Miles Teller (born February 20, 1987) is an American actor. He made his feature film debut with the independent drama Rabbit Hole (2010), and gained wider recognition for his roles in the coming-of-age film The Spectacular Now (2013) and the Divergent film trilogy (2014–2016). His breakthrough role came in the drama Whiplash (2014), which earned him critical acclaim, and led him to garner a nomination for the BAFTA Rising Star Award.
Miles Teller | |
|---|---|
 Teller at the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival | |
| Born | February 20, 1987 Downingtown, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Education | New York University (BFA) |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 2004–present |
| Spouse | Keleigh Sperry (m. 2019) |
Teller went on to star in the superhero film Fantastic Four (2015) as Mister Fantastic and in the biographical film War Dogs (2016). He garnered a mainstream resurgence for his starring role in the action film Top Gun: Maverick (2022). On television, he has starred in the Amazon Prime Video crime drama Too Old to Die Young (2019), the Paramount+ miniseries The Offer (2022), and the Apple TV+ film The Gorge (2025). As a co-producer of the latter, he was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Television Movie.
Early life
Teller was born in Downingtown, Pennsylvania. His mother, Merry, is a real estate agent, and his father, Michael, is a nuclear power plant engineer. He has two older sisters, Erin and Dana. His paternal grandfather was of Russian Jewish descent, and his ancestry also includes English, Irish and African-American forebears.
Teller spent his early years in Pennsylvania and Delaware before his family moved to Citrus County, Florida, when he was 12. Growing up, he was involved with acting, was president of his high school's drama club, and played alto saxophone, drums, piano and guitar. He also played baseball and had dreams of turning professional. He graduated from Lecanto High School in Lecanto, Florida. Subsequently, he attended the New York University Tisch School of the Arts; there, he studied method acting at the Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute and screen acting with Stonestreet Studios. He earned a BFA in drama in 2009.
In 2007, Teller was a passenger in a car that lost control at 80 mph (130 km/h) and flipped eight times. He has multiple scars on his face from the crash.
Career
Early work and breakthrough (2004–2021)
Teller appeared in many short films between 2004 and 2010. After graduating from Tisch School of the Arts in 2009, he made his major film debut in Rabbit Hole (2010), after Nicole Kidman handpicked him for the role. Teller starred in the stage musical Footloose in high school, and later appeared in the 2011 remake film of the same name. In 2013, he starred in 21 & Over and The Spectacular Now, opposite Shailene Woodley.
In Damien Chazelle's second film Whiplash (2014), Teller played a drummer who tries to impress his abusive jazz teacher (J. K. Simmons), which earned him nominations for the Gotham Independent Film Award for Best Actor, the Satellite Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture and the BAFTA Rising Star Award. Despite the acclaim that the film received and the intensity of his prep time, Teller said in an interview in 2015 that after taxes he "made like $8,000" for the movie.
Teller received further recognition for playing Peter Hayes in Divergent (2014), and the film's sequels, Insurgent (2015) and Allegiant (2016). He has also played Mister Fantastic in the reboot film Fantastic Four (2015) and arms dealer David Packouz in War Dogs (2016). He trained for 5 months to get in shape for the role of biopic boxer Vinny Paz in film Bleed for This (2016).
In 2017, he starred in two biopic films, Only the Brave and Thank You for Your Service. In November 2020, it was announced that Teller will star in a political satire called The Fence. In September 2021, it was reported that filming on The Offer, the Paramount+ miniseries about the production of the film The Godfather in which Teller plays producer Albert S. Ruddy, was temporarily halted due to COVID concerns. The miniseries ran from April to June 2022. In November 2021, he appeared in Taylor Swift's music video "I Bet You Think About Me" directed by Blake Lively.
Top Gun: Maverick and beyond (2022–present)
In 2022, he starred in Top Gun: Maverick. He was initially hesitant to accept the role, as he was wary of the potential success and attention he would receive from starring in a major film alongside Tom Cruise. He was convinced to accept it by Cruise himself, who persuaded him that he was perfect for the role. In May 2022, Teller stated that he had been pitching a follow-up film centered around his character to the studio. Teller referred to his pitch as Top Gun: Rooster. By July of the same year, he stated that he has been having ongoing discussions regarding a sequel with Cruise. In regard to the popularity and support, Teller said that the experience has "been awesome" and that "I've never really experienced something like this in my life."
Teller made his hosting debut on the opener of the 48th season of Saturday Night Live in 2022, and during the Super Bowl LVII telecast in 2023, Teller, his wife, and their dog starred in a commercial for Bud Light in which they pass the time while waiting for a customer service representative to speak to them, dancing to the on-hold music.
Personal life
Teller became engaged to model Keleigh Sperry at the Molori Safari Lodge in the Madikwe Game Reserve, South Africa, on August 20, 2017. They married on September 1, 2019, in Maui, Hawaii. In 2025, their home was destroyed by the Palisades Fire. Later that year, he visited his former high school to inspire and answer questions by students, and the school named their theater the "Miles Teller Theatre".
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Rabbit Hole | Jason | |
| 2011 | Footloose | Willard Hewitt | |
| 2012 | Project X | Himself | credited as "Miles" |
| 2013 | The Spectacular Now | Sutter Keely | |
| 21 & Over | Miller | ||
| 2014 | Whiplash | Andrew Neiman | |
| That Awkward Moment | Daniel | ||
| Divergent | Peter Hayes | ||
| Two Night Stand | Alec | ||
| 2015 | The Divergent Series: Insurgent | Peter Hayes | |
| Fantastic Four | Reed Richards / Mister Fantastic | ||
| 2016 | The Divergent Series: Allegiant | Peter Hayes | |
| Get a Job | Will Davis | ||
| War Dogs | David Packouz | ||
| Bleed for This | Vinny Pazienza | ||
| 2017 | Only the Brave | Brendan "Donut" McDonough | |
| Thank You for Your Service | Adam Schumann | ||
| 2022 | Top Gun: Maverick | Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw | |
| Spiderhead | Jeff | ||
| 2025 | The Gorge | Levi | Also executive producer |
| Eternity | Larry | Also executive producer | |
| 2026 | Michael † | John Branca | Post-production |
| TBA | The Ark and the Aardvark † | Gilbert (voice) | In production |
| Paper Tiger † | Irving Graff | Filming |
| † | Denotes films that have not yet been released |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | The Unusuals | James Boorland | Episode: "Boorland Day" |
| 2019 | Too Old to Die Young | Martin Jones | Miniseries; 10 episodes |
| 2022 | The Offer | Albert S. Ruddy | Miniseries; 10 episodes; also executive producer |
| Saturday Night Live | Himself (host) | Episode: "Miles Teller/Kendrick Lamar" | |
| 2025 | Episode: "Miles Teller/Brandi Carlile" |
Music video
| Year | Title | Role | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | "I Bet You Think About Me" | Groom | Taylor Swift featuring Chris Stapleton |
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Category | Work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
2011 | Chlotrudis Awards | Best Supporting Actor | Rabbit Hole | Nominated |
2013 | Alliance of Women Film Journalists | Best Depiction of Nudity, Sexuality, or Seduction | The Spectacular Now | Nominated |
| Indiana Film Journalists Association | Best Actor | Nominated | ||
| Napa Valley Film Festival | Rising Star Award (Shared with Dianna Agron) | Himself | Won | |
| Sundance Film Festival | Special Jury Prize for Dramatic Acting (Shared with Shailene Woodley) | The Spectacular Now | Won | |
2014 | British Academy Film Awards | Rising Star Award | Whiplash | Nominated |
| Chlotrudis Awards | Best Actor | The Spectacular Now | Nominated | |
| Georgia Film Critics Association | Breakthrough Award | 21 & Over and The Spectacular Now | Nominated | |
| Golden Schmoes Awards | Breakthrough Performance of the Year | Whiplash | Nominated | |
| Gotham Independent Film Awards | Best Actor | Nominated | ||
| MTV Movie Awards | Best Kiss (Shared with Shailene Woodley) | The Spectacular Now | Nominated | |
| Best Breakthrough Performance | Nominated | |||
| Satellite Awards | Best Actor | Whiplash | Nominated | |
| Young Hollywood Awards | Best Threesome | That Awkward Moment (shared with Zac Efron and Michael B. Jordan) | Nominated | |
2015 | Chlotrudis Awards | Best Actor | Whiplash | Nominated |
| CinemaCon Awards | Ensemble Award (Shared with Kate Mara, Michael B. Jordan, and Jamie Bell) | Fantastic Four | Won | |
| MTV Movie Awards | Best Male Performance | Whiplash | Nominated | |
| #WTF Moment | Nominated | |||
| Best Musical Moment | Nominated | |||
| Teen Choice Awards | Choice Movie Scene Stealer | The Divergent Series: Insurgent | Nominated | |
2016 | Golden Raspberry Awards | Worst Screen Combo (Shared with Kate Mara, Michael B. Jordan, and Jamie Bell) | Fantastic Four | Nominated |
| Indiana Film Journalists Association | Best Actor | Bleed for This | Nominated | |
| Teen Choice Awards | Choice Movie Scene Stealer | The Divergent Series: Allegiant | Nominated | |
2022 | Hollywood Critics Association Midseason Film Awards | Best Supporting Actor | Top Gun: Maverick | Nominated |
| People's Choice Awards | The Male Movie Star of 2022 | Nominated | ||
2023 | MTV Movie & TV Awards | Best Duo (Shared with Tom Cruise) | Nominated | |
2025 | Astra TV Awards | Best Actor in a Limited Series or TV Movie | The Gorge | Nominated |
| Critics' Choice Super Awards | Best Actor in a Science Fiction/Fantasy Movie | Nominated | ||
| Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Television Movie (as Executive Producer) | Nominated | ||
| Savannah Film Festival | Distinguished Performance Award | Eternity | Won |