FROM TEEN HEARTTHROB TO OSCAR NOMINEE
Jacob Elordi
b. 1997 · Actor
Early Life
Jacob Nathaniel Elordi was born on June 26, 1997, in Brisbane, Australia, to Melissa, a stay-at-home mother, and John Elordi, a house painter of Basque heritage. He spent part of his childhood in Melbourne before returning to Brisbane in 2013. A talented athlete growing up, Elordi represented Victoria in rugby union and basketball and won a national championship in 2012, but a back injury ended his athletic ambitions.
After the injury, Elordi found a new passion in acting, crediting a reading of Samuel Beckett's Waiting for Godot at age 15 as a turning point. He moved to the United States in 2017 to pursue acting professionally.
Rise to Fame
Elordi's first major role came in Netflix's The Kissing Booth in 2018, where he played Noah Flynn opposite Joey King. Though the film was critically panned, it became a global streaming hit and launched his career; Elordi has since spoken candidly about his mixed feelings on the franchise, calling the films "ridiculous" but necessary stepping stones.
His breakout dramatic role came as Nate Jacobs, a troubled high school football player, in HBO's Euphoria beginning in 2019, a performance that critics singled out as one of the show's most compelling and marked his transition into serious acting.
Career Highlights
In 2023, Elordi earned widespread critical acclaim portraying Elvis Presley in Sofia Coppola's Priscilla, with reviewers praising his nuanced, restrained performance, and he starred as Felix Catton in Emerald Fennell's psychological thriller Saltburn, earning a BAFTA nomination. In 2025, he played Dorrigo Evans in the miniseries The Narrow Road to the Deep North and took on the title role of the Creature in Guillermo del Toro's Frankenstein for Netflix, a performance that earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor along with Golden Globe and BAFTA nominations.
2026 brought his first major commercial box-office success with Wuthering Heights, co-starring Margot Robbie, which grossed over $242 million worldwide. He also reprised his role as Nate Jacobs in Euphoria's final season, starred in Ridley Scott's science-fiction film The Dog Stars alongside Margaret Qualley, and was announced to star opposite Scarlett Johansson in Ari Aster's upcoming thriller Scapegoat.
Personal Life
Elordi has been romantically linked over the years to co-stars including Joey King and Zendaya, as well as models Kaia Gerber and Kendall Jenner. In March 2023, he obtained a restraining order after being targeted by a stalker, and in February 2024 he was investigated by police following an altercation with a radio producer connected to a prank referencing a scene from Saltburn.
Standing 6-foot-5 with classical features often noted by the press, Elordi has become a recognizable face in fashion as a brand ambassador for Hugo Boss and TAG Heuer, though he has spoken openly against the objectification he has experienced as a result of his looks in Hollywood.
Net Worth & Legacy
Jacob Elordi's net worth is estimated in the tens of millions of dollars, built through a rapid ascent from streaming teen romance to prestige awards-season dramas and blockbuster box office in less than a decade.
From an injured rugby player in Brisbane discovering acting almost by accident to an Oscar-nominated performer sought after by directors like Sofia Coppola, Guillermo del Toro, and Ridley Scott, Elordi's career has become one of the more unusual and successful transformations in recent Hollywood history, with his 2026 run cementing him as both a critical favorite and a bona fide box-office draw.