How old is Austin Butler? The American actor was born on August 17, 1991, in Anaheim, California, so he is 35 years old today. He is a Leo and a millennial, and his age on this page updates automatically every August 17.
Austin is a great example of a late breakthrough. He spent more than 15 years in Hollywood, from teen sitcoms to TV dramas, before Elvis made him an Oscar nominee at 31. Below, we explain his age at every step and compare him with his famous co-stars.
How old is Austin Butler? Quick facts
| Detail | Answer |
|---|---|
| Full name | Austin Robert Butler |
| Date of birth | August 17, 1991 |
| Day of the week | Saturday |
| Birthplace | Anaheim, California, USA |
| Current age | 35 years old |
| Zodiac sign | Leo |
| Chinese zodiac | Goat |
| Generation | Millennial |
| Known for | Elvis, Dune: Part Two, The Bikeriders |
Do you share a birthday month with Austin? Use our exact age calculator to see exactly how many days older or younger you are.
Growing up in Anaheim
Austin grew up in Southern California, not far from Disneyland. He was a shy kid who loved music and learned to play guitar and piano at a young age. When he was around 13, a talent management company approached him at a local fair, and he started working as an extra on TV shows. Within a couple of years he was getting speaking roles.
Austin Butler’s early TV roles
- Guest roles on Nickelodeon’s Ned’s Declassified School Survival Guide
- Jake Krandle on iCarly
- James Garrett on Zoey 101
- Derek on Hannah Montana
- Sebastian Kydd on The Carrie Diaries
- Wil Ohmsford on The Shannara Chronicles
For most of his teens and early twenties, Austin was best known to teen TV audiences. Few people would have guessed that he would one day be nominated for Best Actor at the Oscars.
How old was Austin Butler at each milestone?
| Date | Milestone | Age |
|---|---|---|
| Around 2004 | Starts working as a TV extra | 13 |
| 2007 | Joins Zoey 101 and iCarly | 16 |
| January 2013 | Leads The Carrie Diaries | 21 |
| January 2016 | Stars in The Shannara Chronicles | 24 |
| April 2018 | Broadway debut in The Iceman Cometh | 26 |
| July 2019 | Once Upon a Time in Hollywood | 27 |
| June 2022 | Elvis is released | 30 |
| January 2023 | Wins the Golden Globe for Best Actor | 31 |
| February 2023 | Wins the BAFTA for Best Actor | 31 |
| March 2023 | Oscar nomination for Best Actor | 31 |
| March 2024 | Plays Feyd-Rautha in Dune: Part Two | 32 |
| June 2024 | The Bikeriders | 32 |
| August 2025 | Caught Stealing | 34 |
From Broadway to Elvis
The turning point came at 26, when Austin made his Broadway debut opposite Denzel Washington in The Iceman Cometh. Denzel later recommended him to director Baz Luhrmann. A year later, Austin played a member of the Manson Family in Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, and in July 2019 he was announced as the lead in Luhrmann’s Elvis biopic.
Austin spent around three years preparing for and making the film, studying Elvis’s voice, movement and stage presence. Elvis premiered in 2022, when he was 30, and turned him into one of the most talked-about actors in Hollywood.
Awards season at 31
At 31, Austin won the Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Drama and the BAFTA for Best Actor. He was then nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor, which went to Brendan Fraser for The Whale. For an actor who had spent his teens on Nickelodeon, it was a remarkable run.
How old was Elvis compared to Austin?
In the film, Austin plays Elvis Presley from his late teens to his final concerts. The real Elvis was born on January 8, 1935, and died on August 16, 1977, at the age of 42. That means Austin, at 30, played a man who was 12 years older than him by the end of the story. Today, at 35, Austin is already older than Elvis was when he made his famous 1968 comeback special at 33.
Austin Butler vs his Dune: Part Two co-stars
In Dune: Part Two, Austin played the villain Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen. Here is how his age compares with the main cast.
- Josh Brolin, born February 12, 1968
- Rebecca Ferguson, born October 19, 1983
- Austin Butler, born August 17, 1991
- Timothée Chalamet, born December 27, 1995
- Zendaya, born September 1, 1996
Austin is a little over four years older than Timothée Chalamet, who plays his rival Paul Atreides. On screen they look closer in age, which helped their final duel feel like a fight between equals.
Austin Butler’s zodiac sign: Leo
With an August 17 birthday, Austin is a Leo, the fire sign ruled by the Sun. Leos are said to be confident, warm and generous, and they are famous for loving the spotlight, which seems right for someone who played the King of Rock and Roll. They are also known for being loyal and hard-working once they commit to something, much like Austin’s years of preparation for Elvis. In Chinese astrology, Austin was born in the Year of the Goat, which is linked to creativity and a calm, gentle nature.
Who else was born on August 17?
Austin shares his birthday with some very famous names, including two legendary actors. If your birthday is August 17 too, you are in good company.
- Robert De Niro, actor, born August 17, 1943
- Sean Penn, actor, born August 17, 1960
- Thierry Henry, footballer, born August 17, 1977
- Taissa Farmiga, actress, born August 17, 1994
It is a fun coincidence that two Oscar-winning actors share Austin’s birthday. Robert De Niro and Sean Penn have both won Best Actor, the award Austin was nominated for at 31.
Is Austin Butler a millennial or Gen Z?
Austin Butler is a millennial. The Pew Research Center puts millennials between 1981 and 1996, and with a 1991 birthday he falls right in the middle of that generation. Many of the co-stars he now works with, including Timothée Chalamet and Zendaya, are on the very edge of the millennial range or just past it.
His career path is also typical of his generation of actors. He grew up on cable TV for kids and teens in the 2000s, moved into streaming-era dramas in the 2010s and then crossed over to big-screen films in the 2020s. Few actors have made that full journey as successfully as he has.
Famous people born in 1991
- Emma Roberts, born February 10, 1991
- Ed Sheeran, born February 17, 1991
- Austin Butler, born August 17, 1991
- Dylan O’Brien, born August 26, 1991
Find out when you will hit your 10,000th day or your billionth second with our age milestone finder.
Why Austin Butler’s big break came after 30
Austin’s story is a reminder that early fame is not the same as a lasting career. Many teen TV actors struggle to be taken seriously once they grow up, and for years Austin was mostly cast as the handsome love interest.
What changed was a series of choices in his mid-twenties. Instead of chasing more TV leads, he took a small role in a Tarantino film and a demanding part on Broadway, working alongside some of the most respected actors in the business. Those roles showed directors a different side of him, and they led directly to Elvis. By the time he got the part, he had nearly two decades of experience on sets, which helped him carry a huge biopic almost entirely on his own.
Elvis also changed how audiences saw him. After the film, Austin talked in interviews about how long it took him to stop speaking with Elvis’s accent, a sign of how deeply he had disappeared into the role.
Other actors who broke through after 30
Austin is far from the only star whose career peaked later than expected. Here are a few well-known late bloomers and how old they were at their breakthrough.
| Actor | Breakthrough | Age at the time |
|---|---|---|
| Harrison Ford | Star Wars, 1977 | 34 |
| Jon Hamm | Mad Men, 2007 | 36 |
| Austin Butler | Elvis, 2022 | 30 |
| Pedro Pascal | The Mandalorian, 2019 | 44 |
| Brendan Fraser | Oscar win for The Whale, 2023 | 54 |
Compared with these actors, Austin was actually quite young when his moment came. The difference is that he had already been working since he was a teenager, which makes his rise feel slower than it really was.
Frequently asked questions
How old is Austin Butler?
Austin Butler is 35 years old. He was born on August 17, 1991.
When is Austin Butler’s birthday?
His birthday is August 17.
Where was Austin Butler born?
He was born in Anaheim, California.
How old was Austin Butler in Elvis?
He was 30 when Elvis was released in June 2022, and he filmed it in his late twenties.
How old was Austin Butler when he was nominated for an Oscar?
He was 31 when he received his Best Actor nomination in early 2023.
How old was Austin Butler in Dune: Part Two?
He was 32 when the film came out in March 2024.
What is Austin Butler’s zodiac sign?
He is a Leo. His Chinese zodiac sign is the Goat.
Conclusion
Austin Butler was born on August 17, 1991, in Anaheim, California, and is 35 years old today. He started as a TV extra at around 13, spent his teens and twenties on teen shows and fantasy series, and found his breakthrough after a Broadway debut at 26. Elvis made him a Golden Globe and BAFTA winner and an Oscar nominee at 31, and he has been one of Hollywood’s busiest leading men ever since.