Billy Boyd (actor)

Billy Boyd
Boyd at Comic-Con International 2004
Born	Billy Boyd
Other names	Billy
Years active	1998 - present
Partner	Ali McKinnon
Website	http://www.billyboyd.net/

Billy Boyd (born 28 August 1968) is a Scottish actor and musician most widely known for playing the character Peregrin "Pippin" Took in the film adaptations of The Lord of the Rings and Barrett Bonden in Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World.

Early life

Boyd was born in Glasgow, Scotland to William and Mary Boyd, who died, a year apart, when Boyd was in his early teens. He was raised, along with his older sister, Margaret, by their grandmother. In 1984, at the age of sixteen, he appeared in local musical company Theatre Guild, Glasgow's production of Hans Anderson. He worked as a book-binder for 7 years before pursuing an acting career. One of the books he bound was The Lord of the Rings. He graduated from the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama, where he earned a diploma in Dramatic Arts.

Career

As well as being a screen actor, he also appears on the stage. He has been in several plays; most recently, San Diego and The Ballad Of Crazy Paola. He is also an accomplished musician, singing and also playing the guitar, bass, and drums. He wrote the melody for and sang in Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King called The Edge of Night.

He topped list of top 100 Most Eligible Men in Scotland in 2002. Currently, he is the lead singer and co-songwriter in the band, Beecake. He has also made a cameo appearance in the popular Scottish comedy Still Game in the second episode of the first series. In 2008, Boyd will star in Ecstasy based on the #1 best-selling book by Irvine Welsh as Woodsy. This film has now been removed from IMDb and it is uncertain if it will go ahead.

Personal life

Aside from his musical aspirations, Boyd is an avid surfer, since his time spent surfing in New Zealand during the production for Lord of the Rings. He also holds a Grade 7 in foil fencing and a Phase 4 rank in both Jeet Kune Do and Filipino Kali.

Boyd at Ring*Con 2005 in Fulda, Germany

He currently owns a house in Glasgow with his fiancee, Ali McKinnon. On 26 April 2006, he and McKinnon welcomed their first child, son Jack William Boyd.

Boyd has a tattoo of the Elvish word for "nine", a reference to his involvement in the Lord of the Rings and the fact that his character was one of the nine members of the Fellowship of the Ring. The other actors of "The Fellowship" (Elijah Wood, Sean Astin, Sean Bean, Ian McKellen, Dominic Monaghan, Viggo Mortensen, and Orlando Bloom) got the same tattoo with the exception of John Rhys-Davies whose stunt double got the tattoo instead.

He remains close with Lord of the Rings co-star Dominic Monaghan and they have written a script together but at the moment there are no plans for it to be made.

Boyd is one of the patrons of Scottish Youth Theatre, Scotland's National Theatre 'for and by' young people.

Boyd is also the Patron of the National Boys Choir of Scotland.

Holidays in Scotland

In 2008, Billy fronted VisitScotland's Perfect Day Campaign, and talked particularly of his love of surfing in Scotland, particularly in Machrihanish, Pease Bay and Coldingham Bay in the Scottish Borders. In an interview about the campaign with the Scotsman newspaper on 28 July he said "I don't really do much promotional stuff but felt that with this one I could be honest...I'm very proud of where I come from and I get very excited if a friend comes over and I can show them around."

Music

Billy fronts a band called Beecake. See Myspace[3]. As well as topping some of the international MySpace charts, the band was recently awarded VisitScotland's award for Best Live Act at the Tartan Clef Music Awards. The award was created by VisitScotland to celebrate Scotland's great live music scene and Glasgow's new title of UNESCO City of Music. The Tartan Clef Music Awards raise money for Nordoff Robbins Music Therapy in Scotland - a charity which uses music to bring joy into the lives of children and adults who have been isolated by disability, trauma or illness[4].

Filmography

Boyd as Pippin in The Lord of the Rings movie trilogy

• Stone of Destiny (film) (2008) as Bill Craig
• Empty (2008) as Tony (TV series on the BBC)
• Ecstasy (2008) as Woodsy
• Shoe at your Foot (2008)
• The Best Years (Film) (2008) as Emmet
• Save Angel Hope (2007) as Vince Sandhurst
• Glenn (2007) as Jack
• Dominator X (2007) as Shiro/Dominator voice (animated)
• The Flying Scotsman (2006) as Malky
• Save Angel Hope (2006) as Vince
• Midsummer Dream (2005) voice of Puck
• On a Clear Day (2005) as Danny
• Instant Credit (2004) as Frankie
• Seed of Chucky (2004) as the voice of Glen & Glenda
• The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003) as Peregrin Took
• Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (2003) as Barrett Bonden
• The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002) as Peregrin Took
• Sniper470 (2002) as the Sniper
• Still Game (2002) as the Bearded Man in Faimly
• The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001) as Peregrin Took
• Julie and the Cadillacs (1999) as Jimmy Campbell
• Urban Ghost Story (1998) as the loan shark
• The Soldier's Leap (1998) as the postman
• Taggart (1996) as Jamie Holmes in episode "Dead Mans Chest" (DS Jackie Reid's cousin)

External links

• Billy Boyd at IMDb
• Billy Boyd's official site
• Boyd oh Boyd (fan site)
• Beecake's official site
• The Flying Scotsman movie (unofficial site)