Tom Holland (actor)
| Tom Holland | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1 June 1996 |
| Occupation | Actor, dancer |
| Years active | 2008-present |
Tom Holland (born 1 June 1996) is an English stage actor and dancer, best known for playing the title role in Billy Elliot the Musical at the Victoria Palace Theatre, London.
Contents |
[edit] Biography
Tom Holland was born on 1 June 1996. He lives in Kingston-upon-Thames with his parents, Dominic and Nikki, and three brothers - Sam, Harry (they are twins) and Paddy.[1] His father is comedian and author Dominic Holland. Tom had attended Donhead Prep School.[2] Then, after a successful eleven plus exam, he became a pupil at Wimbledon College.
[edit] Career
Holland began dancing at a hip hop class at Nifty Feet Dance School in Wimbledon, London. His potential was spotted by choreographer Lynne Page (who was an Associate to Peter Darling, choreographer of Billy Elliot and Billy Elliot the Musical) when he performed with his dance school as part of the Richmond Dance Festival 2006.[3] After eight auditions and subsequent two years of training, on 28 June 2008 Tom made his West End debut in Billy Elliot the Musical as Michael, Billy’s best friend.[4] He gave his first performance in the title role of Billy on 8 September 2008 getting rave reviews praising his versatile acting and dancing skills.[5]
In September 2008 Tom (together with co-star Tanner Pflueger) appeared on the news programme on channel FIVE and gave his first TV interview. In 2009 Tom was featured on ITV1 show “The Feel Good Factor”.[6] At the launch show on 31 January he and two other Billy Elliots, Tanner Pflueger and Layton Williams, performed a specially choreographered version of Angry Dance from Billy Elliot the Musical, after which Tom was interviewed by host Myleene Klass.[7] Then he became involved into training five ordinary British schoolboys learning to get fit and preparing their dance routine (fronted by Tom) for the final “The Feel Good Factor” show on 28 March 2009.[8][9] On 11 March 2010 Tom Holland along with fellow Billy Elliots Dean-Charles Chapman and Fox Jackson-Keen appeared on The Alan Titchmarsh Show on ITV1.
On 8 March 2010, to mark the fifth anniversary of Billy Elliot the Musical, four current Billy Elliots, including Tom Holland, were invited to 10 Downing Street to meet the Prime Minister Gordon Brown.[10][11] It was Tom Holland who was chosen to be a lead at the special fifth anniversary show on 31 March 2010. Elton John, Billy Elliot the Musical composer, who was at the audience, called Tom’s performance “astonishing” and said that he was “blown away” by it.[12]
Tom Holland had been appearing on a regular basis as Billy in Billy Elliot the Musical rotating with three other performers [13] till 29 May 2010 when he finished his run in the musical. In two months after that Tom successfully auditioned for a starring role in the film The Impossible (directed by Juan Antonio Bayona)[14] alongside Naomi Watts and Ewan McGregor. The Impossible is based on a true story that took place during the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and is due to be released in 2012.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Meet the Boys: Tom Holland Billy Elliot The Musical Official Site
- ^ “Tom Holland to play Billy Elliot” Donhead School Site
- ^ “New Billy Elliot leaving the garage” Richmond and Twickenham Times, 31 August 2008
- ^ “We Are Billy Elliot: Meet the Cast and Crew Video Interview with Tom Holland”, Billy Elliott the Musical Official Site
- ^ Who is he? Billy Elliott star Tom Holland” The London Paper, 7 May 2009
- ^ “The FeelGood Factor” ITV site
- ^ “The FeelGood Factor: press release of 23 February 2009” ITV Press Centre, 23 February 2009
- ^ The FeelGood Factor ITV Press Centre, 28 March 2009
- ^ “Thames Christian College schoolboys join Myleene Klass for The Feelgood Factor” This is Local London, 5 March 2009
- ^ “Government launches £600,000 arts bursaries pilot” The Stage, 8 March 2010
- ^ “BILLY's Chapman, Holland, Gardner & Jackson-Keen Visit Prime Minister” BroadwayWorld.com, 8 March 2010
- ^ “Elton John 'blown away' by Billy Elliot fifth birthday (Video with John's interview and fragments of Holland‘s performance) BBC News, 1 April 2010
- ^ “Being Billy Elliot” NewsOnStage, 29 March 2010
- ^ “The Impossible (2011)” The Internet Movie Database (IMDb)
