Austin Butler

Austin Robert Butler was born in Anaheim, California, on August 17, 1991. His career in entertainment commenced at the age of 13 when he was discovered at the Orange County Fair by a representative from a background-acting management company. This initial exposure led to background roles on television series such as Nickelodeon’s “Ned’s Declassified School Survival Guide” (2005-2007) and Disney Channel’s “Hannah Montana.” Collaborating with his manager, Pat Cutler, Butler committed to pursuing acting as a serious profession. His early speaking roles included “Toby” in “Hannah Montana” (2006), “Dannifer” in “Zoey 101” (2005), and a more prominent part as “Jake Krandle” in “iCarly” (2007).

Butler’s career advanced with main and recurring roles in teen-oriented television series. He appeared as James Garrett in “Zoey 101” (2008), Jordan Gallagher in ABC Family’s “Ruby & the Rockits” (2009), Jones in The CW’s “Life Unexpected” (2010), and Wilke in ABC Family’s “Switched at Birth” (2011-2012). He also expanded into film with roles in “Aliens in the Attic” (2009) as Jake Pearson and “Sharpay’s Fabulous Adventure” (2011) as Peyton Leverett. A significant turning point came with his casting as Sebastian Kydd in The CW’s “The Carrie Diaries” (2013-2014) and later as Wil Ohmsford in MTV’s “The Shannara Chronicles” (2016-2017). In 2018, Butler made his Broadway debut in Eugene O’Neill’s “The Iceman Cometh,” alongside Denzel Washington.

His breakthrough into wider recognition occurred in 2019 with Quentin Tarantino’s “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,” where he portrayed Tex Watson. The most notable milestone in his career came in 2022 with his portrayal of Elvis Presley in Baz Luhrmann’s biopic “Elvis.” This role garnered him critical acclaim, including a Golden Globe Award and a BAFTA Award for Best Actor, along with an Academy Award nomination. Following “Elvis,” Butler took on the role of Maj. Gale ‘Buck’ Cleven in the Apple TV+ miniseries “Masters of the Air” (2024), Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen in “Dune: Part Two” (2024), and Hank Thompson in Darren Aronofsky’s thriller “Caught Stealing” (2025). He was also recognized by Time magazine as one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2023.