Glen Thomas Powell Jr. (born October 21, 1988) is an American actor. He began his career with small roles on television and in films including Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over (2003) and Fast Food Nation (2006). Powell acted in the action film The Expendables 3 (2014), the comedy-horror series Scream Queens (2015–2016), the teen comedy Everybody Wants Some!! (2016), the historical romance The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society (2018) and the romantic comedy Set It Up (2018). He also portrayed astronaut John Glenn in Hidden Figures (2016) and aviator Tom Hudner in Devotion (2022). He is the co-creator, producer and star of the comedy series, Chad Powers (2025).
Glen Powell | |
|---|---|
 Powell in 2025 | |
| Born | Glen Thomas Powell Jr. October 21, 1988 Austin, Texas, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 2003–present |
Powell became widely known with his role in the action film Top Gun: Maverick (2022) and the romantic comedy Anyone but You (2023). He went on to star in the dark comedy Hit Man (2023), which he also co-wrote and produced, the disaster film Twisters (2024) and the action film The Running Man (2025). His performance in Hit Man earned him a nomination for a Golden Globe Award.
Early life and education
Glen Thomas Powell Jr. was born on October 21, 1988, in Austin, Texas, to Glen Powell Sr., an executive coach and Cyndy, a homemaker; he has two sisters. His father is of Polish and Lipka Tatar ancestry and his original surname was Chutsky. Powell graduated from Westwood High School in Austin, Texas in 2007, where he played football and lacrosse. He attended the University of Texas at Austin (UT) for one year, calling it "the greatest year of [his] entire life", but dropped out and did not finish his degree. He initially expected to complete the requirements in spring 2024, then pushed to spring 2025, but since his schedule limited his time commitments, he put off his goal to spring 2027. As of November 2025, he was enrolled in UT's Radio-Television-Film program, taking classes over Zoom. As of 2025, Powell remains enrolled at the University of Texas at Austin as a Radio-Television-Film student in the Moody College of Communication and is expected to graduate in May 2027. He has also returned to campus for events, including screenings and promotional appearances for projects such as Chad Powers.
As a Radio-Television-Film student, Powell also participated in the University of Texas at Austin’s Semester in Los Angeles (UTLA) program, where he spent time living and working in Los Angeles while completing coursework and internships in the entertainment industry. The program provides students with hands-on experience, industry connections, and professional training through internships, classes taught by working professionals, and networking opportunities, helping prepare them for careers in film and television. Powell took part in the program before pursuing acting full-time, and later returned to the university to complete his degree.
Career
2003–2017: Early work and breakthrough
Powell's acting career began while working with Antonio Banderas and Sylvester Stallone in Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over. In 2007, before his first year of college, Powell landed a role in The Great Debaters, directed by and starring Denzel Washington. Washington introduced him to agent Ed Limato, who encouraged Powell to move to Los Angeles. After moving to the city, Powell stayed with a friend of the family and he later described struggling during this period to get roles, including failed auditions for Friday Night Lights, Cowboys & Aliens, and The Longest Ride. However, he saw some success with small credits in television series, including Into the West, Jack & Bobby, CSI: Miami, NCIS, Without a Trace, Rizzoli & Isles and The Lying Game. He also had minor parts in The Dark Knight Rises and Stuck in Love. Powell stated that he auditioned multiple times for the role in The Dark Knight Rises and that Christopher Nolan taking a chance on him was a validation as "nothing was going on" in his life at the time.
Powell began receiving larger roles in feature films around 2014. He played a hacker in The Expendables 3, an action movie that starred several well-known stars and that reunited Powell with Sylvester Stallone and Antonio Banderas. Powell later recounted asking Stallone for advice while filming on how to succeed in Hollywood. Powell next took minor roles in the comedies Sex Ed and Ride Along 2. During this period, he also had a main role in the first season of the television show Scream Queens and a recurring role in the second season.
In March 2016, he co-starred as Finnegan in Everybody Wants Some!!, Richard Linklater's spiritual sequel to Dazed & Confused, which was filmed in Austin, Texas and released by Paramount. The film was noted for being one of the first movies to really showcase Powell, with Linklater stating: "I needed someone with some charisma who was going to be smart, who was also believable as a college athlete... (He appeared) like this Beat character—he was even reading The Subterraneans, I think." Later that year, Powell played astronaut John Glenn in the biographical drama Hidden Figures. In 2017, he had a minor role as Sergeant Dylan Chutsky in the Netflix film Sand Castle. He then starred in The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society (2018).
2018–present: Top Gun: Maverick and expansion
In 2018, Powell starred opposite Zoey Deutch in the romantic comedy Set It Up. The movie was released on Netflix. Powell reflected in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter that he started getting more calls from contacts in the film industry after the movie's release, and Jake Greenburg of The Guardian commented that it was the "first movie wise enough to let [Powell] take up real space". Later that year, Powell joined the cast of Top Gun: Maverick. He had initially auditioned for the role of Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw, but the part went to Miles Teller. Powell's audition impressed producers, who offered him the role of Jake "Hangman" Seresin instead but Powell was reluctant to take the role because he viewed the character as underdeveloped. A call from Tom Cruise, the star of the film, convinced Powell to accept the part, with Cruise offering him greater control over the character. The film was delayed multiple times due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but it turned into a "breakout role" for Powell upon its release in May 2022.
Powell next worked as a voice actor in the animated film Apollo 10 1⁄2: A Space Age Childhood, which premiered in March 2022 in his second collaboration with Linklater. He then played naval officer Tom Hudner in the biographical war film, Devotion. The film, which Powell executive produced, received positive reviews when released in November 2022, but it was a box-office bomb.
In 2023, he co-starred opposite Sydney Sweeney in the romantic comedy Anyone but You, which emerged as a sleeper hit, grossing $220 million worldwide. Around its release in December 2023, the film generated buzz because of speculation about a potential off-screen romance between Powell and Sweeney, although the two stars later admitted that the appearance of a real-life relationship was part of a marketing strategy. Powell remarked to The New York Times: "That's people wanting what's on the screen off the screen and sometimes you just have to lean into it a bit". He later indicated that the press tour was designed as "its own sense of entertainment". The film's success propelled Powell's career to stardom with Scott Mendelson writing: "It's a lower-budgeted, adult-skewing rom-com that relishes – rather than represses their star charisma and sex appeal ... It's a star vehicle harkening back to when thespians, not IP or marquee characters, were franchises." In the immediate aftermath, Powell was offered and signed on for a slew of star-vehicles including Chad Powers, The Running Man, How To Make A Killing, and The Great Beyond; while also turning down projects like Jurassic World: Rebirth with Powell reasoning: "I'm not doing that movie because I read the script and I immediately was like, my presence in this movie doesn't help it ... It's about choosing where you're going to make an audience happy and where you're going to make yourself happy."
In 2024, Powell produced and co-wrote the script of the romantic black comedy Hit Man with director Richard Linklater. Several critics praised Powell's performance in it as an undercover police contractor posing as a hitman. Alissa Wilkinson of The New York Times called it a "genuine star-clinching turn" for Powell, while Sophie Butcher of Empire wrote that he "announces himself as a movie star and a filmmaking force to be reckoned with". After premiering at the 2023 Venice International Film Festival, Hit Man was released on Netflix in June 2024. His performance in Hit Man earned him a nomination for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy. In the following month, he starred in the disaster film Twisters, a standalone sequel to the 1996 film Twister, playing a YouTube storm chaser.IndieWire's David Ehrlich commended him for "churning pure charisma" in his part. The film was a critical and box office success.
In 2025, Powell starred as Russ Holiday in the comedy series Chad Powers, which he helped to create and produce. The show follows Holiday's attempt to stage a comeback in football by disguising himself with a fake identity. Stuart Heritage of The Guardian called Powell's role one of the "most magnetic and magical performances in memory", while Daniel Fienberg of The Hollywood Reporter didn't care for the show but thought positively of Powell: "A major piece of this hypothetical renegade ethos is seeing how far Glen Powell's abundant natural charm can be pushed in having him play two characters who are completely unlikable in different ways? Both Russ and Chad are inconsistently written, but Powell is fully committed to all of their inconsistencies. The thing he's most consistent with is his general athleticism." The first season was successful, and was renewed for a second season. He then starred as the titular character in the remake of Stephen King's thriller novel The Running Man, directed by Edgar Wright and released in November 2025. The film received mixed reviews and bombed at the box office.
In 2026, Powell starred in the black comedy thriller How to Make a Killing. On Powell's performance, Owen Gleiberman of Variety, wrote: "He carries the audience with his energized sense of play. He's sleek enough to cruise through a movie like…well, Tom Cruise, and part of it is that he shares Cruise's projection of quick-fire intelligence. Powell, as Becket, is always thinking, deciding, calculating, and the actor lets that all show through." Powell also voiced Fox McCloud in The Super Mario Galaxy Movie. Glenn Garner of Deadline Hollywood wrote that Powell "shined" in the film adding that Powell, "provides a fun addition to the onscreen franchise as the voice of Fox McCloud, a furry animated manifestation of his own rising action star."
Upcoming
He will next star in J. J. Abrams' fantasy film The Great Beyond opposite Jenna Ortega and Emma Mackey.
In 2027, he will co-star opposite Cristin Milioti in an untitled Judd Apatow romantic-comedy film about a country-western star in free-fall. It will be filmed in the spring of 2026. Powell produces the film via his production company Barnstorm.
Barnstorm
In January 2025, Powell announced the formation of his production company, Barnstorm, with a film first-look deal at Universal Pictures, and Dan Cohen (of 21 Laps) as Powell's producing partner. March 2026, it was announced that Lionsgate acquired a crocodile feature film spec script, entitled, The Death Roll, for Barnstorm to produce.
Personal life
Powell is a licensed pilot. His Top Gun: Maverick co-star Tom Cruise paid for him to attend flight school.
Powell has declared himself to be a superfan of the Texas Longhorns. In 2024, he relocated from Los Angeles back to his hometown of Austin, Texas.
As of early 2026, Powell is currently dating actress/model Michelle Randolph after being spotted on a date at a Austin bar.
Filmography
| † | Denotes film or TV productions that have not yet been released |
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over | Long-Fingered Boy | ||
| 2005 | The Wendell Baker Story | Paper Boy Travis | ||
| 2006 | Fast Food Nation | Steve | ||
| 2007 | The Great Debaters | Preston Whittington | ||
| 2009 | Jumping Off Bridges | Eric Turner | ||
| The Hottest State | John Jaegerman | |||
| 2012 | J.A.W. | Aiden | ||
| The Dark Knight Rises | Trader #1 | |||
| Stuck in Love | Good Looking Frat Guy | |||
| 2013 | Best Friends Forever | Nick | ||
| Red Wing | Francis Riley | |||
| 2014 | The Expendables 3 | Thorn | ||
| Sex Ed | JT | |||
| 2015 | Wind Walkers | Sonny Childe | ||
| 2016 | Misconduct | Doug Fields | ||
| Ride Along 2 | Troy | |||
| Everybody Wants Some!! | Walt "Finn" Finnegan | |||
| Hidden Figures | John Glenn | |||
| 2017 | Sand Castle | Sergeant Dylan Chutsky | ||
| 2018 | The Bad Guys | Whit | ||
| The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society | Mark Reynolds | |||
| Set It Up | Charlie Young | |||
| 2022 | Apollo 10 1⁄2: A Space Age Childhood | Bostick | ||
| Top Gun: Maverick | Lieutenant Jake "Hangman" Seresin | |||
| Devotion | Tom Hudner | Also executive producer | ||
| 2023 | Hit Man | Gary Johnson | Also writer and producer | |
| Anyone but You | Ben | |||
| 2024 | The Blue Angels | N/a | Documentary film; producer only | |
| Twisters | Tyler Owens | |||
| 2025 | The Running Man | Ben Richards | ||
| 2026 | How to Make a Killing | Becket Redfellow | ||
| The Super Mario Galaxy Movie | Fox McCloud | Voice | ||
| The Great Beyond † | TBA | Post-production |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Endurance | Himself / Contestant | Episode: "Drop-Out" | |
| 2004 | Jack & Bobby | Rich Wolf | Episode: "Pilot" | |
| 2005 | Into the West | Jackson Wheeler | Episode: "Hell on Wheels" | |
| 2008 | Without a Trace | Brett Farnsworth | Episode: "True/False" | |
| 2009 | CSI: Miami | Logan Crawford | Episode: "Head Case" | |
| 2011 | Rizzoli & Isles | Graham Randall | Episode: "Remember Me" | |
| 2012 | The Lying Game | Gavin Turner | Episode: "No Country for Young Love" | |
| NCIS | Evan Westcott | 2 episodes | ||
| 2015–2016 | Scream Queens | Chad Radwell | 16 episodes | |
| 2017 | All Hail King Julien | Trent (voice) | 3 episodes | |
| 2020–2022 | Jurassic World Camp Cretaceous | Dave (voice) | 14 episodes | |
| 2020 | Robot Chicken | Various voices | Episode: "Ghandi Mulholland in: Plastic Doesn't Get Cancer" | |
| 2023 | Rick and Morty | Kwyatt (voice) | Episode: "Wet Kuat Amortican Summer" | |
| 2024 | Family Guy | Patrick McCloskey (voice) | Episode: "Peter, Peter, Pumpkin Cheater" | |
| Saturday Night Live | Himself | Episode: "Sydney Sweeney/Kacey Musgraves" | ||
| 2025 | Chad Powers | Russ Holliday/Chad Powers | Main role; also co-creator, writer and executive producer | |
| Saturday Night Live | Himself - Host | Episode: "Glen Powell/Olivia Dean" |
Audio
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 10 Days | Danny Miles | 10 episodes | |
| 2024 | The Best Man's Ghostwriter | Nate | 2 episodes |
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Category | Work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Screen Actors Guild Awards | Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture | Hidden Figures | Won | |
| Palm Springs International Film Festival | Ensemble Performance Award | Honored | |||
| 2023 | Austin Film Critics Association | Special Honorary Award | Top Gun: Maverick / Apollo 10-1/2 / Devotion | Honored | |
| Online Film & Television Association | Best Breakthrough Performance: Male | Top Gun: Maverick | Nominated | ||
| 2024 | People's Choice Awards | The Comedy Movie Star of the Year | Anyone but You | Nominated | |
| Astra Midseason Movie Awards | Best Actor | Hit Man | Won | ||
| Best Screenplay | Runner-up | ||||
| Astra Film Awards | Best Actor | Nominated | |||
| Best Adapted Screenplay | Nominated | ||||
| 2025 | Golden Globe Awards | Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy | Nominated | ||
| Satellite Awards | Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Comedy or Musical | Nominated | |||
| Writers Guild of America Awards | Best Adapted Screenplay | Nominated | |||
| CinemaCon | Star of the Year | N/a | Honored | ||
| 2026 | Golden Globe Awards | Best Actor in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy | Chad Powers | Nominated |