He put in a heartbreaking performance as the troubled Luke Crain in The Haunting Of Hill House, and here's where else you may have seen British actor Oliver Jackson-Cohen. The Netflix series is based on the classic novel by Shirley Jackson, which involved a paranormal investigation in the titular haunted house that goes awry. It was adapted by director Robert Wise for 1963's The Haunting, which is regarded as one of the best horror movies ever made.
That version was acclaimed for its use of psychological chills and sound effects over overt scares - which was thrown out the window for the 1999 remake of The Haunting. That version starred Liam Neeson (Taken) and Catherine Zeta-Jones and opted for elaborate CGI effects and noisy jump scares. Mike Flanagan's The Haunting Of Hill House for Netflix changed a lot of details from Jackson's book but rightly received acclaim for being both a genuinely emotional drama and being downright terrifying at the same time.
It also marked a breakout part for Oliver Jackson-Cohen as Luke, a troubled drug addict who has to face his fears alongside the rest of his family. Jackson-Cohen has been on the scene for a while now, however, with his first notable role being Philip White during season 1 of BBC costume drama Lark Rise to Candleford in 2008. He was soon cast in the role of Killer for action movie Faster, who is an assassin sent to stop Dwayne Johnson's vengeful Driver. While the film received some solid reviews, some critics found Jackson-Cohen's Killer irritating and out of place within the story.
Oliver Jackson-Cohen followed Faster with supporting roles in the romantic comedy What's Your Number? alongside Anna Faris and Chris Evans and gruesome murder mystery The Raven with John Cusack. He was busy with TV work during this period too, including miniseries World Without End and season 1 of Mr. Selfridge. He played the role of Jonathan Harker in the 2013 Dracula TV series, where Jonathan Rhys-Meyers played the title bloodsucker; the show was canceled after the first season.
Jackson-Cohen later played a leading role in Emerald City, a big-budget fantasy show based on the Wizard Of Oz books. Despite the talented cast - including Adria Arjona and Vincent D'Onofrio - NBC axed it after one series. Oliver Jackson-Cohen's work in The Haunting Of Hill House has finally got him recognition, and in addition to returning as a new character for follow-up show The Haunting Of Bly Manor, he will play the main character in Blumhouse's horror movie The Invisible Man.