A British-American film, television and stage actor, Andrew Rusell Garfield is mostly noted for hit movies like The Social Network, The Amazing-Spiderman, and The Amazing Spider-Man 2. He was also a part of the critically acclaimed television movie Boy A, for which Garfield won a British Academy Television Award for Best Actor.
Early Life
Born in Los Angeles, USA to an American father, whose parents were British and a British-born mother, Garfield moved to England at the young age of three and was raised in Surrey. He has an older brother, who is a doctor. A gymnast as a kid, Garfield was often bullied when he was young and identified immensely with Peter Parker, the alter ego of Spider-Man. At the age of 16, he realized that his true calling lies in the world of acting and graduated from the Central School of Speech and Drama, University of London, in 2004.
Personal Life
Andrew Garfield hardly ever discusses his personal life in public and believes in keeping his private life under the wraps. From 2011 to 2015, he was linked with his Amazing Spider-Man co-star Emma Stone. But neither had gone on record to either confirm or deny the speculations. In October 2015, the couple apparently called it quits, due to reasons unknown.
Movie Career
After garnering critical acclaim for a short film Mumbo Jumbo, Garfield starred in the TV film Boy A, in 2007. For his portrayal of a young man who starts his life all over again after coming out of a jail, Garfield received widespread acclaim . His second release in 2007 was the Meryl Streep and Robert Redford starrer drama Lions for Lambs. While the movie didn’t open to a good response at the box office, Lions for Lambs gave Garfield the chance to work with one of his favorite actors, Robert Redford.
In 2009, the actor appeared in the fantasy film The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, which, along with Andrew Garfield features Christopher Plummer, Lily Cole, Verne Troyer, and Tom Waits. Heath Ledger, who was supposed to be an integral part of the film, passed away during the filming and his part was then played by Johnny Depp, Jude Law, and Colin Farrell. Directed by Terry Gilliam, the movie failed to do well in the theaters.
The year 2010 proved to be a rather lucky one for the actor, with two successful movies: The Social Network and Never Let Me Go, releasing back to back. Directed by David Flincher, The Social Network opened to great reviews from the audiences and the critics, catapulting Garfield to stardom. Based on the social networking site Facebook, the movie stars Jesse Eisenberg as Mark Zuckerberg, the founder, along with Andrew Garfield as Eduardo Saverin and Justin Timberlake as Sean Parker, the other two instrumental people involved in making Facebook what it is today. His subsequent releases of the year was the dystopian society drama Never Let Me Go. For his portrayal of Tommy D, Garfield won the British Independent Film Award and Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor.
In 2012, Garfield featured in his career-defining role in the superhero film The Amazing Spider-Man. Directed by Marc Webb, the film co-starring Emma Stone, saw Garfield playing the titular character. The movie received a smashing opening, making Garfield’s childhood dream come true. He reprised the role in the sequel The Amazing Spider-Man 2, which released in 2014.
His 2016 release includes the biographical war film Hacksaw Ridge. Directed by Mel Gibson, the film stars Andrew Garfield, Vince Vaughn, Sam Worthington, Luke Bracey, Hugo Weaving, Ryan Corr, Teresa Palmer, Richard Pyros and Rachel Griffiths in important roles.
Television Career
Apart from starring in films, Garfield has also appeared in a few episodes of TV series like Sugar Rush, Doctor Who, Red Riding, and Saturday Night Live.
Stage Career
In 2012, Andrew Garfield made his Off-Broadway stage debut as Biff Loman in the play Death of a Salesman. Based on a dysfunctional father-son relationship, the play earned him his first Tony Award nomination.