Alex Sharp beats Bradley Cooper and Bill Nighy at the Tony Awards 2015

Home Top

show ad

Home Top

FOUND: Moment pregnant woman with life-threatening condition who inexplicably vanished on day of C-section was located and taken to hospital . . . but authorities won't reveal baby's condition
'Our house is so big you can go days without seeing some kids': Queen of Versailles' shocking admission before daughter, 18, was found dead 'weeks after returning from rehab'
Kate Moss's mid-air meltdown: Swigging vodka from her bag and abusing the pilot as she flew home from a detox, the ugly truth about what happened on that budget flight
Cop who shot dead intoxicated Muslim student because he disobeyed his commands is named
'Caitlyn Somebody': Broadcaster to cut Clint Eastwood's 'inappropriate' joke mocking Jenner's transgender status at Guys Choice Awards
The diet plan that works for EVERYONE: Expert reveals what you should be eating depending on your age and lifestyle
Grand jury indicts the South Carolina cop charged with murder after video emerged of him shooting Walter Scott eight times as he tried to run away
Caitlyn Jenner is sued by Hollywood agent who claims she suffered serious injuries after being hit by reality star in fatal car crash that left one dead
Obama: 'We don't yet have a complete strategy' to stop ISIS in Iraq
Obama denies telling G7 counterparts that 'the strong dollar posed a problem'
The hills are alive with the sound of Merkel: German leader looks like she's about to burst into song for Obama as G7 leaders meet over ISIS, Putin and climate change
The thirst amendment: Obama's beer was non-alcoholic, reveals mayor of German village where the president was served a pre-noon lager
Suicidal woman, 67, 'drove her Porsche the wrong way onto the interstate to kill herself' but survived and injured four people
EXCLUSIVE: Cancer-stricken designer Christian Audigier devastated after his 'Ed Hardy' business partner is ambushed and gunned down in Mafia hit on French Riviera
Are you as fit as you should be for your age? Just testing how quickly you get up from a chair can reveal so much about your health
'I've been the luckiest woman in the world': Barbara Bush celebrates 90th birthday with family reunion at Maine compound
Publisher adds disclaimer to rich housewife's 'tell-all' Upper East Side memoir after public records reveal holes in her account
Final moments of Boston 'jihadi' caught on camera: Authorities release video of moment officer shot dead 'ISIS-inspired radical' who was plotting to behead a cop
Steamrollered by the Chinese miracle: Pictures show what happens AFTER the defiant homeowners who bravely stood up against official 'progress' finally have to admit defeat
Why listening to music can make you as fit as a fiddle: It can help your body fight infection and recover after ops
Transgender woman says a bartender refused to serve her drinks in a Phoenix bar because she was wearing a dress and make-up
Duck Dynasty star Jep Robertson reveals he was molested by an older girl at just six-years-old
Pope tells parents not to let children use computers in their bedrooms because of the 'dirty content' on the internet
Guyanese-born suspect 'who murdered CEO and his family at their DC mansion' has been flagged for deportation

Alex Sharp, 26, was born in London and started acting in Devon theatre
He was rejected from drama schools in UK so moved to New York to study
Actor didn't even have an agent when he auditioned for The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-Time
Beat Hollywood stars to be named best actor at the Tony awards last night

By Hugo Gye for MailOnline

Published: 06:14 EST, 8 June 2015 | Updated: 11:38 EST, 8 June 2015

157

View
comments

Victory: Unknown British actor Alex Sharp won the Tony award for best actor last night

An unknown British actor has defeated Hollywood stars to be crowned the king of Broadway - despite being rejected from every drama school in the UK.

Alex Sharp, 26, won the Tony award for best actor at a star-studded ceremony last night, beating fellow nominees including Bradley Cooper and Bill Nighy.

After his victory, the new star reacted with exuberance - tweeting: 'Holy f*** I just won a Tony'.

Mr Sharp landed the lead role in The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-Time just months after graduating from Juilliard, the leading performing arts school in the US.

The London-born actor moved to New York to study after being turned down from the leading British drama schools.

At the Tony ceremony in Manhattan last night, Mr Sharp won the award for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play for his role as as a gifted mathematician with Asperger's syndrome.

Among the actors he beat for the prize were Bradley Cooper, for his much-heralded performance in The Elephant Man, and Bill Nighy for Skylight.

Mr Sharp - who grew up partly in Devon and started his stage career as a child actor in regional theatres - said he was shocked to win the award.

'Oh my God, this is so crazy,' he said in his acceptance speech. 'Oh jeez. This time last year I picked up my diploma, graduating from Juilliard, so to be holding this is insane.'

He thanked producers of The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-Time for 'taking a chance on a blank resumé'.

Mr Sharp added: 'This play is about a young person who is different and who is misunderstood and I just want to dedicate this to any young person out there who feels misunderstood or who feels different.'

A stunned Alex Sharp picks up his Tony Award

Couple: Mr Sharp on the red carpet in New York with his girlfriend Wallis Currie-Wood, a television actress

High jinks: Mr Sharp right, and Miss Currie-Wood, bottom left, in a jokey graduation photograph taken last year

The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-Time is based on the Booker Prize-winning book by Mark Haddon, told from the perspective of main character Christopher Boone.

The play was first performed at the National Theatre in 2012 and is currently on in the West End, where Christopher is played by Graham Butler, while the separate Broadway performance starring Mr Sharp opened in October last year.

The future star was mostly home-schooled as a child, after his father Ian made a fortune through property dealing and retired at the age of 35, taking Alex and his sister Nicole around the US and Europe in a caravan being taught by their mother Pauline, a teacher.

In an interview last year, he described the unorthodox way he was brought up, saying: 'I would read about the history of a castle with my mother and then she would take me to the castle, and we would climb on it, and then I’d write creatively about it that night.'

Youngster: Mr Sharp pictured as a baby in a photograph he posted on Instagram as part of the 'throwback Thursday' trend; he travelled around the world during his childhood

Performance: Mr Sharp with co-stars Ian Barford and Francesca Faridany during the curtain call for The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-Time

On stage: Mr Sharp plays Christopher Boone, a mathematical genius with Asperger's syndrome

Triumphant: Mr Sharp kisses his trophy after his shock victory at the Broadway award ceremony

Vanquished: Bradley Cooper and Bill Nighy lost out to Mr Sharp at the Tony ceremony last night

The family later settled in south-west England, where Mr Sharp attended Sidmouth College in Devon and Yeovil College in Somerset.

He told the Exeter Express and Echo that the English countryside is 'a huge part of my life' - but lamented that he had to move away to further his career.

Mr Sharp's Broadway exploits have made him a 'local celebrity' in Axminster, Devon, where his parents now live.

'He's a great lad,' said Denise Loud, the family's former landlady. 'Everyone around here knows about him and his acting skills, he is a local celebrity.

'Some people in the village even went over to America just to see him perform. He studied drama at Sidmouth College - and even won their version of The X-Factor.'

Alex Sharp on red the carpet for the Tony Awards

Selfie: Mr Sharp posted this photograph of himself in the auditorium at the Tony awards last night

Rivals: But Mr Sharp paid tribute to Bill Nighy, describing his fellow nominee as 'an absolute gent'

Stars: Singer Katy Perry with Mr Sharp backstage after a performance of Curious Incident in March this year

Mr Sharp's first acting job was as a four-year-old in A Touch of Frost, for which he was paid £10, and he spent much of his childhood appearing in amateur dramatics in Yeovil.

At the age of 18, he applied for the top drama schools in Britain, but when they all turned him down he decided to return to the US and travel around buying houses, doing them up and selling them on.

He also spent time travelling around Latin America, where he was once arrested by Colombia's paramilitary police.

Mr Sharp got in to Juilliard by performing a scene he had written himself - but he had to pretend it was by a minor English playwright, because it was against the school's rules to showcase original work.

Family: Mr Sharp with Miss Currie-Wood, left, and at a party last month with his sister Nicole, right

Success: Miss Currie-Wood stars in CBS show Madame Secretary, a political drama

While at the prestigious institution he met his girlfriend, Wallis Currie-Wood, an actress who is currently appearing in US TV show Madam Secretary, playing the daughter of the main character.

At the time he auditioned for Curious Incident, Mr Sharp did not have an agent or a manager, meaning the casting director had to phone him directly to tell him he had won the part.

After winning the Tony award last night, Mr Sharp joked that he would be unable to remain grounded, telling Variety magazine: 'It's too late. I'm already stuck up and decadent.'

He was not the only Briton to triumph at the ceremony - Helen Mirren won best actress for her role in The Queen, while Curious Incident was named best play and Skylight, which also transferred from the West End, won the award for best revival.