Asa Maxwell Thornton F. Butterfield (born 1 April 1997) is an English actor, best known for starring in the Holocaust film The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas

The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas (film)

The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas is a 2008 historical-drama film based on the novel of the same name by Irish writer John Boyne. Directed by Mark Herman and produced by David Heyman, it stars Asa Butterfield, Jack Scanlon, David Thewlis, Vera Farmiga and Rupert Friend.A Holocaust drama, the film...

 (2008), as Norman in the 2010 film Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang

Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang

Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang is a 2010 family film. It is a sequel to the 2005 film Nanny McPhee. It was adapted by Emma Thompson from Christianna Brand's Nurse Matilda books...

, and playing the title role in Martin Scorsese's 2011 fantasy Hugo.
Butterfield was born in Islington

Islington

Islington is a neighbourhood in Greater London, England and forms the central district of the London Borough of Islington. It is a district of Inner London, spanning from Islington High Street to Highbury Fields, encompassing the area around the busy Upper Street...

, London

London

London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

, the son of Jacqueline Farr and Sam Butterfield. He has an older brother, Morgan, who is a drummer for the English band "Oats," and a younger sister, Loxie.

Butterfield first started acting at the age of 7 on Wednesday afternoons after school at the Young Actors Theatre

Young Actors Theatre (Islington)

The Young Actors Theatre is a community theatre school for children and young adults in Islington, London, run on a non-profit sustainable-funding basis.-The school:...

, in his hometown.