Highmore was educated at The Brookland Junior and Infant school in Hampstead Garden Suburb near Golders Green in the London Borough of Barnet until the age of 11 and gained a scholarship to attend Highgate School, an independent school in Highgate, London.
In 2008, Highmore received A* grades in English language and English literature, maths, Spanish, French, Latin, geography, biology, chemistry, and physics in his GCSE exams.[5] In 2010, Highmore once again achieved A* grades in maths, further maths, French, and Spanish in his A-level exams.[6]
From 2010 to 2014, Highmore attended Emmanuel College, Cambridge, where he earned a double first in Spanish and Arabic.[7] He also enrolled at the London School of Economics to study finance at summer school during the summer break at Cambridge in 2011.[8] Highmore worked at Gulf Bank in Kuwait as an intern in 2012 and at a law firm in Madrid during his year abroad while filming the first two seasons of Bates Motel, which made him briefly consider becoming a lawyer after graduation.[9]
Career
Early career as a child actor (1999–2004)
Highmore began his acting career with small roles on television at the age of 7. He made his film debut in Coky Giedroyc's comedy Women Talking Dirty (1999), playing the son of a woman who has recently become estranged from her commitment-phobic French lover.[1] In 2001, Highmore played a young King Arthur in the TNT miniseries The Mists of Avalon, a take on the Arthurian legends that depicted the women of Camelot as the real power behind the throne.[1]
In 2001, in the BBC miniseries Happy Birthday Shakespeare, he portrayed a young boy who dreams of moving his family to Stratford-upon-Avon.[1] Highmore has acted alongside members of his family in two separate films: he and his brother played siblings in Women Talking Dirty, and he and his father played a father and son in Hallmark Entertainment's television film Jack and the Beanstalk: The Real Story (2001).[10]
He next appeared as a young Max Skinner in Ridley Scott's comedy-drama film A Good Year, which was released in the UK on 27 October 2006. Also in 2006, he began portraying protagonist Arthur Montgomery in the live-action/animated fantasy adventure film Arthur and the Invisibles, released on 13 December 2006. Two sequels followed: Arthur and the Revenge of Maltazard (2009) and Arthur 3: The War of the Two Worlds (2010).[12] For the third film and the trilogy's accompanying video game, Highmore provided voice acting.[13] In 2007, he lent his voice to the adventure fantasy film The Golden Compass (2007) and its video game of the same name. He then portrayed the title character in the drama film August Rush (2007). The story follows a musical prodigy as he searches for his birth parents. This film received a wide release on 21 November 2007.
Highmore has been cast as the voice of the Duke of Cheshire in the animated film adaptation of The Canterville Ghost.[35] He is to play the title character, Baby Face Nelson, in the A&E drama pilot Baby Face, which he co-wrote and will executive produce with Kerry Ehrin.[36] Highmore will also serve as an executive producer on Ehrin's drama pilot Long Distance for NBC.[37]
Screenwriting and producing (2018–present)
In August 2018, Highmore formed his Sony-aligned production company, Alfresco Pictures, which aims to develop scripted series for broadcast, cable, streaming services, and international co-productions projects "that have a broader point or message behind them, that try and spark conversations that aren't being had or give a microphone to voices and experiences that haven't been heard from before.". "I hope 'Alfresco', aside from being a play on my real name, Alfred, speaks more widely to a sense of refreshing, communal openness that is reflective of the stories we gravitate towards at the company," he said. "In wanting to set up 'Alfresco', it came from a natural desire to be involved in a wider way in the industry ... I always had that natural curiosity to do other things. And that, I guess, shifted into not only wanting to develop my own ideas and projects that I was writing or directing or acting in, but also becoming a producer in a wider sense and helping other people tell their stories."[38]
In August 2019, it was reported that Highmore will co-write and serve as an executive producer for Homesick, a dark comedy in development at the WarnerMedia-owned cable net, which will explore mental health, body image, toxic masculinity and what it means to defy "normal" gender expectations.[39]
Personal life
Highmore lives in London and avoids social media.[40] While on Bates Motel, Highmore developed a close friendship with co-star Vera Farmiga and became godfather to her son.[41]
Apart from his native English, Highmore is fluent in French and Spanish, and semi-fluent in Arabic.[42][43]
In a September 2021 interview on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Highmore revealed that he had recently married.[44]
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