Phil Dunster is an English Award winning actor, a theater and stage actor, a television actor, and the main regular actor featured in the Apple TV+ series, Ted Lasso who played the character Jamie Tartt.
History[]
Born in Northampton, England, he attended Leighton Park School in Reading, where he served as Head Boy. He played rugby as a child, though he realised at the age of fifteen that he was too small after a failed trial for London Irish. He also considered following in the footsteps of his father and brother and joining the military. He went on to train at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in Acting in 2014.
Careers and Awards[]
Theaters, Films, and TVs[]
In 2015, Dunster played Claudio in the Reading Theatre production of Much Ado About Nothing, made his television debut in the Channel 4 sitcom Catastrophe, and played Dickie Baker in the low budget film The Rise of the Krays, a role he would reprise in its sequel the following year The Fall of the Krays.
He starred as Arthur in Pink Mist at the Bristol Old Vic and Bush Theatre in London, for which he received an affiliate Laurence Olivier Award nomination in 2016. That same year, he appeared in The Entertainer at the Garrick Theatre and two episodes of the Sky One crime drama Stan Lee's Lucky Man.
From 2017 to 2018, Dunster was in the main cast of Strike Back as Lance Corporal Will Jensen for its sixth series, also known as Strike Back: Retribution, also on Sky One. He had recurring roles in the Sky Atlantic drama Save Me as BJ McGory and the third series of the Channel 4 science fiction series Humans as Tristan. He also appeared in the films Megan Leavey, Murder on the Orient Express, and All Is True. In 2019, he appeared in the Sky Atlantic miniseries Catherine the Great as well as the films Judy and The Good Liar.
He also played Jamie Cole on the ITV comedy-drama The Trouble with Maggie Cole and appeared in the BBC One three-parter Dracula. He played Mike Stephens in the 2022 Amazon Prime thriller The Devil's Hour. Theatrically his most prominent role, as of the release of Ted Lasso, was for the lead role in Pink Mist, for which he was nominated for the 2016 Olivier Award (Outstanding Performance in Affiliate Theatre). He also appeared in Kenneth Branagh's version of Murder on the Orient Express, as Colonel Armstrong.
Ted Lasso[]
On the first season Jamie Tartt was introduced as a cocky, selfish football player who thought very highly of himself. But by season three, his attitude had changed, and he’d become not only a lovable team player, but someone who openly displayed his vulnerability and emotionality. Ted Lasso aficionados appreciate the fact that the Mancunian accent he donned for the character was further developed, resulting in fan favorites like “It’s just poop-eh. Let it flow,” and “Holeh guacamoleh.”
“His tendencies changed, but he was still fundamentally the same person. He’s a really honest, direct guy. In the past, that was coming from a place of selfishness or conceitedness, and it meant that people around it didn’t like him. But we all know people who are really direct and honest, but it comes from a place of love. He always had the potential to be this guy, but it was shrouded in so much pain and confusion about himself and his understanding of how to get what he asked for. It’s a story of an emotionally immature person very slowly and awkwardly becoming a bit more mature.”
When the show wrapped, the entire cast went to a pub in Richmond in southwest London, where the show is set. And ahead of the show’s May 31 finale, everyone in Los Angeles for the media tour watched it together. Dunster hopes that, whether or not the Ted Lasso universe will be explored further, the show will leave a legacy that people can turn to for comfort.
White House Visit[]
When the Ted Lasso cast got invited to visit the White House, she and co-stars Jason Sudeikis, Toheeb Jimoh, and Brendan Hunt made an appearance during a press briefing, where Sudeikis spoke about mental health and co-star James Lance made a fun cameo as fictional Independent reporter Trent Crimm.
They spoke briefly on the importance of fighting the stigma that’s often associated with seeking help for mental health problems — a theme of the show. Jason Sudeikis encouraged everyone to make sure to check in regularly with family, friends and neighbors who may be struggling and ask how they’re doing. The show's been widely praised for dealing with topics not always seen in comedies - like mental health, racism and homophobia.
Some critics have suggested it's taken that too far - with episodes creeping up from 30 minutes to over an hour and being too dedicated to solving these issues. But Phil thinks it's been important to tackle the issues in a way "that doesn't feel preachy".
After the briefing, Sudeikis and his castmates met behind closed doors with President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden, according to the White House. The White House on Monday touted Biden’s designation of nearly $500 million to increase capacity for the national suicide hotline and to help connect local callers with local responders. In 2020, Congress approved transitioning the 10-digit suicide hotline to three simple numbers — 988.
External link[]
- Phil Dunster at IMDb
- www.phildunster.com official website