Jamie Campbell Bower
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Jamie Campbell Bower, born November 22nd, 1988, is an English actor and singer whose career has spanned from dark fantasy epics to gripping television dramas. He burst onto the cinematic scene in 2007 with a supporting role in Tim Burton's "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street." His captivating presence soon landed him roles in the immensely popular "The Twilight Saga" from 2009 to 2012, and as the formidable young Gellert Grindelwald in "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1" in 2010, a role he would revisit in "Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald" in 2018.
Bower also graced the small screen, holding main cast positions in the fantasy series "Camelot" on Starz in 2011, and the Shakespearean-inspired drama "Will" on TNT in 2017. Beyond acting, Bower fronted the London-based band Counterfeit from 2015 to 2020, showcasing his musical talents. He then embarked on a solo music career in 2020, and in 2022, delivered a critically acclaimed performance as Henry Creel, later the terrifying Vecna, in the fourth season of Netflix's fantasy phenomenon, "Stranger Things."
Born in London, Bower's artistic inclinations were evident from a young age. His mother, Anne Elizabeth Roseberry, is a music manager, and his father, David Bower, works for the Gibson Guitar Corporation. His maternal lineage traces back to musician and scholar Eric Norman Roseberry, and Elspeth Mary Campbell, a descendant of Sir John Campbell. Bower's early years were filled with music; he began playing the violin using the Suzuki method and attended Bedales School, a notable co-educational independent institution. He also honed his performance skills as a member of the National Youth Music Theatre and the National Youth Theatre.
Bower's professional acting journey began when a friend, Laura Michelle Kelly, introduced him to her agent. His early film credits include a co-starring role as Anthony Hope in "Sweeney Todd" and appearances in "RocknRolla" and "Winter in Wartime" in 2008. He took on the role of Number 11–12 in the 2009 remake of "The Prisoner." His foray into the supernatural continued with his portrayal of the vampire Caius Volturi in "The Twilight Saga: New Moon" and the "Breaking Dawn" films. As the young Gellert Grindelwald, he brought a chilling intensity to "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1," and later reprised the role in "Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald." He also embodied King Arthur in the 2011 television series "Camelot" and appeared in music videos for The Xcerts and Florence + The Machine. In 2013, he starred as Jace Wayland in the film adaptation of "The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones."
In 2015, Bower took to the West End stage as Joe in the musical "Bend It Like Beckham." The following year, he portrayed the complex character of Christopher Marlowe in the TNT series "Will," a poet, spy, and rival to Shakespeare, delving into themes of death and the occult. While he was announced to star in a Game of Thrones prequel series, "Bloodmoon," HBO ultimately decided not to move forward with the project. Bower also featured in the 2019 film "Six Days of Sistine" and has lent his voice to the character of Skiff in the "Thomas & Friends" franchise since 2015. His transformative performance as Henry Creel / Vecna in "Stranger Things" in 2022, requiring up to eight hours of makeup daily, garnered significant critical acclaim and cemented his status as a versatile actor.
Musically, Bower began as the lead singer of the band The Darling Buds before forming Counterfeit, releasing their debut album in 2017 and embarking on a US tour. Following the band's split in 2020, he launched his solo career. He has spoken about his preference for writing country songs due to their structure and has expressed a desire to create a musical project inspired by Dante's "Inferno." A baritone, Bower announced the formation of a new band, BloodMagic, with musician Kyle Adams in 2024, accompanied by a social media overhaul.
Bower's musical influences are diverse, ranging from Placebo and Deftones to Blur and Oasis. For his solo work, he draws inspiration from The Cure, particularly their album "Pornography," and black metal artists like Sunn O))) and Mayhem, especially when preparing for his "Stranger Things" role. He also cited Placebo's cover of Kate Bush's "Running Up That Hill" as an influence for Vecna.
Early in his career, Bower also pursued a modeling path, working with Select Model Management. He has since appeared in campaigns for prestigious brands including Burberry, Dolce & Gabbana, Dior, Fendi, and Hugo Boss, as well as gracing the pages of Flaunt Magazine and walking the runway for Tom Ford. He is also a testimonial for Saint Laurent.
Bower is currently based in Los Angeles and has a younger brother, Samuel, who was also a member of Counterfeit. He has openly discussed his mild dyslexia. In his personal life, he was engaged to actress Bonnie Wright, whom he met on the set of "Harry Potter," before their amicable split in 2012. He also had an on-off relationship with actress Lily Collins.
Bower has been candid about his past struggles with alcoholism and mental health. He has spoken about his recovery journey, emphasizing the importance of honesty and expressing feelings. In 2019, he released the song "It Gets Better" with Counterfeit, addressing these themes. He has shared his experiences with sobriety and mental health hospital stays, receiving praise from mental health organizations. He has detailed how alcohol was a coping mechanism for anxiety and insecurities, and his journey towards healing, which involves letting go of control and embracing vulnerability.
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James Metcalfe Campbell Bower (born 22 November 1988) is an English actor and singer. He made his feature film debut in 2007 with a supporting role in Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. He went on to feature in The Twilight Saga (2009–2012) and as the young Gellert Grindelwald in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 (2010) and Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald (2018). Bower was part of the main casts of the fantasy series Camelot (2011) on Starz and Will (2017) on TNT.
From 2015 to 2020, he was the frontman of the London-based band Counterfeit. In 2020 he started releasing music as a solo artist. In 2022, Bower featured as Henry Creel / Vecna in the fourth season of the Netflix fantasy series Stranger Things, for which he received critical acclaim.
== Early life ==
Bower was born in London. His mother Anne Elizabeth Roseberry (b. 28 June 1954) is a music manager and his father David Bower works for the Gibson Guitar Corporation. His mother is one of the four daughters of Eric Norman Roseberry, musician and scholar, and first wife Elspeth Mary Campbell, great-great-granddaughter of Sir John Campbell, of Airds, Lieutenant Governor of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.
Bower has had an interest in music and performance from a young age. He started playing the violin as a child, and was taught using the Suzuki method. He attended Bedales School, a co-educational independent school in Hampshire, and is a former member of the National Youth Music Theatre and the National Youth Theatre.
== Career ==
=== Acting career ===
Bower began his professional career when his friend Laura Michelle Kelly recommended him to her agent.
In 2007, he co-starred as Anthony Hope in Tim Burton's Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. In 2008, he played Rocker in the film RocknRolla and Jack in Winter in Wartime. In 2009, he starred in the 2009 remake of the series The Prisoner as Number 11–12.
Also in 2009, he played the vampire Caius Volturi in the film The Twilight Saga: New Moon and both Twilight: Breaking Dawn films. He appeared as a young Gellert Grindelwald (the dark wizard defeated by Albus Dumbledore) in the 2010 film Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1; he reprised this role in the 2018 film Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald. He played King Arthur in the 2011 television series Camelot. In 2010, he starred in the music video for Young (Belane) by The Xcerts.
In 2012, Bower appeared in the music video for Never Let Me Go by Florence + The Machine. He played Jace Wayland in The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones, the 2013 film adaptation of The Mortal Instruments series, by Cassandra Clare.
In June 2015, Bower began playing the role of Joe in the West End musical Bend It Like Beckham.
In July 2017, he was on the TNT original series Will. He played the role of the poet, gay atheist and spy Christopher Marlowe who was jealous of Shakespeare. Christopher Marlowe is preoccupied with death, the supernatural and the occult. Bower explained that the series delves into Marlowe's life and refers him as a naughty boy.
In January 2019, Bower was announced as a star in the prelude series to Game of Thrones, titled Bloodmoon (also known as The Long Night), but HBO announced it had decided not to make the series in October 2019. He starred in the 2019 film Six Days of Sistine, distributed by Mbur Indie Film Distributor and co-starring Elarica Johnson. Since 2015, Bower has voiced Skiff in the Thomas & Friends franchise, having contributed to the television show, two home videos, and the feature film Sodor's Legend of the Lost Treasure.
In 2022, Bower starred as Henry Creel / One / Vecna in season four of the Netflix series Stranger Things. Makeup for the role took up to eight hours a day to apply. His performance in the series garnered critical acclaim.
=== Music career ===
Originally, Bower was the lead singer of the band The Darling Buds, which never released an album and that dissolved in June 2015.
Then, Bower became the frontman and singer for the band Counterfeit, which released its first album in March 2017, and had a US tour in the same year. In November 2020, Bower announced the band's split through their Instagram page. He released music as a solo artist shortly after. When Counterfeit disbanded, Bower said he felt sadness and grief. He also said that he likes writing country songs because of the structure of it. He stated: "As far back as I can remember, whenever I picked up a microphone, it was harder for me to sing wholly in a British accent than to just wail away and drop my T's or bend notes so it almost sounds American". He also said that he would like to create a musical project inspired by the Divine Comedy, especially by the Inferno. Bower is a baritone. On 1 April 2024 he announced the creation and his personal participation in a new music band BloodMagic, while deleting all of his photos from his Instagram account and creating a new additional one, named according new band, BloodMagic with musician, drummer Kyle Adams.
==== Musical influences ====
During his career Bower has often talked about his musical influences. In a 2019 interview he told that some artists who influenced his career are Placebo, Deftones, Blur, Oasis and Marilyn Manson. In a 2022 interview he said that his greatest inspiration during his solo career are The Cure, especially their album Pornography, and also black metal artists such as Sunn O))), Mayhem, Darkthrone and Carpathian Forest, especially when preparing for his role in Stranger Things as Vecna. He also said that another musical inspiration for the same role was the Placebo's cover of Kate Bush's song Running Up That Hill.
=== Modelling career ===
At the beginning of his career he was a part-time model with Select Model Management in London. Afterwards, Bower has posed and has been testimonial for various fashion brands: in December 2013, he joined the cast of Burberry's Campaign Stars for spring/summer 2014, in 2016 he posed for Dolce & Gabbana and Dior, in 2017 he parared for Hugo Boss's Fall/Winter 2017 Campaign, in 2018 he portrayed for Fendi, and in a photoshoot for Flaunt Magazine in the same year he posed with model Erika Linder, in february 2024 during the Milan Fashion Week he paraded for Tom Ford and in September 2025 he portrayed for Cartier and Ann Demeulemeester. During the same year he also posed for a Hugo Boss campaign in collaboration with Formula One.
Bower is also testimonial for Saint Laurent.
== Personal life ==
Bower is currently based in Los Angeles. He has a younger brother, Samuel Bower, born in 1994, who was with him in COUNTERFEIT. Bower has a mild form of dyslexia.
In February 2010, Bower was confirmed to be dating actress Bonnie Wright, whom he had met on the set of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1. In April 2011, they confirmed their engagement. On 30 June 2012, they amicably ended their engagement. From 2012 to 2018, he was in an on-off relationship with actress Lily Collins. Bower is currently involved with aspiring influencer Elena Taber.
=== Health ===
Bower has opened up several times about his past struggles with alcoholism and mental health issues. In 2019, he said about the recovery: "I'm in recovery, so one of the first things that they teach you when you're in recovery is to be super honest about what it is that you're feeling, like guilt, shame, fear, sadness, whatever it is, the most important thing is, and it's the hardest thing to do, is just express exactly what it is that you're feeling." In the same year, he published with Counterfeit the song It Gets Better about it. In July 2022, Bower spoke about his sobriety on Twitter and revealed that he had spent time in a mental health hospital. Many mental health organizations, such as Turning Point and High Watch Recovery Center, praised Bower for his words. In September 2022, he said that he grew up with anxiety and that he used alcohol to relieve fears and insecurities. He also stated that during his period of active addiction he suffered from spiritual malady, and that he would never have thought of detoxing at 27. In the same year, in an interview with weekly newspaper DLui's la Repubblica, he went into more detail about that, and he told: "The great thing is that healing begins just when you realize that nothing can be controlled, and you start to let go. When you understand that by expressing yourself with fragility, instead of worsening, the opinion of others towards you increases, and the knowledge of others also improves. I had lost connection with my voice, with beauty, with spirituality."
== Discography ==
=== Counterfeit discography ===
=== Solo discography ===
==== Singles ====
== Filmography ==
=== Film ===
=== Television ===
=== Theatre ===
=== Music videos ===
== Awards and nominations ==
== References ==
== External links ==
Jamie Campbell Bower at IMDb
Jamie Campbell Bower on Instagram
Official website
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