Sharman was born and raised in Hackney, London. He started acting as a child at the age of nine when he auditioned for the Royal Shakespeare Company and was selected out of hundreds of other children. Of his venture into the dramatic arts, he stated: "I just adored it. Between Macbeth and Henry VI with all of the armour and the blood and everything, it was just fantastic as a kid. It was the best thing ever."[3] Sharman stayed with the Royal Shakespeare Company for two plays: The Park in 1995 (age 9)[4] and Macbeth in 1996 (age 10).[5]
For three years, from 2004 to 2007, Sharman studied at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art, gaining a Bachelor of Arts degree in acting and graduating with honors.[8] After that, he performed in many theatrical productions in London and Europe.
Career
Sharman's first feature film role was in the independent filmThe Last Days of Edgar Harding, in which he played a musician. In 2010, he was cast as Ares, the Greek god of war, in the fantasy filmImmortals with Mickey Rourke, Kellan Lutz and Henry Cavill among others; the film was released in 2011. Sharman initially had difficulty transition to acting on film, as he found it "odd and unnatural", but he eventually adjusted.[3] Sharman also appeared in the horror film The Collection, released in November 2012.
Sharman's television credits include roles in Judge John Deed, Inspector Lewis and the television films Starting Over and When Calls the Heart . Beginning in 2012, Sharman had a major recurring role as werewolfIsaac Lahey in MTV's supernatural drama series Teen Wolf. In March 2014, after the season 3 finale, it was announced that Sharman would be leaving the series as he wanted to explore other opportunities.[9]
He joined The Originals as the recurring character Kaleb Westphall in May 2014.[11][12] In March 2015, it was confirmed that Sharman had landed the lead role in the CBS medical drama pilot LFE opposite actress Melissa Leo[13] However, the pilot was ultimately not picked up by the network. In 2017, he joined the cast of AMC'sFear the Walking Dead as a series regular in the role of Troy Otto.[14] The third season of the series premiered on 5 June of the same year. In the eighth season in 2023, Sharman reprised the role.[15]
On 10 August 2017, it was reported that Sharman had been cast in the lead role in Medici: The Magnificent.[17] He portrays Lorenzo de' Medici for the planned two season run of the series. The two seasons of Medici: The Magnificent serve as second and third season of the Medici franchise and are set 20 years after the events of the loosely connected first season, named Medici: Masters of Florence.