William is nominated for his lead performance in ‘Milton’s Secret’ and supporting performance in ‘The History of Love’

Teen Actor William Ainscough is thrilled to be nominated for two Leo Awards for two of his stellar on-screen performances this year. The Leo Awards will be presented at the Hyatt Regency Hotel on Sunday, June 4, 2017 in Vancouver, BC. Up against actors over twice his age, William is nominated for Best Lead Performance by a Male in a Motion Picture for his starring role as Milton in Milton’s Secret, opposite Donald Sutherland. William is also nomination for his role in The History of Love, for Best Supporting Performance by a Male in a Motion Picture.

Both films were shot in 2015, making it a busy year for William. He completed principal photography on Radu Mihaileanu’s sweeping epic, The History of Love, an adaptation of Nicole Krauss’ 2005 book of the same name. William plays Bird Singer, a preoccupied, strangely serious child who is convinced he is a “lamed vovnik,” one of the thirty-six holy people, and perhaps even the Messiah.

Later that year, William completed principal photography on the feature film Milton’s Secret, an adaptation of Eckhart Tolle and Robert S. Friedman’s book. William plays 12 year-old Milton Adams, who is growing up in an uncertain world. Milton feels as if his whole world is in crisis- his parents are stressed about their careers and finances and Milton is being bullied at school. However, when his Grandpa Howard (Donald Sutherland) comes to visit, he discovers anxiety about the past and worrying about the future only make things worse and prevent him from finding true happiness moment to moment. Milton’s Secret premiered at the Vancouver International Film Festival, in the fall of 2016.

Following in his parent’s footsteps (Nicole Oliver, actress; Chris Ainscough; composer/film editor), William is making a serious impression in the entertainment industry. It was after watching his mother in action during visits to the sets of some of her film projects that William’s interest in the acting world began. Nicole inspired him to try acting for himself and he began taking classes.

It was clear after booking his first two auditions that acting for William was a path well chosen. William’s very first attempt at acting was a success, when he landed his first audition in an open casting call for the feature film Hidden. William was successful in landing the role of Joey, a slightly shy and soulful boy and close friend and neighbor of Zoe’s (Emily Alyn Lind). The feature film, which follows a family hiding in a bomb shelter after a mysterious outbreak devastates civilization, stars Alexander Skarsgard (True Blood, Battleship) and Andrea Riseborough (Oblivion, Never Let Me Go), and was directed by The Duffer Brothers.

William soon followed that experience with playing Billy on the CW/City TV series Seed for two seasons. William received many award nominations for Seed, including a 2014 Leo Award nomination for best performance in a Comedy, Variety or Musical and his 2013 Actor nomination for the ‘BEST NEWCOMER’ category for the UBCP/ACTRA Awards. William also won the Joey Award in 2014 for best leading role youth actor (9 and under) in a TV series Comedy/Action.

Other recent highlights for William include playing the iconic role of John Darling in ABC’s Once Upon a Time, a major supporting role in Zapped, the television feature for the new Disney Channel starring US pop music sensation and actor Zendaya, a guest star role in The Haunting Hour, and a supporting role in the Hallmark Movies & Mysteries original program The Christmas Secret.

William is currently recording the second season of the award-winning PBS animated series Ready Jet Go, providing the voice for the character Sean. Aside from acting, William is an accomplished drummer, loves rugby, and is a huge fan of the online game Ark Survival.

For more information, photos and interviews with William please contact:
Lesley Diana | Lesley@thepromotionpeople.ca | 604-726-5575

Social Media Handles: 

Website: williamainscough.com, miltonssecret.com
Imdb: William Ainscough, The History of Love
Twitter: @will_ainscough

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