Background

Ethnicity: Ed Skrein is of English and Jewish Austrian descent.

Ed Skrein was born on March 29, 1983, in London, England, the United Kingdom. His father was a doctor, and his mother was a homemaker. Ed was born in London’s Camden borough, but also grew up in London’s other boroughs such as Haringey, and Islington.

His paternal grandparents were Austrian Jews who moved to the United Kingdom. The Skrein family traces back to Ascher Skrein, who was born, c. 1811, in Holesov.

Education

As a teenager, Skrein was into gang-related crime but after getting stabbed at the age of 17 he quickly removed himself from that lifestyle. He became very passionate about sports, and in particular, swimming, eventually going on to coach younger kids.

He subsequently left the gang to receive a degree in Fine Art from Central Saint Martins at the University of the Arts in London. From there, he performed musically with groups such as Asian Dub Foundation, Plan B and Foreign Beggars before transitioning into acting.

Career

In 2004, Skrein released a three-track EP under the record label Dented Records. In 2007, he released his first album, The Eat Up. He has collaborated with a variety of artists including Foreign Beggars, Asian Dub Foundation, Plan B, Dubbledge and Doc Brown. Later that year, Skrein released a collaborative EP, Pre-Emptive Nostalgia, with the group A State of Mind. In 2009 Skrein collaborated with rapper Dr. Syntax to bring the collaborative album Scene-Stealers under the name Skreintax.

In 2012, Skrein starred in Revolver Entertainment's critically-acclaimed drama Ill Manors, written and directed by Ben Drew. The film revolves around the lives of eight characters as they struggle to survive on the streets. It takes place over the course of seven days, each story blending into the others, painting a gritty picture of a world on the brink of destruction.

In 2013, Skrein appeared in the critically-acclaimed and BAFTA and Critics Choice Television Award-winning HBO series, Game of Thrones. Skrein portrayed the character Daario Naharis, originally a lieutenant in the "Second Sons," who takes over the company after killing his superiors and aligns with Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke).

When it came time for the fourth season, Ed was replaced in the role by Dutch actor Michiel Huisman. While there was no formal announcement as to why the role was recast, it's believed that shooting conflicted with Ed's other work, including the feature film The Transporter Refueled (2015), in which Ed plays a younger version of the character Jason Statham originated (in The Transporter).

Skrein appeared in the comedy crime film, Kill Your Friends (2015), directed by Owen Harris (Black Mirror) and alongside Nicholas Hoult and James Corden. Based on John Niven's 2008 novel, the film accounts the story of a 27-year-old A&R man working at the height of the Britpop music craze and going to extremes in order to find his next hit. Kill Your Friends (2015) screened at Cannes and was purchased by Well Go USA Entertainment, which will release the film on April 1st.

Skrein also starred in the Danish drama, The Model (2016), directed by Mads Matthiesen, who won the "World Cinema - Dramatic" award for his film, Teddy Bear at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival. The Model (2016) follows an emerging fashion model attempting to enter the Parisian fashion scene who develops a deadly obsession for top fashion photographer Shane White (Skrein). Nordisk Film Distribution released the film in Denmark on February 11th.

Skrein starred as the villain Ajax in Marvel's and Twentieth Century Fox's box office hit, Deadpool (2016), directed by Tim Miller and alongside Ryan Reynolds. The film shattered box office records, nearing $500 million worldwide. Deadpool (2016) chronicles the story of Marvel comic book character Deadpool (Reynolds), a former Special Forces operative turned mercenary who adopts an alter ego after being subjected to a rogue experiment that leaves him with accelerated healing powers.

In 2018, Skrein starred in psychological revenge thriller, In Darkness, alongside Natalie Dormer and Stacy Martin; principal photography began in early 2016. He was slated to star in the Hellboy reboot as Ben Daimio, a Japanese-American character; after controversy over his casting, Skrein announced on Twitter that he was stepping down from the role in the hopes an actor of the proper ethnicity would be cast.

On November 8, 2019, he has starred on the Roland Emmerich’s blockbuster movie Midway, guest-starring Mandy Moore, Patrick Wilson, Luke Evans, Aaron Eckhart, Nick Jonas, Dennis Quaid, and Woody Harrelson.

Achievements

• Ed Skrein is one of the most highly versatile artists of his generation. He was selected by Screen International as one of their Stars of Tomorrow in 2013, which showcases the next generation of talent from the UK.

Works

More photos

• movie

  • In Darkness

    (When blind pianist Sofia (Natalie Dormer) overhears the d...)

  • Northmen: A Viking Saga

    (When a storm decimates their longboat and strands them be...)

    2014
  • If Beale Street Could Talk

    (From acclaimed director Barry Jenkins comes this timeless...)

    2018
  • The Model

    (Emma, desperate to break into the world of high fashion m...)

    2016
  • Sword of Vengeance

    (The subjects of a tyrant king's ruthless oppression find ...)

    2015
  • Alita: Battle Angel

    (From visionary filmmakers James Cameron (Avatar) and Robe...)

    2019
  • Deadpool

    (Witness the origin story of Wade Wilson, who adopts the a...)

    2016
  • Tiger House

    (Robbers break into Kelly's (Kaya Scodelario, The Maze Run...)

    2015
  • Piggy

    (When his brother is brutally murdered by a gang, Joe find...)

    2012
  • Kill Your Friends

    (In the late 1990s, a drug-addled nihilist (Nicholas Hoult...)

    2015
  • Midway

    (The story of the Battle of Midway told through the experi...)

    2019
  • Maleficent: Mistress of Evil

    (The story of Disney's most iconic villain continues in Ma...)

    2019
  • The Sweeney

    (Detective Inspector Jack Regan and his loyal partner Geor...)

    2012
  • The Transporter Refueled

    (Frank Martin, a former special-ops mercenary, is now livi...)

    2015
  • Ill Manors

    (The lives of four drug dealers, one user, and two prostit...)

    2012
  • Patrick

    (Sarah is unlucky in love and a bit of a mess. The last th...)

    2018

• tv

  • Game of Thrones Season 3

    (In Season 3, the Lannisters face threats from the North; ...)

Views

Aside from the fame and success in music, television, and film, Skrein has become an inspiration to those who dream of changing themselves for the better. Following his brush with death, he dedicated himself to becoming someone kids could look up to. He began to volunteer, coach and went on study and graduate from the art school Central Saint Martins.

In his leisure time, Skrein has used his considerable athleticism for fundraising for various charities. For the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, he swam the English Channel, for KidsCo, an organization that works therapeutically with vulnerable children and young people, he rode 1000 miles from Land’s End to John O'Groats, more commonly referred to as from one end to the other end of Britain, and even established a Swimming Academy for Children in London.

Quotations: "I'm very passionate about the use of sports in young people's lives to build self-esteem and self-discipline and self-confidence. It's been a big thing for me."

"You can be powerful without being loud and aggressive."

"However we can spread love and progression, we've got to do it."

"I like having my back against the wall and doing things I'm not supposed to be good at."

Personality

Ed Skrein is a long-time fan of Marvel Comics and is a self-confessed 'comic book geek'. Ed prefers to do all of his stunts.

Physical Characteristics: Ed Skrein has a height of 6 ft 1 in or 185 cm, and a weight of 87 kg or 192 pounds. He has light brown hair and blue eyes.

To prepare him for the role of Frank Martin in The Transporter: Refueled (2015), he still had to work really hard. Though, he was already physically fit and in shape. But, the movie had a lot of fighting scenes, which needed him to do the extra work.

Since Skrein had no martial arts experience before, he learned skills such as Krav Maga (Israeli combat skills), Kali (Filipino martial arts), English boxing and other combat skills.

Interests

• horse riding

• Writers

  Shh! We Have a Plan by Chris Haughton

• Sport & Clubs

  swimming

• Music & Bands

  rap

Connections

Currently, Skrein lives in London with his unrevealed girlfriend. They have a son together, born in 2011.

Son:

Marley Skrein

colleague:

Kaya Scodelario

colleague:

Emily Ratajkowski

colleague:

Edward Norton

colleague:

Elle Fanning

colleague:

Patrick Wilson

colleague:

Woody Harrelson

Friend:

Jacob Anderson

Ed Skrein and Jacob Anderson became lifelong friends during the filming of Game of Thrones.

References

• Ed Skrein