Lawtey was born in Oxford, Oxfordshire, while his father, a military aircraft engineer, was stationed at RAF Brize Norton.
[7] Lawtey has said of his parents’ hometown: “I have never lived in the place that I feel as though I’m from.”[7] He has an older brother, George, who is a first-team coach for Swansea City AFC.
While on holiday back in England, he auditioned for the Sylvia Young Theatre School, where he would attend as a boarding student, staying with a host family in Abbey Wood alongside four other boys.
[12][13] Lawtey began his career with guest appearances in episodes of the CBBC series Wizards vs Aliens and the BBC One medical soap opera Casualty.
Lawtey played Cadet Artemis Marquis in the 2022 mystery film The Pale Blue Eye, which had a wide release on Netflix.