Sebastian Stan

Stan has been in a relationship with actress Annabelle Wallis since 2022. They welcomed their first child in July 2026.

He has discussed his lifelong experience with body dysmorphia and low self-esteem. Stan has also described himself as an introvert and has expressed support for LGBTQ representation and disability inclusion.

Stan was born in Constanța, Romania, and moved with his mother, pianist Georgeta Orlovschi, to Vienna, Austria, at age eight. At age twelve, he immigrated to the United States with his mother and settled in Rockland County, New York, after she married private-school headmaster Anthony Fruhauf.

He began acting in school productions and attended the Stagedoor Manor performing arts camp. His first screen credit was a brief appearance in the 1994 film 71 Fragments of a Chronology of Chance. He studied acting at Rutgers University's Mason Gross School of the Arts, spent a year studying at Shakespeare's Globe in London, and graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in 2005.

After guest appearances in Law & Order and supporting film roles, Stan gained early attention as Carter Baizen in Gossip Girl. He also played Prince Jack Benjamin in Kings, appeared in Black Swan and Hot Tub Time Machine, and made his Broadway debut as Kent in the 2007 production of Talk Radio.

Stan's major breakthrough came when he was cast as James Buchanan "Bucky" Barnes in Captain America: The First Avenger (2011). He initially auditioned for Captain America, but the casting team considered his melancholic qualities better suited to Bucky, Captain America's childhood friend. He later became the Winter Soldier, a brainwashed assassin connected to Barnes's past, in Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014).

Stan reprised the role in Captain America: Civil War, Black Panther, Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers: Endgame, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Thunderbolts and other Marvel projects. In The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, he starred opposite Anthony Mackie, who played Sam Wilson. Their performances earned the pair the MTV Movie & TV Award for Best Duo.

To prepare for the Winter Soldier, Stan undertook five months of physical training, researched the Cold War and the KGB, and learned knife techniques for the action sequences. He relied heavily on body language and eye acting because the character had little dialogue in Captain America: The Winter Soldier.

Alongside his Marvel work, Stan built a varied film career. He played a NASA scientist in The Martian, Jeff Gillooly in I, Tonya, a CIA officer in The 355, and a cannibalistic villain in Fresh. His performance as Gillooly was widely praised, and Stan has identified I, Tonya as a turning point that encouraged him to pursue more independent films.

For Pam & Tommy (2022), Stan portrayed Mötley Crüe drummer Tommy Lee and received Golden Globe and Primetime Emmy nominations. His preparation included extensive makeup and tattoo work, physical changes, and other prosthetic effects.

Stan starred in and executive-produced A Different Man (2024), playing an actor with neurofibromatosis who undergoes a procedure to change his appearance. He won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy, and the Silver Bear for Best Leading Performance for the role. He also portrayed Donald Trump in The Apprentice (2024), earning Academy Award and British Academy Film Award nominations and becoming the first Romanian nominee for the Academy Award for Best Actor.

Stan is known for moving between blockbuster franchises, independent films, television and stage productions. His preparation often involves detailed research and physical or psychological transformation, although he does not consider himself a method actor and has criticized staying in character off-camera when it harms a production.

He has supported organizations including Our Big Day Out, which provides shelter and funding for children in Romania, and Claire's Place Foundation, which assists children and families affected by cystic fibrosis. He also participated in benefit performances, a Ghetto Film School table read, a charity run for New York City public schools, and the Superhero Challenge, which donated profits to Ronald McDonald House New York.