Tom Holland

Thomas Stanley Holland (born 1 June 1996) is an English actor and dancer. He is best known 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 (2019).

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 other films include The Impossible (2012), In the Heart of the Sea (2015), and The Current War (2017). In 2017, Holland received the BAFTA Rising Star Award.

Early life and education
Holland was born in Kingston upon Thames, London, to Nicola "Nikki" Elizabeth (née Frost), a photographer, and Dominic Holland, a comedian and author. His paternal grandparents were born on the Isle of Man and Tipperary, Ireland, respectively. He has three younger brothers: twins Harry, Sam (b. 1999) and Patrick "Paddy" (b. 2004).

Holland was educated at Donhead, a Roman Catholic preparatory school in Wimbledon in South West London, 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. After Wimbledon College he attended The BRIT School for Performing Arts and Technology in Croydon. Holland first learned gymnastics during his time performing in Billy Elliot the Musical.

Television
In 2015, Holland appeared in four episodes of BBC Two's TV series Wolf Hall, as Gregory Cromwell, son of the protagonist Thomas Cromwell played by Mark Rylance. He is set to play Pino Lella in the upcoming mini-series Beneath a Scarlet Sky.

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.

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.

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 theToronto 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 andLondon Film Critics Circle Award for Young British Performer of the Year.

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. Holland also appeared in Locke (2013) alongsideTom Hardy in a supporting role and made a brief appearance in Billy Elliot the Musical Live (2014) to celebrate his role as a 'former Billy'.

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. 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.

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. Early reviews of The Current War was met with a mixed response; however, Holland's performance in the film was praised by critics. AfterThe 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, and his "life was flipped upside down", as he later tweeted. As part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, he first appeared as Spider-Man in Captain America: Civil War (2016). The film was a massive critical and commercial success, grossing over $1.1 billion worldwide, making it the highest-grossing film of 2016, with Holland receiving critical praise.

In July 2017, Spider-Man: Homecoming was released, in which Holland reprised his role fromCaptain America: Civil War. Earning $117 million in box office receipts in its first weekend,Homecoming received positive reviews and Holland considerable praise, with his appearance being called "a star performance given by a born actor." 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.

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. 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.

Personal life
Holland resides in Kingston upon Thames in London, near the house of his parents and younger brothers. He has a blue Staffordshire Bull Terrier named Tessa. When he was seven, Holland was diagnosed with dyslexia.

Along with his three younger brothers, Holland sponsors The Brothers Trust, a UK Registered Charity that raises money for various charitable causes.

Holland publicly credits his father, comedian and writer Dominic Holland, for keeping hisSpider-Man fame from "getting to his head".