Oliver Alexander Thornton (born 15 July 1990), known professionally as Olly Alexander, is an English musician and actor.
Alexander is best known as the frontman of the electropop project Years & Years, winning the BBC's Sound of 2015 poll and going on to further success in their native United Kingdom as well as abroad. As a solo artist, Alexander will represent the UK in the Eurovision Song Contest 2024.
In addition to his music career, Alexander is also known for acting. After appearing in in films such as Bright Star, Enter the Void, Tormented, and God Help the Girl, as well as television shows like Skins and Penny Dreadful, Alexander attained widespread critical praise for his role as Ritchie Tozer in the period AIDS drama It's a Sin, receiving a BAFTA Television nomination for Best Actor.
Discography:
As part of Years & Years:
- Communion (2015)
- Palo Santo (2018)
- Night Call (2022)
Selected filmography:
- Bright Star (2008) as Tom Keats
- Lewis, episode "Allegory of Love" (2009) as Hayden
- Tormented (2009) as Jason Banks
- Enter the Void (2009) as Victor
- Gulliver's Travels (2010) as Prince August
- Great Expectations (2012) as Herbert Pocket
- Skins: Pure (2013) as Jakob
- God Help the Girl (2014) as James
- It's a Sin (2021) as Ritchie Tozer
- Eurovision Song Contest (2024) as himself
I was a trope under your control:
- Ascended Fanboy:
- Some of his recent collaborators include the likes of Elton John and Kylie Minogue, both of whom he was a known fan of growing up.
- In the official announcement of his participation in the Eurovision Song Contest, he noted his status as a Eurovision megafan.
- Cover Version: He notably covered the Pet Shop Boys' "It's a Sin" with Elton John, tying in with the then-recent airing of the series of the same title that he appeared in.
- Dancing with Myself: The "Starstruck" video shows Olly dancing with a double of himself throughout an elaborate house.
- I Am the Band: Years & Years officially became a solo project in 2021, with Olly serving as its only permanent member. Some promotional materials even include his name alongside Years & Years. Following the announcement that Alexander would be representing the UK in Eurovision, he announced that he would be going by his own name from that point on, effectively dissolving Years & Years.
- Our Mermaids Are Different: How he appears on the Night Call album art.
