Kai Alexander
Kai Alexander | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Alexander in 2024 | |
| Born | Kai Alexander 7 June 1997 Worcester, England |
| Education | ArtsEd |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 2017–present |
Kai Alexander (born 7 June 1997) is an English actor. He gained recognition for his standout performances portraying Lyle Jennings in Dept. Q (2025) and World War II veteran Sgt. William Quinn in the Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks war drama, Masters of the Air.[1][2][3][4] He began his career in the Channel 4 comedy series Catastrophe and is set to appear in the feature film Anxious People.
Early life and education
[edit]Alexander was born and raised in the Midlands. A musician from a young age, he learned piano as a child and later played drums in youth jazz orchestras. As a child Kai appeared in a Honey Monster TV commercial directed by Garth Jennings. At 16, he relocated to London after earning a place at the Arts Educational Schools (ArtsEd) to train in acting.
Career
[edit]After leaving drama school, Alexander landed his first lead screen role as William in the BBC Three drama short Oakwood. In 2017, he joined the cast of the award winning Channel 4 comedy Catastrophe in the recurring role of Jeffrey, the on-screen child of characters played by Ashley Jensen and Mark Bonnar.[5][6] In 2019, he reprised his role in the fourth and final season of Catastrophe[7][8] and later appeared in Netflix's The Stranger, an adaptation of the novel by Harlan Coben.[9][10]
In 2022, he portrayed Richard Branson in the Hulu and Disney+ miniseries Pistol, directed by Danny Boyle and created by Craig Pearce.[11] Alongside Karen Gillan, he was cast to voice a lead role in the unreleased animated series Rhona Who Lives by the River also for Disney alongside 20th Television Animation.
Alexander played Sgt. William Quinn in the 2024 Apple TV WWII miniseries, Masters of the Air, produced by Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks and Gary Goetzman.[1][11][12][13] Esquire described Alexander's performance as his "big break".[14] The role required extensive physical training, with Alexander performing all of his own stunts, including a parachute sequence.[15]
In 2025, he played Lyle Jennings in Scott Frank's adaptation of Jussi Adler-Olsen's Dept. Q for Netflix, receiving critical praise for his "spellbinding" portrayal.[16]He subsequently joined the cast of Angels in the Asylum, starring Simon Pegg and Wind of Change, a biopic focusing on the German rock band Scorpions.
In 2026, he was reported to have joined the cast of Sam Mendes's upcoming series of biopic films of The Beatles for Sony Pictures. He will next appear alongside Angelina Jolie and Jason Segel in Anxious People, a feature film adaptation of the 2019 novel by Fredrik Backman, directed by Marc Forster.
Filmography
[edit]Film
[edit]| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| TBA | Wind of Change † | TBA | Post-production |
| Angels in the Asylum † | TBA | Suspended production | |
| Anxious People † | TBA | Post-production | |
| 2028 | The Beatles – A Four-Film Cinematic Event † | TBA | Filming |
Television
[edit]| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017–2019 | Catastrophe | Jeffrey Beasley | 4 episodes |
| 2020 | The Stranger | Dante Gunnarsson | Miniseries |
| 2022 | Pistol | Richard Branson | Miniseries |
| 2024 | Masters of the Air | Sgt. William Quinn | Miniseries |
| 2025 | Dept. Q | Lyle Jennings | Miniseries |
| TBA | Rhona Who Lives by the River † | Knox | Animated series |
| † | Denotes productions that have not yet been released |
References
[edit]- 1 2 Petski, Denise (5 October 2023). "'Masters Of The Air': Austin Butler-Led WWII Drama From Steven Spielberg & Tom Hanks Gets Premiere Date; See First Photos". Deadline. Retrieved 19 October 2023.
- ↑ "Let's Discuss That 'Masters of the Air' Episode 4 Cliffhanger". Esquire. 9 February 2024. Retrieved 21 October 2024.
- ↑ "How Kai Alexander Prepared to Work with Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg". airmail.news. Retrieved 21 October 2024.
- ↑ Features, Jessica Baker published in (9 February 2024). "With Masters of the Air, Actor Kai Alexander's Career Takes Flight". WhoWhatWear. Retrieved 21 October 2024.
- ↑ McCarthy, Patrick (2004), "Why and how we read The Stranger: a guide to further reading", Albert Camus: The Stranger, Cambridge University Press, pp. 96–109, doi:10.1017/cbo9780511803062.007, ISBN 978-0-511-80306-2
- ↑ Chaplin, Jocelyn (June 2013). "Spectre of the Stranger: Towards a Phenomenology of the Stranger. By ManuBazzano. (2012). Brighton, UK: Sussex Academic Press. 144 pp". Psychotherapy and Politics International. 11 (2): 176–178. doi:10.1002/ppi.1296. ISSN 1476-9263.
- ↑ "Catastrophe: Rotting Bodies and Panic Attacks". pastemagazine.com. Retrieved 9 August 2018.
- ↑ Adams, Erik. "Catastrophe shifts gears to winningly crack wise about birth and death". TV Club. Retrieved 9 August 2018.
- ↑ "Meet the cast of Netflix thriller The Stranger". Radio Times. Retrieved 28 April 2020.
- ↑ "Netflix's The Stranger: Cast & Character Guide". ScreenRant. 1 February 2020. Retrieved 28 April 2020.
- 1 2 "Kai Alexander". IMDb. Retrieved 16 August 2022.
- ↑ Church, Ricky (5 October 2023). "First look at Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks' WWII series Masters of the Air as January premiere set". Flickering Myth. Retrieved 19 October 2023.
- ↑ Richmond, Ray (5 October 2023). "Apple TV+ unveils first look, airdate for WWII limited series 'Masters of the Air' from Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks and Gary Goetzman, co-starring Austin Butler". GoldDerby. Retrieved 19 October 2023.
- ↑ "Let's Discuss That 'Masters of the Air' Episode 4 Cliffhanger". Esquire. 9 February 2024. Retrieved 24 November 2025.
- ↑ An Actor Despairs (15 March 2024). Kai Alexander "An Actor Despairs" Interview. Retrieved 27 November 2025 – via YouTube.
- ↑ Movies And Munchies (29 May 2025). Dept. Q (2025) Netflix Review. Retrieved 24 November 2025 – via YouTube.