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Tom Blyth

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Tom Blyth
Blyth in 2022
Born
Tom Keir Blyth

(1995-02-02) 2 February 1995 (age 29)
Birmingham, England
Alma materJuilliard School (BFA)
OccupationActor
FatherGavin Blyth

Tom Keir Blyth (born 2 February 1995) is an English actor. He took an interest in drama from a young age, studying acting at the Central Junior Television Workshop[1] and at the Juilliard School.[2]

He had his first lead role in the film Scott and Sid (2018), and has since starred as Glen Byam Shaw in Benediction (2021) and Coriolanus Snow in The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes (2023). On television, he has played the title role in the MGM+ series Billy the Kid (2022–present).

Early life and education

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Blyth was born in Birmingham in 1995 to Charlotte and Gavin Blyth.[3] His father and paternal grandfather both worked in the media industry. Blyth has two younger siblings, a sister and a half-brother from his father's second marriage.[4] Blyth spent his early childhood in Derbyshire. When his father was hired as a writer for the soap opera Emmerdale, the family moved to Tockwith, North Yorkshire. After his parents divorced when he was 11, Blyth moved with his mother and sister to Woodthorpe, a suburb of Nottingham, to be closer to her parents. Blyth was upset by the move; his mother tried to enroll him in an acting class, though he was initially reluctant.[5] When he was 12, he started work on a paper route as he wanted to provide for himself. He would visit his father's house and writing studio in Leeds two hours away. It was there that Blyth began to take an interest in storytelling, however his father made it clear that he detested nepotism and would not pull any strings on Blyth's behalf.[5]

In Nottingham, Blyth attended Arnold Hill Academy and, later, Bilborough College. Blyth's mother and a family friend managed to get him an audition at Nottingham's Television Workshop. At age 15, Blyth was pulled out of school and told his father had been taken to the hospital. Blyth's father died of non-Hodgkin lymphoma.[5] After the loss of his father, Blyth returned to the Television Workshop[5] and joined the National Youth Theatre,[6] appearing in the productions Twelfth Night, Hay Fever, and A Clockwork Orange.[2] Although he applied and was accepted to several drama schools, he turned them down.[5] In 2016, after spending a summer volunteering for an on-the-move charity fundraiser, Blyth decided to pursue acting as a career.[7] At 21, he auditioned for the Juilliard School in New York City, where he would study on a scholarship and reside in Brooklyn.[5] Whilst at Juilliard, Blyth appeared in productions such as Twelfth Night and Antony and Cleopatra.[2] He was mentored by veteran actor Daniel Day-Lewis.[8]

Career

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In 2010, Blyth began his on-screen career with small supporting roles in the films Robin Hood and Pelican Blood. In the years after graduating from college, he appeared in the short films Fibs (2014), Fluffy (2015), and Wash Club (2016), all while working odd-jobs in Nottingham. In 2018, Blyth had his first lead role as Sid Sadowskyj opposite Richard Mason in the autobiographical coming-of-age film Scott and Sid. That same year he appeared in Hazey Eyes' music video, Scars ft. Yoke Lore, as well as in the TV short Rise. Upon graduating from Juilliard in 2020, Blyth was cast as Glen Byam Shaw in the Terence Davies' biographical drama film Benediction, which premiered the following year.[9] In 2022, Blyth began starring as the titular William Bonney in the MGM+ series Billy the Kid.[10] For the role, Blyth learned how to ride, shoot, and talk like a "proper cowboy" with an Irish-American accent.[8] That same year, Blyth made a guest appearance in an episode of the HBO series The Gilded Age.

In 2023, he starred as a young Coriolanus Snow opposite Rachel Zegler in The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes, an adaptation of The Hunger Games prequel of the same name.[11][12]

Blyth has upcoming roles in the film Discussion Materials, adapted from Bill Keenan's memoir of the same name,[13] and an adaptation of Ernest Hemingway's novel A Farewell to Arms.[14] In March 2024, it was announced that Blyth, along with Russell Tovey, will star in Plainclothes, an independent film from writer-director Carmen Emmi. The film, which is based on true events, centres around an undercover cop in the 1990s who works to entrap and apprehend gay men until he finds himself drawn to one of his targets. [15] In 2024, it was announced that Blyth would co-star alongside Emily Bader in the Netflix romance film People We Meet On Vacation, based on the novel of the same name by Emily Henry.[16]

Filmography

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Key
† Denotes productions that have not yet been released

Film

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Year Title Role Notes
2010 Robin Hood Feral Child
Pelican Blood Young Nikko
2018 Scott and Sid Sid
2021 Benediction Glen Byam Shaw
2023 The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes Coriolanus Snow
TBA
Plainclothes TBA In production[17]
Bull Run TBA Post-production[18]
Watch Dogs TBA Post-production[19]

Television

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Year Title Role Notes
2022 The Gilded Age Archie Baldwin Episode: "Charity Has Two Functions"
2022–present Billy the Kid William H. Bonney / Billy Lead role

References

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  1. ^ "Nottingham-Born Actor Tom Blyth on His Journey from the TV Workshop to HBO's The Gilded Age". Left Lion. 23 February 2021. Retrieved 11 March 2021.
  2. ^ a b c "Tom Blyth". The Juilliard School. Retrieved 11 March 2021.
  3. ^ Pinchess, Lynette (18 February 2021). "Nottingham actor Tom Blyth appears in new film Benediction with former Doctor Who star". Nottinghamshire Live. Retrieved 11 March 2021.
  4. ^ Hayward, Anthony (1 December 2010). "Gavin Blyth obituary". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2 January 2024.
  5. ^ a b c d e f Myers, Marc (21 June 2022). "'Billy the Kid' Star Tom Blyth Used Grief as an Acting Tool". The Wall Street Journal. pp. 1–3. Archived from the original on 22 June 2022. Retrieved 1 January 2024.
  6. ^ "Tom Blyth". Epix. Retrieved 15 May 2022.
  7. ^ "A Young British Star with a Killer American Accent". airmail.news. Retrieved 2 January 2024.
  8. ^ a b LEO (14 June 2022). "Get to Know: Tom Blyth". Leo Edit. Retrieved 2 January 2024.
  9. ^ Arsenault, Bridget (23 April 2022). "An Interview with Tom Blyth, Star of "Billy the Kid" and "Discussion Materials"". Air Mail. Retrieved 15 May 2022.
  10. ^ Cordero, Rosy (3 February 2022). "'Billy The Kid': Tom Blyth Turns American Outlaw In First Trailer For Epix Series". Deadline Hollywood.
  11. ^ Borys, Kit (16 May 2022). "'Hunger Games': 'Billy the Kid' Actor Tom Blyth to Play Young Coriolanus Snow in Prequel". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 16 May 2022.
  12. ^ McPherson, Chris (24 December 2023). "'The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes' Heads for Victors' Village at the Global Box Office". Collider. Retrieved 2 January 2024.
  13. ^ Grobar, Matt (21 March 2022). "Tom Blyth, Chris Diamantopoulos, Jordyn Denning, Zach Villa & Jay Mohr To Star In Comedy 'Discussion Materials' From Director Alfredo Barrios Jr". Deadline. Retrieved 15 May 2022.
  14. ^ Goodfellow, Melanie (7 December 2023). "Tom Blyth To Star In Michael Winterbottom's Fremantle-Backed Adaptation Of Ernest Hemingway's 'A Farewell To Arms'". Deadline. Retrieved 7 December 2023.
  15. ^ Stephan, Katcy (7 March 2024). "Tom Blyth and Russell Tovey to Star in 'Plainclothes' (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 7 March 2024.
  16. ^ "'People We Meet on Vacation': All About the Movie Adaptation of Emily Henry's Best-Selling Novel". Peoplemag. Retrieved 5 September 2024.
  17. ^ Kamathi, Denis (22 March 2024). "Russell Tovey and Tom Blyth Strike a Pose in 'Plainclothes' Set Images". Collider.com. Retrieved 22 March 2024.
  18. ^ "'Hunger Games' star Tom Blyth joins 'Watch Dogs' film adaptation".
  19. ^ "Watch Dogs Movie Starts Production This Summer". news.ubisoft.com. Retrieved 6 June 2024.
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