From Harry Potter to the latest Avatar instalment, English actor David Thewlis, 62, has made quite the name for himself on-screen across his decade-spanning career in the entertainment industry. After starring in the second season of the historical drama series The Artful Dodger earlier this month, David is back on screens in the Channel 4 factual drama, Dirty Business, which airs on 23 February.
The forthcoming three-part series is based on the true story of victims of a sewage crisis and the decade-long investigation into England's water companies. David leads the show alongside Line of Duty actor Jason Watkins as two men who uncover negligence from their water company.
David has starred alongside many great names in Hollywood over the years; the Harry Potter franchise alone is stacked with an A-list cast - from Alan Rickman to Maggie Smith. But even off-screen, he's been linked to some famous people in his personal life. Before he married his second wife Hermine Poitou in 2016, the actor was previously in relationship with two well-known actresses.
© Channel 4Read on for all you need to know about his romantic life - including the actress he welcomed a daughter with two decades ago.
He was married to actress Sara Sugarman
© Ron Galella Collection via GettyDavid Thewlis has been married twice in his life. He was first married in the '90s to actress and filmmaker Sara Sugarman, best known for the 2001 comedy and musical Very Annie Mary, and Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen, which she directed and starred in alongside Lindsay Lohan.
Sara and David - who was in his late twenties at the time - tied the knot in 1992. According to The Guardian, the late Alan Rickman, who David would years later star alongside in Harry Potter, was in attendance and filmed their wedding. The couple were married for two years before calling it quits in 1994.
Long-term relationship with Anna Friel
© MAX NASH/AFP via Getty ImagesWhile the actor was deep in filming the Harry Potter franchise in the 2000s, he was dating actress Anna Friel, 49. Anna rose to fame on the soap opera circuit in the '90s on Brookside. She went on to star in the drama series Pushing Daisies, played a former London detective in Marcella for three seasons, and in 2025 was in the British television drama, Unforgivable.
David dated Anna from 2001 to late 2010. During their nine-year relationship, the couple lived together and even welcomed a daughter, Gracie, in 2005. They appear to be on good terms as co-parents, reuniting in July 2025 to celebrate their daughter's 20th birthday. Gracie has gone on to become a musician, and according to her mum, has made her parents "proud everyday".
"We are the luckiest parents , you make us proud everyday. Your beautiful kind soul, your intelligence, your creativity, your understanding your amazing mind blowing talent your passion for everything in life, your patience and calm your loving loving heart, your rare and unique beauty, your song bird voice," Anna gushed on Instagram, sharing photos of Gracie and her dad with number 20 balloons.
He's been married for a decade
© Getty ImagesMore than two decades on from his first marriage, David got married for a second time in 2016 to artist Hermine Poitou. The actor shared photos from their wedding in Aix-en-Provence, France, for their fifth wedding anniversary in August 2021. "Five years ago today. Why would I ever keep such happiness a secret?" he captioned the photos from the ceremony, for which he wore a blue suit and Hermine stunned in an embellished bridal look.
The couple have made public appearances at awards shows and on red carpets over the years, with Hermine recently supporting her husband at the Avatar: Fire And Ash premieres in London and France in December 2025.
