Doherty was born and raised in Edinburgh, Scotland. He has an older brother and younger sister, and his parents were both in the banking business. Doherty began acting at the age of 5 and also played football. Doherty joined Lothian Youth Arts and Musicals Company and played a variety of roles, including his debut as Disney’s Aladdin.
Doherty attended Royal High School in Edinburgh. After high school, Doherty attended The MGA Academy of Performing Arts in Edinburgh, Scotland. He graduated after studying music theatre at MGA Academy in July 2015 and immediately signed a contract with Olivia Bell Management in London. Doherty was trained in acting, singing, and various types of dance including contemporary, hip hop, jazz, and ballet.
After graduating from The MGA Academy of Performing Arts in the summer of 2015, Doherty began waiting tables in Edinburgh at Tigerlilly restaurant. On his days off, Doherty split his time between auditioning for The Lodge and working with the Edinburgh Fringe. He was offered the role of Sean in The Lodge (which also stars Sophie Simnett and Luke Newton) and had to undergo intensive training in mountain biking to prepare for the role. The Lodge was filmed in Belfast, Ireland. While Doherty’s character is Scottish, Doherty focused on toning down his accent in order to better accommodate the viewers in all 108 countries that The Lodge aired in.
In December 2016, The Lodge was renewed for a second season which began production in February 2017.
After landing the role of Sean, Doherty auditioned for Descendants 2 and was cast as Harry Hook, the son of the infamous villain, Captain James Hook, from Peter Pan. Descendants 2 was filmed in Vancouver, Canada in 2016 and aired on the Disney Channel on 21 July 2017.
Most recently, Doherty was cast as Zander Reins in the American production High Strung: Free Dance alongside Harry Jarvis and Juliet Doherty. He plays Zander with an RP English accent. The film will be released in the summer of 2018.
In August 2017, Doherty was named one of the 50 hottest boys in the world by Vogue magazine.
