George Mackay

George Andrew J. MacKay was born in 1992 in Hammersmith, London, to Kim Baker, a British costume designer, and Paul MacKay, an Australian stage and lighting manager. His early career began at the age of ten when he was scouted to audition for P. J. Hogan’s 2003 film adaptation of “Peter Pan,” where he landed the role of Curly, one of the Lost Boys. This initial experience led to several minor television roles, including an episode of “Rose and Maloney” and “Footprints in the Snow.” At thirteen, MacKay secured the part of Riccio in the film adaptation of Cornelia Funke’s “The Thief Lord” (2006) and took on the lead role in the BBC adaptation of Terry Pratchett’s “Johnny and the Bomb” (2006). He continued to build his acting portfolio with diverse projects, working alongside notable actors such as Tim Roth in “Tsunami: The Aftermath” (2006) and Daniel Craig in “Defiance” (2008). In 2009, he appeared as Harry in “The Boys Are Back” alongside Clive Owen, earning two award nominations for his performance.

MacKay’s career gained significant momentum in the early 2010s. In 2011, he featured in “Hunky Dory” and in 2012, he played Private Tommo Peaceful in the film “Private Peaceful” and a paralyzed soldier in “The Best of Men.” The year 2013 marked a breakthrough, with acclaimed roles as Aaron in “For Those in Peril” (for which he won a BAFTA Scotland Award), Davy in the musical “Sunshine on Leith,” and Eddie in “How I Live Now.” His performance in these films garnered several nominations and five awards. In 2014, he portrayed Joe in “Pride,” a film based on a true story about an LGBTQ+ activist, and co-starred in “Bypass.” The following year, he played Lewis Aldridge in the BBC’s adaptation of “The Outcast” and took on the lead role of Richard Miller in the stage production of Eugene O’Neill’s “Ah, Wilderness!” at the Young Vic.

His versatility was further demonstrated in 2016, starring as Bodevan in “Captain Fantastic” opposite Viggo Mortensen and as Bill Turcotte in the mini-series “11.22.63.” He also returned to the stage in Harold Pinter’s “The Caretaker” at The Old Vic. He received widespread critical recognition for his lead role as Lance Corporal Schofield in Sam Mendes’s World War I drama “1917” (2019), a commercial and critical success that garnered multiple Academy Award nominations. Subsequent projects include a lead role as Jacob in “Wolf” (2021), Hugh Legat in “Munich: The Edge of War” (2021) for Netflix, and Preston in the LGBTQ+ revenge thriller “Femme” (2023), for which he won a British Independent Film Award for Best Joint Lead Performance. Most recently, he starred in the science fiction film “The Beast” (2023) alongside Léa Seydoux.