# Otto Farrant
**Otto Farrant** (born 1996) is an English actor best known for playing the title role in the spy series *[Alex Rider](https://www.edgepedia.org/alex-rider-tv-series)* (2020–2024), adapted from [Anthony Horowitz](https://www.edgepedia.org/anthony-horowitz)'s novels. His other screen credits include Petya Rostov in the BBC's *War & Peace* (2016), Thomas Grey in *The White Queen* (2013), and Nigel Wilson in the BBC miniseries *Mrs. Wilson* (2018).[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2590700/) He began performing on stage at age 11 in productions at the National Theatre, the Young Vic, and [Shakespeare's Globe](https://www.edgepedia.org/shakespeares-globe).[2](https://www.nme.com/features/tv-interviews/otto-farrant-alex-rider-prime-video-2680003)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1996, Hammersmith, London, England[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2590700/) |
| Signature role | Alex Rider, the title character of the TV series *Alex Rider*, 2020–2024, 24 episodes[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2590700/) |
| Early start | Began acting at age 11, cast from school for productions at the National Theatre, the Young Vic, and Shakespeare's Globe[2](https://www.nme.com/features/tv-interviews/otto-farrant-alex-rider-prime-video-2680003) |
| Notable TV roles | Petya Rostov in *War & Peace* (2016); Thomas Grey in *The White Queen* (2013); Nigel Wilson in *Mrs. Wilson* (2018); Evan Jones in *Marcella* (2016)[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2590700/) • [3](https://www.metacritic.com/person/otto-farrant/) |
| Film work | Young Perseus (uncredited) in *Clash of the Titans* (2010); *Salmon Fishing in the Yemen* (2011); *Edge of the World* (2021)[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2590700/) • [4](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/otto-farrant/credits/3000759174/) |
| Physical preparation | Learned Krav Maga, took up climbing and snowboarding lessons, and worked with a personal trainer for *Alex Rider*[5](https://www.thenationalnews.com/arts-culture/television/otto-farrant-on-the-dark-undertone-of-spy-thriller-series-alex-rider-1.1157193) |
## Early career and stage work
Farrant was born in [Hammersmith](https://www.edgepedia.org/hammersmith), London.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2590700/) He entered professional work young: at 11 he was hand-picked from school for stage productions, appearing at the National Theatre, the Young Vic, Shakespeare's Globe, and other venues.[2](https://www.nme.com/features/tv-interviews/otto-farrant-alex-rider-prime-video-2680003) His documented stage credits include *The Merry Wives of Windsor* at Shakespeare's Globe (2008), *Oedipus* at the National Theatre's Olivier stage (2008–2009), *The Habit of Art* at the Lyttelton (2009–2010), *Little Platoons* at the Bush Theatre (2011), and *A Streetcar Named Desire* at the Young Vic (2014), a production filmed for National Theatre Live in which he played the Young Collector and that later transferred to St. Ann's [Warehouse](https://www.edgepedia.org/warehouse) in New York in 2016.[6](https://www.broadwayworld.com/people/Otto-Farrant/)His early screen appearances were mostly small parts: an uncredited Young Perseus in *Clash of the Titans* (2010), Archie Powell in an episode of *The Bill* (2010), and roles in *The White Queen*, *Silk*, *Marcella*, and *War & Peace*.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2590700/) • [3](https://www.metacritic.com/person/otto-farrant/) In interviews he has described himself as not a big reader as a child, but a devoted reader of the [Alex Rider](https://www.edgepedia.org/alex-rider) books, which he picked up around age eight or nine.[7](https://www.assignmentx.com/2020/alex-rider-actor-otto-farrant-on-the-new-spy-series-exclusive-interview/)
## Alex Rider
The show premiered in the UK and Ireland on 4 June 2020, following six months of filming in 2019, and ran for three seasons through 2024, with the third season released on Prime Video on 5 April 2024.[8](https://www.theupcoming.co.uk/2024/04/05/the-books-were-one-of-the-main-reasons-for-me-loving-reading-and-storytelling-otto-farrant-and-brenock-oconnor-on-alex-rider-season-three/)
**Approach to the role.** Farrant has said his Alex is more sensitive and closed off than the book character, shaped by early conversations with director Andreas Prochaska about a version of Alex who had been starved of affection from his uncle.[7](https://www.assignmentx.com/2020/alex-rider-actor-otto-farrant-on-the-new-spy-series-exclusive-interview/) Prochaska asked him to bring as much of himself to the role as possible, which Farrant described as liberating.[7](https://www.assignmentx.com/2020/alex-rider-actor-otto-farrant-on-the-new-spy-series-exclusive-interview/) He has characterized Alex as a reluctant spy with a strong moral compass, an ordinary teenager thrown into espionage who does not want that life.[9](https://www.comicsbeat.com/interview-anthony-horowitz-and-otto-farrant-from-imdb-tvs-alex-rider/)
**Preparation.** The role demanded physical training he had not done before: [Krav Maga](https://www.edgepedia.org/krav-maga), climbing, snowboarding lessons, and work with a personal trainer. "I'd never done anything quite as intense," he told *The National*, adding that the Krav Maga training made clear to him he was not a violent person by nature.[5](https://www.thenationalnews.com/arts-culture/television/otto-farrant-on-the-dark-undertone-of-spy-thriller-series-alex-rider-1.1157193) He also revisited spy thrillers for reference, including the Bond films, the [Jason Bourne](https://www.edgepedia.org/jason-bourne) series, and *Sicario*.[5](https://www.thenationalnews.com/arts-culture/television/otto-farrant-on-the-dark-undertone-of-spy-thriller-series-alex-rider-1.1157193)
The series marked a first for him in another sense: after years of period dramas and stage work, it was his first contemporary, action-led part. "I've done a lot of roles in period dramas and on stage, but never anything action-packed, and rarely doing contemporary pieces," he told *SFX*.[10](https://pocketmags.com/ca/sfx-magazine/january-2021/articles/otto-farrant)
## Reception and later work
Farrant's performance drew broadly positive notices; *The National* reported that critics almost unanimously praised his work in the first season.[5](https://www.thenationalnews.com/arts-culture/television/otto-farrant-on-the-dark-undertone-of-spy-thriller-series-alex-rider-1.1157193) Metacritic records an average career score of 69 across his television work, with all seven of his listed shows scoring in the positive range, from *Marcella* (65) to *War & Peace* (72).[3](https://www.metacritic.com/person/otto-farrant/)
His film work includes *Salmon Fishing in the Yemen* (2011), *The Great Ghost Rescue* (2011), and *Edge of the World* (2021), in which he played Charley.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2590700/) • [4](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/otto-farrant/credits/3000759174/) In interviews around the third season, Farrant and co-star [Brenock O'Connor](https://www.edgepedia.org/brenock-oconnor) discussed filming on location in Malta and the end of the series.[8](https://www.theupcoming.co.uk/2024/04/05/the-books-were-one-of-the-main-reasons-for-me-loving-reading-and-storytelling-otto-farrant-and-brenock-oconnor-on-alex-rider-season-three/)
## Notes on recorded birth date
Most English-language databases record Farrant's birth date as 1996, in Hammersmith, London.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2590700/) The Spanish site FormulaTV lists 17 April 1997 instead.[11](https://www.formulatv.com/personas/otto-farrant/) The two records disagree; the 1996 date is the one carried by IMDb, TV Insider, and SensaCine.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2590700/) • [12](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/otto-farrant/) • [13](https://www.sensacine.com/actores/actor-568184/)
## References
1. [Otto Farrant, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2590700/)
2. [Meet Otto Farrant – the latest young actor to take on teenage super-spy Alex Rider, NME (2020)](https://www.nme.com/features/tv-interviews/otto-farrant-alex-rider-prime-video-2680003)
3. [Otto Farrant, Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/person/otto-farrant/)
4. [Otto Farrant List of Movies and TV Shows, TV Guide](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/otto-farrant/credits/3000759174/)
5. [Otto Farrant on the 'dark undertone' of spy-thriller series 'Alex Rider', The National (2020)](https://www.thenationalnews.com/arts-culture/television/otto-farrant-on-the-dark-undertone-of-spy-thriller-series-alex-rider-1.1157193)
6. [Otto Farrant, BroadwayWorld](https://www.broadwayworld.com/people/Otto-Farrant/)
7. [ALEX RIDER: Actor Otto Farrant on the new spy series – Exclusive Interview, Assignment X (2020)](https://www.assignmentx.com/2020/alex-rider-actor-otto-farrant-on-the-new-spy-series-exclusive-interview/)
8. [Otto Farrant and Brenock O'Connor on Alex Rider season three, The Upcoming (2024)](https://www.theupcoming.co.uk/2024/04/05/the-books-were-one-of-the-main-reasons-for-me-loving-reading-and-storytelling-otto-farrant-and-brenock-oconnor-on-alex-rider-season-three/)
9. [Interview: Anthony Horowitz and Otto Farrant from IMDb TV's Alex Rider, Comics Beat (2020)](https://www.comicsbeat.com/interview-anthony-horowitz-and-otto-farrant-from-imdb-tvs-alex-rider/)
10. [Otto Farrant, SFX Holiday 2020](https://pocketmags.com/ca/sfx-magazine/january-2021/articles/otto-farrant)
11. [Otto Farrant, FormulaTV](https://www.formulatv.com/personas/otto-farrant/)
12. [Otto Farrant, TV Insider](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/otto-farrant/)
13. [Otto Farrant, SensaCine](https://www.sensacine.com/actores/actor-568184/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Screen actors of the Anglosphere and Europe › English actors: 2000s onward › Surnames F to Gu*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license