Taylor Swift’s brother Austin is one of the singer’s “best pals.”
Born to parents Andrea and Scott Swift on March 11, 1992, Austin grew up alongside the Grammy winner on their family’s Christmas tree farm in rural Pennsylvania. When he was around 9 years old, they relocated to Nashville in order to support Taylor’s budding music career.
“She found singing, and I knew from very early on that that was her direction,” he told Vanity Fair in 2017. “She was never going to quit; that was her thing, that was her life.”
As he searched for his own passion, he found himself frequently engrossed in movies. He went on to study film at the University of Notre Dame, where he tried his hand at acting for the first time.
“I’m pretty reserved in most circumstances, so [acting] never seemed like it would be a good fit,” Austin told PEOPLE in April 2018. “But I kind of got thrust into it and realized that it could be an opportunity to be creative.” With a handful of acting and producing credits now under his belt, Austin is making a name for himself in Hollywood and beyond.
So, who is Taylor Swift’s brother? From his acting debut to the sweet ways he and his sister have supported each other over the years, here’s everything to know about Austin Swift.
Much like his older sister, Austin felt like a bit of an outcast growing up. Early on in high school, he weighed 250 pounds and had very few friends, as he told Vanity Fair. Ultimately, he found companionship at the movie theater.
“I would go to the movies, and Daniel Craig was my friend, and Christian Bale was my friend, and Clive Owen was my friend, and Viggo Mortensen was my friend,” he told the outlet.
His love of film led him to the University of Notre Dame, where he first began to explore acting. In 2015, he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in film studies.
Austin’s film preference skews towards sci-fi, he told PEOPLE in 2018. Some of his all-time favorite films include Top Gun, GoldenEye and The Empire Strikes Back.
Austin made his big screen debut in 2016’s crime thriller I.T., acting alongside Pierce Brosnan. Later that year, he shared the screen with Ben Affleck and Zoe Saldana in the star-studded Live by Night. While he went on to do more work in film, he expanded his résumé to include some television roles in 2017, appearing in the political comedy show Embeds and Billy Ray Cyrus’ series Still the King.
Over the next two years, Austin landed a handful of other notable roles in films, including Cover Versions and We Summon the Darkness, the latter of which he also co-produced. In 2019, he starred opposite Tom Felton in the comedy Braking for Whales.
Austin bonded with costars during his time on the Cover Versions set, including Debby Ryan. “The best times were just hanging out between scenes and working with people who cared about each other and about what we were trying to do,” he told PEOPLE during his 2018 interview.
In addition to his acting roles, Austin has racked up a handful of production credits for his sister over the past few years. He’s listed as an executive producer on her Disney+ documentary Folklore: The Long Pond Sessions, as well as on her “I Bet You Think About Me (Taylor’s Version)” music video.
After landing his first leading role in a college production of Six Characters in Search of an Author, Austin found himself channeling his sister’s famously rigorous work ethic.
“I got really worried I wasn’t good enough,” he told PEOPLE of anxieties that began to crop up during rehearsal. “It became clear I needed to either buckle down or walk away. I started staying after rehearsals every night and running the whole play by myself, over and over, acting every part until the sun came up.”
Ultimately, his dedication paid off: “By opening day, it was a different play and I felt like I was a different person.”
Following in his sister’s footsteps, Austin earned his very first ACM nod in 2022, when he was nominated alongside Taylor and her close friend Blake Lively in the video of the year category for their collaboration on the “I Bet You Think About Me (Taylor’s Version)” music video.
This was the first nomination for both Austin and Lively; Austin worked on the video as a producer, while Lively produced and directed, per Deadline.
On Instagram, the I.T. actor celebrated the big news. “I was so lucky to get to work with Blake, Taylor, and the entire amazing team behind the video for ‘I Bet You Think About Me’ and now I am so proud and thankful that we’ve been nominated for the ACM award for video of the year!” he wrote alongside photos of the nomination press release.
In early September 2022, Austin sparked romance rumors with model Sydney Ness. The pair were seen holding hands while out and about in New York City, prompting speculation about the nature of their relationship. Ness, who is signed to Ford Models and Natural Models Management, was photographed with her fingers interlaced in Austin’s.
The pair never publicly confirmed their relationship and have not been seen out together since.
As siblings, Taylor and Austin have proved they’ve got each other’s backs time and again. He’s supported her through various tours, and she’s shouted out his work on social media on a number of occasions. In 2014, she even skipped the MTV Europe Music Awards to see Austin perform in a play at the University of Notre Dame.
In 2020, the “Anti-Hero” singer shared a sweet film photo (taken by close friend Gigi Hadid) of her and Austin on Instagram, celebrating National Siblings Day and the premiere of his movie We Summon The Darkness. Alongside the photo, she described her brother as “one of my best pals,” adding that she was “really proud of him” for his work on the movie.
On Austin’s end, he’s shared several touching tributes to his big sister on social media over the years. When she first broke her silence on politics in 2018, Austin immediately reposted her statement (in which she threw her support behind Democratic candidates for the midterm election). “When you thought you couldn’t respect your best friend any more than you already do. And then you do,” he wrote in the caption.
A few months later, he shared an adorable throwback photo of the pair as children, along with a heartfelt caption about their lifelong bond in honor of Taylor’s 29th birthday.
“I have always had a best friend, a role model, and a caring, tireless, dedicated champion in my corner. You have pulled me out of fires and carried me up mountains. The gift of getting to witness you become the wonderful person you are today has been the greatest privilege and honor of my life,” he penned.
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