William Tomomori Fukuda Sharpe (born 22 September 1986) is an English actor, writer, and director.[2] He is known for writing, directing, and starring in the 2016 dark comedy-drama Flowers.[3] He starred in the drama series Giri/Haji and the second season of The White Lotus.
Will Sharpe | |
---|---|
Born | William Tomomori Fukuda Sharpe (1986-09-22) 22 September 1986 (age 36) |
Education | Winchester College |
Alma mater | University of Cambridge |
Occupation |
|
Years active | 2008–present |
Known for | |
Partner | Sophia Di Martino |
Children | 2 |
Sharpe was born in London and raised in Tokyo until the age of eight.[4] His mother is Japanese.[5] After returning to the United Kingdom, he studied at Winchester College.[4]
Sharpe read classics at the University of Cambridge, where he was the president of the Footlights Revue.[6][7]
Sharpe graduated in 2008 and joined the Royal Shakespeare Company for their 2008/2009 season.[3] Sharpe spent a year at the RSC and appeared in such plays as The Taming of the Shrew, The Merchant of Venice, and The Tragedy of Thomas Hobbes, in which he played a young Isaac Newton.[8][9] He played the character of Yuki Reid in the BBC medical drama Casualty.[8]
In 2009, he directed and co-wrote, along with his friend Tom Kingsley, the short film Cockroach. The pair's first feature-length film, Black Pond, was shown at the Prince Charles Cinema in London from November 2011.[10] Shortly after, he was co-nominated for a BAFTA Award for Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer for the film.[4]
Sharpe is known for writing, directing, and starring in the dark comedy-drama Flowers, which premiered on Channel 4 in 2016.[3] Starring Olivia Colman, Julian Barratt, Daniel Rigby and Sophia Di Martino, Flowers is a black comedy that tackles mental health, and follows the four eccentric members of the Flowers family as they navigate their lives together, and their own inner demons. The first series won a BAFTA Television Award for best scripted comedy, and the second series aired in 2018 to widespread critical acclaim.[11]
In 2020, Sharpe won a BAFTA Television Award for his supporting role as Rodney Yamaguchi in BBC drama Giri/Haji—a role The Independent called 'one of the most riotously funny turns since Richard E Grant stepped out as Withnail.'[12][13]
Sharpe directed and co-wrote the 2021 biographical comedy-drama film The Electrical Life of Louis Wain, starring Benedict Cumberbatch as the artist Louis Wain.[14][15]
In 2022, Sharpe joined the cast of The White Lotus in its second season, set in Sicily, as Ethan Spiller, a newly wealthy tech entrepreneur.[16]
His brother is composer Arthur Sharpe, who has written music for The Darkest Universe, Black Pond, and Flowers.[17] Will Sharpe has type two bipolar disorder.[18][19]
Since 2009,[20] Sharpe has been in a relationship with actress Sophia Di Martino, with whom he has two children, born in 2019 and 2021.[21][22]
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2008 | Never Mind the Buzzcocks | — | writer |
2008 | The Wrong Door | various | three episodes |
2009 | Cockroach | Kiyoshi | writer, director |
2009–10 | Casualty | Yuki Reid | |
2011 | Sirens | Student | Channel 4 comedy drama |
2011 | Black Pond | Tim | feature film, actor, writer, co-director |
2012 | Sherlock | Corporal Lyons | "The Hounds of Baskerville" |
2012 | Dirk Gently | David Cho | TV series – Episode 2 |
2016 | The Darkest Universe | Zac | feature film – actor, writer, director |
2016–18 | Flowers | Shun | TV series – actor, writer, director |
2017 | W1A | Michael Chung | Three episodes |
2018–19 | Defending the Guilty | Will Packham | BBC2 series |
2019 | Giri/Haji | Rodney Yamaguchi | BBC television series |
2021 | The Electrical Life of Louis Wain | — | feature film – writer, director |
2021 | Landscapers | — | miniseries – director |
2022 | The House | Elias | Netflix anthology film |
2022 | The White Lotus | Ethan Spiller | Main role (season 2) |
BAFTA TV Award for Best Supporting Actor | |
---|---|
|
General | |
---|---|
National libraries |