Andrew Russell Garfield is a popular British-American actor who earned global recognition for his role in The Amazing Spider-Man film series, where he played the titular character. Garfield, who initially found success as a stage actor in London, made his film debut in the American war film Lions for Lambs. He then played the main role in the film Boy A, which was based on a popular novel of the same name by British author Jonathan Trigell. He received international fame in 2012, after his portrayal of the popular Marvel Comics superhero Spider-Man in the movie The Amazing Spider-Man. The film was a huge commercial success. He reprised his role in the 2014 sequel The Amazing Spider-Man 2 which was successful like its predecessor, and became the ninth-highest-grossing film of the year. Following that, he played the lead role in Hacksaw Ridge and his performance was appreciated. The role earned him an Oscar nomination for Best Actor.

Childhood & Early Life

• Andrew Russell Garfield was born on August 20, 1983, in Los Angeles, California, USA, to Lynn and Richard Garfield. He is British from his mother’s side and American from his father’s side. His mother worked in a nursery school, while his father worked in a swimming club.
• Garfield was a fan of superhero Spider-Man from an early age. Being a skinny kid who was often picked on, he also identified himself with ‘Peter Parker,’ the superhero’s alter ego. Though he had originally intended to study business, he developed an interest in acting as a teenager.
• He first studied at the ‘Priory Preparatory School’ in Banstead before moving to ‘City of London Freemen's School’ in Ashtead. He then attended the ‘Central School of Speech and Drama’ at the ‘University of London,’ and graduated in 2004.

Career

• Andrew Garfield, who mostly made stage appearances during his early years, made his first significant appearance on TV in the year 2005, when he was cast in the British comedy series ‘Sugar Rush.’ He played a supporting role, and appeared in five episodes. Two years later, he also appeared in ‘Doctor Who,’ a popular British sci-fi TV series.
• He made his film debut with the 2007 American war drama Lions for Lambs, where he played a supporting role. The same year, he also made an appearance in the film Boy A, playing the lead role of a troubled boy trying to start a fresh life after being released from jail. The role can be regarded as his first major role in films, and his performance was also appreciated by the critics.
• Over the next few years, he appeared in movies, such as The Other Boleyn Girl (2008), The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (2009), and Never Let me Go (2010).
• He played a main role in the 2010 drama movie The Social Network, which was based on the founders of the popular social networking site Facebook. The film was a commercial success, and was also nominated for several Oscars.
• He became popular worldwide after his portrayal of Spider-Man/Peter Parker in the 2012 superhero movie The Amazing Spider-Man, which was based on the popular Marvel Comics superhero of the same name. The film, which was directed by Marc Webb, became a huge hit worldwide, and was also a big critical success. Two years later, a sequel titled The Amazing Spider-Man 2 was released, in which Garfield reprised his role.
• In 2016, he appeared in the lead role in Hacksaw Ridge, a war drama film directed by Mel Gibson. The film was a huge hit, and became one of the most successful films of the year. Garfield won an Oscar nomination for Best Actor for his remarkable performance in the movie; the film earned six Oscar nominations in total.
• The same year, he also appeared in the lead role in Silence, another historical film, which was nominated for an Oscar. Though it wasn’t a commercial success, it received mostly positive reviews.
• His next two films, Breathe (2017) and Under the Silver Lake (2018), failed to rake in the money at the box-office and were declared average by the critics.
• He also starred in movies like Mainstream,’The Eyes of Tammy Faye, and Tick, Tick… Boom!
• A prolific stage actor, Andrew portrayed ‘Biff’ in the 2012 Broadway revival of Death of a Salesman. He also starred in Prior Walter’s 2018 Broadway production of Angels in America. In 2012, he received a Tony Award nomination under the Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play category for his performance in Death of a Salesman. In 2018, he won the Tony Award under the same category for his role in Angels in America.

Major Works

• Boy A, a 2007 British film based on a novel of the same name, was the first major work of Andrew Garfield’s career. Directed by John Crowley, the film showed Garfield as a former prisoner trying to start a fresh life. Garfield’s performance in the film was appreciated and won him the BAFTA TV Award for Best Actor in 2008. The film received positive reviews and several awards.
• Garfield’s role in the 2012 superhero movie The Amazing Spider-Man can be regarded as one of his most significant and successful works. The film, which was based on the popular Marvel Comics superhero of the same name, was directed by Marc Webb and starred Andrew Garfield in the lead role. It also starred actors like Emma Stone, Rhys Ifans, Denis Leary, and Campbell Scott. Along with earning popularity worldwide, The Amazing Spider-Man also became the seventh-highest-grossing film of the year. It was also received positively by the critics.
• The actor reprised his role as Spider-Man in the sequel titled The Amazing Spider-Man 2 in 2014. It was a huge commercial success, and became the ninth-highest-grossing film of the year. It received mostly mixed reviews.
• His role in the 2016 movie Hacksaw Ridge is among his most significant works. The film, which was directed by Mel Gibson, was an average commercial success. Along with Garfield, the movie featured actors like Sam Worthington, Luke Bracey, Teresa Palmer, and Hugo Weaving. It received six Oscar nominations. Critical reviews of the movie were mostly positive.

Awards & Achievements

• Over the course of his career so far, Andrew Garfield has won several awards, including the British Academy Television Award for Best Actor in 2008 for his role in the film Boy A. He received the AACTA Award for Best Actor for his role in the film Hacksaw Ridge in 2017. For his remarkable performance in Hacksaw Ridge, he also earned an Oscar nomination for Best Actor.
• He is the recipient of the prestigious Tony Award for his role in the Broadway production of Angels in America (2018). He also received a Laurence Olivier Award nomination for Best Actor for Angels in America.

Personal Life

Andrew Garfield was romantically involved with Emma Stone, his co-star from The Amazing Spider-Man and its sequel. However, it was reported that the two had broken up in 2015. He also dated Christine Gabel. He started dating Alyssa Miller in January 2022. However, the couple parted ways in spring 2022.

He became the ambassador of Sport for the Worldwide Orphans Foundation (WWO) in 2011.