
David Thewlis
Known for Acting · 120 credits
- Born
- 1963-03-20 (age 63)
- Place of birth
- Blackpool, Lancashire, England, UK
- Also known as
- David Wheeler
Biography
David Wheeler (born March 20, 1963), better known as David Thewlis, is an English actor and filmmaker. He is known as a character actor and has appeared in a wide variety of genres in both film and television. He has received the Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actor and nominations for two BAFTA Awards, Golden Globe Award, Primetime Emmy Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award.
Thewlis made his film debut in Little Dorrit (1987) and acted in the Mike Leigh films Life is Sweet (1990) and Naked (1993), winning the Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actor for the latter. He then appeared in films such as Black Beauty (1994), Restoration (1995), James and the Giant Peach (1996), Dragonheart (1996), and Seven Years in Tibet (1997). He became more widely known to film audiences for his roles as Remus Lupin in the Harry Potter franchise (2004–2011) and Ares / Sir Patrick Morgan in Wonder Woman (2017). Other film roles include Kingdom of Heaven (2005), The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas (2008), War Horse (2011), The Theory of Everything (2014), Anomalisa (2015), I'm Thinking of Ending Things (2020), and Enola Holmes 2 (2022).
Thewlis' most notable television roles include V. M. Varga in the third season of FX's Fargo (2017), the voice of the Shame Wizard in the Netflix animated sitcoms Big Mouth (2017–present) and Human Resources (2022–present), Christopher Edwards in the HBO miniseries Landscapers (2021), and John Dee in the Netflix drama series The Sandman (2022). His performance in Fargo earned him nominations for an Emmy, a Golden Globe, and a Critics' Choice Award.
Known For
TV Shows (24)

Fargo
2014
as V.M. Vargas

Big Mouth
2017
as Shame Wizard (voice)

The Sandman
2022
as John Dee

Screen Two
1985
as Franz

Prime Suspect
1991
as James Jackson

The Artful Dodger
2023
as Norbert Fagin

Only Fools and Horses
1981
as Stew

Human Resources
2022
as Memory Bank Manager (voice) / Lionel St. Swithens (voice)

Sherlock & Daughter
2025
as Sherlock Holmes

KAOS
2024
as Hades

ScreenPlay
1986
as Joey / Terry

The Street
2006
as Joe Jennerson / Harry Jennerson

Screen One
1989
as Tim Shanks

The Feed
2019
as Lawrence Hatfield

Dinotopia
2002
as Cyrus Crabb

Landscapers
2021
as Christopher Edwards

Frank Stubbs Promotes
1993
as Mike Bence

The Singing Detective
1986
as Soldier

Barkskins
2020
as Claude Trepagny

Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit
1990
as Doctor

A Bit of a Do
1989

Dirty Business
2026
as Ash Smith

Dandelion Dead
1994
as Oswald Martin

Valentine Park
1987
as Max
Movies (96)

Avatar: Fire and Ash
2025
as Peylak

Damage
1992
as Detective

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1
2010
as Remus Lupin

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
2004
as Remus Lupin

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2
2011
as Remus Lupin

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
2007
as Remus Lupin

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
2009
as Remus Lupin

Kingdom of Heaven
2005
as Hospitaler

Zack Snyder's Justice League
2021
as Ares

Wonder Woman
2017
as Sir Patrick / Ares

The Big Lebowski
1998
as Knox Harrington

Justice League
2017
as Ares

The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas
2008
as Father

Legend
2015
as Leslie Payne

RED 2
2013
as The Frog

Enola Holmes 2
2022
as Grail

War Horse
2011
as Lyons

Seven Years in Tibet
1997
as Peter Aufschnaiter

The Theory of Everything
2014
as Dennis Sciama

I'm Thinking of Ending Things
2020
as Father

The Omen
2006
as Keith Jennings

DragonHeart
1996
as King Einon

Basic Instinct 2
2006
as Roy Washburn

Final Cut: Ladies and Gentlemen
2012
as (archive footage)

Timeline
2003
as Robert Doniger

Stonehearst Asylum
2014
as Mickey Finn

Naked
1993
as Johnny

James and the Giant Peach
1996
as Earthworm (voice)

The Mercy
2018
as Rodney Hallworth

The New World
2005
as Wingfield

The Zero Theorem
2013
as Joby

Anomalisa
2015
as Michael Stone (voice)

Beyond Boundaries: The Harvey Weinstein Scandal
2018
as Self (archive footage)

The Island of Dr. Moreau
1996
as Douglas

The Amazing Maurice
2022
as Boss Man / Rat King (voice)

The Fifth Estate
2013
as Nick Davies

Regression
2015
as Professor Kenneth Raines

Black Beauty
1994
as Jerry Barker

Restoration
1995
as John Pearce

Macbeth
2015
as Duncan

Anonymous
2011
as William Cecil

Signal One
2026

The Lady
2011
as Michael Aris

The Thing with Feathers
2025
as Crow (voice)

Total Eclipse
1995
as Paul Verlaine

London Boulevard
2010
as Jordan

Mr. Nice
2010
as Jim McCann

The Magic Touch of Harry Potter
2004
as Self

Queen & Country
2015
as Sargeant Major Bradley

The Miracle Maker
2000
as Judas Iscariot (voice)

An Inspector Calls
2015
as Inspector Goole - The Inspector

The Trial
1993
as Franz

Dinotopia
2002
as Cyrus Crabb

Veronika Decides to Die
2009
as Dr. Blake

Gangster No. 1
2000
as Freddie Mays

All the Invisible Children
2006
as Jonathan (segment "Jonathan")

Little Dorrit
1987
as George Braddle

Eternal Beauty
2020
as Mike

Whatever Happened to Harold Smith?
2000
as Nesbit

Resurrected
1989
as Kevin Deakin
Skulduggery
1991
as Tony

Harry Potter: A History Of Magic
2017
as Himself

Life Is Sweet
1991
as Nicola's Lover

American Perfekt
1997
as Santini

Cheeky
2003
as Harry Sankey

Rare Beasts
2021
as Vic

Besieged
1998
as Jason Kinsky

Discovering Dinotopia
2002
as Cyrus

Afraid of the Dark
1991
as Locksmith / Tom Miller

The Organ Grinder's Monkey
2011
as Pablo (voice)

Vroom
1988
as Ringe

Goodbye Charlie Bright
2001
as Charlie's Dad

Divorcing Jack
1998
as Dan Starkey

Road
1987
as Joey
Black and Blue
1992
as Crematorium Attendant

Guest of Honour
2020
as Jim

Hamilton Mattress
2002
as Hamilton Mattress (voice)

None of Them Are You: Crafting Anomalisa
2016
as Self

Check the Gate: Putting Beckett on Film
2003
as Self - Clov (archive footage)

The Making of 'DragonHeart'
1997
as Self

The Inner Life of Martin Frost
2007
as Martin Frost

Separate We Come, Separate We Go
2013
as Norman

Endgame
2000
as Clov
Journey to Knock
1991
as Terry

Love Story
1999
as Dealer

Little Wolf's Book of Badness
2003
as Mr. Twister (voice)

Swords at Teatime
1992
as Mike

The Short & Curlies
1987
as Clive

Athena
2010
as Chuck

Filipina Dreamgirls
1991
as Tim Shanks

Radio Pictures
1985
as JIM 'Grams'

D.I.Y. Hard
2002
as Man

How to Get a Head in Sculpture
2011
as Self
Sunday Roast
2014
as Dick Puck

Dreamtown: A Brief Anatomy of Blackpool
1994
as Self

Deep Red Instant Love
1988
About David Thewlis
David Wheeler (born March 20, 1963), better known as David Thewlis, is an English actor and filmmaker. He is known as a character actor and has appeared in a wide variety of genres in both film and television. He has received the Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actor and nominations for two BAFTA Awards, Golden Globe Award, Primetime Emmy Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award. Thewlis made his film debut in Little Dorrit (1987) and acted in the Mike Leigh films Life is Sweet (1990) and Naked (1993), winning the Cannes Film Festival Award f… With 120 credits spanning from 1981 to 2026, David Thewlis has appeared in 96 films and 24 TV shows.
Fans searching for David Thewlis movies, David Thewlis filmography, or the latest projects starring David Thewlis can stream many of these titles on Bowood.TV, free and in HD, with no subscription required.
Most Popular David Thewlis Movies
- Avatar: Fire and Ash (2025) — as Peylak
- Damage (1992) — as Detective
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (2010) — as Remus Lupin
- Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004) — as Remus Lupin
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (2011) — as Remus Lupin
Where to Watch David Thewlis Films
Most David Thewlis movies and series are available to stream on Bowood.TV in full HD, completely free and without signup. Browse the complete filmography above to jump directly to any title. For more films and the latest web series featuring David Thewlis, check our movies catalogue and browse page.