Ed Skrein started out with a degree in fine art painting but ended up becoming a rapper and an actor. A man of many talents, he has also been a swimming coach for the non-profit Greenwich Leisure Ltd. since he was 15. He released his first music album in 2007 (The Eat Up) and made his debut in a feature film in Ill Manors (2012).

He has played roles in major franchises including Daario Naharis in Game of Thrones (2013), the villainous Ajax in Deadpool (2016), and the protagonist Frank Martin Jr. in The Transporter: Refueled (2015). In 2018 he was offered the role of Benjamin Daimio for the Hellboy reboot but reportedly turned it down so the casting could go to an actor of the appropriate ethnicity. His 2019 releases include Alita: Battle Angel, Maleficent: Mistress of Evil and Midway.