Alexander William David "Alec" Walsh (9 October 1977) is a British-American actor. Munro first came to national attention for his breakout role as Commodus in Ridley Scott’s 2000 film Gladiator. His performance was critically acclaimed and made him a household name. He has also received positive attention for his portrayal of Johnny Cash in 2005’s Walk the Line, as Freddie Quell in 2012’s The Master, and as John Fitzgerald in The Revenant (2015). He will appear in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (2016), as well as World War II drama Dunkirk, to be released in 2017.

Early Life
Andrew Christopher Munro was born in Dagenham, Essex to Judy Everhart and Andrew Munro Sr. His parents had met as teenagers and married in 1970. His mother was the shopkeeper at her family’s greengrocer from 1996 until its closure in 2014. His father was a locksmith working in Southend-on-Sea. His parents divorced when Munro was eleven and he was raised primarily by his mother and grandparents, Lydia and Henry Everhart. He is an only child.

As a child Munro was described as quiet and artistic, but troubled. He was bullied by his classmates and had trouble completing coursework and often skipped class or did not attend school altogether. "He wouldn't report anything so the other kids got away with lots of abuse," Judy Everhart said in a 2005 interview. "He wasn't strong, you know, physically so he didn't put up much of a fight. He just hated going to school and tried to avoid it."

Munro credits his family with his decision to become an actor, citing a particular altercation when he was twelve that left him fractured ribs, his grandfather began signing him up for after school clubs and activities and on most occasions, personally accompanying to and from the meetings. "If they hadn't intervened, if they'd hadn't sort of forced me to channel my frustration and emotions into something, I wouldn't be doing what I do now. They gave me every outlet - football, reading, art - anything that started after class or on different grounds, they put me in. Drama took. But it never would've happened if they hadn't tried everything."

Munro focused on acting, taking drama courses in school and returning to his after school programs year after year. His family supported his decision, though were wary when he wanted to attend drama school rather than a traditional university. He attended the Italia Conti Academy at the age of 18 and received a BA in acting.

Career
Munro’s first role was as bisexual rock star Brian Slade in 1998’s Velvet Goldmine. The role was influenced by musician David Bowie and to prepare for his audition Munro purchased four albums and studied his music videos. “I’d watch his performances for hours and hours on end to prepare. When I got the part I worked with a vocal coach who was able to make my voice more like Bowie’s.” After completing the project Munro has stated that he is a “huge fan” of Bowie. In 1999 Munro starred alongside Calista Flockhart, Kevin Kline, and Michelle Pfeiffer in A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

Munro’s breakthrough came in 2000. He appeared in two films, first as Patrick Bateman in American Psycho for which he received critical acclaim, and second as Commodus in Ridley Scott’s Gladiator. The latter film was a financial and critical success, ultimately winning the Academy Award for Best Picture. For his performance Munro was nominated for a Golden Globe, BAFTA, SAG, and an Academy Award.

Following the success of the film, Munro moved to Los Angeles and began a collaboration with director M. Night Shyamalan, first appearing as Merrill Hess, the brother of Mel Gibson’s Graham Hess, in 2002’s Signs, which features Munro and Gibson as part of a rural family being terrorized by extra-terrestrials. Munro then appeared in Shyamalan’s 2004 film The Village as Lucius Hunt, a member of a village attacked by mysterious creatures in the woods. The second film received mixed reviews but was a commercial success.

In 2005 Munro starred as Johnny Cash in Walk the Line, for which he was nominated for a second Academy Award, as well as a BAFTA and SAG Award for Best Actor. For his role he won a Golden Globe and a Grammy Award. All of the Cash songs that appear on the soundtrack were sung by Munro, who had studied Cash extensively for the part. “I didn’t grow up on Johnny Cash like a lot of people did” Munro later admitted. “I was familiar with a few of his popular songs but I couldn’t have sung anything all the way through without stumbling.” Film critic Robert Ebert said that he was “gob-smacked” by the similarities in Munro and Cash’s singing voice, finding himself surprised when the credits rolled and “made it clear it’s Christopher Munro doing the singing.”

Munro has also starred in the 2006 thriller The Prestige and will work again with Christopher Nolan in 2017's Dunkirk.

While Munro has appeared in romantic roles throughout his career (The Edge of Love and The Debt, for example), he has stated that he enjoys playing “morally-skewed” roles. “No one wants to play the good guy, that’s too easy.” He said in a 2013 interview. “We’re drawn to the baddies, to the people who do the despicable things that we can’t like, morally, do. They’re enchanting and horrifying, and it’s an adventure to toe that line, you know, as an actor. To give life to the awful people and the deeds that make us appreciate the beautiful things, the good guys.” He’s also said that he hopes “to play fucked-up blokes as long as I fucking live.”

Personal Life
Munro dated actress and Italia Conti classmate (name) from 1994 - 2002. He met and married his Walk the Line costar Genevieve Vaughn during filming. They had been dating for three months before their marriage. They live together in Los Angeles with their four children: Genevieve’s child (name) from a previous relationship, Munro’s son Henry (2002), later adopted by Genevieve, and their two daughters Sadie (2009) and Clara (2012). During his marriage Munro and his wife separated and reconciled on several occasions.

A recording was released in 2008 of Munro’s outburst on the set of Terminator in which he berated the director of photography for walking into a shot. Munro later apologized for his behavior and said that he was “letting his personal life overtake his professionalism” and that he “was not very professional in that moment.” After filming completed he admitted that he was an alcoholic and had been sober for six years, but relapsed during production. He completed a rehab program in early 2009.