Jai Paul Robert Pattinson (born July 20, 1983) is an English actor, filmmaker, and musician. He is best known for his role as Cedric Diggory in the Harry Potter film series, for which he received multiple award nominations. He also portrayed the role of Eric Longbottom in the BBC Three television series Game of Thrones (2011–2012), and starred as Wulfstan in the fantasy film The Nightingale (2014). He is currently acting in the American television series The Handmaid’s Tale (2017–present).
Pattinson made his feature film debut in the 2004 film Four Lads. For his performance in the comedy film Ned’s Declassified Guide to Love, he was nominated for the Best British newcomer award at the 30th British Academy Film Awards. He has also been nominated for BAFTA Awards for his performances in The Lost Honour of Christopher Jefferey and The Rumour. In 2015, he was named Most Promising Newcomer at the European Film Awards, and won the Empire Awards for Best British Actor for his performance in the film The Lost Honour of Christopher Jefferey. In addition to film, Pattinson has appeared on stage in several plays and voiced several characters in video games. He has also lent his voice to several audiobooks and published two novels: The Lost Honour of Christopher Jefferey and The Charming Stranger, both of which are part of the Broken Kingdoms series. He is currently working on a number of projects, including a film based on the horror novel The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Corinna Talbot.
Pattinson was born and raised in London, England. He is the son of Louise, an equestrian, and Robert Pattinson, a former professional motorcycle racer. His mother is a director, producer, and occasional writer who has worked on films like The Lost Honour of Christopher Jefferey and The Charming Stranger. His paternal grandparents were British writer and artist Graham Pattinson and New Zealand-born photographer Eileen Pattinson. He has stated that growing up, he was never really a kid but always a man in his mother’s eyes and a boy in everyone else’s.
Early Life & Education
Pattinson was born and raised in London, England. He is the son of Louise, an equestrian, and Robert Pattinson, a former professional motorcycle racer. His mother is a director, producer, and occasional writer who has worked on films like The Lost Honour of Christopher Jefferey and The Charming Stranger. His paternal grandparents were British writer and artist Graham Pattinson and New Zealand-born photographer Eileen Pattinson. He has stated that growing up, he was never really a kid but always a man in his mother’s eyes and a boy in everyone else’s.
He began acting at the age of five, appearing in various television advertisements and playing supporting roles in minor films. By the time he was 16, he had been featured in several films, the most notable of which were the British comedy film A Cocktail Party and the teen drama Paperboys. He continued to study acting at university and appeared in several plays, including an adaptation of William Shakespeare’s Othello at Richmond Theatre in London. Since 2014, he has been living in Los Angeles, California. He has stated that he enjoys the lifestyle in the U.S. but misses the sunshine.
Career
After finishing school, Pattinson relocated to Los Angeles, California, where he began working on-set as an extra and doing stand-in and bit parts in films and television shows. He made his feature film debut in the 2004 comedy Four Lads, portraying a geek who becomes the best man at one of his friends’ weddings. The film received mixed reviews but was a moderate success, appearing in several film festivals and garnering a cult following. The next year, he appeared as a semi-regular in the popular British television series Young Doctor Blake, playing the role of Blake’s son James’ best friend. He followed this with a minor role in the 2006 comedy series The Hitchhiker, which was nominated for Best Comedy Series at the 2006 Screen Independent Awards.
After making his feature film debut in the Four Lads, Pattinson obtained several more film roles, the most noteworthy of which were Eric Longbottom in the HBO series Game of Thrones (2011–2012) and Wulfstan in the fantasy film The Nightingale (2014).
Pattinson as Eric Longbottom in Game of Thrones. (Frazer Harrison/HBO)
Award Nominations
Pattinson has been nominated for several awards for his work as Eric Longbottom in the television series Game of Thrones. At the 2015 European Film Awards, Pattinson was nominated for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in the television series. In 2016, he was nominated for Best British Supporting Actor at the British Academy Film Awards for his role as Eric in the film The Lost Honour of Christopher Jefferey. He was also nominated for BAFTA Awards for his roles in The Lost Honour of Christopher Jefferey and The Charming Stranger. He was also nominated for Best Actor at the 2016 International Broadcaster Film Festival for his role in The Charming Stranger.
Pattinson as Wulfstan in The Nightingale. (Sandy Powell/Focus Features/The Kobal Collection)
Personal Life & Health
Pattinson has been in a number of high-profile relationships, the most recent of which was with actress Lily Collins. They were engaged for several years before entering a polyamorous relationship in 2018.
He has been open about his struggles with alcoholism and drug addiction, which he attributes to his undiagnosed type 1 diabetes. He has been sober since August 2018 and credits the process to his wife, Emma Forrest. He has said that he regrets using alcohol and drugs and feeling ashamed about it, but understands that they have affected his life positively. He has also said that he would like to be the kind of actor who brings happiness to others by making people laugh and brings hope that addiction can be treated.
Future
Pattinson has said that he plans on returning to the U.K. at some point, although he has expressed interest in continuing to live in Los Angeles. He has also said that he would like to act in more serious films and has expressed interest in directing. He continued: “I would love to have a go at some Shakespeare, maybe. But I also want to do some funny movies, as well. I would like to mix the two.”
In an interview with The Telegraph, he said: “You never know where your next role will come from. Sometimes you’ll get sent a script and have no idea what it’s about. One day, out of the blue, I was sent a script called Game Changers and I thought it was about sports so I turned it down. Three days later, I got another script and thought it was about dinosaurs so I turned it down again. Three days later, I got a third script and this time it was about aliens so I couldn’t say no.”
He has also said that he would like to direct commercials and short films, as well as write and direct feature films.
Pattinson as George Lazarro in The Handmaid’s Tale. (Marisol Merino/HBO)