Luca Giuseppe "Luke" Pasqualino (born 19 February 1990) is a British actor. He is best known for portraying Freddie McClair in the television series Skins (2009–2010), d'Artagnan in the television series The Musketeers (2014–2016) and Elvis Harte in Our Girl (2016–2020).
Early life
Pasqualino was born in Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, to Italian parents from Sicily and Naples.[1][2] His father is the owner of a chain of salons. He attended Walton Community School, in Walton, Peterborough. There he joined the drama club, attended weekly workshops in the area, and performed in local productions.
Career
In 2008, Pasqualino was cast in his first role at 18[3] when he became one of the new series regulars in the third season of the E4 teenage drama television series Skins.[4] He portrayed Freddie McClair, a laid-back weed-smoking college pupil.[5][6] The following year, Pasqualino made his film debut as the protagonist in the low-budget film Stingers Rule! about a local football team going against property developers who plan to destroy their beloved football ground. Pasqualino also guest starred on Casualty and Miranda.
In February 2010, Pasqualino was cast in the Warner Bros. Pictures supernatural horror film The Apparition;[7] the film was released in August 2012.[8] In 2011, Pasqualino appeared in a recurring role as Paolo, a young servant, on the historical drama television series The Borgias.[9]
In 2013, he appeared in the Bong Joon-ho's ensemble thriller Snowpiercer, which takes place aboard a train as it travels around the globe, carrying the last members of humanity after a failed attempt at climate engineering to stop global warming.[14] The same year, Pasqualino appeared in a French television series, Jo.
In 2014, Pasqualino was set to lead Nick Corporon's indie LGBTQ+ film Retake as a young male prostitute. The film received funding on Kickstarter before being greenlit.[15] The film was set to begin shooting in 2015, however Pasqualino dropped out due to unknown reasons, being replaced by Devon Graye.[16][17]
From 2014 to 2016, he starred as d'Artagnan in the BBC production of The Musketeers, based on the Alexandre Dumasnovel.[18] Following the ending of that, Pasqualino began his run in the BBC1 army drama series Our Girl as Elvis Harte.[19] He joined the main cast for the second series, however only appeared for four episodes in the third series due to filming conflicts with Snatch. Pasqualino returned as a guest for the fourth and final season in 2020.[20][21]
Pasqualino made his professional stage debut in 2019 with Berberbian Sound Studio, Joel Horwood's stage adaption of the 2012 horror film by Peter Strickland. He portrayed Director Santini, an abusive director using film to display his sadistic tendencies towards women.[25] The show received generally positive reviews and ran from February to March that year.[26][27]
In 2024, Pasqualino had a recurring role in the Disney+ / Huluadaption of Jilly Cooper's Rivals. He portrayed Basil 'Bas' Baddingham, the younger and promiscuous half-brother of Tony (David Tennant) who owns the local bar in 1980s England. The show received widespread critical acclaim and was picked up for a second season in December.[31] He also appears in a voice role for the animated film The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim as Wulf, "a clever and ruthless Dunlending lord seeking vengeance for the death of his father." The film was released by Warner Bros. in December.[32][33]
^Births, Marriages & Deaths Index of England & Wales, 1984–2006, Listed Birth Name as Luca Giuseppe Pasqualino, Year of birth listed as 1990, Place of registration Peterborough, Cambridgeshire.
^"Our Girl". bbc.co.uk. BBC One. Retrieved 12 June 2024. Luke's film work includes ensemble thriller Snowpiercer, independent film Smartass and the forthcoming Solar Eclipse: Depth of Darkness.
