# Keiynan Lonsdale

Keiynan Lonsdale (/ˈkiːnən/ KEE-nən; born 19 December 1991) is an Australian actor, dancer, and singer-songwriter. He is known for roles such as Oliver Lloyd in the ABC series Dance Academy (2012–2013), Wally West/Kid Flash in the CW series The Flash (2015–2023) and Legends of Tomorrow (2017–2018), and Abraham "Bram" Greenfeld in the film Love, Simon (2018). His other films include The Divergent Series: Insurgent (2015) and The Finest Hours (2016). Lonsdale has also worked as an MTV VJ and released original music recordings, including a studio album in 2020.

## Early life

Lonsdale was born in Sydney, New South Wales, on 19 December 1991. He is the son of a Nigerian father of Edo descent and an Australian-born mother of Irish and Danish descent and he has eleven siblings.

## Career

Lonsdale's first acting job was at age 16, with a dancing part in the film Razzle Dazzle: A Journey into Dance (2007). The following year, he appeared in an episode of the Australian medical drama series All Saints. He was also a recurring cast member on the Australian teen drama series Dance Academy's second season (2012) in the role of Oliver Lloyd, being added-on as a regular character for the show's third, and final, season.
Lonsdale was then a VJ on MTV Australia and New Zealand for just under three years. He recorded and released a single on iTunes, "One and Only", in 2014. He then played a supporting role as Uriah Pedrad in The Divergent Series: Insurgent (2015), the second film in the series, later briefly reprising the role in The Divergent Series: Allegiant (2016). In 2016, his single "Higher" was included on Connor Franta's curated album Common Culture, volume 5. He then appeared in the historical drama The Finest Hours (2016) as Eldon Hanon, the youngest sailor involved in a rescue-at-sea in 1952.
In 2015, Lonsdale auditioned for the role of Jefferson Jackson for The CW's Arrow, although the role was given to Franz Drameh. Instead, he was cast as Wally West (the previously unknown son of Joe West) on CW's The Flash and became a regular supporting character on season two, and as Kid Flash on season three. In 2017, the character left The Flash and debuted on season three of Legends of Tomorrow. That year, Lonsdale also appeared in an episode of Supergirl.
In 2018, Lonsdale played Bram in the film Love, Simon, based on Becky Albertalli's novel Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda, about a teenage boy who struggles to come out. Lonsdale later said the role helped him come to terms with his own sexuality. Upon release, the film received positive reviews from critics, and was dubbed historically significant, as it was the first film ever released by a major studio to focus on a gay teenage romance.
In 2019, Lonsdale starred in Camila Cabello's music video for "Liar". He has also released several singles, including "Higher" (2015), "Good Life" (2017), "Kiss the Boy" (2018), and "Preach" (2018), as well as "Rainbow Dragon" (2019). Lonsdale released "Lonely Point of View" in 2023.

## Personal life

In 2017, Lonsdale came out on Instagram saying "I like girls, & I like guys", not self-identifying with a specific term or sexuality label. He later came out as gay in a 2022 interview with BuzzFeed.

## Discography
### Studio albums

| Title | Album details |
| Rainbow Boy | Released: 29 May 2020 Format: Digital download, streaming |
| Heart Defence Mixtape | Released: 8 December 2023 Format: Digital download, streaming |

### Extended plays

| Title | EP details |
| Higher Vol. 1 | Released: 6 October 2015 Format: Digital download |
| 3rd Eye (with Intyce and Invadea) | Released: 19 December 2021 Label: InvadeAvision Format: Digital download, streaming |

### Singles

List of singles, showing year released and album name :
| Title | Year | Album |
| "One and Only" | 2014 | Non-album single |
| "Higher" | 2015 | Higher Vol. 1 |
| "Good Life" | 2017 | Non-album singles |
| "Kiss the Boy" | 2018 | Non-album singles |
| "Preach" | 2018 | Non-album singles |
| "Rainbow Dragon" | 2019 | Rainbow Boy |
| "Gay Street Fighter" | 2020 | Rainbow Boy |
| "See You There" (with Castelle) | 2020 | Non-album single |
| "Rhythm & Music" | 2021 | Rainbow Boy |
| "Gods of the Disco" | 2021 | Non-album singles |
| "Better" (with Gimme Gimme) | 2022 | Non-album singles |
| "Lonely Point of View" | 2022 | Non-album singles |
| "Lessons" | 2023 | Heart Defence Mixtape |
| "Come Papi" | 2023 | Heart Defence Mixtape |

## Filmography

Film :
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2007 | Razzle Dazzle: A Journey into Dance | Miss Elizabeth's Dance Troupe | |
| 2015 | The Divergent Series: Insurgent | Uriah Pedrad | |
| 2016 | The Finest Hours | Eldon Hanon | |
| 2016 | The Divergent Series: Allegiant | Uriah Pedrad | |
| 2017 | Dance Academy: The Movie | Oliver Lloyd | |
| 2017 | Like. Share. Follow. | Garrett | |
| 2018 | Love, Simon | Bram Greenfeld | |
| 2020 | Work It | Julliard Pembroke | |
| 2022 | My Fake Boyfriend | Drew | |
| TBA | Weetzie Bat | Duck | |
| TBA | War Machine | TBA | Filming |
Television :
| Year | Title | Role | Network | Notes |
| 2008 | All Saints | Corey | Seven Network | Episode: "Sons and Lovers" |
| 2012–2013 | Dance Academy | Oliver Lloyd | ABC1 | Recurring role (season 2); main role (season 3) |
| 2015–2018, 2020, 2023 | The Flash | Wally West / Kid Flash | The CW | Main role (seasons 2–4), special guest star (season 5–6, 9) |
| 2017–2018 | Legends of Tomorrow | Wally West / Kid Flash | The CW | Main role (season 3); special guest star (2 episodes) |
| 2017 | Supergirl | Wally West / Kid Flash | The CW | Episode: "Crisis on Earth-X, Part 1" |
| 2018 | RuPaul's Drag Race: All Stars 4 | Self | VH1 | Guest Judge; episode: "Snatch Game of Love" |
| 2020 | Love, Victor | Bram Greenfeld | Hulu | Guest star |
| 2020 | Equal | Bayard Rustin | HBO Max | Docuseries |
| 2021 | Eden | Cam | Stan | Main role |
| 2023 | RuPaul's Drag Race Down Under | Self | Stan / TVNZ+ | Guest Judge; Episode: "Snatch Game" |
| 2024 | Swift Street | Tom | SBS | TV series: 8 episodes |

## Awards and nominations

| Year | Award | Category | Nominated work | Result |
| 2018 | MTV Movie & TV Awards | Best Kiss (shared with Nick Robinson) | Love, Simon | Won |
| 2018 | Teen Choice Awards | Choice Movie Ship (shared with Nick Robinson) | Love, Simon | Nominated |
| 2021 | GLAAD Media Awards | Outstanding Breakthrough Music Artist | Rainbow Boy | Nominated |