Kit Connor has been on our screens since before he hit double-digits and it’s fair to say his acting career has taken off in a huge way.
Now the Rocketman actor is starring in Netflix teen drama Heartstopper playing Nick Nelson (see pictured above), a popular rugby-playing school pupil who falls for another teenage lad in the year below. Kit joins newcomer Joe Locke as the openly gay Charlie who Nick befriends after they are one day made to sit together in class. As their friendship deepens Nick is forced to re-examine his sexuality while navigating the homophobic atmosphere in an all-boys grammar school.
Heartstopper star Kit might be just 18 but he’s already a familiar face both in TV and film. Heartstopper launched on Netflix on Friday, April 22 — so here’s everything you need to know about the rising star actor Kit Sebastian Connor…
1. Kit Connor made his TV debut aged eight
Kit Connor had a minor role in the Channel 4 sitcom Chickens when it was piloted in 2011. The show, which became a series in 2013, was about three men who didn’t go off to fight in World War One and consequently became social pariahs in their village. Kit played Clem, alongside Simon Bird, Joe Thomas, Emerald Fennell and Barry Humphries.
2. He played Elton John in the hit movie Rocketman
Not many people get to step into the shoes of a musical legend but talented Kit was chosen to play the teenage Elton John in the 2019 movie biopic Rocketman, which starred Taron Egerton as the older version of the star. In the film Kit got to perform Elton’s 2001 song "I Want Love".
3. He was a schoolboy in south London
Kit is from Purley in the London borough of Croydon. He’s no stage school graduate though – having attended the Hayes Primary School, near Bromley, and then the independent Whitgift School, which takes on some boarders.
4. He bagged the lead role of Nick in Heartstopper after some mega auditions
Kit has teamed up with newcomer Joe Locke in the highly anticipated Netflix drama Heartstopper. There were open auditions for the coveted roles which attracted thousands. Kit was chosen to play popular year 11 student and rugby star Nick, who becomes friendly with Charlie, played by Joe, in the year below. As their friendship blossoms, it seems there might be more to their relationship as they become ever closer. Take a look at Kit Connor and Joe Locke talking about Heartstopper to Philip Schofield and Holly Willoughby on This Morning in the clip below
5. He’s been in Casualty!
In 2013 Kit appeared in the BBC1 hospital drama Casualty. The episode, which aired in December that year, dealt with a domestic abuse story and Kit played a character called Barnaby Lee.
6. Kit became a movie star at 10 years old
Kit played youngster Tom Anderson in the movie Get Santa, about a father and son who decide to save Christmas after finding Santa Claus sleeping in their garage as he’s on the run from the police. While making the movie Kit must have picked up tips from the best because he co-starred alongside Jim Broadbent, Rafe Spall, Stephen Graham, Jodie Whittaker, Joanna Scanlan and Warwick Davis.
Kit said: “As soon as I started acting because I love Christmas I knew I wanted my first movie to be a Christmas movie. I was so lucky. Going from small TV parts to a massive feature film was amazing. Surreal.”
7. He starred in a David Walliams classic
Kit landed the plum role in David Walliams' 2018 film Grandpa’s Great Escape on BBC1, playing Jack, a boy who helps his grandfather escape from an old people’s home and steal a Spitfire plane. David Walliams said of the role: “It’s a story about a special connection between a grandson and a grandfather - because Jack is the only one who understands Grandpa. I often feel there's a special connection that skips a generation.”
In the film Kit also starred alongside acting royalty such as Sir Tom Courtenay, Samantha Spiro, Jennifer Saunders and David Walliams himself. Take a look at Kit in action in Grandpa's Great Escape in the trailer below...
8. He’s a voice in His Dark Materials
Kit voices the creature character of Pantalaimon in the hit BBC1 fantasy series His Dark Materials. Pantalaimon is the daemon of the main character Lyra (Dafne Keen) and while he could take on many forms, he was most often seen as an ermine and eventually settled as a pine martin. The series also stars Ruth Wilson and Sian Clifford.
9. He has an impressive film CV
After Get Santa Kit went on to appear in movies such as Mr. Holmes, which showed an ageing Sherlock Holmes (played by Ian McKellen) dealing with dementia, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society alongside Lily James, Michael Huisman, Sir Tom Courtenay and Katherine Parkinson, plus he had a role in sci-fi hit Ready Player One.
10. Kit is a TV drama regular
As well as his voice role in His Dark Materials, Kit played Archie Beckles in the CBBC series Rocket’s Island and Bob Sheenan in the BBC1 miniseries SS-GB. He also starred as Russian boy Petya Rostov in the hit BBC1 drama War & Peace and he played a schoolboy Charlie Jones in Series 2 of Grantchester in 2016.
11. He’s even trodden the boards a few times
Even at such a young age, Kit hasn’t limited himself to TV and film work and has made a name for himself on stage. He played the role of Small Boy in Welcome Home, Captain Fox! at the Donmar Warehouse and played Alexander in Fanny & Alexander at The Old Vic in London.
12. Kit's horror movie
In 2019 Kit played Joe in the film Little Joe. The movie centered around a single mum called Alice (Emily Beecham) who brings home a specially developed new species of plant for her son Joe, which they christen Little Joe. But Alice soon realizes the plant may not be as harmless as she hoped. Take a look at the clip of Kit in Little Joe below...
13. He’s already a producer and director
Kit is only just old enough to vote but he already has producing and directing credits to his name. He took on the role of producer and director in the short film Moving.
14. Kit became an online sensation
The actor’s Instagram page has 120,000 followers. No wonder, when he posts clips of himself singing Elton John hits while playing the piano. He claimed to be ‘very rusty’ when taking on the classic Rocketman but his followers loved it! Take a look below...
15. Kit was thrilled to have Olivia Colman play his on-screen mother in Heartstopper
Kit was delighted he was when he discovered Hollywood star and Oscar winner Olivia Colman was playing his on-screen mother Sarah Nelson on Heartstopper. This was a role Netflix kept a big secret until the series was released on Friday April 22 2022.
"It's an experience that I don't think will ever really sink in,' Kit told us at What To Watch. "I was just in awe of her for pretty much the whole time. She was so warm, and just a wonderful person. It was so easy to act alongside her because she was just so naturally gifted and amazing."
16. Kit Connor's sister was a big fan of the Heartstopper books
Kit recently revealed how he came to hear about Alice Oseman's Heartstopper books through his own sister: "My sister was a big fan. She had the first volume on her bookshelf so I had seen it around the house. But when I got the first email about auditioning, they sent me a link to the web comics. I read it and I said, 'I need to be a part of this.' Then as the auditioning process went on, I read through the rest of the volumes. The more I kept reading the more I really wanted to be a part of it."
17. Kit has been the voice for a PS4 video game
In 2020, Kit provided the voice for a video game for PS4 called Dreams by Media Molecule, the award-winning creators of LittleBigPlanet and Tearaway. Take a look at Dreams in the clip below..
18. Kit went up against his co-star Joe Locke for a National Television Award in 2022
When the long-list nominations for the National Television Awards 2022 were revealed fans of Heartstopper were given a difficult choice to make with their one vote for the Rising Star award. That's because Kit Connor was up against his Heartstopper co-star Joe Locke, and most fans love them both! Plenty posted their big dilemmas on Twitter! If you want to make that choice you can vote here.
19. Kit has plenty to say about Heartstopper season 2
Kit recently gave his thoughts Heartstopper season 2 which was released by Netflix on Aug 3 2023 and sees Nick and Charlie take a school trip to Paris. "‘We’ve already seen Nick come out to his mum played by Olivia Colman, and it was a really wonderful, beautiful thing for him,’ says Kit. ‘Now he has this seemingly gargantuan task to slowly come out to the other people in his life. Also, the audience get a bit more context for Nick’s family life - we’re introduced to his dad and his brother.
"I suppose what I'd like to see for Nick, I think just the strengthening Nick and Charlie’s relationship. In Season 1, we very much see the young love and the beginnings of their relationship. And I think that it would be lovely, you know— not just to act — also just to see, as well, their relationship just, sort of, get stronger and blossom."
20. Kit isn't defining his sexuality at the moment
Kit says he doesn't want to define or label his sexuality just yet. During a recent podcast interview with Josh Smith he revealed the pressures that he and his Heartstopper co-star Joe Locke are facing in the public eye: "We're still all so young to start sort of speculating about our sexualities and maybe pressuring us to come out when maybe we're not ready. For me, I just feel perfectly confident and comfortable with my sexuality. I'm not too big on labels!'
Both Kit Connor and Joe Locke will be part of a Gogglebox Pride special on Friday July 1 2022 on Channel 4 at 9pm in the UK, giving their views on many different TV shows many with an LGBTQ+ theme. The pair will be alongside their Heartstopper co-stars Yasmin Finney and William Gao. You can catch up with this Gogglebox Pride special afterwards on All4.
21. He stars alongside Maia Reficco in a new romantic movie
Kit Connor and Maia Reficco are starring together in romance movie A Cuban Girl's Guide To Tea and Tomorrow, which is adapted from the best-selling book by Laura Taylor Namey.
Maia of course is famous for her role as Noa Olivar in HBO/Sky Atlantic series Pretty Little Liars. In A Cuban Girl's Guide To Tea and Tomorrow she plays Lila Reyes from Miami, who after the loss of her grandmother leaves for a summer in England, and it's there she meets a charming British tea shop clerk Orion Maxwell, played by Kit. He has troubles of his own, but Orion is determined to help Lila out of her low times, and appoints himself as her personal tour guide. From Winchester’s drama-filled music scene to the sweeping English countryside, it isn’t long before Lila is charmed by Orion, and England itself!
Kit Connor Fact File
Frequently asked questions about the actor...
How old is Kit Connor?
Kit was born on March 8 2004, making him 18 years old.
Where was Kit Connor born?
Kit was born in Croydon, London.
Is Kit Connor single?
He hasn’t talked about whether he’s currently dating or not.
How tall is Kit Connor?
He is rumored to be 5ft 10in.
Instagram: @kit.connor
Twitter: @kit_connor
We work hard to ensure that all information is correct. Facts that change over time, such as age, will be correct, to the best of our knowledge, at the time of the most recent article update.
