Meet Sting’s non-binary child Eliot Sumner, who plays Freddie on Netflix’s Ripley: the DJ and actor has starred in films with Daniel Craig and Naomi Watts, and wears Louis Vuitton and Celine ‘fits
Netflix’s new TV series Ripley by Steven Zaillian is filmed in black and white and follows the story of “a grifter [who] is drawn into a world of wealth and privilege after taking a unique job in Italy”, according to the streaming platform.
Starring Andrew Scott, Dakota Fanning and Johnny Flynn, the production has already drawn plenty of eyeballs, receiving rave reviews and nods of approvals from critics for its stylish and imaginative take on The Talented Mr. Ripley novel by Patricia Highsmith.
One of the characters, Freddie Miles, has been gaining particular attention. Played by Eliot Sumner, Freddie is “this posh boarding school guy living abroad who’s unapologetically well off, and most of all he’s everything [protagonist] Tom Ripley hates”, the actor told Netflix’s Tudum. “I found that very, very fun to play.”
This is one of Sumner’s first major acting roles, and he has already been praised for his impressive performance.
Here’s everything we know about the non-binary actor – whose dad is the legendary Sting. (Sumner has previously used they/them pronouns in various publications, but he/him was used in his recent Netflix interview.)
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Eliot Sumner has famous parents
But, of course, acting ability is based on one’s own merits. Sumner, 33, has been in good hands, being raised by his parents Sting and Trudie Styler. His parents have been married since 1992, with his dad being a popular musician and former frontman of The Police, and his mum an actress, director and producer.
Eliot Sumner was born in Italy
Sumner was born in 1990 in Pisa, Tuscany, a city in northern Italy where the famous Leaning Tower is located, then grew up in Wiltshire, England, writes People.
He has five siblings
Sumner comes from a large family. Per People, Sting shares two children – Joe and Fuschia – from his first marriage to actress Frances Tomelty, and four children, Mickey, Jake, Eliot and Giacomo, with his current wife, Styler.
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He is a musician …
Like his dad, Sumner has a career in the music industry. According to People, he landed a multi-album deal with Island Records when he turned 18.
After recording a few albums, he said he began to “systematically sabotage” his career because he “didn’t believe in what I was doing. It wasn’t me”, per The Cut. Sumner then pursued gigs as a DJ under the moniker Vaal, writes People.
… and an actor
Besides Ripley, Sumner has made appearances in various films and TV shows over the years. These include Me Without You and Stardust (both under a different name), Guy Ritchie’s The Gentleman, No Time to Die with Daniel Craig, A Mouthful of Air with Amanda Seyfried, and Infinite Storm starring Naomi Watts, per his IMDB, to name a few.
His high fashion links
Sumner is quickly becoming a name to be reckoned with, including within fashion circles. As seen on his Instagram, he gets invites to events with high fashion brands like Acne Studios and has modelled for magazines wearing Celine and Louis Vuitton.
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His love life
It’s unclear whether Sumner is dating anyone at the moment, but according to Distractify, he was last connected to lingerie model Sarah Holt in 2021. Per the same source, he has also had flings with model Farah Holt in 2019, French actor Joséphine de La Baume in 2018, and Austrian model Lucie von Alten from 2014 to 2016.
- Netflix’s new TV series Ripley follows the story of ‘a grifter [who] is drawn into a world of wealth and privilege after taking a unique job in Italy’, and stars Sting’s non-binary kid, Eliot Sumner
- Sumner was born in Pisa, Tuscany, in 1990, then grew up in Wiltshire, England; he’s starred in Guy Ritchie’s The Gentleman and A Mouthful of Air with Amanda Seyfried