Tom Francis (actor)
Tom Francis | |
|---|---|
| Born | Thomas Francis Barber 29 June 1999 Colchester, England |
| Other names | Tom Barber |
| Alma mater | ArtsEd (BA) |
| Occupation(s) | Actor and singer |
| Years active | 2020–present |
Thomas Francis Barber (born 29 June 1999) is an English actor. For his performance as Joe Gillis in Sunset Boulevard at the Savoy Theatre, he won the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Musical.[1]
Early life
[edit]Francis was born in Colchester and grew up in Thorpe Morieux, Suffolk.[2] He joined the Youth Theatre at the Theatre Royal, Bury St Edmunds and studied at the Arts Educational School (ArtsEd) in West London from 2017 to 2020, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in Musical Theatre.[3]
Career
[edit]Francis made his professional stage debut as Roger Davis in Rent at the Hope Mill Theatre in Manchester under the direction of Luke Sheppard.[4][5] Francis would reunite with Sheppard for his following show & Juliet at London's Shaftesbury Theatre, taking over the role of Romeo in March 2022 and marking his West End debut.[6]
For his performances as Joe Gillis in Sunset Boulevard at the Savoy Theatre, he won the 2024 Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Musical. Francis also performed at the awards show.[7] He made his Broadway debut that fall when Sunset Boulevard transferred to the St. James Theatre.[8][9] In the both the Broadway and West End version, there is a six-minute sequence at the start of the second act in which Francis as Joe would exit the theatre to sing "Sunset Boulevard" while walking through Shubert Alley (in the West End, outside the Savoy Theatre), before returning to the theatre for the end of the song.[10] In November, he took a pause from the role due to a vocal cord injury.[11]
Francis is set to make his television debut as Clayton in the fifth and final season of the Netflix series You.[12][13]
Stage
[edit]| Year | Title | Role | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Rent | Roger Davis | Hope Mill Theatre, Manchester |
| 2022–2023 | & Juliet | Romeo | Shaftesbury Theatre, London |
| 2023–2024 | Sunset Boulevard | Joe Gillis | Savoy Theatre, London / St. James Theater, New York |
References
[edit]- ^ Marshall, Alex (14 April 2024). "'Sunset Boulevard,' Heading to Broadway, Wins Big at Olivier Awards". New York Times.
- ^ Reid, Cameron (19 April 2024). "Tom Francis, who grew up near Bury St Edmunds, wins best actor in a musical Olivier Award for West End Sunset Boulevard performances with Nicole Scherzinger". Suffolk News. Retrieved 19 May 2024.
- ^ "Tom Francis". Jag London. 14 April 2024.
- ^ "Tom Francis". TresA Magazine. 3 February 2021. Retrieved 29 December 2024.
- ^ "Rent – Hope Mill Theatre, Manchester". Musical Theatre Review. 9 August 2021. Retrieved 29 December 2024.
- ^ Hall, Margaret (21 February 2022). "Tom Francis to Join Cast of London's & Juliet". Playbill. Retrieved 20 May 2024.
- ^ Wild, Stephi (15 April 2024). "Video: Tom Francis Performs Sunset Boulevard at the 2024 Olivier Awards". BroadwayWorld. Retrieved 8 June 2024.
- ^ Evans, Greg (21 June 2024). "Broadway-Bound 'Sunset Boulevard' Actor Tom Francis Signs With Linden Entertainment". Deadline. Retrieved 8 July 2024.
- ^ Wong, Curtis M (27 November 2024). "Tom Francis Is Having a Bloody Good Time in Sunset Boulevard on Broadway". HuffPost. Retrieved 29 December 2024.
- ^ Bahr, Sarah (22 November 2024). "6 Minutes. 62 People. 1 Epic Sunset Boulevard Sequence". The New York Times. Retrieved 19 December 2024.
- ^ Cristi, A.A. (12 November 2024). "Sunset Boulevard Star Tom Francis Sidelined Due To Vocal Injury". BroadwayWorld. Retrieved 29 December 2024.
- ^ "Natasha Behnam, Pete Ploszek, Tom Francis Join Final Season of You". Outlook. 12 May 2024. Retrieved 19 May 2024.
- ^ Santanu (12 May 2024). ""I might actually watch the show now": You Season 5 Adds Tom Francis to the Cast as Fans Expect Penn Badgley's Joe to Have a Different Awakening". Fandom Wire. Retrieved 19 May 2024.
External links
[edit]- Tom Francis at JAG London