Peter Gadiot

Biography:

Peter Gadiot was born in England, raised in East Grinstead, West Sussex, and educated in London. His father is Dutch and his mother is Mexican, giving him British, Dutch, and Mexican citizenship. He is fluent in both English and Spanish and has an older brother.

He trained at Drama Centre London and began his career in theatre, appearing in various stage productions. His early screen work includes MTV’s Hot Mess, the British series My Spy Family (2010), and the horror film 13Hrs (also known as Night Wolf).

In 2013, Gadiot made his U.S. television debut as Cyrus, the enigmatic Genie, in ABC’s Once Upon a Time in Wonderland. That same year, he starred alongside Léa Seydoux in the short film campaign Prada: Candy, directed by Wes Anderson and Roman Coppola. He also appeared in Fresh Meat and the German horror film The Forbidden Girl.

In 2014, he stepped behind the camera to write, direct, and produce the short film 12–17, which addresses the exploitation of young girls through trafficking. That year, he also played Caesar in Matador, followed by the role of Ka in the 2015 miniseries Tut.

Returning to theatre in 2016, he took on the lead role of Petruchio in Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew at the Harman Center for the Arts in Washington, D.C.

From 2016 to 2021, Gadiot gained wider recognition for portraying James Valdez in Queen of the South, earning the 2017 Imagen Award for Best Supporting Actor in Television. He also appeared as Mister Mxyzptlk in Supergirl (2017) and starred in the miniseries All You Need Is Me (2018).

In 2021, he featured in the film Another Girl and played Adam Martin in Showtime’s Yellowjackets. The following year, he again worked behind the scenes, creating the short film Black Ewe. He also took on a recurring role as Felix in an NBC pilot based on the Dutch series A’dam & Eva.

In 2023, Gadiot made a brief appearance in the Apple TV+ series Silo and portrayed Shanks in Netflix’s live-action One Piece, the pirate captain who inspires Luffy. That same year, he appeared as Tom Westfall in the second season of Quantum Leap.

In 2024, he began filming the BBC production Nine Bodies in a Mexican Morgue in the Canary Islands.

Alongside acting, Gadiot has worked as a model for brands such as Kooples, Tommy Hilfiger, Topshop, and Acne. In August 2023, he became the face of Talisker’s 30-year-old single malt Scotch whisky campaign.