Alfie Williams

Alfie Williams
Williams in 2025
Born (2011-01-03) 3 January 2011
Newcastle upon Tyne, England, United Kingdom
NationalityEnglish
OccupationActor
Years active2021–present

Alfie Williams (born 3 January 2011) is an English child actor. He is best known for playing Spike in the movies 28 Years Later (2025) and 28 Years Later: Bone Temple (2026).

Early life

Alfie Williams was born in Newcastle upon Tyne, England, on 3 January 2011.[1][2][3] He has a younger sister, Mollie.[4] He grew up near Newcastle upon Tyne.[5] His father, Alfie Dobson, is an actor and was his main inspiration.[6]

From a young age, Williams wanted to act.[5] When he was six, he played Scrooge in his school play A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. He watched the classic movie of the story and worked hard on his accent. This made him sure he wanted to be an actor.[7]

Williams went to a drama school but left soon because it was mostly about musicals, and he liked movies and TV more. When he was seven, he started going to many auditions and soon got his first jobs in commercials.[6]

Career

Williams' career started with small roles in commercials and short movies.[6] In 2021, he acted in a short movie called Phallacy, together with actors Stephen Graham and Shaun Parkes.[8] This role became important for his career because Stephen Graham recommended him to the talent agency Independent Talent Group. Williams signed with them and still works with them today.[9]

He had a small role in the third season of the fantasy TV series His Dark Materials.[10] He also acted in BBC Radio 4's drama Our Friends in the North.[9][11] In 2023, Williams played young John Henry Sayers in the movie A New Breed of Criminal.[12]

In 2025, he got his first big movie role as Spike in the horror movie 28 Years Later.[13] At that time, he was 13 years old. The Hollywood Reporter called him the "main star" of the movie,[14] Empire said he was an "amazing new talent",[15] and The Times said his acting was "excellent".[16] He will play Spike again in the sequel 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, which will come out in 2026.[17] Filming for the sequel started only three weeks after they finished filming 28 Years Later.[18][19]

Personal life

One of Williams' main hobbies is playing the guitar. He started loving guitar after his 28 Years Later co-star Aaron Taylor-Johnson gave him a vintage acoustic guitar. He likes Kurt Cobain, the band Nirvana, and grunge music in general.[20]

Besides music, Williams also likes video games. Some of his favourite games are Red Dead Redemption, Ghost of Tsushima, and Dead by Daylight.[9]

Williams lives with his family in Gateshead, near Newcastle upon Tyne.[20] He is homeschooled now.[9]

Filmography

Table key
Upcoming movie
Movie and Television
Year Title Role Notes
2021 Phallacy Bo Williams Short movie
2022 His Dark Materials Ghost Theo Episode: "No Way Out"
2023 A New Breed of Criminal Young John Henry Sayers
2025 28 Years Later Spike
2026 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple Spike Post-production

Awards and nominations

Year Award Category Work Result Ref.
2025 Astra Midseason Movie Awards Best Actor 28 Years Later Nominated [21]

References

  1. Williams, Alfie (3 January 2025). "Birthday feast #kfc #birthday #food #yummers". instagram.com. Instagram. Retrieved 10 August 2025.
  2. Dobson, Alfie (3 January 2025). "A massive happy birthday Alfie son me mam and Molly are so proud of what you have achieved in the short space of time keep moving forward and live your dream". instagram.com. Instagram. Retrieved 10 August 2025.
  3. Block, India (2025-06-19). "28 Years Later star Alfie Williams: 'You start to feel the fear when you're getting chased'". London Evening Standard. Archived from the original on 2025-06-20. Retrieved 2025-06-19.
  4. Williams, Alfie (22 August 2025). "Me and my Little Sis Mollie". instagram.com. Instagram.
  5. 5.0 5.1 Greenwood, Douglas (2025-06-18). "This 14-Year-Old's Face Is On the Bus He Rode to School". i-D. Archived from the original on 2025-06-22. Retrieved 2025-06-22.
  6. 6.0 6.1 6.2 Williams, Alfie (2025-06-17). "'28 Years Later' Teen Star Alfie Williams on Collaborating With Danny Boyle, Climbing a Tower of Skulls and Navigating the 'Scary' Infected on Set". Variety (Interview). Interviewed by Ritman, Alex. Archived from the original on 2025-06-18. Retrieved 2025-06-22.
  7. King, Jack (2025-06-25). "28 Years Later breakout Alfie Williams: "I'd spend a lot of time with Danny Boyle because he's kind of like a grandad"". British GQ. Archived from the original on 2025-06-25. Retrieved 2025-06-26.
  8. "PHALLACY | Academy Films". christophersabogal.com. Retrieved 2025-06-27.
  9. 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 "28 Years Later: Alfie Williams discusses working with Danny Boyle". 1883 Magazine (Interview). 2025-06-18. Archived from the original on 2025-06-22. Retrieved 2025-06-26.
  10. Moss, Molly (2025-06-21) [2024-12-17]. "28 Years Later cast: Who stars alongside Aaron Taylor-Johnson?". Movies. Radio Times. Archived from the original on 2025-06-22. Retrieved 2025-06-22.
  11. "Rising Star: Alfie Williams". themediaeye.com. 29 January 2025. Archived from the original on 2025-03-23. Retrieved 2025-06-22.
  12. "A New Breed of Criminal (2023) | Crime". IMDb. Archived from the original on 2024-11-12. Retrieved 2025-06-27.
  13. Wonfor, Sam (2025-06-05). "North East to roll out the red carpet for gala screening of 28 Years Later". culturednortheast.co.uk. Archived from the original on 2025-06-22. Retrieved 2025-06-22.
  14. Rooney, David (2025-06-18). "'28 Years Later' Review: Jodie Comer and Aaron Taylor-Johnson in Danny Boyle's White-Knuckle Sequel to His Apocalyptic Game-Changer". Movies. The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on 2025-06-19. Retrieved 2025-06-22.
  15. Travis, Ben (2025-06-18). "28 Years Later Review". Empire. Archived from the original on 2025-06-19. Retrieved 2025-06-22.
  16. Potton, Ed (18 June 2025). "28 Years Later review — the best in Danny Boyle's zombie franchise". Culture. The Times. Archived from the original on 2025-06-20. Retrieved 2025-06-22.
  17. Stephan, Katcy (2024-12-19). "'28 Years Later' Sequel 'The Bone Temple' Gets January 2026 Release Date". Film. Variety. Archived from the original on 2025-06-07. Retrieved 2025-06-22.
  18. Tabbara, Mona (2024-08-19). "Alex Garland and Andrew Macdonald talk '28 Years Later' trilogy, casting indie films and the importance of producers". Screen Daily. Archived from the original on 2025-05-03. Retrieved 2025-06-22.
  19. Parker, Jess (2024-07-29). "Danny Boyle's '28 Years Later' Just Got a Thrilling Update". Collider. Archived from the original on 2024-07-29. Retrieved 2025-06-22.
  20. 20.0 20.1 Reilly, Nick (2025-06-19). "Introducing Alfie Williams, the teenage breakout star of '28 Years Later'". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 2025-07-10. Retrieved 2025-06-26.
  21. Neglia, Matt (2025-06-30). "The 2025 Hollywood Creative Alliance (HCA) Midseason Astra Award Nominations". Next Best Picture. Archived from the original on 2025-07-02. Retrieved 2025-06-30.

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