2012-2018: Early work and Kingsman films Egerton performed in a stage production of the play
The Last of the Haussmans at the
National Theatre in London in 2012. After appearing in the crime drama series
Lewis, he was cast as the lead role in
Matthew Vaughn's
Kingsman: The Secret Service, an action comedy film adaptation of the comic book
The Secret Service by
Mark Millar and
Dave Gibbons, in 2013. He portrayed
British Army officer
Edward Brittain in the 2014 biographical drama film
Testament of Youth, earning a nomination for Best British Newcomer at the
BFI London Film Festival.
Kingsman: The Secret Service was released in 2015, garnering highly favorable reviews that described it as "fun, stylish and subversive" as well as grossing over $400 million. Writing for
TheWrap, James Rocchi deemed Egerton to be "a naturally charismatic presence with smarts behind his smile" as
Gary "Eggsy" Unwin, a recruit for an espionage organisation. Egerton rose to fame with the role. In the same year, he played ski-jumper
Eddie the Eagle in the
eponymous biopic and voiced Johnny, a passionate gorilla, in the animated musical film
Sing. Egerton reprised the role of Eggsy in the film
Kingsman: The Golden Circle, a sequel to
Kingsman: The Secret Service, released the following year. It drew a mixed response from critics. In 2018, he starred in the crime drama film
Billionaire Boys Club and played the title character in the action-adventure film
Robin Hood. Both films were failures commercially and with critics.
The Washington Posts
Ann Hornaday opined that Egerton "exerts a steadying, singularly charismatic force" in the role, while
Richard Lawson of
Vanity Fair described his portrayal as "nuanced and emotionally intelligent while still loose, carried with verve and agility". Egerton won the
Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy for his performance. He also garnered a
British Academy Film Award nomination for
Best Actor in a Leading Role and a
Grammy Award nomination for
Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media for his work on the
film's soundtrack. That same year, Egerton narrated the audiobook version of John's autobiography,
Me, and the two performed on stage together several times. Also in 2019, Egerton voiced
Moomintroll in the animated series
Moominvalley and Rian in the fantasy series
The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance. He reprised the role of Johnny in
Sing 2, which released in 2021. Egerton starred in the play
Cock by
Mike Bartlett. Directed by
Marianne Elliott and held at the
Ambassadors Theatre in the
West End, the production marked his West End debut. After missing performances due to fainting on stage during the first night of performances in March 2022 and testing positive for
COVID-19 later that month, Egerton exited for "personal reasons" the following month. The production of
Cock garnered mixed critical reception, with Egerton's performance gaining praise.
The Guardians
Arifa Akbar wrote he "is especially affecting in his romantic desperation". Egerton executive produced and portrayed American drug dealer
Jimmy Keene in the miniseries
Black Bird, an adaptation of Keene's memoir
In with the Devil. It premiered on
Apple TV+ in 2022. He received a nomination for the
Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie. The following year, Egerton portrayed entrepreneur
Henk Rogers in the biographical film
Tetris, about the
video game of the same name, which also released on Apple TV+. Lovia Gyarke of
The Hollywood Reporter commended him for playing Rogers with an "earnest goofiness".
2024–present: Breakthrough with Netflix and AppleTV+ In in the
Netflix thriller film
Carry-On (2024), Egerton starred as a
TSA agent blackmailed by a terrorist. He deemed it a rare opportunity to lead a film aimed at a wide audience. Nick Schager of
The Daily Beast wrote that "Egerton exudes the right mix of stuck-in-a-rut defeatism and harried determination to hold the film together". On Netflix,
Carry-On became the fifth-most-watched English-language film of all time. In 2025, he starres in the
Apple TV+ miniseries
Smoke (2025) and the crime thriller film
She Rides Shotgun. == Public image ==