Luke Evans

Early life and education

Luke George Evans was born on Easter Sunday, 15 April 1979, in Pontypool, and brought up in Aberbargoed, the only child of Yvonne and David Evans. He was raised as a Jehovah's Witness, though he left the religion when he was 16 and left school at the same time.

At age 17, he moved to Cardiff, where he studied with singing coach Louise Ryan. In 1997, he won a scholarship to London Studio Centre, then in Kings Cross, London. He graduated in 2000.

Career

From 2000 to 2008, Evans starred in many West End productions including La Cava, Taboo, Rent, Miss Saigon and Avenue Q, as well as several fringe shows in London and at the Edinburgh Festival.

In 2008, he landed his most significant stage role playing Vincent in the play Small Change written and directed by Peter Gill at the Donmar Warehouse. His performance drew attention from film casting directors and U.S. talent agencies, and he was nominated for the Evening Standard Award for Outstanding Newcomer. Later that same year he did his second show at the Donmar Warehouse, Piaf, in which he played Yves Montand.

Evans had his first film audition at age thirty. In 2009, he landed his first film role, playing the Greek god Apollo in the 2010 remake Clash of the Titans. Also in 2010, he appeared as Clive in the film Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll, directed by Matt Whitecross, as the Sheriff of Nottingham's thug in Robin Hood, alongside Matthew Macfadyen (whom he would later play alongside again in The Three Musketeers), and played handyman and good guy Andy, in director Stephen Frears' film Tamara Drewe, based on Posy Simmond's comic strip. Evans went on to portray DI Craig Stokes in Blitz (2011), the film adaptation of Ken Bruen's novel of the same name, in which he starred with Jason Statham and Paddy Considine. In early 2010, he shot the independent film, Flutter, directed by Giles Borg.

Evans played the Musketeer Aramis in Paul W. S. Anderson's version of The Three Musketeers (filmed in 2010 and released in 2011). He was cast in a lead role in Tarsem Singh's Greek epic, Immortals (2011), in which he played the King of the Gods, Zeus. And at the end of 2010, he took a role opposite John Cusack in James McTeigue's film The Raven, replacing Jeremy Renner. In the film, released in 2012 and set in mid-nineteenth century Baltimore, Evans played Detective Emmett Fields, who investigates a series of murders inspired by the poetry and short stories of Edgar Allan Poe. Shooting took place in Budapest and Serbia in November 2010. In 2011, he shot No One Lives, a psychological horror film directed by Ryuhei Kitamura, in New Orleans, and began filming a role in Peter Jackson's three-part adaptation of J. R. R. Tolkien's The Hobbit, playing the role of Bard the Bowman.

In 2013, Evans played the antagonist Owen Shaw in Fast & Furious 6, and in 2014, he played Dracula in the film Dracula Untold. Evans was cast as Eric Draven in the reboot of The Crow. In June 2014, he joined the cast of the film High-Rise with Tom Hiddleston and Jeremy Irons. In January 2015, Evans officially exited The Crow to pursue other projects. The same year, GQ named him one of the 50 best dressed British men.

In 2016, Evans appeared in the thriller film The Girl on the Train, co-starring Emily Blunt. In 2017, he had the villainous role of Gaston in Disney's live-action adaptation of Beauty and the Beast, directed by Bill Condon and co-starring Emma Watson and Dan Stevens. Evans was also set to reprise his role as Gaston in a Beauty and the Beast prequel limited series for Disney+, alongside Josh Gad, who was serving as co-creator, co-writer and executive producer.

He also played the lead role, William Moulton Marston, the creator of Wonder Woman, in the film Professor Marston and the Wonder Women.

In 2018, Evans starred in TNT drama The Alienist, as newspaper illustrator John Moore. He released his debut studio album, At Last, on 22 November 2019.

On 8 November 2019, Evans starred in Roland Emmerich's war movie Midway, alongside Ed Skrein, Patrick Wilson, Mandy Moore, Aaron Eckhart, Nick Jonas, Dennis Quaid, and Woody Harrelson.

In 2021, Evans played Lars Lee in the Hulu miniseries, Nine Perfect Strangers, based on the novel of the same name by Liane Moriarty, which features Nicole Kidman in the lead role, alongside Melissa McCarthy, Michael Shannon, Samara Weaving, Asher Keddie, and Bobby Cannavale.

He also played The Coachman in Robert Zemeckis' live-action film adaptation of Disney's Pinocchio, with Tom Hanks.

Evans was awarded Man of the Year at the ninth annual Virgin Atlantic Attitude Awards.

Evans is set to make his Broadway debut in the role of Dr. Frank-N-Furter in a 2026 revival of The Rocky Horror Show.

Personal life

Evans is gay, though he prefers not to speak about his personal life. Between 2014 and 2016, he dated actor and model Jon Kortajarena. Since 2021, he has been in a relationship with Fran Tomas.

Discography

Studio albums

Soundtrack albums

Singles

Tours

• At Last! The Live Tour (2021)

Filmography

Film

Television

Video games

Theme park rides

Awards and nominations

References

Sources

References

1. (8 September 2010). "Evans finds himself among the stars". walesonline.
2. Fleming, Mike. (16 June 2011). "Luke Evans To Play Bard in 'The Hobbit'". Deadline Hollywood.
3. Justin Vactor. (4 January 2013). "Luke". Screen Rant.
4. (9 April 2011). "Pontypool-born Luke Evans hopes to be new Bourne star". walesonline.
5. (3 June 2010). "Aberbargoed actor Luke Evans' success in Hollywood". Wales Online.
6. Rachel Mainwaring. (30 May 2010). "Welsh actor Luke Evans is hot Hollywood property". Wales Online.
7. (7 December 2013). "Hobbit star Luke Evans swaps the valleys for the Shire". The Guardian.
8. (7 October 2010). "Luke Evans Interview TAMARA DREWE". Collider.
9. (29 May 2010). "Welsh actor Luke Evans is hot Hollywood property". walesonline.
10. Mo-Net s.r.l. Milano-Firenze. "Luke Evans". mymovies.it.
11. Godfrey, Alex. (7 December 2013). "Hobbit star Luke Evans swaps the valleys for the Shire".
12. Leins, Jeff. "Luke Evans, Alice Eve Join 'The Raven'". News in Film.
13. The Deadline Team. (25 April 2013). "Universal Dates 'Dracula' Origin Pic For August 8, 2014 – Deadline". Deadline.
14. Pamela McClintock. (11 September 2013). "Title Change: 'Dracula' Renamed 'Dracula Untold'". The Hollywood Reporter.
15. (13 June 2014). "'The Hobbit' Star Luke Evans Joins Tom Hiddleston in Ben Wheatley's 'High Rise'". Indie Wire.
16. (24 January 2015). "Luke Evans Officially Exits 'The Crow' Reboot; Relativity Seeking New Star". TheWrap.
17. (5 January 2015). "50 Best Dressed Men in Britain 2015". GQ.
18. (12 October 2016). "Luke Evans in The Girl on the Train".
19. (4 March 2015). "Luke Evans To Star Opposite Emma Watson In Disney's Beauty And The Beast".
20. Goldberg, Lesley. (6 March 2020). "'Beauty and the Beast' Prequel Series in the Works at Disney+ (Exclusive)".
21. (20 February 2018). "It's time to light a fire under sleepy 'Alienist'".
22. Donnelly, Matt. (31 October 2019). "Roland Emmerich Just Made a $100 Million Indie Film. Will It Work?".
23. (23 May 2017). "Bona Film Group Stakes $80M On Roland Emmerich/Mark Gordon WWII Battle Pic 'Midway:' Cannes". Deadline.
24. (2 May 2018). "Roland Emmerich's WWII Epic 'Midway' Sets Sail With Woody Harrelson, Mandy Moore & AGC Studios — Cannes Hot Pic". Deadline.
25. (3 July 2018). "Luke Evans Joins Roland Emmerich's Naval Action Movie 'Midway' (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter.
26. (24 July 2018). "Roland Emmerich's WWII Epic 'Midway' Adds 'The Guest' Cinematographer". thegww.com.
27. (5 September 2018). "Roland Emmerich's WWII Epic 'Midway' To Open Veterans Day Weekend 2019". Deadline.
28. Andreeva, Nellie. (26 June 2020). "Luke Evans Joins 'Nine Perfect Strangers' Hulu Limited Series". Deadline Hollywood.
29. D'Alessandro, Anthony. (26 January 2021). "'Beauty And The Beast' Star Luke Evans Joins Disney's Tom Hanks 'Pinocchio' Movie". Deadline Hollywood.
30. (1 December 2020). "2020 Virgin Atlantic Attitude Awards: From Taylor Swift to Luke Evans". Stream Publishing Limited.
31. Tran, Diep. (October 29, 2025). "Luke Evans to Play Frank-N-Further in Rocky Horror Show on Broadway".
32. (29 January 2017). "Luke Evans splits from Jon Kortajarena". The Times of India.
33. Phillips, Hedy. (9 January 2023). "Luke Evans and Boyfriend Fran Tomas Hit the Miami Shore in Speedos After Red Carpet Debut as Couple". [[People (magazine).
34. "Luke Evans {{!}} full Official Chart history". [[Official Charts Company]].
35. (2 December 2019). "ARIA Australian Top 50 Digital Albums". [[Australian Recording Industry Association]].
36. "Irish Albums Chart: 29 November 2019". [[Irish Recorded Music Association]].
37. "Luke Evans".
38. {{Cite certification
39. (23 September 2022). "Horizons Blue, my new single, is out now! Horizons Blue is taken from my new album A Song For You".
40. (14 October 2022). "Luke Evans Teams Up with Charlotte Church".
41. (26 October 2022). "Listen to Luke Evans and Nicole Kidman become musical icons on new duet 'Say Something'".
42. (29 December 2023). "Billy Porter And Luke Evans Share "Always Be My Man" From 'Our Son'".
43. (31 May 2025). "Luke Evans drops new single "Only One Of You"".
44. (7 April 2020). "Hey guys, I'm really happy to announce that my postponed tour dates have now been rescheduled!!...".
45. (9 May 2012). "Luke Evans Joins Sixth 'Fast & Furious' Film". The Hollywood Reporter.
46. (11 July 2024). "Luke Evans Joins Crime Drama Series ''Criminal'' at Amazon in Lead Role (Exclusive)".
47. (6 November 2025). "Luke Evans to star in new drama based on Elizabeth Day’s bestselling novel The Party".
48. (13 August 2017). "Teen Choice Awards 2017 Winners: 'Wonder Woman', 'Beauty And The Beast', 'Riverdale' Among Honorees". enske Business Media, LLC..
49. (6 September 2023). "2023 BAFTA Cymru Awards: The Nominations". BAFTA.