Tom Holland

Tom Holland (born June 1, 1996, Kingston upon Thames, London, England) is an English actor who began performing on the stage as a child before becoming a popular movie star in the early 21st century for his portrayal of Spider-Man in multiple Hollywood blockbuster films.

Childhood and early career

Holland is the eldest of four children born to Nicola and Dominic Holland. His mother is a photographer, and his father is a stand-up comedian and an author. As a young boy Holland took hip-hop classes at a dance school in London. In 2006 a choreographer noticed his talent and had him audition for a role in the theater production Billy Elliot the Musical. The musical, a stage adaptation of the film Billy Elliot (2000), is about the 11-year-old son of a coal miner who, despite objections from his father and brother, dreams of becoming a ballet dancer. Holland spent the next two years taking ballet lessons before earning a supporting role in London’s West End production of the musical in 2008. Later that year he took over the lead role, which he played until 2010.

In 2012 Holland made his film debut in The Impossible, a drama that follows a family vacationing in Thailand when the Indian Ocean tsunami of 2004 devastates the country. Holland won critical praise for his role as the eldest son trying to help his injured mother (played by Naomi Watts) and locate his father (Ewan McGregor) and other family members. Also in 2012 he began attending the BRIT School, a leading performance and creative arts school in Croydon. Other notable alumni of the school include Adele and Amy Winehouse.

Holland next had a supporting role opposite Saoirse Ronan in the action drama How I Live Now (2013). In 2015 he appeared as the son of Thomas Cromwell in the British miniseries Wolf Hall, based on the novels by Hilary Mantel about the rise of Cromwell in the court of King Henry VIII. That same year Holland starred with Chris Hemsworth and Cillian Murphy in Ron Howard’s action adventure film In the Heart of the Sea, which is about the sinking of the whaling ship Essex, an incident that inspired Herman Melville’s novel Moby Dick (1851).

Spider-Man stardom and other roles

Holland’s big career break came in 2015 when he was announced by Sony Pictures and Marvel Studios as the next Peter Parker (aka Spider-Man) in the Marvel Cinematic Universe franchise. His debut appearance as Spider-Man was in a supporting role in Captain America: Civil War (2016). The following year he had his first starring turn as the character, in Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), in which Peter Parker transforms from an awkward New York City high-school student into the superhero. Holland was younger than previous actors who played the part, Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield, who had been in their late 20s when they were cast, and reviewers praised his boyish interpretation of the character.

The Guardian wrote, “Holland is sensational: funny, awkward and believably vulnerable, adding a necessary tension to his early attempts at superheroics.” He has reprised the role in Avengers: Infinity War (2018), Avengers: Endgame (2019), Spider-Man: Far from Home (2019), and Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021). The next film in the series, Spider-Man: Brand New Day, is scheduled to be released in July 2026.

Holland appeared in other movies during his time portraying Spider-Man. They include the adventure biopic The Lost City of Z (2016), the crime thriller The Devil All the Time (2020), and the action fantasy Chaos Walking and the psychological drama Cherry (both 2021). In 2022 he starred opposite Mark Wahlberg in the action adventure Uncharted; Holland also coproduced the movie. In addition, he lent his voice to several animated features, including Spies in Disguise (2019) and Onward (2020).

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In 2023 Holland appeared with Amanda Seyfried in the 2023 Apple TV miniseries The Crowded Room, about a man with dissociative identity disorder.

Personal life

Holland is engaged to actress and singer Zendaya, who played Peter Parker’s love interest in the Spider-Man movies.