2005–2018: Career beginnings In 2005, after working as an extra on several television series including
Unfabulous and
Drake & Josh, Butler landed his first regular job as a background actor playing the role of Zippy Brewster for two seasons on
Nickelodeon's ''
Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide. His friend on the show, Lindsey Shaw, introduced him to her manager, Pat Cutler, who signed him and launched his career. From that point on, Butler began taking acting seriously as a career. Later that year, he guest-starred in episodes of the Disney Channel sitcoms Wizards of Waverly Place and Jonas as well as on CSI: Miami and The Defenders''. In the film, Butler plays Peyton Leverette, the love interest of Sharpay. In 2011, he booked the recurring role of Wilke on the
ABC Family series
Switched at Birth, debuting on June 27, 2011. In the same year, he signed on to play the lead role of Zack Garvey in the
Lifetime television film
The Bling Ring, made by
Dick Clark Productions and directed by
Michael Lembeck, based on the
burglary group of the same name who targeted the homes of Hollywood's celebrities. The film was released on September 26, 2011. In January 2012, Butler guest-starred on the
NBC comedy
Are You There, Chelsea? In his early twenties, Butler continued to act in teen-oriented television series, but gained greater recognition for his starring roles in
The Carrie Diaries and later
The Shannara Chronicles; he also branched out into new stage and film projects. In March 2012, Butler was cast in The CW's
Sex and the City prequel series
The Carrie Diaries to play Sebastian Kydd, a brooding heartthrob attending the same high school as
Carrie Bradshaw, played by
AnnaSophia Robb.
The Carrie Diaries is based on
Candace Bushnell's
novel by the same name and follows Bradshaw's life in the 1980s as a teenager in New York City. The show was cancelled after two seasons. In April 2014, it was announced that Butler had joined the cast of the play
Death of the Author at the
Geffen Playhouse in Los Angeles. He played the role of Bradley, a pre-law student with a double major in political science and math who is set to graduate from a wealthy university. The play was directed by
Bart DeLorenzo and written by
Steven Drukman. Following previews on May 20, 2014, the play ran from May 28 to June 29. Butler then joined the cast of
Arrow in the recurring role of Chase. His character was a DJ and a love interest of
Willa Holland's character
Thea Queen. He co-starred with
Miranda Cosgrove and
Tom Sizemore in the 2015 thriller film
The Intruders, and appeared in Kevin Smith's 2016 horror-comedy film
Yoga Hosers about 15-year-old yoga nuts Colleen Collette and Colleen McKenzie. The film also stars
Johnny Depp,
Lily-Rose Depp,
Harley Quinn Smith and
Haley Joel Osment. In 2016, he began playing the role of Wil Ohmsford in
The Shannara Chronicles,
MTV's television adaptation of the
Terry Brooks novel
The Elfstones of Shannara. The series was cancelled after two seasons. Butler made his Broadway debut playing Don Parritt, the "lost boy" in
The Iceman Cometh, which starred
Denzel Washington and
David Morse. Previews for the limited run began in March 2018, and the play closed in July 2018. Per Hilton Als's review of the play in
The New Yorker: "Although there are many performers in George C. Wolfe's staging of Eugene O'Neill's phenomenal [...] drama,
The Iceman Cometh, [...] there is only one actor, and his name is Austin Butler."
2019–present: Breakthrough and stardom '' in 2019 In 2019, Butler appeared in the
Quentin Tarantino film
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood as a fictional version of
Manson Family member
Tex Watson. Though he had limited screen time, his performance has been described as "intense" and "brooding". He received numerous nominations as a member of the film's
ensemble cast. In that same year, Butler was cast as
Elvis Presley in the biopic
Elvis, directed by
Baz Luhrmann. The film premiered at the
2022 Cannes Film Festival. Butler's performance received critical acclaim, as well as praise from the Presley family. He described the part as "the most intimidating thing I've ever done. I honestly didn't sleep for about two years." The role earned him several nominations for Best Actor awards, including the
Academy Award,
BAFTA,
Critics' Choice,
Golden Globe and
SAG Awards, winning the BAFTA and Golden Globe. Butler hosted an episode of
Saturday Night Live later that year. In June 2023, Butler was invited to join the
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences as an actor. The
50th Telluride Film Festival marked the premiere of
Jeff Nichols's 1960s-set drama
The Bikeriders, in which he played a member of a motorcycle club. The following year, he portrayed
Gale Cleven in the
war drama miniseries
Masters of the Air. He next played the villainous
Feyd-Rautha in
Denis Villeneuve's science fiction epic
Dune: Part Two (2024). Butler received praise for his commitment to the role, physical transformation, and complex character work. Butler next starred as radical cult leader Vernon Jefferson Peak in
Ari Aster's Western film
Eddington, alongside
Joaquin Phoenix,
Emma Stone and
Pedro Pascal, and in
Darren Aronofsky's crime thriller
Caught Stealing as Henry "Hank" Thompson, a bartender caught up in a web of crime, alongside
Zoë Kravitz,
Regina King, and
Bad Bunny. In May 2025, It was announced that Butler would be joining
Jeremy Allen White in
A24's Henry Dunham Crime Pic
Enemies. In February 2026, it was announced that Butler would portray
Lance Armstrong in
Edward Berger's biopic about Armstrong. ==Personal life==