He was the break-out star of one of the biggest boy bands of all time and he was right here in Weymouth.

Fans of One Direction were desperate to catch a glimpse of Harry Styles when he filmed his first acting role in Dorset.

Heartthrob Harry, who initially found fame on the X Factor, was starring in war movie Dunkirk, which was directed by Christopher Nolan.

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Picture: Carlos Finlay

He played the role of a young soldier who becomes one of 300,000 troops stranded in France, Harry filmed scenes in Weymouth and Swanage.

In the summer of 2016 Weymouth Harbour was transformed into a star-spotting platform as residents and visitors caught a glimpse of Nolan himself – not to mention the ‘Directioners’ who eagerly awaited a chance to spot One Direction singer Harry Styles in his first major acting role.

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Picture: Any Johnson

Amy Johnson, who snapped a picture of Harry, said: "I didn't think I'd see anything but saw people rushing around when we were walking down the pier as the extras were moving to the harbour, so we thought we would walk round the harbour to see anything going on and saw them filming.

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Picture: Amy Johnson

"I thought I'd take my camera with me in case we did see anything and luckily we did. Lots of people were excited."

Swanage railway station was also used as a set with Styles spotted filming scenes leaning out of a train carriage.

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The Second World War drama tells the true story of Operation Dynamo, a plan by the Allies to rescue 300,000 stranded troops surrounded by Nazi soldiers, and also starred Cillian Murphy, Mark Rylance, Tom Hardy, Kenneth Branagh, and pop star Harry Styles.

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Weymouth Harbour transformed into a film set Picture: Mike Perry 

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Mark Rylance filming Dunkirk in Weymouth

During the Second World War, in 1940, Dunkirk was the scene of the mass evacuation of more than 338,000 allied troops, who had retreated in the face of the German advance. This evacuation, also known as the Miracle of Dunkirk, was aided by the hastily-assembled fleet of more than 800 ships.

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Harry Styles

Harry is the UK's second richest young celebrity after Ed Sheeran, with an estimated net worth of £74million.

The now 26-year-old has more big screen appearances in the pipeline and has appeared in several campaigns for luxury fashion brand Gucci.

He has also recently sparked controversy by appearing on the cover of US Vogue magazine wearing a dress.