Jonathan Bailey, known to many as Lord Bridgerton, thrilled fans earlier this year with the announcement of his guest appearance on the hit teen romance drama, Heartstopper.
The third series of Heartstopper, adapted from Alice Oseman’s graphic novels of the same name, is scheduled for release on Netflix on October 3. In it, Bailey will portray Jack Maddox, an Instagram-famous author who is also the celebrity crush of main character Charlie Spring (Joe Locke).
As the 36 year old actor’s Heartstopper debut approaches, let’s take a moment to reacquaint ourselves with him.
Born and bred in rural Oxfordshire, Jonathan discovered his passion for acting as a youngster, growing up with three older sisters. He attributes his sisters’ habit of dressing him up every Sunday as one of the factors that attracted him to the craft.
Before making his television debut, he began his stage career at the tender age of seven. In 1995, he alternated between the roles of Tiny Tim and Young Scrooge in the Royal Shakespeare Company’s production of A Christmas Carol at the Barbican Theatre, reports the Mirror.
Since then, he has graced the stage in several major West End productions, including American Psycho: The Musical, Certain Young Men, and the Olivier Award-winning Company.
Away from the theatre, Jonathan has taken on a variety of TV roles, starting with a part in the 1997 period drama Bramwell. Over ten years later, he secured a role in the highly praised ITV drama Broadchurch as aspiring journalist Olly Stevens, one of the actor’s most notable roles.
Before his breakout role in Bridgerton, he appeared in a variety of series. His early work includes a part in Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s comedy Crashing in 2016, where he portrayed a queer character named Sam.
He also made a guest appearance in Michaela Coel’s Chewing Gum in 2017, maintaining his comedic presence. Then came his role as Lord Anthony Bridgerton in the hit series Bridgerton, where he plays a member of a high-society family.
Post-Bridgerton, Jonathan has been involved in several projects, including the period drama Fellow Travellers. The show focuses on the love story of two gay men striving to keep their relationship alive amidst the social and political challenges of America from the 1950s to the 1980s.
Jonathan has also spoken candidly about his life away from the cameras. In a discussion with The Standard, he opened up about facing a homophobic incident during the production of Fellow Travellers. In the same interview, he also shared that he is in a relationship but wishes to keep it “private.”
How did Jonathan get involved with Heartstopper?
Following the news that he would be joining the cast of Heartstopper for its third season, Jonathan expressed his admiration for the LGBTQ+ centric show. Speaking to journalist Marc Malkin, he said: “Like so many people, I watched the first series and thought it was one of the biggest, most beautiful gifts to so many people, and I wish I had that growing up.”
He went on to say: “I had a mutual friend who knows [producer Patrick Walters] and I just said, if there’s anything I could do to help and be a part of that story.”
“It’s not just for our community. It’s for every person who is a member of a family who has a member of the LGBT+ community. It helps all of us.”
Heartstopper Season 3 comes to Netflix on October 3