Taylor Swift’s brother, Austin, is an actor, producer and the singer’s biggest supporter

PHOTO: CHRISTOPHER POLK/ACMA2014/GETTY

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.

He’s a major film buff

PAUL ARCHULETA/GETTY

Much like his older sister, Austin felt like a bit of an outcast growing up. Early on in high school, he weighed 250 lbs. 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.

He’s an actor and producer

TOMMASO BODDI/FILMMAGIC

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.

He shares his sister’s famous work ethic

Taylor Swift and Austin Swift.TAYLOR SWIFT INSTAGRAM

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.”

He was nominated for an ACM Award

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.

He is dating model Sydney Ness

Austin Swift and Sydney Ness. THEIMAGEDIRECT.COM

Austin and model Sydney Ness have been romantically linked since September 2022 when they were spotted holding hands in New York City.

 Taylor Swift’s Brother Austin Walks Hand in Hand with Model Sydney Ness in New York City

He and Taylor are incredibly supportive of one another

Taylor and Austin Swift in 2015.KEVIN WINTER/BMA2015/GETTY

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.

He and his girlfriend often join Taylor to cheer on the Kansas City Chiefs

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When the Kansas City Chiefs played the Las Vegas Raiders on Dec. 25, 2023, Austin joined Taylor in cheering on Travis Kelce from a suite at Arrowhead Stadium, dressed in a Santa Claus costume for the occasion. Taylor’s parents, Andrea and Scott, were also in attendance, along with Austin’s girlfriend, who appeared to be wearing one of the sweatshirts that Taylor had been gifted from Kansas City boutique Westside Storey.

Austin rode in on a golf cart beside his sister, ringing a bell as they walked into the stadium together.

This was only one of the games that Austin and Ness attended that season. They also joined Taylor (and Andrea and Scott) in a suite at the 2024 Super Bowl, where they got to witness Kelce and his team win the game for the second year in a row.