Charlie Hunnam

Charles Matthew Hunnam was born in Newcastle upon Tyne on 10 April 1980, the son of Jane Bell, a ballet dancer and business owner, and William Hunnam. One of his grandmothers was a portrait artist. He has said that his mother "did a very good job" of being a single parent. He has an older brother named William and two younger half brothers on his mother's side named Oliver and Christian.

At age 12, when his mother remarried, the family moved to Melmerby in Cumbria. He attended Queen Elizabeth Grammar School Penrith, which he was later expelled from. During his adolescence, he played rugby and fought with his classmates. After that, instead of going to university, he decided to go to the Cumbria College of Art and Design in Carlisle (now part of the University of Cumbria) to study performing arts. He graduated with a dual degree in film theory and film history with a side in performing arts. He planned to write and direct his own films.