The Hollyoaks hunk taking Hollywood by storm: Oliver Jackson-Cohen, whose mother is an A-list designer, made his screen debut in the soap before playing Prince William and starring in steamy shows - and now he's wowing Wilderness viewers

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Swapping Hollyoaks for Hollywood isn't an easy transition for many actors - but Oliver Jackson-Cohen is no ordinary star. 

For the 37-year-old, who began his career over 20 years ago as a waiter in the soap, has gradually made his name with small parts in TV series and films.

But, somewhat ironically, it wasn't till 2020 that he caught his big break when he portrayed the titular character in The Invisible Man opposite Elizabeth Moss.

He has since gone on to star in steamy scenes opposite leading actresses including Gugu Mbatha-Raw, in Surface, and Emma Mackey, in Emily.

Now he is making waves in the new Amazon Prime series Wilderness, in which he plays the lead role opposite Jenna Coleman.

Here FEMAIL reveals how the actor, who failed to get into drama school, has become Hollywood's favourite British star.

Swapping Hollyoaks for Hollywood isn't an easy transition for many actors - but Oliver Jackson-Cohen is no ordinary star (pictured in the new Amazon Prime series Wilderness) 

Oliver was born in 1986 into a family already well accustomed with the showbiz lifestyle - his mother, fashion designer Betty Jackson, designed all the clothes on Absolutely Fabulous.

Betty - godmother to Jude Law - told The Times in 2006 how Oliver had been born premature, saying: 'Oliver had to go into an incubator. He was a tiny little thing and all floppy.'

As a child, he became Kate Moss’s mascot after following her around backstage at his mother’s shows.

He told Daily Mail in 2008 that he 'just fell in love with her; she’s so beautiful and funny’).

Meanwhile speaking in 2013, he spoke of his mother's close friendship with the Ab Fab actors: 'She’s best friends with Jennifer Saunders. They’ve always been in each other’s pockets.'

Oliver attended a French-language school growing up, but always loved acting - with Betty revealing how he spent lots of time 'dressing up and doing shows' when he was a child.

She told The Times that Oliver 'was always at the centre' of the performances.

After being thrown out of school drama group for bad behaviour, he attended the Youngblood Theatre Company during weekends.

By 16, he was a sandwich-fetcher for Madonna when he worked as a runner on the Royal Variety Show. 

He then began washing vases for a florist as a job to support himself financially between auditions. 

Oliver was born in 1986 into a family already well accustomed with the showbiz lifestyle - his mother, fashion designer Betty Jackson, designed all the clothes on Absolutely Fabulous

Betty - who is godmother to Jude Law - is a fashion designer and remains close to the Absolutely Fabulous cast 

He told Daily Mail in 2013: 'I worked in a warehouse for a florist, and my job was to clean out the wax used to preserve the flowers. I did it for four months. It wasn’t great.' 

But his childhood was far from easy - he has since spoken of how he was sexually abused, sharing a post in October 2017 which read: '#MeToo As a child. Repeatedly.

'And have spent most of my life living with PTSD, pretending it didn't happen, and now, trying to rebuild what was shattered.

'‪The thing about sexual abuse is that the moment it is done, however brief or however long, it changes the course of your life permanently. '

He continued: '‪You are changed; not through choice. I stand with all the brave.'

Oliver was 15 when he landed his first screen role, as many actors in the UK do, in a British soap - Hollyoaks.

He played a waiter in an episode which aired in October 2005 - and it lead to a role in an ITV series called The Time of Your Life.

By 2008, he was appearing as Phillip White in the BBC adaptation of Lark Rise to Candleford. 

Despite his screen credits, he found he was unable to get into drama school in London and instead attended the Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute in New York City.

The actor made his TV debut in British soap Hollyoaks in 2005, where he played a waiter in one episode 

The 37-year-old gradually began appearing in a number of different TV programmes and films - including in a set of skits by Funny or Die in which he played Prince William 

However he left after four months because he was flown to Los Angeles and offered a job. 

He told Harper's Bazaar the period was 'overwhelming', saying: 'You are really vulnerable in a way because they start to tell you that they are going to turn you into this, and turn you into that. 

'You are in this completely bizarre world, and that's when a lot of people start believing their own hype. 

In 2010, he played Damon in the romantic comedy film Going the Distance starring Drew Barrymore and Justin Long. and a hitman in the action film Faster, opposite Dwayne Johnson.

The following year, he appeared in a series of Funny or Die playing Prince William opposite Allison Williams as newlywed Kate Middleton.

He told InStyle he 'didn't know what he was doing' during his early years an actor, saying: 'The romantic comedies and all of that, they were fun, but I never felt right, I never felt comfortable. 

'But I think I needed to do those jobs in order to figure out what I really wanted.' 

His career continued to grow, with the star appearing in ITV's four-part period drama miniseries The Great Fire and NBC series Dracula.

Now, he is far more accustomed to steamy sex scenes and Hollywood blockbusters (pictured with Emma Mackey in Emily) 

In the thriller series, which aired last year, Surface, the 37-year-old actor played opposite Gugu Mbatha-Raw 

It was announced in July 2014 that he would star opposite Sarah Snook in the 2015 ABC convict miniseries The Secret River, an adaptation of Kate Grenville's 2005 novel of the same name.

By 2017, his star was growing and he then appeared in both seasons of the anthology web television series The Haunting.

Both seasons of the series, The Haunting of Hill House and The Haunting of Bly Manor, received strong critical praise.

And Oliver was open about channeling his own trauma and pain from his childhood into his performance.

He told Collectible Dry: 'I’m fascinated by how what happened to us shapes us and I think it’s amazing that the varying degrees of what happens to us in our childhood, can forms us as adults.'

But it wasn't till 2020 that his big break came, when he starred opposite Elisabeth Moss in science fiction horror The Invisible Man.  

He later stated that the press tour for the film was difficult because it began just three days after his father had died.

It was the blockbuster hit The Invisible Man which saw Oliver's star catapulted into the stratosphere 

However as Oliver's career took off, his father passed away - and he confessed he felt his family were left 'a mess' 

He told GQ it had been a challenging period, saying: 'My dad just had passed away, and three days later I went on a press tour for The Invisible Man. 

'The whole press tour, it was like, "What is happening?" Then I got home. The movie was this huge success. My family was a mess.'

Meanwhile he told The Gentleman's Journal that he struggled with typecasting in the industry. 

He said: 'The reality is that it’s rare to get characters with that amount of depth. 

'It’s a constant uphill battle but, if I’m going to be typecast, I would rather be creatively fulfilled and get typecast in the good roles.'

Swapping Hollyoaks for Hollywood: Among Oliver's glamorous co-stars are Jenna Colman (left) and Elisabeth Moss (right) 

In 2021, he appeared in the drama film The Lost Daughter, which also starred Olivia Coleman and was directed by Maggie Gyllenhaal 

In 2021, he appeared in the drama film The Lost Daughter, which also starred Olivia Coleman and was directed by Maggie Gyllenhaal, before he co-starred in the romantic regency comedy Mr. Malcolm's List, a film adaptation of the novel of the same name.

Meanwhile he starred in Apple TV+ series Surface playing the character of James Ellis, which has since been renewed for a second series. 

In an interview with In Style, he described himself as a 'therapist's dream', saying: 'I am very sensitive, and I always have been — I'm aware that I am a man, and I am supposed to be non-emotional, and I've battled that my whole life, but I feel so much that it's … I don't know. 

'That's just kind of who I am, and I know it's not the norm: I'm six foot three, I'm a big man, and I think it's quite rare to have someone that cries so much when they are my size.'

He's now starring in Wilderness opposite Jenna, who is plotting her potentially murderous revenge after discovering her husband is having an affair.

Jenna plays Liv Taylor, a young woman whose conventional married life is turned upside down as she learns of husband Will's infidelity.

Along for the ride: Former Six Feet Under regular Eric Balfour plays Garth (pictured: Ashley Benson, Eric Balfour, Jenna Coleman and Oliver Jackson-Cohen)

Produced by Amazon Prime Video and adapted from the 2019 novel of the same name by B.E Jones, the series follows heartbroken Liv as she flies into a psychological tailspin after discovering her husband has strayed - leading her to live by her own unique set of rules after planning her revenge. 

With Will making a clumsy attempt at atonement by insisting the fling was 'just one night,' the couple endeavor to salvage their marriage by embarking on a road trip across the United States. 

But while Will hopes to make amends, their magical trip from the Grand Canyon, through mountainous Yosemite, rugged National Parks and finally into the heart of Las Vegas gives Liv ample opportunity to plan a permanent end for her feckless husband.