Tom Holland (actor)
Tom Holland (actor)
Born | |
---|---|
Residence | Kingston Upon Thames, London England |
Education | BRIT School |
Occupation | |
Years active | 2008–present |
Parent(s) |
Thomas Stanley Holland (born 1 June 1996)[1] is an English Actor and dancer. He first gained recognition in 2012 for starring in the disaster film The Impossible. He later gained fame for playing Spider-Man in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) and has appeared as the character in five films: Captain America: Civil War (2016), Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), Avengers: Infinity War (2018), Avengers: Endgame (2019), and Spider-Man: Far From Home*.*
A graduate of the BRIT School in London. Holland previously appeared on stage in the title role of Billy Elliot the Musical in London's West End in 2008, and his other films include In the Heart of the Sea (2015), and The Current War (2017). In 2017, Holland received the BAFTA Rising Star Award.
Born | |
---|---|
Residence | Kingston Upon Thames, London England |
Education | BRIT School |
Occupation | |
Years active | 2008–present |
Parent(s) |
Early life and education
Holland was born in Kingston upon Thames, London,[2] to Nicola "Nikki" Elizabeth (née Frost), a photographer, and Dominic Holland, a comedian and author.[3][4] His paternal grandparents were born on the Isle of Man and Tipperary, Ireland, respectively.[5][6] He has three younger brothers: twins Harry, Sam (b. 1999) and Patrick "Paddy" (b. 2004).[3][7]
Holland was educated at Donhead, a Roman Catholic preparatory school in Wimbledon in South West London,[8] followed by Wimbledon College, a voluntary aided Jesuit Roman Catholic comprehensive school (also in Wimbledon), up until December 2012. Holland has said he was bullied in school for being a dancer.[9] After Wimbledon College he attended The BRIT School for Performing Arts and Technology in Croydon.[4] Holland first learned gymnastics during his time performing in Billy Elliot the Musical.[10]
Career
Theatre

Holland (centre) performing at the fifth anniversary of Billy Elliot the Musical
Holland began dancing at a hip hop class at Nifty Feet Dance School in Wimbledon. 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 2006 Richmond Dance Festival.[11]
In September 2008, Holland (together with co-star Tanner Pflueger) appeared on the news programme on channel FIVE and gave his first TV interview. The following year, he was featured on ITV1 show The Feel Good Factor.[14] At the premiere on 31 January, Holland and two actors also playing the title role, Pflueger and Layton Williams, performed a version of "Angry Dance" from Billy Elliot the Musical, after which Holland was interviewed by host Myleene Klass. He trained five British schoolboys for a dance routine he fronted for the final The Feel Good Factor show on 28 March 2009.[15]
On 8 March 2010, to mark the fifth anniversary of Billy Elliot the Musical, four current Billy Elliots, including Holland, were invited to 10 Downing Street to meet the Prime Minister, Gordon Brown.[16][17] Holland was chosen to be a lead at the fifth-anniversary show on 31 March 2010.[18] Holland appeared on a regular basis as Billy in Billy Elliot the Musical, rotating with three other performers,[19] until 29 May 2010, when he finished his running.
Television
Holland appeared on an episode of Lip Sync Battle, in which he defeated Zendaya. He presented the award for Best Visual Effects at the 90th Annual Academy Awards, in which the Oscar was won by Blade Runner 2049. He made his fourth appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live! in October 2018, portraying his Spider-Man character to promote Spider-Man: Far From Home.[22]
Cinema
In 2011, Holland was cast in the British version of the animated film Arrietty, produced by Japan's Studio Ghibli. He provided a voice for the principal character Sho.[23]
Holland made his feature film debut in The Impossible, directed by Juan Antonio Bayona, alongside Naomi Watts and Ewan McGregor. Holland was praised so highly, that there were even rumours he was a contender for an Academy Award nomination. The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on 9 September 2012 and was a critical and commercial success, earning $180.3 million worldwide and Holland won universal praise from critics and several awards such as the National Board of Review Award for Breakthrough Performance and London Film Critics Circle Award for Young British Performer of the Year.[24][25]
Holland starred as Isaac in the drama film How I Live Now, which was released in the UK on 4 October 2013, co-starring Saoirse Ronan and co-starred as Thomas Nickerson in the film In the Heart of the Sea (2015), directed by Ron Howard.[26] Holland also appeared in Locke ]]
In 2016, he played Bradley Baker in the film Edge of Winter, where he co-starred with Joel Kinnaman and Percy Hynes White. In 2017, Holland co-starred alongside Charlie Hunnam in the drama film The Lost City of Z, directed by James Gray, and released in April, to positive critical reception.[27] Holland also performed as the on-set stand-in for the character of The Monster as he would reunite with director J.A Bayona in the film A Monster Calls. Actor Liam Neeson provided the voice for the character, whilst Holland was credited with a special thanks.[28]
In 2017, he co-starred alongside Richard Armitage and Jon Bernthal in the film Pilgrimage. The film premiered on 23 April 2017 at the Tribeca Film Festival, in its "Viewpoint" sections. Also that year, Holland played Samuel Insull in Alfonso Gomez-Rejon's The Current War, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival.[29] Early reviews of The Current War was met with a mixed response; however, Holland's performance in the film was praised by critics. After The Current War's wider release was met with a delay due to the Harvey Weinstein controversy, in October 2018, Lantern Entertainment, which acquired The Weinstein Company's assets through its bankruptcy, and 13 Films, an international distribution and finance company, struck a deal to co-distribute the film internationally with plans to release the film in 2019.
Spider-Man
On 23 June 2015, it was announced that Holland was cast as a teenage Peter Parker / Spider-Man,[30] and his "life was flipped upside down", as he later tweeted.[31] As part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, he first appeared as Spider-Man in Captain America: Civil War (2016).[32] The film was a massive critical and commercial success, grossing over $1.1 billion worldwide, making it the highest-grossing film of 2016,[33] with Holland receiving critical praise.[34][35]
In July 2017, Spider-Man: Homecoming was released, in which Holland reprised his role from Captain America: Civil War. Earning $117 million in box office receipts in its first weekend,[36] Homecoming received positive reviews and Holland considerable praise, with his appearance being called "a star performance given by a born actor."[37] The film went on the gross over $800 million worldwide. Holland reprised Spider-Man in Avengers: Infinity War, which was released on 27 April 2018. He has a six-picture deal with Marvel Studios, not including his Captain America: Civil War appearance.[38]
He reprised his role in Avengers: Endgame, released on 26 April 2019. Holland began shooting the sequel Spider-Man: Far From Home in July 2018, with production wrapping that October. The film was released worldwide on 2 July 2019.[39] The trailer was first shown at Sony's CCXP Brazil panel on 8 December 2018, with Holland and Jake Gyllenhaal, who portrays Mysterio, in attendance to promote the film.
Upcoming potential works
In 2016, Holland was cast in The Modern Ocean. The project encountered development problems but director Shane Carruth said in 2018 that the film was still in production and had not yet been cancelled, with plans to begin filming in 2020. Holland was set for a supporting role alongside Keanu Reeves, Daniel Radcliffe, Anne Hathaway and Jeff Goldblum.[40]
Holland has been cast in the film adaptation of Patrick Ness's best-selling YA series Chaos Walking as Todd Hewitt, alongside Star Wars star Daisy Ridley, which was planned to be directed by Doug Liman. Holland revealed after filming that a sequel was in the works.[41] In May 2017, it was announced that he had been cast as a young Nathan Drake in the film adaptation of Naughty Dog's Uncharted video game seriesvideo game series]] [42] He is also now cast as the lead role in the film adaptation of in 2019 alongside Will Smith.[44] Holland was later cast in a voice role in The Voyage of Doctor Dolittle, alongside MCU co-star Robert Downey Jr.
Holland has been cast to appear in The Devil All the Time, a horror film set shortly after World War II. The film, scheduled for release in 2020, was directed by Antônio Campos. In December 2018, Holland signed on to the Pixar animated film Onward, alongside Avengers: Infinity War co-star Chris Pratt.[45]
In March 2019, it was confirmed that Holland was planned to play the lead role in Cherry, based on the novel of the same name, reteaming him with the Russo brothers.[46]
Holland said that his long-term career plans are to "do some more franchises", and play "some meatier indie roles and eventually...transition to the other side of the camera and branch into directing".[47]
Personal life
Along with his three younger brothers, Holland sponsors The Brothers Trust, a UK Registered Charity that raises money for various charitable causes.[51]
Filmography
![]() | Denotes films that have not yet been released |
Film
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2010 | Arrietty | Shō (voice) | English dub (UK, AU, NZL) |
2012 | The Impossible | Lucas Bennett | |
2013 | How I Live Now | Isaac | |
Moments | Boy | Short film | |
Locke | Eddie (voice) | ||
2014 | Billy Elliot the Musical Live | Former Billy | Cameo |
2015 | In the Heart of the Sea | Thomas Nickerson | |
Tweet | Himself | Short film; also director | |
2016 | Captain America: Civil War | Peter Parker / Spider-Man | |
Edge of Winter | Bradley Baker | ||
The Lost City of Z | Jack Fawcett | ||
2017 | Pilgrimage | The Novice / Brother Diarmuid | |
The Current War | Samuel Insull | ||
Spider-Man: Homecoming | Peter Parker / Spider-Man | ||
2018 | Avengers: Infinity War | ||
2019 | Avengers: Endgame | ||
Spider-Man: Far From Home | |||
Spies in Disguise | Walter Beckett (voice) | Post-production | |
2020 | Dolittle | Jip (voice) | Post-production |
Onward | Ian Lightfoot (voice)[52] | In production | |
Chaos Walking | Todd Hewitt | Post-production | |
TBA | The Devil All the Time | Arvin Russell | Post-production |
Television
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2015 | Wolf Hall | Gregory Cromwell | Recurring role; 6 episodes |
2017 | Lip Sync Battle | Himself | Episode: "Tom Holland vs. Zendaya"[53] |
Stage
Year | Title | Role | Venue | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
2008–2010 | Billy Elliot the Musical | Billy Elliot / Michael | 8 September 2008 – 29 May 2010 |
Awards and nominations
Year | Award | Category | Nominated work | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|
2012 | Hollywood Film Awards | Spotlight Award | Won | |
Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association Awards | Best Youth Performance | Nominated | ||
St. Louis Film Critics Association | Special Merit(shared withNaomi Watts,Ewan McGregor,Samuel Joslin, Oaklee Pendergast) | Won | ||
Chicago Film Critics Association Awards[54] | Most Promising Performer | Nominated | ||
Phoenix Film Critics Society Awards | Best Youth Performance in a Lead or Supporting Role - Male | Won | ||
Nevada Film Critics Society | Best Youth Performance | |||
2013 | Central Ohio Film Critics Association | Breakthrough Film Artist | Nominated | |
National Board of Review | Breakthrough Performance - Male | Won | ||
Critics' Choice Awards | Best Young Actor/Actress | Nominated | ||
London Film Critics' Circle Awards[24] | Young British Performer of the Year | Won | ||
Online Film & Television Association | Best Youth Performance | |||
Best Breakthrough Performance - Male | Nominated | |||
Most Cinematic Moment(shared withNaomi Watts,Ewan McGregor,Samuel Joslin, Oaklee Pendergast) | ||||
Cinema Writers Circle Awards | Best New Actor | |||
Goya Awards[55] | Best New Actor | |||
Gold Derby Awards | Best Breakthrough Performer | |||
Empire Awards[56] | Best Male Newcomer | Won | ||
Young Artist Awards[57] | Best Performance in a Feature Film - Leading Young Actor | |||
Saturn Awards | Best Performance by a Younger Actor | Nominated | ||
2014 | CinEuphoria Awards | Best Actor - International Competition | ||
2016 | Young Artist Awards | Best Performance in a Feature Film - Supporting Young Actor (14 - 21) | ||
Golden Schmoes Awards | Breakthrough Performance of the Year | Won | ||
Teen Choice Awards[58] | Choice Movie: Scene Stealer | Nominated | ||
2017 | Empire Awards | Best Male Newcomer | ||
Saturn Awards[59] | Best Performance by a Younger Actor | Won | ||
British Academy Film Awards[60] | Rising Star Award | |||
London Film Critics' Circle Awards[61] | Young British/Irish Performer of the Year | Nominated | ||
Teen Choice Awards[62] | Choice Breakout Movie Star | |||
Choice Summer Movie Actor | Won | |||
2018 | Saturn Awards[63] | Best Performance by a Younger Actor | ||
Teen Choice Awards[64] | Choice Action Movie Actor | Nominated | ||
2019 | Teen Choice Awards[65] | Choice Summer Movie Actor | Won |
See also
Billy Elliot the Musical casts
Personal
Tom Holland resides in London.
He has a dog named Tessa.
In 2003, Holland was diagnosed with dyslexia.