Gerran Howell: How 'baby-faced' Welsh actor worked his way from This Country to award-winning US drama The Pitt
You'll recognise him from Ludwig and Out There, too
Gerran Howell is about to blow you away in The Pitt now that the award-winning medical drama is finally available to watch in the UK – a year after it streamed in the US.
It’s a huge role for the Welsh actor, who first made his name in the children’s horror-comedy series Young Dracula on CBBC.
You’re bound to recognise his face, but what is Gerran Howell famous for? Here’s everything you need to know about The Pitt actor, including where he’s from, his age, his career, and his girlfriend.
Who plays Dennis Whitaker in The Pitt?
Gerran Howell stars as medical student Dennis Whitaker in the HBO Max series, which first aired in the US in 2025. He graduates to a doctor in series 2.
The Noah Wyle series, which has been likened to ER, follows the daily lives of healthcare professionals in a Pittsburgh hospital. As well as their “life-saving jobs”, they juggle “personal crises, workplace politics, and the emotional toll of treating critically ill patients”.
It’s been nominated for too many awards to mention here. But won the Golden Globe for The series also won five Primetime Emmys. So far, it has won 40 awards and been nominated for 49.
Who is Gerran Howell? What TV and films is he famous for?
Gerran Howell came to fame playing Vladimir Dracula in Young Dracula, a CBBC television series that aired between 2006 and 2014. The series followed a vampire family after their move from Transylvania to Wales. The plot focused on young Vlad Dracula trying to be a “normal” teenager while his father encouraged him to be evil.
Between 2011 and 2015, he played Ernesto in The Sparticle Mystery, before moving on to portray Jack in Emerald City.
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In 2019, Gerran starred as Kid Sampson in the George Clooney-led Catch 22, before going on to play and Leo Newman in Suspicion. In 2024 and 2025, he appeared in two big primetime dramas set in Wales.
First of all, he portrayed DC Simon Evans in the cast of Ludwig on BBC One. It will soon return for a series 2, but without Gerran. The actor subsequently played county lines drug dealer Rhys Simpson in the cast of Out There.
Other notable roles include Father Luton in McDonald & Dodds, and Jacob Seaton in This Country. On film, he starred as Private Parry in the award-winning 1917.
Why isn’t The Pitt star Gerran Howell in Ludwig series 2?
Sadly, as he’s now a big hit in the States – and living there for some of the year – Gerran Howell won’t be appearing in series 2 of Ludwig. However, he recently told the Radio Times that he “hopes the door is still open”.
Talking about the David Mitchell crime drama, Gerran said: “Unfortunately [I’m not doing series 2 of Ludwig], no. I hope the door is still open, because I really love that show.”
The actor also talks about his co-star George Clooney, and the fact he recommended him for the past of Dennis Whitaker in The Pitt. Of course, George made his name playing Doug Ross in the medical drama ER.
In response to the news that George Clooney recommended him to Noah Wyle for the part in The Pitt, Gerran said: “That’s very cool. I sometimes wonder if he still remembers my name!”
How old is Gerran Howell and where is he from?
Despite looking like a teenager, Gerran is actually 35 years old. He even describes himself as a “baby-faced actor” on his official Instagram page. He’s not wrong!
The Barry-born actor grew up in Wales, and attended Barry Comprehensive School. Yes, the home of Gavin & Stacey! He later went on to train at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London.
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Does he have a girlfriend?
Gerran appears to have a girlfriend, who he’s been with for at least 10 years. A quick stalk of his Insta shows him looking very sweet and cosy with a brunette named Jade, and she consistently pops up in images over the past decade.
In fact, they have even attended award ceremonies together. In 2026, Gerran and his co-star in The Pitt won Some reports even suggest the pair got engaged “some years ago”.
Since finding huge fame on The Pitt, Gerran has gathered quite the fan base. And viewers are totally invested in the bromance between Gerran’s character Dennis Whitaker and his mentor Dr Michael ‘Robby’ Robinavitch.
