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Andrew James Matfin Bell (born 14 March 1986) is an English actor and dancer. He rose to prominence for his debut role in Billy Elliot (2000), for which he won the BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role, becoming one of the youngest winners of the award. He is also known for his leading roles as Tintin in The Adventures of Tintin (2011) and as Ben Grimm / Thing in Fantastic Four (2015). Other notable performances include in the films King Kong (2005), Jumper (2008), Snowpiercer (2013), and Rocketman (2019). He earned a second BAFTA Award nomination for his leading performance in Film Stars Don't Die in Liverpool (2017). In television, Bell starred as Abraham Woodhull in the AMC historical drama series (2014–2017).
Bell served as Honorary Jury President of the 2001 Giffoni Film Festival. In 2002, he appeared as the disabled servant Smike in an adaptation of Nicholas Nickleby and a young soldier in Deathwatch. In the following years, he portrayed a teenager on the run in Undertow, a gun-toting pacifist in Dear Wendy, a disaffected Southern California teenager in The Chumscrubber, and the young Jimmy in the 2005 film version of King Kong. Also in 2005, he starred opposite Evan Rachel Wood in the Green Day video "Wake Me Up When September Ends", directed by Samuel Bayer. In 2007, he played the title character in Hallam Foe – for which he was nominated for the best actor award at the British Independent Film Awards – and appeared as himself in lonelygirl15 spin-off KateModern. He had roles in two 2008 films: the sci-fi film Jumper and the World War II drama Defiance. In the second film he plays Asael Bielski, the third of the Bielski Brothers, leaders of a partisan group that saved 1,200 lives during the Holocaust.
In 2009, producers announced that Bell would play the title role in the motion capture film The Adventures of Tintin, alongside Andy Serkis and Daniel Craig. The film was released in 2011. He also starred in the 2011 films The Eagle as Esca and Jane Eyre as St John Rivers. In 2013, he starred alongside James McAvoy in the film Filth and appeared as Edgar in Snowpiercer.
From 2014 to 2017, Bell appeared as Abraham Woodhull in . In 2015, he played the Thing in the Fantastic Four reboot. The film would go on in infamy as one of the worst comic book films ever made. In 2022, Bell would say of it, "I don’t think it Save your money, save your time."
In 2017, Bell had starring roles in 6 Days and Film Stars Don't Die in Liverpool. In 2019, he had a supporting role as Bernie Taupin in the biographical musical film based on the life of Elton John, Rocketman.
In late 2015, Bell began dating his Fantastic Four co-star Kate Mara, and in January 2017 the couple became engaged. On 17 July 2017, they announced that they had married. They have a daughter, born in May 2019. On November 17th, 2022, his wife Mara announced on Instagram account that she had given birth to a son the week before.
Bell is an atheist.
He is also a keen football fan and an avid supporter of Arsenal F.C.
| 2000 | Billy Elliot | Billy Elliot | |
| 2002 | Deathwatch | Pvt. Charlie Shakespeare | |
| Nicholas Nickleby | Smike | ||
| 2004 | Undertow | Chris Munn | |
| 2005 | Dear Wendy | Dick Dandelion | |
| The Chumscrubber | Dean Stifle | ||
| King Kong | Jimmy | ||
| 2006 | Flags of Our Fathers | Ralph Ignatowski | |
| 2007 | Hallam Foe | Hallam Foe | |
| 2008 | Jumper | Griffin O'Conner | |
| Defiance | Asael Bielski | ||
| 2011 | The Eagle | Esca | |
| Jane Eyre | St. John Rivers | ||
| Retreat | Pvt. Jack Coleman | ||
| The Adventures of Tintin | Tintin | Motion-capture | |
| 2012 | Man on a Ledge | Joey Cassidy | |
| 2013 | Snowpiercer | Edgar | |
| Filth | Ray Lennox | ||
| Nymphomaniac | K | ||
| 2015 | Fantastic Four | Ben Grimm / The Thing | Also motion-capture |
| 2017 | Film Stars Don't Die in Liverpool | Peter Turner | |
| 6 Days | Rusty Firmin | ||
| 2018 | Donnybrook | Jarhead Earl | |
| Skin | Bryon Widner | ||
| 2019 | Rocketman | Bernie Taupin | |
| 2020 | Danny | Voice only | |
| 2021 | Without Remorse | Robert Ritter | |
| Surrounded | Post-production | ||
| Strangers | Post-production |
| 2000 | Close and True | Mark Sheedy | 1 episode |
| 2014–2017 | Abraham Woodhull | Main role, 40 episodes | |
| 2022 | Shining Girls | Harper Curtis | Main role, 8 episodes |
| 2005 | King Kong | Jimmy | |
| 2008 | Griffin O'Conner |
| 2005 | "Wake Me Up When September Ends" | Green Day |
| British Independent Film Award for Best Newcomer | |
| Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Young Performer | |
| Empire Award for Best Debut | |
| Evening Standard British Film Award for Most Promising Newcomer | |
| London Film Critics' Circle Award for British Newcomer of the Year The Critics' Circle: Film – British Newcomer of the Year (archive from 3 August 2007) | |
| National Board of Review Award for Outstanding Young Actor | |
| Young Artist Award for Best Young Actor in an International Film Twenty-Second Annual Young Artist Awards – according to the introduction page , the year of award is 2001 and the performance years are 1999–2000. | |
| Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Most Promising Actor | |
| European Film Award for Best Actor | |
| Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Breakthrough Performance | |
| Satellite Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama | |
| Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role | |
| Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture | |
| Teen Choice Award for Choice Movie Breakout Performance | |
| Young Artist Award for Best Performance in a Feature Film – Leading Young Actor | |
| British Independent Film Award for Best Actor | |
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