Background
Scanlon was born in Canterbury, Kent and now lives in Deal with his parents and younger brother.
Scanlon was born in Canterbury, Kent and now lives in Deal with his parents and younger brother.
He attended Sir Roger Manwood"s School in nearby Sandwich, Kent.
Early and Personal He is a fan of Aldershot Town Football Club. He auditioned for "The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas" through his drama club and was eventually cast as Shmuel after director Mark Herman narrowed his choice down to about three possible candidates and paired each with Asa Butterfield for a final audition together. According to Herman: "Jack and Asa played very well against one another."
Although "The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas" is Scanlon"s feature film debut, he did act before. He appeared in a 10-minute short film title "The Eye of the Butterfly" (which led to him being suggested to the casting director of "The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas") and in a 2007 episode of the Peter Serafinowicz Show.
Scanlon also played the younger brother of main character Sean (William Miller) in the 2009 British children"s miniseries Runaway, broadcast on British Broadcasting Corporation One, which was part of the CBBC season about homelessness.