Tom Holland doesn’t put on airs. Despite becoming one of the world’s most recognizable faces at a young age, he still embodies that every-guy feeling like he can’t quite believe he’s making it as an actor. Sure, most people know him as Spider-Man. But Holland was already kind, disciplined, talented, funny and extremely empathetic long before slipping into Marvel’s iconic suit of red and blue.
Tom Holland was born Thomas Stanley Holland on June 1, 1996, in Kingston upon Thames in southwest London. His mother Nikki Frost worked as a photographer and his father Dominic Holland is a comedian, broadcaster and author. He grew up with three brothers and says that having such a big family has kept him humble.
Discovering he was dyslexic at age seven, Holland quickly realized that he was better at physical activities than schoolwork. His parents enrolled him in a dance school called Nifty Feet Dance School in Wimbledon and soon choreographers were commenting on his athleticism. Holland auditioned for Billy Elliot the Musical shortly thereafter.
After landing the role of Billy Elliot, Holland worked hard for almost two years at a ballet school learning ballet, tap, gymnastics and acrobatics before he finally hit the West End stage as Billy Elliot. He calls the experience “grueling” but says he excelled. Night after night he learned how to trust his instincts, gain confidence and connect with an audience.
Talents that would prove useful in years to come. When people watch Spider-Man swing through New York, they’ re also watching a trained dancer who happens to be an actor.
Holland received his breakthrough role in Spanish filmmaker J. A. Bayona’s suspenseful 2012 thriller The Impossible. Based on real-life events that took place during the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, Holland starred with Naomi Watts and Ewan McGregor as Lucas, one of three kids who watch their family get separated by the catastrophe. Stranded in tsunami devastated Thailand, Lucas is forced to find bravery within himself to care for his injured mother. Praised for handling such an emotional role with sincerity, the London teen was suddenly being labeled a UK star on the rise.
Holland made his West End debut in Billy Elliot the Musical, showcasing the dance and acrobatic skills that would later help define his career.
Holland earned his breakthrough role as Lucas in the 2012 disaster drama The Impossible, starring opposite Naomi Watts and Ewan McGregor. Pictured above are Watts, Holland, and Samuel Joslin.
Holland appeared as Isaac in the 2013 dystopian drama How I Live Now, starring Saoirse Ronan as an American teenager struggling to survive after war erupts during a visit to the English countryside.
Appearing in Locke and How I Live Now shortly after, Holland’s career skyrocketed when Marvel Studios and Sony Pictures began their search for a new actor to play Peter Parker. Holland had competition, but he knew he was different. Not only did he look young enough to believably play a high school student, but he was also fit enough to perform a majority of Spider-Man’s action sequences on his own. But most of all, Holland understood Peter Parker’s character. He could portray his clumsy nature but still maintain the hopefulness and innocence the character is known for.
When Holland made his debut as Spider-Man in Captain America: Civil War in 2016, skeptics were won over. Instead of portraying just another slick superhero, Holland focused on being truthful to who Peter Parker is: An immensely strong teenager who just so happens to be surrounded by superhumans. His interaction with Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) sparked one of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’ s best friendships as audiences rooted for a young kid just wanting his hero to approve of him.
Spider-Man: Homecoming showed fans that Holland was more than capable of carrying a movie on his own. Steering clear of yet another Spider-Man origin story, writer-director Jon Watts crafted a film about a teenage Peter Parker trying to balance school exams, friendship drama and superhero responsibilities. Facing off against Michael Keaton’s menacing Vulture, Holland stole the movie with a scene where Peter’s date’s father turns out to be the villain of the film. Without any show stopping stunts or visual effects, the car ride scene was taught Marvel craftsmanship at its finest. Holland even won the BAFTA Rising Star Award for his performance.
Marvel continued Peter Parker’ s progression through Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers: Endgame and Spider-Man: Far From Home, but it wasn’t until Spider-Man: No Way Home that audiences saw Tom’ s full range of emotion. Bringing past Spider-Men Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield together was a dream come true for fans, but at heart, No Way Home was about Peter losing everyone he cares about. The death of his aunt May, Peter blaming himself, and finally sacrificing his memory from the people he knew to save them was Spider-Man coming to grips with growing up.
Not wanting to be typecast into one specific character, Holland took on some roles that pushed him. Playing a criminal in The Devil All the Time and an Iraq war vet dealing with PTSD and drug addiction in Cherry. Though Cherry received mixed reviews, it was evident that Holland was choosing roles that challenged him.
In 2022, Holland once again showed he could draw in moviegoers outside of the Marvel Universe when he starred in Uncharted alongside Mark Wahlberg. Despite some skepticism from video game fans, Uncharted became a box office success around the world.
Holland met Zendaya while filming Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), and their friendship eventually blossomed into a romantic relationship.
For what may be his most challenging role yet, Holland starred in and produced Apple TV+’s The Crowded Room in 2023. Holland later revealed that the role took a lot out of him and he had to take a break from acting to recover.
That break helped Holland clean house in his personal life too. The actor revealed he gave up drinking alcohol since it had become something he did daily. He tried going sober for a month but liked it so much he decided never to drink again. Holland says he feels happier, healthier and more focused since removing alcohol from his life.
After a two-year break, Holland returned to theatre in 2024 by starring in a new stage production of Romeo & Juliet in London. The performance was a reminder that before he was dreaming of acting in blockbuster films, he was already lighting up the stage.
Tom Holland and Zendaya’s relationship has been almost as famous as his film career. The two met on the set of Spider-Man: Homecoming and after years of denying their relationship, the couple confirmed it in 2021. Unlike many couples in the spotlight, Tom and Zendaya have kept their private lives private and instead used their platform to encourage each other’ s work. Audiences fell in love with them just as much as they fell in love with each other.
Holland has also become well known for accidentally spoiling movie plots. Like a playful superhero villain, Holland loves to ruin films and Marvel movies for his fans.
In his free time, Holland spends it with family. Aside from his parents and brothers, he helps run his brother's charity, The Brothers Trust. The charity helps raise money and awareness to other smaller nonprofits. Spider-Man may have made Tom Holland a household name, but his story started long before he was wearing the suit. From learning discipline through dance, gaining confidence on stage, and pushing himself to be a better actor with each role, Tom Holland is proof that any dream is possible with hard work.
Check in tomorrow for the remarkable story of Rose Williams, the mysterious “Little Old Lady in Red” whose final resting place can be found at Hollywood Forever Cemetery.
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