Who is BAFTA winner Robert Aramayo?

It’s not often that a Hull actor beats out Hollywood actors to take home the top award, but Robert Aramayo has done just that.

Best Actor at the 79th Annual BAFTA Film Awards.

Despite the adversity, he defeated Hollywood stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Timothée Chalamet and Michael B. Jordan when he was named Best Actor at the 79th Annual BAFTA Film Awards.

He was also named an EE Rising Star.

Here’s everything we know about the 33-year-old British actor.

Aramayo was born in Kingston upon Hull and began acting at an early age. His first role was that of Bugsy Malone in an elementary school production of the musical.

Joining the Hull Truck Youth Theatre at the age of 10, he performed about three plays a year with the group, including the role of the treacherous pig, Squealer, in Animal Farm – the first time he played a villain.

At the age of 18, Aramayo won a place at the prestigious New York drama school, Juilliard.

The school, which inspired musical fame, is considered one of the best acting schools in the world and has alumni including Robin Williams, Viola Davis, Adam Driver and Jessica Chastain.

Aramayo was the only British student admitted in his year.

After playing the lead role in the Juilliard production of Anthony Burgess’s A Clockwork Orange, Aramayo received his first film role in the 2016 thriller Nocturnal Animals.

Other films included Lost in Florence, Antebellum and The Empty Man, and he played the ruthless Captain Wingate in Palestine 36 before being cast in the multi-BAFTA-winning film I Swear.

Aramayo’s best-known TV work includes playing young Ned Stark in Game of Thrones, Elrond in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, and the psychological thriller Behind Her Eyes.

Away from acting, Aramayo is a fan of football club Leeds United and has previously spoken about the bond he shares with his father through going to matches together.

I Swear – The Film That Surprised BAFTA

Aramayo’s real film break came when he was cast in the lead role in Kirk Jones’ 2025 film I Swear, although he probably didn’t know it at the time.

An independent British film that sold a huge amount has now earned them a double BAFTA win. The film also won a BAFTA award for casting.

Speaking on the red carpet before the ceremony, the film’s director, Kirk Jones, told Sky News that Aramayo had not actually auditioned for the role, as he wanted to avoid “just doing an impression” of the Tourette syndrome lawyer John Davidson, whom he plays.

The director first saw him in the role, for which Aramayo had adopted a Scottish Borders accent, when he began filming.

Widespread praise for Aramayo’s performance earned him a British Independent Film Award for Best Lead Performance.

During promotion for the film in the summer, Aramayo told Sky News, “[The film] was really eye-opening for me because of a lot of tics that people don’t see, a lot of tics that, you know, may be perceptible, but they’re almost imperceptible, you know?”

She added, “There are so many people – it’s been an amazing response – who have contacted me talking about their neurodiversity, and they really expand it into a bigger conversation about neurodiversity. And it’s changing the way we talk, including the way we talk about neurodiversity.

“That would be great if it could help with that conversation.”

Win not one, but two BAFTAs

Aramayo’s BAFTA success began with winning the EE Rising Star Award— the only BAFTA film award voted for by the public.

Accepting his award, Aramayo said, “I can’t believe it; it really blows my mind.”

Referring to Davidson, on whom I swear it is based, he said, “John Davidson is the most remarkable man I have ever met and he believes there is much more we need to learn about Tourette’s.”

“In the words of the film, they need support and understanding.”

Aramayo’s words had the following special resonance: Many outrages during the ceremony When Davidson said the offensive words, Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo presented the night’s first award for special visual effects.

The BBC later apologised and removed the BAFTA ceremony from iPlayer.

‘It was terrible to abuse the queen.’

Tourette syndrome is a condition that causes you to make sudden, repetitive sounds or movements – called tics. Davidson suffers from coprolalia – a condition that affects only a minority of the Tourette’s population and causes the involuntary utterance of socially inappropriate words or phrases.

Tics can occur due to stress, excitement, or fatigue. Although there is no cure for Tourette’s, it can be controlled through treatment.

Read more: Film fighting abuse and ‘cheap laughs’ at Tourette’s expense

Aramayo’s first BAFTA win was followed by his second, when he defeated fellow nominees Leonardo DiCaprio, Timothée Chalamet, Ethan Hawke, Michael B. Jordan, and Jesse Plemons to win the coveted Best Actor award.

When he accepted Hawke’s trophy, he gave him special mention.

Aramayo said, “When I was in school, Ethan Hawke came to speak to us at Juilliard, and he gave a wonderful speech about longevity as an actor, protecting your equipment, and avoiding self-destructive behaviour, and it had a great impact on everyone in the room.

“So, it’s incredible to be in this class with you tonight. Thank you, Ethan.”

A close-up shot of Hawke in the audience showed the 55-year-old star reacting, rubbing his face and smiling, and Hawke was seen saying, “It’s better than a win,” at the end of Aramayo’s speech.

Aramayo’s father, Michael, was in the audience clapping and saying, “We love you, Robert.”

Aramayo’s mother, Lisa, and older sister, Laura, as well as her “amazing partner”, were there to support her.

I Swear will be released in the US this year, and it will be eligible for consideration for next year’s Oscars.