Jack O’Connell will be playing Paddy Mayne in the new BBC One drama SAS Rogue Heroes.
Paddy Mayne was an Army Soldier who helped David Stirling form a unit of the toughest and bravest soldiers called the SAS.
We can’t wait to see Jack O’Connell take on the role of the strapping young soldier.
But who is Jack O’Connell and how old is he?
Who is Jack O’Connell?
Jack O’Connell is a British actor who found fame playing James Cook in Skins.
Jack has also played the iconic role of Pukey Nicholls in This Is England.
The young actor grew up in Alvaston, Derbyshire and developed a skill for acting from a very early age.
His mother, Alison, later took on management of her son’s career as he started to become more popular.
The star now has a variety of TV credits from featuring in an episode of Doctors to starring in The North Water.
Who plays Paddy Mayne in SAS Rogue Heroes?
Jack plays Paddy Mayne in SAS Rogue Heroes.
Paddy Mayne was a British Army officer and an amateur boxer.
Paddy became a legendary figure when he helped David Stirling found the SAS.
However, the soldier sadly died in a car accident in 1955.
Talking about his role in the series, Jack said: “Looking from Paddy’s angle, at risk of sounding simplistic, this was a chance to finally utilise what made him unique as an officer of the British Army.
“After joining and forging the SAS, he was finally in an environment in which he could utilise his skill, his rebelliousness and his all-out want to progress and turn the fate of the war.
“I imagine that when he finds himself being headhunted by David Stirling to become part of this unit, that he is finally finding himself in a place where he is able to operate fully.”
Who is Jack O’Connell dating?
As of 2022, Jack is not dating anyone.
However, he has had many relationships in the past.
Jack was in a relationship with singer and former X Factor judge Tulisa in 2012.
However, the pair split after only three months together.
A source told the Daily Mirror that distance was to blame for the split, saying: “He isn’t able to travel to the UK at all, as filming schedules are so tight. This meant that Tulisa was flying backwards and forwards to Bulgaria – as well as fulfilling her X Factor duties.”
He also dated his Skins co-star Kaya Scodelario in 2009, while they were both filming the series.
Kaya told the Telegraph that he was her first love.
She said: “It was everything to me at the time. Everything’s a ‘first’, isn’t it and it felt so wonderful, obsessive even. He was a great first love. He’s a great person and we are still extremely close.”
How old is SAS Rogue Heroes star Jack O’Connell?
Jack O’Connell was born on August1, 1990.
This means that he is 32 years old.
What has Jack O’Connell been in?
Since the start of his career, Jack often played young and rebellious teenagers.
John Freeman even wrote in The New York Times: “If a British film called for a tough case, a grappler, someone with a bit of grit, chances were Jack O’Connell got the part.”
In 2005, Jack made his professional acting debut when he played a runaway with anger issues in an episode of Doctors.
He also played a boy accused of rape in The Bill.
But the main troubled teenager that Jack played, that he is probably best known for, is James Cook in Skins.
Jack starred alongside Nicholas Holt and Dev Patel in the popular E4 teen drama.
During 2007, Jack also appeared in episodes of Waterloo Road, Holby City and Wire in the Blood.
Jack also played the iconic Pukey in the coming-of-age drama This Is England.
At age 15, Jack was deemed too old to play the lead in the drama, so the writer created the supporting role of Pukey specifically for him.
Jack also gave critically acclaimed performances in the independent films Starred Up and ’71.
He even starred as war hero Louis Zamperini in the war film Unbroken, for which he received a BAFTA Rising Star Award.
How did Jack O’Connell lose weight?
Jack O’Connell revealed that he lost a lot of weight for his award-winning role in Unbroken.
In the lead-up to filming Angelina Jolie’s drama, Jack survived on only 400 calories a day.
Unbroken followed the story about a real-life WWII hero, Louis Zamperini.
Louis Zamperini was a former Olympic athlete, who was rescued by the Japanese navy after spending 47 days at sea in a life raft.
After being rescued, Louis spent two years in a series of war camps, where a brutal Japanese sergeant singled him out for punishment.
Jack revealed: “You can’t act your way through a film like this.
“It did have to hurt, and I was willing to take that on the chin. We knew we had a mountain ahead of us so we were just going into it swinging.”
Read more: SAS Rogue Heroes on BBC One: How many episodes is it, is it based on a book and start date
SAS Rogue Heroes will air on Sunday 30 October on BBC One.
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