From starring in ‘Hamilton’ to growing up in a political family, here’s everything to know about Iain Armitage’s parents
Despite being a teenager, Iain Armitage has already built quite the Hollywood career for himself.
The actor initially rose to fame thanks to his YouTube channel, Iain Loves Theater, in 2014, and then landed a major role in Big Little Lies in 2017. Later that same year, he earned a starring role playing a young Sheldon Cooper in the hit Young Sheldon series.
But who are the parents that raised the young star? That would be actor Euan Morton and stage producer Lee Armitage. Euan is originally from Scotland and Lee is originally from the Washington, D.C. area. area. The couple met in 2005 and had their son Iain in 2008. Since then, the family’s life has been centered around the arts.
Lee has put her producing duties on pause for the time being to live with Iain in Los Angeles while he establishes himself as an actor, and Euan continues to star in theater productions around the world. But most importantly, Iain’s parents support him and are proud of him.
“He’s very talented,” Euan said of his son to Virginia Living in 2018. “He’s a fantastic actor and a good person. He is naturally altruistic.”
So, who exactly are Iain Armitage’s parents? Read on to find out more about Euan Morton and Lee Armitage, including their notable moments, career highlights and more.
Euan is originally from Scotland and studied acting in London
According to his website, Euan was born in the community of Falkirk, Scotland. His dad is an electrician and his mother was a postal worker for the town. Euan first developed his love of acting while growing up in the small town, and he partook in numerous performances during primary school.
When he was 17, he left for London and enrolled in Mountview, a college for the performing arts. “I originally went to study musical theater but realized quickly that I would be better served studying classical acting,” Euan told Maryland Theater Guide in 2021. “And so I transferred from the musical course to the acting course after my first year. Even now , after 14 years removed from college, I still miss those days. I miss my friends back in London.”
Lee grew up in the Washington D.C. area and is the daughter of a prominent politician
Lee grew up in the D.C. area because her father is Richard Armitage, a prominent politician who spent decades working in government. Throughout his years in Washington, he worked in various roles throughout the Defense and State departments.
Most notably, he was the Deputy Secretary of Defense during President George W. Bush’s first term in office, serving during major moments of crisis like 9/11.
Rosie O’Donnell helped Euan break out onto Broadway
After graduating, Euan began performing in plays and musicals around the U.K., like Into the Woods. But his first big break came in 2002 when he starred as Boy George in the West End biopic musical Taboo. During its run in London, Rosie O’Donnell came to watch the show and loved it so much that she decided to personally finance and produce Taboo on Broadway.
“You know, the show in London,” O’Donnell told Katie Couric in 2003, “I saw it eight or nine times. It got a standing ovation every night.” O’Donnell ended up spending $10 million to bring Taboo to Broadway, per The New York Times.
Euan retained his leading role as Boy George, and the show made its Broadway debut in November 2003. Although it opened to mixed reviews, Taboo ended up being nominated for a handful of Tony Awards, including best actor for Euan.
Euan most recently starred in Hamilton on Broadway
Since Taboo, Euan has continued starring in major plays and musicals like Parade, Sondheim on Sondheim and Hedwig and the Angry Inch. Most recently, Euan took over the role of King George III in the smash hit Hamilton.
In a 2017 taped interview with Broadway.com, Euan joked about how lucky he was to take over the role of one of Hamilton’s most beloved characters. “I walked into a role that gets entry applause even if you’re a capuchin monkey,” the actor said with a laugh. “If you stuck a monkey in the role and it came out dressed like the king, people will go wild! So yes, it’s a great feeling.”
They are supportive of Iain’s acting career
Iain told Northern Virginia magazine in 2022 that his mother was initially hesitant of him becoming an actor, saying, “You hear all those horror stories about all the terrible things that happened in Hollywood with children who had gone crazy from being there.”
But eventually, she gave in and now supports him on his acting journey. “Mom is just so cool and so kind and always so grounding,” Iain told the magazine.
Lee also talked about her initial reservations to 9 News in Australia, but admitted she eventually realized that acting was Iain’s passion. ”He was so excited about it,” she told the outlet. “So we make a pact that as long as he likes doing it – and as long as we see it’s not negatively affecting him – he can do it. If it doesn’t work for our family, we’ll talk.”
In an interview with Broadway.com, Euan talked about how impressed he is with Iain’s career after landing an impressive part in Big Little Lies and the starring role in Young Sheldon. “He’s huge,” Euan said, “and I think it couldn’t happen to a nicer child, and I would say that even if he wasn’t my son, truly.”
Euan also joked about how much work Iain gets as an actor. “I say that I’m one of the few absent fathers who’s absent because his child is at work.”
At the end of the interview, he also said that Iain supports his work as an actor too, stating, “He loves me and he’s very supportive of what I do too and that’s important to me that he is.”
