such as Christian Bale, Cate Blanchett, and Benedict Cumberbatch. The production utilized advanced facial recognition technology specifically developed for the project, with Reynor providing voice and motion capture for the character Brother Wolf.
In the same year, Reynor starred as John, a young taxi driver struggling to bring structure to his life while his mother battles severe alcoholism, in writer-director Gerard Barrett's film Glassland, opposite Toni Collette and Will Poulter. Released in early 2015, his performance earned him the World Cinema Dramatic Special Jury Award for Acting at the Sundance Film Festival.
Following Glassland, Reynor filmed Julian Jarrold's romantic comedy A Royal Night Out, in which he played Jack Hodges, a fictional RAF airman and romantic interest of Princess Elizabeth during the VE Day celebrations in 1945, opposite Sarah Gadon.
In 2015, Reynor starred as Malcolm Canmore, the rightful heir to the throne of Scotland, in a film adaptation of Macbeth, which premiered in Edinburgh in September 2015. Subsequently, he completed filming John Carney's project, Sing Street, portraying Brendan Lawlor in the 1980s Dublin-set film. Sing Street premiered at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival.
He appeared in the 2017 miniseries Philip K. Dick's Electric Dreams and the 2018 drama film On the Basis of Sex. In 2019, Reynor starred as Christian Hughes in the horror film Midsommar. He later featured as Pills & Coke in the 2021 film Cherry, and as Ian in Flora and Son (2023). In 2023, he also played Toby Bennings in The Good Mother. His upcoming projects include Power Ballad, where he will portray Mac, currently in post-production.
3.3. Television roles
Reynor has also made notable contributions to television. In 2017, he appeared as Brian Norton in the "Impossible Planet" episode of Philip K. Dick's Electric Dreams. From 2018 to 2019, he starred as the main character, Jack Parsons, in the series Strange Angel, appearing in 17 episodes. In 2021, he featured as Declan in the "Strangers on a (Dublin) Train" episode of Modern Love. In 2022, Reynor played Burton Fisher in 8 episodes of the Amazon Prime Video series The Peripheral. Most recently, he was part of the cast of the 2024 Netflix miniseries The Perfect Couple, playing the role of Thomas Winbury.
3.4. Directorial work
In addition to his acting career, Jack Reynor has also explored roles behind the camera. In 2019, he directed and wrote the short film titled Bainne.
4. Personal life
Jack Reynor met Irish model and actress Madeline Mulqueen in 2013. They became engaged in March 2014 and married in 2024. Their wedding took place in County Wicklow, Ireland, with approximately 220 guests. The couple currently resides in County Wicklow.
5. Filmography
Jack Reynor's filmography includes a diverse range of roles across both film and television.
5.1. Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Country | Altar Boy | |
| 2012 | Dollhouse | Robbie | |
| 2012 | What Richard Did | Richard Karlsen | |
| 2012 | Stella | Michael | Short film |
| 2013 | Car Film | Martin | Short film |
| 2013 | Cold | Rory | Also known as Leopard |
| 2013 | Delivery Man | Josh | |
| 2014 | Transformers: Age of Extinction | Shane Dyson | |
| 2014 | Glassland | John | |
| 2015 | A Royal Night Out | Jack Hodges | |
| 2015 | Macbeth | Malcolm | |
| 2016 | Sing Street | Brendan Lawlor | |
| 2016 | Free Fire | Harry | |
| 2016 | The Secret Scripture | Michael McNulty | |
| 2017 | The Man with the Iron Heart | Jozef Gabčík | |
| 2017 | Detroit | Ronald August | |
| 2018 | Kin | James "Jimmy" Solinski | |
| 2018 | On the Basis of Sex | James "Jim" Bozarth | |
| 2018 | Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle | Brother Wolf | Voice and motion capture |
| 2019 | Midsommar | Christian Hughes | |
| 2019 | Bainne | - | Short film; also director and writer |
| 2021 | Cherry | Pills & Coke | |
| 2023 | Flora and Son | Ian | |
| 2023 | The Good Mother | Toby Bennings | |
| 2025 | Power Ballad | Mac | Post-production |
5.2. Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Three Wise Women | Colin | Television film |
| 2012 | Chasing Leprechauns | Thomas "Tommy" Riley | Television film |
| 2017 | Philip K. Dick's Electric Dreams | Brian Norton | Episode: "Impossible Planet" |
| 2018-2019 | Strange Angel | Jack Parsons | Main character |
| 2021 | Modern Love | Declan | Episode: "Strangers on a (Dublin) Train" |
| 2022 | The Peripheral | Burton Fisher | 8 episodes |
| 2024 | The Perfect Couple | Thomas Winbury | Miniseries |
6. Awards and recognition
Jack Reynor has received several accolades for his performances:
- In 2013, he was awarded the IFTA Award for Best Actor for his role as Richard Karlsen in What Richard Did.
- In 2015, he received the World Cinema Dramatic Special Jury Award for Acting at the Sundance Film Festival for his performance as John in Glassland.