William Jack Poulter (born 28 January 1993) is an English actor. Known for his work in film and television, his accolades include a British Academy Film Award as well as nominations for two Primetime Emmy Awards.
Poulter first gained recognition in School of Comedy (2009) and then for his role as Eustace Scrubb in the adventure film The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (2010). Worldwide recognition came from his starring role in the comedy film We're the Millers (2013), winning the BAFTA Rising Star Award the following year.
Poulter starred in the first and third films of the dystopian science fiction trilogy The Maze Runner (2014–2018), the period film The Revenant (2015), the crime drama film Detroit (2017), the horror film Midsommar (2019), the romantic drama On Swift Horses (2024), and the war drama Warfare (2025). He joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Adam Warlock in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023).
On television, he received Primetime Emmy Award nominations for his roles in the Hulu miniseries Dopesick (2021) and the FX's series The Bear (2023–2026). He also acted in the Amazon Prime Video historical miniseries The Underground Railroad (2021) and the Netflix projects Black Mirror: Bandersnatch (2018) and Black Mirror: Plaything (2025).
Early life and education William Jack Poulter was born on 28 January 1993 in Hammersmith, London, the son of Neil Poulter, a professor of preventative cardiovascular medicine at Imperial College London, and Caroline (née Barrah), a former nurse who was brought up in Kenya.
He was a pupil at Harrodian School, whose well-known acting graduates include George MacKay and Robert Pattinson. He struggled in school due to dyslexia and developmental co-ordination disorder, but found that he loved drama, which "gave [him] a sense of purpose".
Poulter began studying drama at the University of Bristol in 2012, before leaving after a year when he was offered a part in The Maze Runner.
Career 2007–2012: Early work Poulter played the role of Lee Carter in the 2007 film Son of Rambow, alongside his co-star Bill Milner. He performed with other young comedic actors in School of Comedy, which aired its pilot on Channel 4's Comedy Lab on 21 August 2008, before being commissioned for a full series in 2009.
In 2010 he played the role of Eustace Scrubb in the film The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, which was filmed in Queensland, Australia, and was accompanied by some members of his family.Will Poulter Cast as Eustace Scrubb at www.narniaweb.com (accessed 22 June 2008)Will Poulter Cast in Narnia 3 at www.comingsoon.net (accessed 22 June 2008) In 2010 he appeared in the BBC Three pilot The Fades, a 60-minute supernatural thriller written by Jack Thorne. The pilot was picked up as a six-part series in 2011, of which Poulter was not included.
In 2011 Poulter starred alongside Charlie Creed-Miles as Bill's son Dean, in the British independent film Wild Bill, directed by Dexter Fletcher. The cast included a host of British talent with Leo Gregory, Neil Maskell, Liz White, Iwan Rheon, Olivia Williams, Jaime Winstone, Andy Serkis, and Sean Pertwee, and scored a perfect 100% on Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer. In 2012 Poulter began studying drama at the University of Bristol where he lived in Badock Hall. He dropped out after a year in order to pursue acting full-time.
2013–present: Breakthrough and expansion
In 2013 Poulter played Kenny in We're the Millers, starring Jennifer Aniston and Jason Sudeikis. He also appeared as a caretaker in the music video for Rizzle Kicks' song "Skip to the Good Bit". He unsuccessfully auditioned for the role of Augustus Waters in The Fault in Our Stars.
In 2014 he played Fordy in the crime film Plastic, directed by Julian Gilbey and starring Ed Speleers, Alfie Allen, Sebastian De Souza and Emma Rigby. The same year, he played Gally in the film adaptation of The Maze Runner, alongside Dylan O'Brien and Kaya Scodelario. Poulter went on to describe the film, and his role in it, as "a turning point" in his career.
In 2015 Poulter starred as Shane in the Irish indie film Glassland, directed by Gerard Barrett and co-starring Jack Reynor and Toni Collette.
In 2014 Poulter won the BAFTA Rising Star Award, voted for by the public. The same year, he also won the MTV Movie Award for Best Breakthrough Performance and the MTV Movie Award for Best Kiss (shared with his co-stars Jennifer Aniston and Emma Roberts) for his performance in We're the Millers.
In 2014 Poulter was chosen as one of 23 upcoming actors to feature in July's issue of Vanity Fair, with all actors being named "Hollywood's Next Wave".
Poulter played Jim Bridger in the revenge-thriller The Revenant (2015), directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu, and starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hardy. The film centres on an 1820s frontiersman on a path of vengeance against those who left him for dead after a bear mauling. In 2017 he played the racist police officer Philip Krauss in the film Detroit, about the 1967 Detroit riots. His performance was praised by Metros Matt Prigge, who called him "terrifyingly confident".
Poulter was originally cast as Pennywise the Dancing Clown in the two supernatural horror films It (2017) and It Chapter Two (2019), both based on Stephen King's 1986 epic supernatural horror novel of the same name. However, it was announced in June 2016 that Bill Skarsgård had been cast instead as Poulter became unavailable after the departure of its initial director Cary Fukunaga.
In 2018 Poulter reprised his role as Gally in Maze Runner: The Death Cure, the third and final instalment of the Maze Runner film series. Later that year, he starred in the film The Little Stranger, as Roderick "Roddy" Ayres, a facially disfigured, haunted war veteran; and as game developer Colin Ritman in Black Mirror: Bandersnatch, a standalone interactive film of the Black Mirror television series.
In 2019, he played the character of Mark in Ari Aster's horror film Midsommar. That year, he and Asim Chaudry presented Lee Mack with the Best Entertainment Performance award at the BAFTA TV awards for Would I Lie to You. In 2020 he participated in filming The Dark Pictures Anthology: Little Hope, an interactive choice game created by Supermassive Games, in which he portrays Andrew, Anthony, and Abraham.
Poulter played the role of OxyContin sales representative Billy Cutler in Hulu's 2021 drama miniseries Dopesick. Poulter's performance was nominated for a 2022 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie for this role.
In October 2021, Poulter was cast as Adam Warlock in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, which released on 5 May 2023. and joined the upcoming miniseries Rabbit Rabbit.
Other ventures In September 2024, Poulter was named as an ambassador of dementia charity Alzheimer's Research UK.
Filmography +Key Denotes works that have not yet been released
Film Year Title Role Notes 2007 Son of Rambow Lee Carter 2010 The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader Eustace Scrubb 2011 Wild Bill Dean 2013 We're the Millers Kenny Rossmore 2014 Plastic Fordy Glassland Shane The Maze Runner Gally 2015 A Plea for Grimsby Jone Short film The Revenant Jim Bridger 2016 Kids in Love Jack 2017 War Machine Ricky Ortega Detroit Philip Krauss 2018 Maze Runner: The Death Cure Gally The Little Stranger Roderick Ayres 2019 Midsommar Mark Bainne Irish Farmer Short film 2021 The Score Troy 2023 Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 Adam Warlock 2024 On Swift Horses Lee Walker 2025 Death of a Unicorn Shepard Warfare Erik 2026 Union County Cody Parsons I Love Boosters Grayson 2027 Nathan Completed
Television
Year Title Role NotesRef.2007Comedy: ShuffleFind Your Folks Presenter 2 episodes2008Comedy LabVariousEpisode: "Kids School of Comedy"Lead BalloonSweet Throwing BoyEpisode: "Nuts"2009–2010School of ComedyVarious characters8 episodes; also writer2010The FadesMacEpisode: "Pilot" 2018Black Mirror: BandersnatchColin RitmanInteractive Netflix television film2021The Underground RailroadSamMiniseries; 1 episode DopesickBilly CutlerMiniseries; 8 episodes2022Why Didn't They Ask Evans?Bobby JonesMiniseries; 3 episodes2023–2026The BearLuca16 episodes2025Black MirrorColin RitmanEpisode: "Plaything"2026RuPaul's Drag Race: UK vs. the WorldGuest judgeSeries 3 Dr. Peter Brown Lead role; also executive producer Main role
Video games Year Title Role NotesRef. 2020 The Dark Pictures Anthology: Little Hope Andrew, Anthony, and Abraham Voice and motion capture
Radio Year Title Role NotesRef. 2022 Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Firewall Brody Teague Voice
Awards and nominations Organizations Year Category Work Result Ref. BAFTA Awards 2014 EE Rising Star Award British Independent Film Awards 2008 Most Promising NewcomerSon of Rambow 2025 Best Ensemble Performance Warfare Empire Awards 2014 Best Male Newcomer We're the Millers HCA TV Awards 2022 Best Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or MovieDopesick London Film Critics' Circle 2011Young British Performer of the Year The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader 2013 Wild Bill MTV Movie Awards 2014 Breakthrough Performance We're the Millers Best Kiss (shared with Emma Roberts and Jennifer Aniston) Best Musical Moment 2015 Best Fight (shared with Dylan O'Brien) The Maze Runner Phoenix Film Critics Society 2010 Best Youth Actor in a Leading or Supporting Role – MaleThe Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader Primetime Emmy Awards 2022 Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or Movie Dopesick 2024 Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series The Bear (episode: "Honeydew") Online Film & Television Association 2022 Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture or Limited Series Dopesick Saturn Awards 2011 Best Performance by a Younger Actor The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader Teen Choice Awards 2014 Choice Movie Liplock We're the Millers Young Artist Awards 2009 Best Leading Young Performers – International Feature Film Son of Rambow 2011 Best Young Ensemble Cast – Feature Film The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
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