Douglas John Booth is a young 22 year old actor posed to break through into Hollywood soon with his boyishly charming face and his regular appearances on both television and the big screen. He was born to a shipping finance consultant and a painter.
While his father is British his mother is half Spanish and half Dutch which perhaps has helped give the young actor so many of his charming features. Of course, when it comes to the ladies it is likely his impish grin and stubby beard that really draws attention. For the rest of the world it is his impressive acting resume for someone that has only been in the public eye for four years.
Booth moved to Sevenoaks, Kent at the age of ten and spent most of his time in private school where he had struggles with learning due to his severe dyslexia. To this day he still has problems with reading and stated that he really had to work hard at school putting in much more effort than anyone else to solve simple problems. However, while he had to work harder he credits this for building the resilient character that he has today.
According to Booth, his love for theater began at age 12 when he stared in Agamemnon at school. He said that this was the first time he ever felt engaged in anything and knew from that moment on that he had to be associated with acting in some form.
By the time he was 15 he joined the Curtis Brown acting agency and at age 16 took on his first professional acting job and decided to quit school and pursue a professional career in the arts. From here things started to take off in a very short period of time.
He kicked off his acting career with a role in From Time to Time in 2009, a children’s film starring Timothy Spall and Maggie Smith. He then took a minor role in a Channel 4 miniseries which helped him gain enough exposure to get cast as a model for Burberry.
In fact, he starred in Burberry’s 2009 autumn campaign opposite Emma Watson and then again in fall of 2010 opposite Rosie Huntington Whiteley. Shortly after he also was chosen as the star of the Burberry Sport fragrance ad series along with Lily Donaldson making him the guy everyone suddenly recognized.
However, it was Booth’s performance as Boy George in Worried About the Boy, a BBC Two drama that really helped put him in the spotlight. At the time even Boy George remarked that he really gets it and plenty of critics were mesmerized by Booth’s performance stating that he was a true discovery and very captivating.
He moved on from this BBC film to the BBC One 2011 adaption of Great Expectations by Charles Dickens. His co-stars in the film were Ray Winstone and Gillian Anderson and once again saw huge success as Pip although some critics argued he was too pretty for such a role.
Last year Booth made a splash as the bold actor that attempted to fill Leonard Decaprio’s big shoes by taking on the role of Romeo and Juliet in the new Carlo Carlei adaptation of the film. Critics wrote that the camera loved his face but that he had a week car-star in Hailee Steinfeld that limited his range. The exposure the film brought however has helped Booth jump into three very large projects this year that will likely make his name a household name.
This March he is going to appear with Emma Watson in the epic Noah by Darren Aronofsky. Of course, Watson’s appearance at all will make sure that people are watching him take a turn in the dramatic biblical story. Following that will be a notable role in Jupiter Ascending amidst a majorly star studded cast that includes Channing Tatum, Mila Kunis, and Eddie Redmayne.
As if that is not enough for any celebrity, Booth will also star in Posh a black comedy that also stars Freddie Fox, Sam Claflin, and Max Irons. For a 22 year old boy that lives with his sister in London, Booth has got a very full year in the spotlight ahead of him!
Trailer Noah