Austin Butler

Austin Robert Butler (born August 17, 1991) is an American actor and singer. He is known for his roles as James "Wilke" Wilkerson in the television series Switched at Birth,[1] Jordan Gallagher on Ruby & the Rockits, Sebastian Kydd in The Carrie Diaries, Tex Watson in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood and Wil Ohmsford in The Shannara Chronicles.

Austin Butler
Butler in July 2019
Born
Austin Robert Butler

(1991-08-17) August 17, 1991
Anaheim, California, U.S.
OccupationActor, singer
Years active2005–present

Early life

Austin Butler was born on August 17, 1991, in Anaheim, California, the son of Lori Anne (née Howell), an aesthetician,[2] and David Butler.[3][4][5][6] He has an older sister Ashley (born in 1986), who worked as a background-actor alongside him on Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide.[5][7]

When Butler was thirteen, he was approached by a representative from a background-acting management company at the Orange County Fair who helped him get started in the entertainment industry.[4][5][8][9] He found that he enjoyed it and soon began taking acting classes.[4][8][9]

Career

In 2005, after working as an extra on several television series, Butler landed his first regular job as a background actor playing the role of Lionel Scranton for two seasons on Nickelodeon's Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide.[7][8][10] His friend on the show, Lindsey Shaw, introduced him to her manager, Pat Cutler who immediately offered to represent him, and from that point on, Butler began taking acting seriously as a career.[4][8]

In May 2007, Butler landed a guest starring role on the Disney Channel series Hannah Montana playing the role of Derek Hanson opposite actress Miley Cyrus, and in September of that same year, he portrayed Jake Krandle in the episode "iLike Jake" on the Nickelodeon series iCarly.[5][7][8][10]

Butler in March 2008

In February 2008, Butler landed a main role on the Nickelodeon/Family show Zoey 101 playing James Garrett, the love interest of Jamie Lynn Spears's title character Zoey, and in March of that year, he appeared in an episode of Out of Jimmy's Head playing the role of Lance in the episode titled "Princess".[5][7][8][10]

In July 2009, Butler starred in 20th Century Fox's family adventure movie Aliens in the Attic (originally titled They Came From Upstairs), portraying Jake Pearson, alongside Ashley Tisdale, Carter Jenkins, Robert Hoffman, Kevin Nealon and Doris Roberts.[5][8][10] In the movie, his character, along with his family, battles to save their vacation home and the world from an alien invasion.[5][8] That same summer, Butler appeared in the starring role of Jordan Gallagher on the popular, but short-lived ABC Family series Ruby & the Rockits, alongside David Cassidy, Patrick Cassidy and his good friend, Alexa Vega.[4][5][10] Butler portrayed the cousin of Alexa's character Ruby, whom he has a crush on, reasoning that it was because he never grew up with her.

In February 2010, Butler landed a recurring role as Jones on the CW series Life Unexpected,[4][9][11] and that same month, he appeared in an episode of Wizards of Waverly Place titled "Positive Alex" where he played Alex's new crush, George.[4][11] In June of that year, Butler appeared in two consecutive Jonas episodes where he played Stone Stevens,[4] and in December of that year, Butler's guest-starred on CSI: Miami and The Defenders.[9][11]

Also in 2010, Butler's Aliens in the Attic co-star Ashley Tisdale invited him to audition for a lead role in the film Sharpay's Fabulous Adventure, a spin-off of Disney's High School Musical franchise that followed the adventures of Sharpay Evans after high school as she tries to get her big break on Broadway.[5][9][12] In the film, Butler played Peyton Leverette, a handsome student filmmaker who finds Sharpay nearly as fascinating as she finds herself.[4][9][12]

In December 2010, Butler told Week In Rewind about landing his role in Sharpay's Fabulous Adventure: "I had worked with Ashley once, and then I heard about the movie, because she called me and said, 'Austin, I want you to come and read for the director for this—I think you'd be perfect.' So, I went and met with the director, and it went really well, and I ended up doing the movie."[9] The film wrapped production in July 2010 and was released direct-to-DVD on April 19, 2011.[13]

In 2011, he booked the role of Wilke on the ABC Family series Switched at Birth, debuting on June 27, 2011.[14] In the same year, he signed onto play a lead role of Zack Garvey in the Lifetime TV movie called The Bling Ring, made by Dick Clark Productions and directed by Michael Lembeck who previously directed Tooth Fairy and the last two installments in The Santa Clause franchise as well as The Bling Ring, a Lifetime television movie, aired on September 26, 2011 which stars Austin Butler as Zack Garvey (based on Nick Prugo). It follows a group of young burglars as they target the homes of some of Hollywood's celebrities. Jennifer Grey of Dirty Dancing plays Iris Garvey, the mother of Butler's character Zack, one of the defendants. The movie also stars Yin Chang, Renee Olstead and Spencer Locke. The movie was released on September 26, 2011.[15]

In January 2012, Butler guest-starred on the NBC comedy Are You There, Chelsea? in the third episode "Believe", playing the role of Luke, a band lead singer who Laura Prepon's title character is attracted to.[16]

In March 2012, Butler was cast in The CW's Sex and the City prequel series, The Carrie Diaries, to play Sebastian Kydd, a brooding heartthrob attending the same high school as Carrie Bradshaw, played by AnnaSophia Robb. The Carrie Diaries is based on Candace Bushnell's novel by the same name and follows Bradshaw's life in the 1980s as a teenager in New York City.[17] The show was cancelled on May 8, 2014 after two seasons.[18]

In April 2014, it was announced that Butler had joined the cast of the play Death of the Author at the Geffen Playhouse in Los Angeles. He played the role of Bradley, a pre-law student with a double major in political science and math, and is set to graduate from a wealthy university. The play is directed by Bart DeLorenzo and written by Steven Drukman. Following previews on May 20, 2014, the play ran from May 28 to June 29.[19][20][21] In September 2014, it was announced that Butler had joined the cast of Arrow as the recurring role of Chase. His character was a DJ and a love interest of Willa Holland's character Thea Queen.[22]

He co-starred with Miranda Cosgrove and Tom Sizemore in the thriller film The Intruders,[23] and appeared in Kevin Smith's horror-comedy film Yoga Hosers (2016), about 15-year-old yoga nuts, Colleen Collette and Colleen McKenzie. The films also stars Johnny Depp, Lily-Rose Depp, Harley Quinn Smith and Haley Joel Osment.[24]

In 2016, he began playing the role of Wil Ohmsford in The Shannara Chronicles, MTV's television adaptation of the Terry Brooks novel The Elfstones of Shannara.[25] On January 16, 2018, it was announced that the series had been cancelled after two seasons.[26] Producers later announced that the series is being shopped to other networks.[27]

He made his Broadway debut playing Don Parritt, the "lost boy" in The Iceman Cometh. Previews for the limited run began on March 26, 2018 and the play closed on July 1, 2018. Per Hilton Als' review of the play in The New Yorker: "Although there are many performers in George C. Wolfe's staging of Eugene O'Neill's phenomenal [...] drama, The Iceman Cometh, [...] there is only one actor, and his name is Austin Butler."[28]

In July 2019, he appeared in the Quentin Tarantino film Once Upon a Time in Hollywood as a fictional version of Charles "Tex" Watson, who considered himself to be Charles Manson's right-hand man.[29][30] That same month, Butler was cast as Elvis Presley in Baz Luhrmann's biographical film about the singer.[31][32]

Personal life

Butler attended public school until the seventh grade when he left to be home-schooled to accommodate his work schedule.[7][8] He continued his home-school education until the tenth grade when he took the CHSPE to finish his formal high school education.

Butler enjoys creating and recording music and began playing the guitar at the age of thirteen and piano at sixteen.[5][8][10] He enjoys collecting guitars, and his other hobbies include outdoor activities that keep him in shape such as basketball, hiking, and cycling, as well as exercising in his home gym.[8]

Butler was in a relationship with actress Vanessa Hudgens from 2011 to 2020.[33][34]

Filmography

Film
Year Title Role Notes
2007 The Faithful Danny Short film
2009 Aliens in the Attic Jake Pearson
2011 Sharpay's Fabulous Adventure Peyton Leverett
2012 My Uncle Rafael Cody Beck
2013 Life Life in in Space Space Assistant Shnotzy Short film
2015 The Intruders Noah Henry
2016 Yoga Hosers Hunter Calloway
2018 Dude Thomas Daniels
2019 The Dead Don't Die Jack
2019 Once Upon a Time in Hollywood Charles "Tex" Watson
2021 Elvis Elvis Presley Filming

Television
Year Title Role Notes
2005–2007 Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide Lionel Scranton Uncredited; 41 episodes
2005 Unfabulous Student Uncredited; episode: "The Eye Randy"
2006 Drake & Josh Extra Uncredited; episode: "The Demonator"
2006 Hannah Montana Toby Uncredited; episode: "My Best Friend's Boyfriend"
2007 iCarly Jake Krandle Episode: "iLike Jake"
2008 Zoey 101 James Garrett Main role (season 4)
2008 Out of Jimmy's Head Lance Episode: "Princess"
2009 Ruby & the Rockits Jordan Gallagher Main role
2009 Zeke and Luther Rutger Murdock Episode: "Adventure Boy"
2010–2011 Life Unexpected Jones Mager Recurring role; 10 episodes
2010 Wizards of Waverly Place George Episode: "Positive Alex"
2010 Jonas Stone Stevens 2 episodes
2010 CSI: Miami Josh Chapman Episode: "Happy Birthday"
2010 The Defenders Cody Dennis Episode: "Nevada v. Dennis"
2011 CSI: NY Benjamin Gold Episode: "Do or Die"
2011 The Bling Ring Zack Garvey Television film
2011–2012 Switched at Birth James "Wilkie" Wilkerson Recurring role; 14 episodes
2012 Are You There, Chelsea? Luke Episode: "Believe"
2013–2014 The Carrie Diaries Sebastian Kydd Main role
2014–2015 Arrow Chase 3 episodes
2016–2017 The Shannara Chronicles Wil Ohmsford Main role

Awards and nominations
Year Award Category Nominated work Result
2010 Young Artist Awards[35] Best Performance in a Feature Film – Young Ensemble Cast (shared with Megan Parker, Henri Young, Regan Young, and Carter Jenkins) Aliens in the Attic Nominated
Best Performance in a TV Series (Comedy or Drama) – Leading Young Actor Ruby & The Rockits Nominated
2011 Young Artist Awards[36] Best Performance in a TV Series – Guest Starring Young Actor 18–21 The Defenders Nominated
gollark: It might take several times longer than doing it by hand, but AUTOMATION.
gollark: Automate your random boring task!
gollark: > I wonder how long until neural interfaces are a thingGiven the current state of software security, I do not want computers near my brain.
gollark: <@!311619295010357248> > Couldn't you just temporarily find-and-replace that in the discord.py or whatever else code, until you can update it properly?
gollark: `blacklist` with `denylist`, as apparently that's what they changed.

References
  1. "Katie Leclerc Talks Austin Butler's Debut On 'Switched At Birth'". Archived from the original on 2012-03-30.
  2. "Lori Anne Howell-Butler Lori A". Santa Maria Times. September 17, 2014.
  3. "Austin Robert Butler". Family Tree Legends. Retrieved 2011-02-16.
  4. "Austin Butler – Sharpay's Fabulous Adventure". Pop Tower. Archived from the original on 2010-08-04. Retrieved 2011-02-16.
  5. "'Aliens in the Attic': Austin Butler". Scholastic.com. Archived from the original on January 5, 2011. Retrieved 2011-02-16.
  6. "Robert-D-Bentley-South-Saint-Paul – User Trees". Genealogy.com.
  7. "Austin Butler – Celebrity". TV Guide. Retrieved 2011-02-16.
  8. "Austin Butler Interview". Portrait Magazine. Archived from the original on 2012-09-07. Retrieved 2011-02-16.
  9. "Austin butler of the CW's 'Life Unexpected'". Week In Rewind. Retrieved 2011-02-16.{{|date=February 2020}}
  10. "Austin Butler in ABC Family's 'Ruby and the Rockits'". Media BLVD. Magazine. Archived from the original on May 2, 2011. Retrieved 2011-02-16.
  11. "Austin Butler dishes on 'Life Unexpected'". Aol Teens - Cambio.com. Retrieved 2011-02-16.
  12. "Sharpay's Fabulous Adventure". Disney Channel Medianet. Retrieved 2011-02-16.
  13. "Sharpay's Fabulous Adventure Coming This April". Aol Teens - Cambio.com. Retrieved 2011-02-16.
  14. "Callan McAuliffe, Austin Butler and Debby Ryan Interviews – Prom Premiere Video". Archived from the original on 2011-10-02.
  15. "Jackie K. Cooper: The Bling Ring Marks Marks the Return of Jennifer Grey". Huffington Post. September 19, 2011.
  16. ""ARE YOU THERE, CHELSEA?" "BELIEVE"" (Press release). NBC. January 25, 2012 – via The Futon Critic.
  17. Andreeva, Nellie (March 2, 2012). "Sarah Wright & Amy Huberman Get Leads In NBC Pilots, Austin Butler In 'Carrie Diaries'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 2014-05-09.
  18. Slezak, Michael (May 8, 2014). "Carrie Diaries, Tomorrow People and One More Cancelled, Three Others Renewed by The CW". TVLine. Retrieved 2014-05-09.
  19. "Austin Butler, Orson Bean & More to Star in DEATH OF THE AUTHOR at Geffen Playhouse this Summer". BroadwayWorld. April 9, 2014. Retrieved 2014-05-23.
  20. McNulty, Charles (May 30, 2014). "'Death of the Author' finds life in academic theory". Los Angeles Times. Tribune Company. Retrieved 2014-07-04.
  21. "Death of the Author". Geffen Playhouse. Retrieved 2014-05-23.
  22. Mitovich, Matt Webb (September 6, 2014). "Arrow Scoop: Carrie Diaries Star Cast as Love Interest for [Spoiler]". TVLine. Retrieved 2014-09-05.
  23. "Exclusive Clip: Miranda Cosgrove and More Talk "THE INTRUDERS"". Fangoria.
  24. Kit, Borys (August 19, 2014). "Kevin Smith and Johnny Depp Team for Action-Adventure 'Yoga Hosers' (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2014-08-23.
  25. Ossad, Jordana (December 8, 2014). "Austin Butler To Star In MTV's 'Shannara'". MTV News. Retrieved 2016-01-08.
  26. Petski, Denise (January 17, 2018). "'The Shannara Chronicles' Canceled After Two Seasons". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved January 17, 2018.
  27. Andreeva, Nellie (January 17, 2018). "'The Shannara Chronicles' Shopped To Other Networks For Season 3". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved January 17, 2018.
  28. Als, Hilton (May 7, 2018). "Eugene O'Neill's Unhappy Hour". The New Yorker. Retrieved May 5, 2018.
  29. N'Duka, Amanda (August 22, 2018). "Lena Dunham, Austin Butler, Maya Hawke, Lorenza Izzo Board Quentin Tarantino's 'Once Upon A Time In Hollywood'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved August 25, 2019.
  30. Rao, Sonia (July 29, 2019). "How true to life is the 'Once Upon a Time in Hollywood' ending?". The Washington Post. Retrieved August 25, 2019.
  31. Kroll, Justin (July 15, 2019). "Austin Butler to Star as Elvis in Baz Luhrmann's Biopic". Variety. Retrieved August 25, 2019.
  32. Fleming, Mike, Jr. (July 15, 2019). "Baz Luhrmann Sets Austin Butler In Starmaking Elvis Presley Role Opposite Tom Hanks In Warner Bros Film". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved August 25, 2019.
  33. Kimble, Lindsay (March 23, 2017). "Vanessa Hudgens on How She and Boyfriend Austin Butler Make Long-Distance Love Work". People. Retrieved 2018-07-25.
  34. Cooper, Mariah (January 14, 2020). "Vanessa Hudgens and Austin Butler Split After Nearly 9 Years Together". US Weekly. Retrieved January 14, 2020.
  35. "31st Annual Young Artist Awards". Young Artist Awards. Retrieved 2011-02-16.
  36. "32nd Annual Young Artist Awards". Young Artist Awards. Retrieved 2011-02-19.
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