Ed Speleers

Edward John "Ed" Speleers (born 7 April 1988) is an English actor and producer. He is best known for playing the title role in the 2006 film Eragon, as well as starring in Golden Globe and Emmy award-winning TV series Downton Abbey.

Early life

Speleers was born at St Richard's Hospital, Chichester, West Sussex. His parents divorced when he was three. His mother, Gill, lives in Spain; his father, John, is a financial consultant and lives in London. He has two older half brothers. In 2006, he left Eastbourne College to portray Eragon.

Career

Acting

Prior to Eragon, Speleers appeared in school productions, such as A Midsummer Night's Dream when he was 10,Peter Pan, A Streetcar Named Desire, Richard III and Hamlet. While at Eastbourne College, Speleers wrote a play, Retribution, with his friend Rob Curran, which investigated the subjects of child abuse and paedophilia. Speleers also acted in a short film by Charlie Bleakley, called Metropolis.

He then landed the lead role of the 20th Century Fox screen version of Eragon in 2006. In 2008, he appeared in the British prime time series Echo Beach as Jimmy Penwarden.