A good-looking,
young, blond British actor, Charlie Hunnam was best known for
his portrayal of Nathan, a gay teen, on the controversial
British series "Queer as Folk" but reached an American audience
with work on more accessible television fare. Discovered while
goofing off in a shoe store in his native Newcastle, Hunnam was
quickly cast on the BBC series "Byker Grove", playing a long-locked
model with a recurring role. From here he was cast on the BBC
teen series "Microsoap" and then landed the co-starring role on
Channel 4's "Queer as Folk" (1999).
Hunnam brought Nathan from shy, curious innocent to an
increasingly self-aware and determined man about town in the
initial eight episodes of the controversial series about gay
life and reprised the role in the two-hour sequel "Queer as Folk
2" (2000). As Nathan, Hunnam played such an integral role in the
groundbreaking series that he became something of a role model
for gay youth. The influence of the series was so far-reaching
that the young actor was asked to participate in a parliamentary
debate about the discriminatory British age of consent laws.
In 2000, Hunnam made his US television debut with a recurring
role on the teen drama "Young Americans" on The WB. From here he
landed a regular role on the Fox sitcom "Undeclared"
(2001-2002), a college-set series created by Judd Apatow of the
critically acclaimed but short-lived series "Freaks and Geeks".
The charm of "Undeclared", like its series predecessor, was in
the details and the fully-formed characters. Hunnam's Lloyd, a
theater major with an eye for the ladies, was a surprisingly
atypical character. The actor's fresh-faced charm and confident
swagger lent Lloyd a believable edge while the writing helped to
elevate the series and its primaries above typical teen
stereotypes.
Hunnam made his first leap to film in 1999 with a role as a rock
singer in the British comedy "Whatever Happened to Harold Smith?"
(released in the US in 2001). He made his US feature debut
opposite Katie Holmes in the thriller "Abandon" (2002) and
finished the year starring in the feature drama based on the
Charles Dickens' novel "Nicholas Nickleby."
He will next be seen in Anthony Minghella's new drama,"Cold
Mountain" (2003), alongside Hollywood’s A-list actors such as
Nicole Kidman, Jude Law and Renée Zellweger. Based on the novel
by Charles Frazier, "Cold Mountain" is set during the American
Civil War.
Hunnam was married to Katharine Towne from 1999 to 2002, they
met while filming ''Undeclared''.
