You’ve probably seen his face three times this week without even realizing it. One minute he’s a vomit-prone B-17 navigator in the 1940s, and the next, he’s the most hated man in American history, sprinting through a tobacco barn with a broken leg. Anthony Boyle has become the go-to guy for prestige television, and honestly, it’s about time.
If you’re trying to track down the best anthony boyle movies and tv shows, you’re basically looking at a map of the most ambitious projects of the mid-2020s. He doesn't just "show up" in things. He occupies them. Whether it’s his breakout on the stage or his recent streak of dominating streaming services, the Belfast-born actor has a knack for picking roles that feel like they shouldn't work on paper—and then making them the only thing people talk about at the water cooler.
The Roles That Made Him a Household Name
It’s wild to think that many people first met him as a Malfoy. Not the platinum-blonde sneering version from the films, but the awkward, deeply lovable Scorpius Malfoy in Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. He won an Olivier Award for that, and it’s the role that proved he could take a legacy franchise and inject it with actual, human blood.
But 2024 was the year the floodgates really opened.
If you haven't seen Masters of the Air, stop what you're doing. Boyle plays Major Harry Crosby. He’s the heart of the show, mostly because he’s the only one who feels like a real person amidst all the "cool guy" pilot energy. He’s airsick. He’s nervous. He’s the narrator who makes you feel the sheer terror of being 30,000 feet in the air.
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Then there’s Manhunt. Talk about a pivot. Going from a war hero to John Wilkes Booth is a choice. A big one. Boyle played Booth not as a mustache-twirling villain, but as a narcissistic, fame-hungry actor who thought he was the hero of his own tragic play. It was hypnotic. It was also deeply uncomfortable to watch, which is exactly why it worked.
A Quick Look at the Major Credits
- House of Guinness (2025): He plays Arthur Guinness. It’s a sweeping family saga on Netflix, and Boyle carries the weight of a brewing empire on his shoulders.
- Say Nothing (2024): This one hit close to home. Playing Brendan Hughes, a real-life figure from the Troubles in Belfast, Boyle brought a raw, gritty intensity that felt worlds away from his Apple TV+ roles.
- Shardlake (2024): He’s Jack Barak here, a cocky, sharp-tongued fixer in Tudor England. It’s basically a buddy-cop show but with more swords and significantly more mud.
- The Plot Against America (2020): If you missed this HBO gem, go back. He plays Alvin Levin, and it’s arguably where he first showed he could hang with heavyweights like Winona Ryder.
What Most People Get Wrong About His Career
People think he just appeared out of thin air in 2024. Not true. He’s been grinding for a decade. He was a Bolton Guard in Game of Thrones for one episode. He did the "actor's rite of passage" with a small role in Derry Girls.
The reason anthony boyle movies and tv shows feel so consistent is that he’s a physical actor. He doesn't just learn lines. He changes the way he walks. For Manhunt, he spent weeks at "cowboy camp" learning to ride horses until he could stop them "on a dime," as he put it. For Masters of the Air, he used old YouTube footage of the real Harry Crosby to nail the specific, slightly nasal tone of his voice.
He’s currently tied with Aaron Taylor-Johnson in the betting odds for the next James Bond. Think about that for a second. The guy who played a dorky Malfoy is now a frontrunner for 007. It’s a testament to his range.
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Why You Should Care About the Newer Projects
We’re currently in the middle of a Boyle-aissance.
House of Guinness is the big one right now. Working with Steven Knight (the guy who gave us Peaky Blinders), Boyle is playing a different kind of lead. It’s less about the action and more about the quiet, simmering tension of a man trying to outrun his father's shadow. It’s 19th-century Dublin, it’s beer, and it’s incredibly high stakes.
Then there’s the upcoming The Altruists. He’s set to play Sam Bankman-Fried. Yeah, the FTX guy. It’s a role that requires a very specific kind of frantic, awkward energy, and if anyone can pull off that "disheveled genius" vibe without it feeling like a caricature, it’s probably Boyle.
How to Watch Him Right Now: A Practical List
If you want the full "Boyle Experience," you have to bounce around a few apps. It’s a bit of a scavenger hunt, but it’s worth it.
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- Apple TV+: This is the Motherlode. Masters of the Air and Manhunt live here. Watch them back-to-back to see the most extreme acting range currently on television.
- Netflix: Head here for House of Guinness. It’s a bit more of a slow burn, but the production value is insane.
- Hulu / Disney+: This is where you’ll find Shardlake and Say Nothing.
- HBO / Max: Check out The Plot Against America. It’s a limited series, so you can finish it in a weekend.
The Actionable Takeaway
If you’re a fan of high-quality drama, you basically need to follow Anthony Boyle's filmography. He has become a litmus test for whether a show is going to be "good" or "awards-season good."
Start with Masters of the Air for the emotional hook. Move to Manhunt for the character study. By the time you get to House of Guinness, you’ll see why he’s being considered for Bond. He is one of the few actors working today who feels like he’s actually taking risks with every single role he picks.
Keep an eye on the trades for the official Bond 26 announcement—because at this rate, the tuxedo might just be the next thing he puts on.
Next Step for You: Pick one of the streaming services above and start with Masters of the Air. It’s the definitive performance of his career so far and provides the best entry point into his style of immersive acting.