Shows and Movies you DIDN’T Know Austin Butler was in

Hollywood has a vast landscape of talented actors and actresses, many of whom we know simply for their good looks. But it takes a lot more than good looks to become one of the most sought after stars, and fortunately for Austin Butler, he’s got the whole package. Butler has seen one of the most multifaceted careers in Hollywood with his work not only in cinema, but also on television. So, today we will look at not only his big screen career with films like Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis, and the upcoming Jeff Nichols picture The Bikeriders, but also where he got his start on several small screen productions.

One of the key aspects of Butler’s versatility lies in his ability to seamlessly transition between different genres. Born on August 17, 1991, Austin had no inclination to become an actor until he was approached while enjoying his time at the Orange County Fair at age 13. After his initial interactions with the talent scout, Butler discovered a newfound love for the craft, and would go on to begin taking classes to hone his skills. These classes would lead to Butler auditioning for, and landing a background role on the Nickelodeon show Ned’s Declassified School Survival Guide.

After his time with Ned’s Declassified School Survival Guide, Butler would go on to take small roles in Disney’s Hannah Montana and in Nickelodeon‘s Zoey101 where he played the love interest of Jamie Lynn Spears. His first big break would come as the character Jake Krandle in the season 1 episode 4 of iCarly on Nickelodeon. Fun family shows like these would lead to him finding recurring roles in Ruby & the Rockits, Jonas, and Life Unexpected. In 2011 Butler would appear in 14 episodes of the hit show Switched at Birth.

From his early days in these lighthearted productions to venturing into more intense dramatic roles like those in CSI: NY, and Switched at Birth, Butler has proven time and again that he’s not one to be typecast. In 2013, Butler would tackle the part of Sebastian Kydd in the prequel series to the Sarah Jessica Parker series Sex and the City, The Carrie Diaries. The young Hollywood heartthrob’s next big move would be as the young half-human, half-elf Wil Ohmsford, one of the main characters in the hit book series The Shannara Chronicles, much to his then- girlfriend Vanessa Hudgens’ delight.

These amazing television shows lead us to where we are today, with Butler’s newfound fame as one of Hollywood’s hottest leading men. While filming the Quentin Tarantino film Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, Butler would learn that he beat out several other actors like Harry Styles and Ansel Elgort to star in the 2022 Baz Luhrmann biopic based on the legendary King of Rock & Roll, Elvis. Wanting to do right by Priscilla and Lisa Marie, Butler had a long road ahead of him. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Butler said, “My big goal right from the beginning was not becoming a caricature of him, for me, it was just trying to find out who he was as a man, to humanize him and connect to him on that level.” It was this dedication to honoring the King of Rock & Roll that saw Butler’s rise to fame.

His latest project is the Jeff Nichols film The Bikeriders, a film that follows the rise of a motorcycle club from the Midwest and stars Tom Hardy and Jodie Comer. The Bikeriders is based on the 1967 Danny Lyon photo-book of the same name. The film also stars such Hollywood powerhouses as Michael Shannon, Mike Faist, and Norman Reedus. While audiences have been chomping at the bit for this long-awaited Jeff Nichols film, the SAG-AFTRA strikes earlier this year caused the studios to pull it from their slates indefinitely. While we here at Hollywood.com are sure that the film will hit theaters in the near future, only the studios know the precise release date.

But dedicated fans of Butler won’t have to wait long for their next fix. They can next see him on January 26, 2024 in the AppleTV+ miniseries Masters of the Air, where he’ll portray Maj. Gale ‘Buck’ Cleven, and on March 1, 2024 as Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen in the highly anticipated sequel Dune II. So, what are your favorite Austin Butler films and/or shows? Let us know over on our socials.