Anderson decided to pursue acting in the mid 2000s, after working for many years as a
ticket scalper and aspiring musician, and enrolled at the
Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art. He began his acting career by appearing in plays written by his friend
Gregory Burke, who made his screen debut with the critically acclaimed 2014 film ''
'71''. Anderson's first leading role was in the 2009 British movie,
The Firm. Having appeared as the English military sharpshooter Sebastian Moran in the 2011 film Sherlock Holmes: Game of Shadows, Anderson's break followed in 2013, where he was cast as a main character in the BBC Two show
Peaky Blinders as Arthur Shelby, a gangster in post
First World War Birmingham. Since then, Anderson has appeared in many major films, including Ron Howard's
In the Heart of the Sea and
The Revenant, as well as
Brimstone, which was released in 2016. On 1 February 2024, Anderson made an appearance in a
promo trailer for the
upcoming undisputed heavyweight boxing match between
Tyson Fury and
Oleksandr Usyk. == Personal life ==