--- name: "Max Pirkis" canonical: "https://film.one/person/max-pirkis" fi1m_id: "max-pirkis" imdb_id: "nm1263986" tmdb_id: 215661 wikidata_id: "Q710782" roles: ["Actor"] born: "6 January 1989" reviewed_on_fi1m: 2 average_fi1m_score: 84 average_as: "actor" average_over: 2 updated: "2026-09-17T18:07:47.306091+00:00" licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Max Pirkis ## Identity Max Pirkis - **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/max-pirkis - **Type:** Person - **Fi1m ID:** max-pirkis - **IMDb ID:** nm1263986 - **TMDB ID:** 215661 - **Wikidata ID:** Q710782 - **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Max_Pirkis, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q710782, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1263986/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/215661 Actor. Born 6 January 1989 in London, England, UK. ## Details - **Work:** Actor - **Born:** 6 January 1989, London, England, UK - **Active:** 2003–2005 - **Average Fi1m score:** 84, as actor, over 2 titles - **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Max_Pirkis, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q710782, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1263986/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/215661 ## Streaming the US now - **Apple TV:** [*Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World*](https://film.one/film/master-and-commander-the-far-side-of-the-world.md) (86) - **HBO Max:** [*Rome*](https://film.one/tv/rome.md) (82) For United States; add `?region=XX` for another country. ## Fi1m on Max Pirkis > Pirkis makes unusually mature boys credible without erasing their youth. His early historical roles are worth seeking out, though a small acting record leaves us cautious about making larger claims. In *Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World* (2003), Pirkis's Blakeney belongs among the adults, yet remains recognisably a boy. His seriousness makes the young midshipman worth attending to alongside Russell Crowe and Paul Bettany. We were moved by Blakeney because Pirkis lets us see his youth even when he seems capable of keeping up with the men. It is an assured screen debut, and Peter Weir gives him room within a forceful naval adventure. The middle needs tightening, but we recommend the film warmly. *Rome* (2005) gives that maturity a different use in Gaius Octavian. Pirkis combines innocence with knowingness, making the young man sympathetic while allowing us to recognise how much he understands. He is well suited to a series that needs people we can bear to spend time with amid its cruelty. Ray Stevenson supplies much of its warmth, and Pirkis gives us another reason to stay interested in its characters. Allow for an uneven opening. These roles account for much of his reputation as an actor, and there is not a long subsequent filmography against which to test that first impression. After a seven-year break from acting, he appeared in *The Quiet Ones* (2014) and *Flying Home* (2014). His career also took him into film sales and distribution. The later screen work is sparse enough that an account of his acting still comes back to the midshipman and Octavian. What we value in those performances is the credibility of their intelligence: Pirkis makes it plausible that adults would take these young people seriously. That can be difficult to achieve with a precocious character, who can soon become tiresome if every exchange insists on his cleverness. Pirkis's combination of youth and maturity gives us something more sympathetic to watch. Two closely related roles cannot establish how he would handle substantially different demands, and we should not pretend otherwise. Start with Weir, where Pirkis has Crowe and Bettany for company. ## Biography Max Pirkis is an English actor. He was born on 6 January 1989 in London and was educated at Eton College. Pirkis made his film debut in *Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World* (2003) as Midshipman Lord Blakeney. He received the Evening Standard British Film Award for Most Promising Newcomer and the Young Artist Award for Best Young Actor in an International Film for the role. From 2005 to 2007 he played Gaius Octavian in the television series *Rome*. He later appeared in the films *The Quiet Ones* (2014) and *Flying Home* (2014). Pirkis attended St Catharine's College, Cambridge, where he read Theology. In 2016 he was appointed head of acquisitions and distribution at Embankment Films. *Sources: en.wikipedia.org, imdb.com.* ## On Fi1m (2) - *Rome* (2005), Fi1m 82, as Gaius Octavian — [page](https://film.one/tv/rome.md) - *Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World* (2003), Fi1m 86, as Midshipman Blakeney — [page](https://film.one/film/master-and-commander-the-far-side-of-the-world.md) ## Complete filmography (8) Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page. - *The Swallow* (2026), Executive Producer - *The Bay* (2026), Executive Producer - *The Bayou* (2025), Executive Producer - *The United Way* (2021), Associate Producer - *The Quiet Ones* (2014), as David Q - *Flying Home* (2014), as Jason - *Rome* (2005), series, as Gaius Octavian — Fi1m 82, [page](https://film.one/tv/rome.md) - *Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World* (2003), as Midshipman Blakeney — Fi1m 86, [page](https://film.one/film/master-and-commander-the-far-side-of-the-world.md) ## Gallery - ![Max Pirkis](https://film.one/media/person/98129/gallery-03b121186364.jpg) Max Pirkis — Image via TMDB - ![Max Pirkis](https://film.one/media/person/98129/gallery-3aa13f0c70ee.jpg) Max Pirkis — Image via TMDB --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/max-pirkis