Who is Joe Alwyn - Taylor Swift’s ‘London Boy’? (or former London Boy)

He may be best known for his relationship with one of the world’s biggest pop stars, but Joe Alwyn has built up quite a career of his own.

The English actor was raised in north London, and studied English literature at the University of Bristol.

But he joined the National Youth Theatre in 2009 and went on to study drama and acting at the Royal Central School for Speech and Drama, graduating in 2015.

Now 32, his feature debut was in the title role of Ang Lee’s 2016 war drama, Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk. It was reported that his American accent was so believable on set, that Steve Martin did not realise he was English until a few weeks in.

It was in this same year that Joe and Taylor Swift made their relationship official. Over the last seven years, he has inspired songs such as Lover, Invisible String and, in her most recent release, All the Girls You’ve Loved Before.

He inspired the song London Boy which sees the couple tour the city - everywhere from Hackney to Camden to Brixton.

Further parts followed, including in 2018’s The Favourite, in which he played Samuel, Emma Stone’s love interest, as well as sharing scenes with Oscar winner Olivia Colman.

In the 2019 drama Harriet, starring Cynthia Erivo, Joe played Gideon Brodess, the childhood playmate turned slave owner of Harriet Tubman.

He starred alongside Bella Ramsey and Andrew Scott in Catherine Called Birdy in 2022, a period comedy directed and produced by Lena Dunham.

Most recently he can be seen in the television adaptation of Sally Rooney’s hit novel, Conversations with Friends, on Amazon Prime.

A few days ago, he announced a role in the upcoming film, The Brutalist, in which he will act alongside Adrien Brody and Felicity Jones.

The synopsis of the movie says the plot will follow “thirty years of an artist’s life and his enduring creative journey”.

“When visionary architect László Toth (Brody) and his wife Erzsébet (Jones) flee post-war Europe to rebuild their legacy in America, a mysterious and wealthy client (Guy Pearce) ends up changing their lives forever.”

Joe’s role in the film has not been announced yet.