1988-Present
***Latest News: Starring Glen Powell in Twisters
Glen Powell relied on a traumatic personal experience to prepare for his part in the forthcoming summer film Twisters. In an interview with Total Film, the 35-year-old discussed his personal tornado experience while growing up in Texas.
“It was an F5—one of the big ones,” Powell said of the storm that hit the little town of Jarrell as he and his family were travelling past. “I was outrunning it with my aunt Taffy and a carload of relatives. And I recall us having to seek refuge. It didn’t come near enough to do us any harm, but I remember the horror of being on the road while the largest imagined one was approaching.”
Instead of dodging the severe storms, Powell will face them full on in the new film as fictitious storm hunter Tyler Owens. Twisters, starring Daisy Edgar-Jones and Anthony Ramos, is set to open in theatres on July 19.
Who Is Glen Powell?
Glen Powell is best remembered for his performances in the action film Top Gun: Maverick and the romance comedy Anyone But You. Powell was up in Austin, Texas, and started his career as a stage actor before landing his first film part as an adolescent in Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over in 2003. After a decade of mostly tiny supporting roles, he began to acquire widespread notice with the TV horror comedy Scream Queens and his depiction of astronaut John Glenn in the 2016 historical movie Hidden Figures. He is currently regarded as one of Hollywood’s next leading guys.
Quick Facts
FULL NAME: Glen Thomas Powell Jr.
BORN: October 21, 1988
BIRTHPLACE: Austin, Texas
ASTROLOGICAL SIGN: Libra
Early Life and Parents
Glen Thomas Powell Jr. was born on October 21, 1988, and reared in Austin, Texas. His parents are Glen Powell Sr., a former executive coach, and Cyndy Powell, a stay-at-home mom to Glen and his two brothers. The actor has two sisters: Lauren, his elder sister, and Leslie, his younger sister.
Powell’s passion in films and acting began at a young age, thanks in large part to his parents. In the summer of 1993, when he was five years old, his father brought him to see Jurassic Park, the megahit directed by Steven Spielberg. The younger Glen saw the picture many times in theatres and on home video, attempting to figure out how the special effects worked.
According to Austin Monthly, Glen started producing his own science fiction films as a youngster. He utilised a home video camera and computer, cast his pals as performers, and looked for items in his parents’ basement. Seeing this, his parents pushed him to take acting courses. Glen, a graduate of the Austin Musical Theatre School, performed as an understudy for the male lead in The Music Man in 2000, as well as in The Sound of Music and Oliver! at the city’s Paramount Theatre.
Glen Sr. and Cyndy continue to be involved in their son’s life and profession, with cameo appearances in many of his films. They most recently starred as a couple on the seashore in the 2022 war drama Devotion and as aeroplane passengers in the 2023 romantic comedy Anyone But You. “Your parents are your wingmen on this journey, and I have the best wingmen alive,” stated the performer.
Despite his early success as a cinematic actor, Powell attended Westwood High School in Texas, where he played football and lacrosse until graduating in 2007. He subsequently studied radio, television, and cinema at the University of Texas at Austin, but did not finish his degree.
Movies: Top Gun: Maverick and Anyone But You
Powell’s Austin roots helped him win his first onscreen part as a “Long-fingered Boy” in the 2003 children’s adventure sequel Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over, which was shot and produced in the city. While seeking for “local hires” to join the mostly Los Angeles-based ensemble, director Robert Rodriguez spotted Powell, who was 14 at the time. “You’re simply looking for someone locally who won’t feel nervous and will provide a performance that can compete with the other actors. “He comes in with stature and confidence and just nails it,” Rodriguez told IndieWire. “So now, it’s no surprise to see [he made it as an actor], but he already had that quality at 14 and clarity of vision that that’s what he was supposed to be.”
Over the following three years, the young actor—then known as Glen Powell Jr.—regularly landed small parts in lesser-known films including The Wendell Baker Story (2005), Fast Food Nation (2006), and The Hottest State (2006).
Powell pondered deprioritizing his acting career while still in high school at Westwood, but was encouraged by Denzel Washington on the set of the 2007 historical movie The Great Debaters. Powell’s performance in the film as Harvard University student Preston Whittington pleased the two-time Oscar winner. “Denzel Washington pushed me out of my comfort zone by saying, ‘You should double-down on yourself. “You should give [acting] a shot,” Powell remarked on Sunday’s Sitdown with Willie Geist.
Rising Star: The Dark Knight Rises and Hidden Figures
Powell followed Washington’s counsel and eventually started to appear in increasingly significant titles, including the 2012 Christopher Nolan-directed Batman film The Dark Knight Rises, in which he played an unknown Gotham Stock Exchange broker. Powell then appeared in 2014’s ensemble film The Expendables 3, starring action icons Sylvester Stallone, Harrison Ford, and Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Powell portrays astronaut John Glenn in the 2016 historical movie Hidden Figures, which focusses on NASA’s Black women pioneers Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Johnson Vaughan, and Mary Jackson. After seeing a preliminary edit of the film with incomplete visual effects, the actor was critical of his performance: “I just remember being like, ‘I ruined this beautiful movie, the legacy of these amazing women,'” he said in an interview with Variety. Fortunately, reviewers and audiences seemed to disagree, as the film grossed more than $230 million at the box office and garnered an Academy Award nomination for Best Picture.
Powell’s following appearances were in comedy, including the adolescent film Everybody Wants Some!! (2016) and the Netflix romantic comedy Set It Up (2018). The scene was prepared for the performer to fulfil his leading man potential.
Scream Queens and Other TV Shows
In addition to his film performances, Glen Powell has appeared in a number of important television dramas over his career. Following his brief appearance on The WB’s Jack & Bobby in 2004, he starred in episodes of Without a Trace, CSI: Miami, Rizzoli & Isles, and NCIS from 2008 to 2012.
He rose to prominence with his first recurring appearance on Fox’s horror comedy Scream Queens in 2015 and 2016. Powell portrayed Wallace University fraternity member Chad Radwell in 16 episodes of the TV program, which was a comedic satire of 1970s and 1980s slasher films. “The amount of people that come up to me about Scream Queens is shocking, probably more than anything else I’ve ever done,” he told Deadline in December 2023. “Maybe it ages like a fine wine.”
Powell has subsequently voiced characters in the Netflix animation Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous (2020-2022) and an episode of the animated series Rick and Morty (2023).
Relationship
Glen Powell is presently single and has never been married. Most recently, the actor dated model Gigi Paris for around three years, beginning in 2020. They made many public appearances together, notably at the 2022 premiere of Top Gun: Maverick. However, People claimed in April 2023 that the pair had “broken up several times” and decided to quit their romance permanently.
Following their onscreen sparks in Anyone But You, people speculated that Powell and co-star Sydney Sweeney had started a real-life romance, which coincided with his departure from Paris. Although the performers have denied this, they have acknowledged to spreading rumours to promote the film. Powell even made a guest appearance during Sweeney’s monologue as host of Saturday Night Live in March 2024, mocking the rumours.
“Sydney and I have a lot of fun together, and we have a lot of natural chemistry. That’s people wanting what’s on the screen off the screen, and sometimes you just have to lean in a little—and it worked well,” Powell told The New York Times.
Powell was previously romantically involved with actress Nina Dobrev in 2017 and Australian TV presenter Renee Bargh from 2018 to 2019.
Net Worth
Although Powell’s actual net worth hasn’t been made public, Life & Style magazine reported in May 2024 the actor’s fortune is estimated to be between **$7 million and **$10 million.
The true number is likely higher after the release of Anyone But You, with Powell reportedly receiving **$5 million for his role in the movie.
