Harry John Newman Treadaway, born on September 10, 1984, is an English actor, widely recognized for his captivating performance as Victor Frankenstein in the horror-drama series Penny Dreadful.
Born at the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital in Exeter, Devon, Treadaway grew up in Sandford, Devon, with his parents, an architect father and a primary school teacher mother, and two older brothers, Sam and Luke. His twin brother Luke shares a special bond with Harry, having attended Queen Elizabeth's Community College in Crediton, Devon, where they played rugby union together.
Treadaway and his twin brother Luke developed a passion for music, inspired by Eddie Vedder, and formed a band called Lizardsun with Matt Conyngham and Seth Campbell. They also joined the National Youth Theatre, further nurturing their creative talents.
Harry's professional debut was in the feature film Brothers of the Head, where he played Tom Howe, the band's rhythm guitarist and songwriter, alongside his twin brother Luke. The twins performed all tracks live on stage and recorded nine tracks for the soundtrack album, simulating the conjoined nature of their characters by wearing sewn-together wetsuits or a harness, and even sleeping in one bed.
Treadaway took time off from his course at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA) to work on Brothers of the Head and graduated in 2006. He continued to take on professional commitments, including Miss Marple: Sleeping Murder for ITV television and a reading of a new play, Myrna Molloy for Operating Theatre Company in 2006.
Since graduating, Treadaway has appeared in various projects, such as Recovery for Tiger Aspect, Cape Wrath for Channel 4, and In Control, where he played Joy Division drummer Stephen Morris. He also appeared in the Channel 4 drama The Shooting of Thomas Hurndall and a short film by Sam Taylor-Wood in 2008.
Treadaway has acted in horror film The Disappeared, science fiction-fantasy film City of Ember, and made his stage debut in Over There, a new play by Mark Ravenhill, alongside his twin brother Luke at the Royal Court Theatre in 2009.
As a songwriter, Treadaway is credited for writing the piece Sink or Swim, which he and Luke performed on film and on the soundtrack of Brothers of the Head. He also performed his song "Raise This Up" in "Brothers of the Head" as a solo performance during the scene in which Tom Howe's girlfriend breaks his heart.
In 2011, he appeared in The Last Furlong, filmed in Ireland, where he played the title character James Furlong. He went on to play Victor Frankenstein in the Showtime TV series Penny Dreadful, starting in May 2014.
