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Olly AlexanderBritish singer, actor, musician, songwriter
Date of Birth: 15.07.1990
Country: ![]() |
Content:
Olly Alexander: Early Life and Education
Alexander was born on July 15, 1990, in Yorkshire, England, to Vicki Thornton and a Dutch father who hailed from a provincial town in the Netherlands. Alexander's mother, a co-founder of the Coleford Music Festival, raised him and his brother Ben, who has autism, after his parents divorced when he was 13.
Alexander attended St. John's Primary School in Coleford and Monmouth Comprehensive School. During his secondary school years, he participated in two school productions: "Guys and Dolls" as Benny and "The Caucasian Chalk Circle" as the Corporal.
After graduating, Alexander pursued a performing arts degree at Hereford College of Arts. According to The New York Times, he wrote his first song on his father's Casio keyboard at age 10.
Acting Career
At age 16, Alexander secured an agent and auditioned for a role in the British television series "Skins." In a YouTube video uploaded by NylonMagazineTV, Alexander revealed that he had dropped out of Hereford College of Arts to pursue his acting career. "I started acting when I was young; it just happened," he said. "I dropped out of school to go and work all over the world, and it was amazing. I always wanted to be a singer or a musician... Suddenly I was an actor. It was never something that I thought was my true calling. I'm still trying to figure it out... I really hated school because I was bullied a lot. But you never get bullied in drama class because the weird kids do well in drama class. It's a safe space."
Alexander has spoken openly about his battles with mental health, bullying, and an eating disorder in interviews with The Guardian.
Years & Years
In 2010, Alexander co-founded the indie pop band Years & Years with bassist Mikey Goldsworthy and keyboardist Emre Türkmen. The band has released four studio albums and has received six Brit Award nominations.
Personal Life
Alexander is openly gay and has been in a relationship with Milan Neil Amin-Smith of the electronic group Clean Bandit. He is a passionate supporter of anime and particularly enjoys the works of Hayao Miyazaki and Totoro. In terms of politics, Alexander is known for his support of the Labour Party.