David Thewlis
Known for: Acting
David Wheeler (born March 20, 1963), better known as David Thewlis, is an English actor and filmmaker. He is known as a character actor and has appeared in a wide variety of genres in both film and television. He has received the Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actor and nominations for two BAFTA Awards, Golden Globe Award, Primetime Emmy Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award. Thewlis made his film debut in Little Dorrit (1987) and acted in the Mike Leigh films Life is Sweet (1990) and Naked (1993), winning the Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actor for the latter. He then appeared in films such as Black Beauty (1994), Restoration (1995), James and the Giant Peach (1996), Dragonheart (1996), and Seven Years in Tibet (1997). He became more widely known to film audiences for his roles as Remus Lupin in the Harry Potter franchise (2004–2011) and Ares / Sir Patrick Morgan in Wonder Woman (2017). Other film roles include Kingdom of Heaven (2005), The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas (2008), War Horse (2011), The Theory of Everything (2014), Anomalisa (2015), I'm Thinking of Ending Things (2020), and Enola Holmes 2 (2022). Thewlis' most notable television roles include V. M. Varga in the third season of FX's Fargo (2017), the voice of the Shame Wizard in the Netflix animated sitcoms Big Mouth (2017–present) and Human Resources (2022–present), Christopher Edwards in the HBO miniseries Landscapers (2021), and John Dee in the Netflix drama series The Sandman (2022). His performance in Fargo earned him nominations for an Emmy, a Golden Globe, and a Critics' Choice Award.
Filmography
Film
Avatar: Fire and Ash
Peylak
2025
Series
Fargo
V.M. Vargas
2014
Series
Big Mouth
Shame Wizard (voice)
2017
Series
Big Mouth
Lionel St. Swithens (voice)
2017
Series
Big Mouth
Actor (voice)
2017
Film
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Remus Lupin
2004
Film
Justice League
Ares
2017
Series
The Sandman
John Dee
2022
Film
Kingdom of Heaven
Hospitaler
2005
Film
The Big Lebowski
Knox Harrington
1998
Series
Screen Two
Franz
1985
Film
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2
Remus Lupin
2011
Film
Zack Snyder's Justice League
Ares
2021
Film
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Remus Lupin
2007
Film
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1
Remus Lupin
2010
Series
KAOS
Hades
2024
Series
Only Fools and Horses
Stew
1981
Series
The Artful Dodger
Norbert Fagin
2023
Film
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
Remus Lupin
2009
Film
Stonehearst Asylum
Mickey Finn
2014
Film
RED 2
The Frog
2013
Film
Wonder Woman
Sir Patrick
2017
Series
Human Resources
Memory Bank Manager (voice)
2022
Series
Human Resources
Lionel St. Swithens (voice)
2022
Series
Sherlock & Daughter
Sherlock Holmes
2025
Film
The Mercy
Rodney Hallworth
2018
Film
Timeline
Robert Doniger
2003
Series
Dinotopia
Cyrus Crabb
2002
Series
Prime Suspect
James Jackson
1991
Series
ScreenPlay
Joey
1986
Series
ScreenPlay
Terry
1986
Film
The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas
Father
2008
Film
The Theory of Everything
Dennis Sciama
2014
Film
Signal One
Perry
2026
Series
Landscapers
Christopher Edwards
2021
Series
Screen One
Tim Shanks
1989
Film
Enola Holmes 2
Grail
2022
Film
I'm Thinking of Ending Things
Father
2020
Film
The Island of Dr. Moreau
Douglas
1996
Film
Basic Instinct 2
Roy Washburn
2006
Film
James and the Giant Peach
Earthworm (voice)
1996
Film
Seven Years in Tibet
Peter Aufschnaiter
1997
Film
The Amazing Maurice
Boss Man / Rat King (voice)
2022
Series
The Feed
Lawrence Hatfield
2019
Film
Legend
Leslie Payne
2015
Film
The New World
Wingfield
2005
Film
Val
Self (archive)
2021
Film
War Horse
Lyons
2011
Series
The Singing Detective
Soldier
1986
Film
DragonHeart
King Einon
1996
Film
Veronika Decides to Die
Dr. Blake
2009
Series
Barkskins
Claude Trepagny
2020
Film
Anonymous
William Cecil
2011
Film
The Fifth Estate
Nick Davies
2013
Film
Total Eclipse
Paul Verlaine
1995
Film
The Thing with Feathers
Crow (voice)
2025
Film
Damage
Detective
1992
Series
The Street
Joe Jennerson / Harry Jennerson
2006
Film
London Boulevard
Jordan
2010
Film
The Zero Theorem
Joby
2013
Film
An Inspector Calls
Inspector Goole - The Inspector
2015
Film
Black Beauty
Jerry Barker
1994
Series
A Bit of a Do
Paul Simcock
1989
Series
Frank Stubbs Promotes
Mike Bence
1993
Film
Naked
Johnny
1993
Film
The Omen
Keith Jennings
2006
Film
The Miracle Maker
Judas Iscariot (voice)
2000
Film
Anomalisa
Michael Stone (voice)
2015
Summer Season
Keith
1985
Summer Season
Jim 'Grams' Dench
1985
Film
Macbeth
Duncan
2015
Film
Regression
Professor Kenneth Raines
2015
Film
Goodbye Charlie Bright
Charlie's Dad
2001
Film
Life Is Sweet
Nicola's Lover
1991
Film
Guest of Honour
Jim
2020
Film
Final Cut: Ladies and Gentlemen
(archive footage)
2012
Film
Restoration
John Pearce
1995
Film
Harry Potter: A History Of Magic
Himself
2017
Film
Eternal Beauty
Mike
2020
Film
Gangster No. 1
Freddie Mays
2000
Series
Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit
Doctor
1990
Film
Queen & Country
Sargeant Major Bradley
2015
Series
Shrinks
Terry Slater
1991
Film
Beyond Boundaries: The Harvey Weinstein Scandal
Self (archive footage)
2018
Series
Dirty Business
Ash Smith
2026
Film
The Lady
Michael Aris
2011
Series
Dandelion Dead
Oswald Martin
1994
Film
All the Invisible Children
Jonathan (segment "Jonathan")
2006
Film
The Trial
Franz
1993
Film
Besieged
Jason Kinsky
1998
Film
50 Greatest Harry Potter Moments
Self - Remus Lupin
2011
Film
Afraid of the Dark
Locksmith / Tom Miller
1992
Film
The Inner Life of Martin Frost
Martin Frost
2007
Film
Cheeky
Harry Sankey
2003
Film
Rare Beasts
Vic
2021
Film
Little Dorrit
George Braddle
1987
Film
Little Wolf's Book of Badness
Mr. Twister (voice)
2003
Film
American Perfekt
Santini
1997
Film
Whatever Happened to Harold Smith?
Nesbit
2000
Film
Check the Gate: Putting Beckett on Film
Self - Clov (archive footage)
2003
Skulduggery
Tony
1991
Film
Vroom
Ringe
1988
Film
Mr. Nice
Jim McCann
2010
Film
Divorcing Jack
Dan Starkey
1998
Film
Dinotopia
Cyrus Crabb
2002
Film
D.I.Y. Hard
Man
2002
Series
Valentine Park
Max
1987
Film
The Organ Grinder's Monkey
Pablo (voice)
2011
Series
Naked
Johnny
1993
Film
The Magic Touch of Harry Potter
Self
2004
Film
The Making of 'DragonHeart'
Self
1997
Film
Resurrected
Kevin Deakin
1989
Film
Road
Joey
1987
Film
How to Get a Head in Sculpture
Self
2011
Film
None of Them Are You: Crafting Anomalisa
Self
2016
Film
Filipina Dreamgirls
Tim Shanks
1991
Film
Hamilton Mattress
Hamilton Mattress (voice)
2002
Film
The Short & Curlies
Clive
1987
Film
Deep Red Instant Love
1988
Film
Radio Pictures
JIM 'Grams'
1985
Film
Swords at Teatime
Mike
1992
Film
Love Story
Dealer
1999
Film
Discovering Dinotopia
Cyrus
2002
Film
Athena
Chuck
2010
Film
Separate We Come, Separate We Go
Norman
2013
Sunday Roast
Dick Puck
2014
Black and Blue
Crematorium Attendant
1992
Film
Dreamtown: A Brief Anatomy of Blackpool
Self
1994
Journey to Knock
Terry
1991
Film
Endgame
Clov
2000