William Nathan Boyd (born 28 August 1968), professionally known as Billy Boyd, is a Scottish actor and musician. He played Peregrin "Pippin" Took in

Peter Jackson Sir Peter Robert Jackson (born 31 October 1961) is a New Zealand film director, screenwriter and producer. He is best known as the director, writer and producer of the ''Lord of the Rings'' trilogy (2001–2003) and the ''Hobbit'' trilogy ( ...

epic film Epic films are a style of filmmaking with large-scale, sweeping scope, and spectacle. The usage of the term has shifted over time, sometimes designating a film genre and at other times simply synonymous with big-budget filmmaking. Like epics in ...

trilogy ''

The Lord of the Rings ''The Lord of the Rings'' is an epic high-fantasy novel by English author and scholar J. R. R. Tolkien. Set in Middle-earth, intended to be Earth at some time in the distant past, the story began as a sequel to Tolkien's 1937 children's bo ...

'' (2001–2003), Barret Bonden in '' Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World'' (2003) and Glen and Glenda (later G.G. Valentine) in the '' Child's Play'' film ''

Seed of Chucky ''Seed of Chucky'' is a 2004 black comedy slasher film, the fifth installment of the ''Child's Play'' series, and sequel to 1998's ''Bride of Chucky'' as well as the first film to be distributed by another company since the original '' Child's ...

'' (2004) and second season of the television series ''

Chucky Chucky may refer to: *Chucky (name) *Chucky (character), a fictional character in the ''Child's Play'' franchise **'' Chucky: Slash & Dash'', a 2013 video game ** ''Chucky'' (TV series), a 2021 TV series *Chucky madtom (''Noturus crypticus''), en ...

'' (2022).

Early life

Boyd was born in

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popu ...

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to ...

, to William and Mary Boyd, who both died a year apart when Boyd was in his early teens. He worked as a bookbinder for six years before pursuing an acting career. After graduating from the

Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland ( gd, Conservatoire Rìoghail na h-Alba), formerly the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama ( gd, Acadamaidh Rìoghail Ciùil is Dràma na h-Alba) is a conservatoire of dance, drama, music, production, and ...

, he went on to perform with St Andrews Repertory and the Traverse Theatre.

Career

Acting

Boyd started his career appearing in ''

Taggart ''Taggart'' is a Scottish detective fiction television programme created by Glenn Chandler, who wrote many of the episodes, and made by STV Studios for the ITV network. It originally ran as the miniseries "Killer" from 6 until 20 Septembe ...

'' (1996), ''The Soldier's Leap'' (1998), and ''

Urban Ghost Story ''Urban Ghost Story'' is a 1998 British horror film directed by Geneviève Jolliffe, written by Geneviève Jolliffe and Chris Jones, and starring Jason Connery, Nicola Stapleton, Billy Boyd, Stephanie Buttle, and Heather Ann Foster. It is se ...

'' (1998). He also appeared in the 7:84 Theatre Company Scotland production of ''Caledonia Dreaming'' by David Greig in 1997. His breakthrough, and most notable acting role, was Peregrin "Pippin" Took in ''The Lord of the Rings'' trilogy, from 2001 to 2003. Boyd wrote the melody for and sang the song "

The Edge of Night ''The Edge of Night'' is an American television mystery crime drama series and soap opera, created by Irving Vendig and produced by Procter & Gamble Productions. It debuted on CBS on April 2, 1956, and ran as a live broadcast on that netwo ...

", which was featured in '' The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King''. The song was later used over the trailer for '' The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies'' (2014), the final film in the ''Hobbit'' trilogy. Boyd also wrote and performed the song "The Last Goodbye", which is played during the ending credits of the film. In 2004, he starred as Glen and Glenda,

's (

Brad Dourif Bradford Claude Dourif (; born March 18, 1950) is an American actor. He was nominated for an Oscar, and won a Golden Globe and a BAFTA Award for his film debut role as Billy Bibbit in ''One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest'' (1975). He is also kno ...

) and Tiffany's (

Jennifer Tilly Jennifer Tilly (born Jennifer Ellen Chan; September 16, 1958) is an American–Canadian actress and poker player. Known for her distinctive voice and comedic timing, she has been nominated for an Academy Award, two MTV Movie Awards and three Sa ...

) offsprings in the '' Child's Play'' film ''

''. He has also made a cameo appearance in the popular Scottish comedy '' Still Game'' in the second episode of the first series. As well as being a screen actor, he also appears on the stage. Boyd has been in several plays; including ''San Diego'' and ''The Ballad of Crazy Paola''. He performed at the Dundee Repertory Theatre in the role of Davie in '' Sunshine on Leith'', as well as in ''Long Hong Jimmy'', in which he was the lead actor. He also starred (2007) as Richard MacDuff in the BBC Radio adaptation of the book: ''Dirk Gently′s Holistic Detective Agency'' written by

Douglas Adams Douglas Noel Adams (11 March 1952 – 11 May 2001) was an English author and screenwriter, best known for ''The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy''. Originally a 1978 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (radio series), BBC radio comedy, ''The H ...

. In 2011, his feature film ''Glenn, the Flying Robot'' was shown in the Dawn Breakers International Film Festival, and was followed by a

Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a ...

release. In June 2012, he appeared on stage as the voice of the guide in ''

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy ''The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy'' (sometimes referred to as ''HG2G'', ''HHGTTG'', ''H2G2'', or ''tHGttG'') is a comedy science fiction franchise created by Douglas Adams. Originally a 1978 radio comedy broadcast on BBC Radio 4, it ...

'' live radio show. In 2013, Boyd played

Banquo Lord Banquo , the Thane of Lochaber, is a semi-historical character in William Shakespeare's 1606 play '' Macbeth''. In the play, he is at first an ally of Macbeth (both are generals in the King's army) and they meet the Three Witches tog ...

Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

's ''

Macbeth ''Macbeth'' (, full title ''The Tragedie of Macbeth'') is a tragedy by William Shakespeare. It is thought to have been first performed in 1606. It dramatises the damaging physical and psychological effects of political ambition on those w ...

'', at the

Shakespeare's Globe Shakespeare's Globe is a reconstruction of the Globe Theatre, an Elizabethan playhouse for which William Shakespeare wrote his plays, in the London Borough of Southwark, on the south bank of the River Thames. The original theatre was built in ...

alongside

Joseph Millson Joseph Millson (born 27 April 1974) is an English actor and singer. He trained at the Rose Bruford College of Speech and Drama in Sidcup, London. Personal life Millson married singer and actress Caroline Fitzgerald in the summer of 1999. T ...

and

Samantha Spiro Samantha Spiro (born 20 June 1968) is an English actress and singer. She is best known for portraying Barbara Windsor in the stage play '' Cleo, Camping, Emmanuelle and Dick'' and the television films ''Cor, Blimey!'' and ''Babs'', DI Vivien F ...

. Boyd together with fellow ''Lord of the Rings'' castmates

Sean Astin Sean Patrick Astin (né Duke; February 25, 1971) is an American actor. His acting roles include Samwise Gamgee in ''The Lord of the Rings'' trilogy (2001–2003), Mikey Walsh in ''The Goonies'' (1985), Daniel Ruettiger in '' Rudy'' (1993), Dou ...

Sean Bean Sean Bean (born Shaun Mark Bean on 17 April 1959) is an English actor. After graduating from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, Bean made his professional debut in a theatre production of ''Romeo and Juliet'' in 1983. Retaining his Yorkshire ac ...

Orlando Bloom Orlando Jonathan Blanchard Copeland Bloom (born 13 January 1977) is an English actor. He made his breakthrough as the character Legolas in ''The Lord of the Rings'' film series '' The Fellowship of the Ring'' (2001), '' The Two Towers'' (2002), ...

Ian McKellen Sir Ian Murray McKellen (born 25 May 1939) is an English actor. His career spans seven decades, having performed in genres ranging from Shakespearean and modern theatre to popular fantasy and science fiction. Regarded as a British cultural i ...

Dominic Monaghan Dominic Bernard Patrick Luke Monaghan (born 8 December 1976) is a British actor. He is best known for playing Meriadoc "Merry" Brandybuck in Peter Jackson's film trilogy ''The Lord of the Rings'' (2001–2003), and Charlie Pace on J. J. Abram ...

Viggo Mortensen Viggo Peter Mortensen Jr. R (; born October 20, 1958) is an American actor, writer, director, producer, musician, and multimedia artist. Born and raised in the State of New York to a Danish father and American mother, he also lived in Argenti ...

, Miranda Otto,

John Rhys-Davies John Rhys-Davies (born 5 May 1944) is a Welsh actor best known for portraying Sallah in the ''Indiana Jones'' franchise and Gimli in ''The Lord of the Rings'' trilogy. His other roles include Michael Malone in the 1993 series ''The Untouch ...

Andy Serkis Andrew Clement Serkis (born 20 April 1964) is an English actor, director, and producer. He is best known for his performance capture roles comprising motion capture acting, animation, and voice work for computer-generated characters such as Go ...

, Liv Tyler, Karl Urban, and

Elijah Wood Elijah Jordan Wood (born January 28, 1981) is an American actor and producer. He is best known for his portrayal of Frodo Baggins in the ''Lord of the Rings'' film trilogy (2001–2003) and '' The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey'' (2012). Woo ...

, plus writer

Philippa Boyens Philippa Jane Boyens (born 1962) is a New Zealand screenwriter and film producer who co-wrote the screenplay for Peter Jackson's films ''The Lord of the Rings'' series, ''King Kong'', ''The Lovely Bones'', and the three-part film '' The H ...

and director

on 31 May 2020 joined

Josh Gad Joshua Ilan Gad (born February 23, 1981) is an American actor. He is known for voicing Olaf in the '' Frozen'' franchise, playing Elder Arnold Cunningham in the Broadway musical '' The Book of Mormon'', and playing Le Fou in the live-action ada ...

YouTube YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second mo ...

series
Reunited Apart
' which reunites the cast of popular movies through video-conferencing, and promotes donations to non-profit charities. In 2022, he reprised his ''Child's Play'' role in the second season finale of the television series ''

'', titled "Chucky Actually", as a merged incarnation of Glen and Glenda Tilly, known as G.G. Valentine.

Music

Boyd fronts a band called Beecake. The band was named after a time when Boyd's ''Lord of the Rings'' co-star

sent a picture of a cake covered in bees. Other members of the band included Paul Burke, Billy Johnston, and Rick Martin. Boyd made a guest appearance on

's 2003 album ''

Pandemoniumfromamerica ''Pandemoniumfromamerica'' or also called ''Pandemonium From America'' is the sixth studio album by the actor Viggo Mortensen and the fourth collaboration with avant-garde guitarist Buckethead, released in 2003. The album is dedicated to Noam Ch ...

'', where he played the bass on two songs, as well as drums on another. In June 2010, Beecake released an album ''Soul Swimming''. As well as topping some of the international MySpace charts, the band was awarded VisitScotland's award for Best Live Act at the Tartan Clef Music Awards. The award was created by VisitScotland to celebrate Scotland's live music scene and Glasgow's new title of UNESCO City of Music. Beecake released the EP ''Please Stay'' on 4 June 2012. The music video for the song "Please Stay" from the EP was released to coincide with the release of the EP. The song's music video was directed by Michael Ferns, a graduate from the RSAMD where Boyd himself graduated. The group released their second album ''Blue Sky Paradise'' in December 2012. The band released a second EP titled ''Just B'' in July 2013. In 2014, Boyd wrote and performed the song "The Last Goodbye", which was played over the ending credits of the movie '' The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies''.

Personal life

Boyd is an avid surfer and spent his free time surfing in New Zealand during the production for ''The Lord of the Rings''. He also holds a Grade 7 in foil fencing. He trained in martial arts at the Krauseworld Academy in Glasgow under brothers Steve Krause and Mike Krause where he achieved Phase 4 rank in both

Jeet Kune Do Jeet Kune Do is a primarily wing chun kung fu inspired eclectic martial arts philosophy heavily influenced and adapted by the Taoist personal life philosophy and experiences of martial artist Bruce Lee. Overview and philosophy Jeet Kune Do ...

and Filipino Kali. He topped a list of the 100 Most Eligible Men in Scotland in 2002. He owns a house in

with his wife, Alison McKinnon. The couple had their first child, a boy named Jack William Boyd, on 26 April 2006. He and McKinnon were married in a ceremony with 30 guests at Oran Mor in Glasgow's West End on 29 December 2010. The wedding was attended by castmates

and

. A reception was held afterwards for about 130 guests. Boyd has a

tattoo A tattoo is a form of body modification made by inserting tattoo ink, dyes, and/or pigments, either indelible or temporary, into the dermis layer of the skin to form a design. Tattoo artists create these designs using several tattooing ...

of the Elvish word for "nine" written with the

Tengwar The Tengwar script is an artificial script, one of several scripts created by J. R. R. Tolkien, the author of ''The Lord of the Rings''. Within the fictional context of Middle-earth, the Tengwar were invented by the Elf Fëanor, and use ...

script, a reference to his involvement in ''The Lord of the Rings'', and the fact that his character was one of the nine members of the '' Fellowship of the Ring''. The other actors of "The Fellowship" (

, and

) got the same tattoo with the exception of

whose stunt double got the tattoo instead. He remains close with ''The Lord of the Rings'' co-star

. Monaghan revealed in an interview for the national breakfast television show ''

GMTV GMTV (an acronym for Good Morning Television), now legally known as ITV Breakfast Broadcasting Limited, was the name of the national Channel 3 breakfast television contractor/licensee, broadcasting in the United Kingdom from 1 January 1993 ...

'' that he continues to see Boyd on a regular basis, as he is "essentially, kind of, godfather to his kid." Boyd and Monaghan co-host the podcast ‘The Friendship Onionʼ together. Boyd is one of the patrons of

Scottish Youth Theatre Scottish Youth Theatre is Scotland's national youth theatre company for ages 3–25. It was established in 1976 and has provided theatre training to young people. The company has a free-to-participate National Artistic Programme that covers ages 1 ...

, Scotland's National Theatre 'for and by' young people. He is also the patron of the National Boys' Choir of Scotland.

Holidays in Scotland

In 2008, Boyd fronted

VisitScotland VisitScotland, formerly the Scottish Tourist Board, is a national tourism organisation for Scotland. It is an executive non-departmental public body of the Scottish Government, with offices in Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen, Inverness, and othe ...

's Perfect Day Campaign, and talked of his love of surfing in Scotland, particularly in

Machrihanish Machrihanish ( gd, Machaire Shanais, ) is a village in Argyll, on the west coast of Scotland. It is a short distance north of the tip of the Mull of Kintyre, which faces out towards Northern Ireland and the Atlantic. Machrihanish bay The main ...

near the town of

Campbeltown Campbeltown (; gd, Ceann Loch Chille Chiarain or ) is a town and former royal burgh in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. It lies by Campbeltown Loch on the Kintyre peninsula. Campbeltown became an important centre for Scotch whisky, and a busy fishin ...

in Kintyre in the west coast of Scotland, and

Pease Bay Pease Bay is a bay in the Scottish Borders area of Scotland, close to the border with East Lothian as well as Cockburnspath, Cove and Dunglass. The area is notable as a holiday destination, for surfing in Scotland, and also for the large static ...

and

Coldingham Bay Coldingham Bay is an inlet in the North Sea coast, just over three kilometres north of the town of Eyemouth in the Scottish Borders area of Scotland. It is situated at grid reference and is easily reached by a minor road which leaves the B6438 r ...

on Scotland's east coast. In an interview about the campaign with ''

The Scotsman ''The Scotsman'' is a Scottish compact newspaper and daily news website headquartered in Edinburgh. First established as a radical political paper in 1817, it began daily publication in 1855 and remained a broadsheet until August 2004. Its pare ...

'' on 28 July 2008, he said: "I don't really do much promotional stuff but felt that with this one I could be honest... I'm very proud of where I come from and I get very excited if a friend comes over and I can show them around."

Filmography

Film

Television

Video games

Awards and nominations

Broadcast Film Critics Association Award The Critics' Choice Movie Awards (formerly known as the Broadcast Film Critics Association Award) is an awards show presented annually by the American-Canadian Critics Choice Association (CCA) to honor the finest in cinematic achievement. Writt ...

* 2004: Won, "Best Acting Ensemble" – ''The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King'' (shared with cast)

DVD Exclusive Awards The DVD Exclusive Awards was an awards program that honored direct to video productions released on DVD. From 2001 to 2006, honorees were selected and the awards were presented by periodical ''DVD Exclusive'', a sister publication of ''Variety Var ...

* 2003: Nominated, "Best Audio Commentary" – ''The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers'' (shared with cast)

Empire Awards The Empire Awards was an annual British awards ceremony honouring cinematic achievements in the local and global film industry. Winners were awarded the Empire Award statuette. The awards, first presented in 1996, were presented by the British f ...

* 2002: Nominated, "Best Debut" – ''The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring'' (shared with

)

National Board of Review of Motion Pictures The National Board of Review of Motion Pictures is a non-profit organization of New York City area film enthusiasts. Its awards, which are announced in early December, are considered an early harbinger of the film awards season that culminat ...

* 2003: Won, "Best Acting by an Ensemble" – ''The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King'' (shared with cast)

Online Film Critics Society The Online Film Critics Society (OFCS) is an international professional association of online film journalists, historians and scholars who publish their work on the World Wide Web. The organization was founded in January 1997 by Harvey S. Karte ...

* 2003: Won, "Best Ensemble" – ''The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers'' (shared with cast)

Screen Actors Guild Awards Screen Actors Guild Awards (also known as SAG Awards) are accolades given by the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA). The award was founded in 1952 to recognize outstanding performances in movie an ...

* 2002: Nominated, "Outstanding Performance by the Cast of a Theatrical Motion Picture" – ''The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring'' (shared with cast) * 2003: Nominated, "Outstanding Performance by the Cast of a Theatrical Motion Picture" – ''The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers'' (shared with cast) * 2004: Won, "Outstanding Performance by the Cast of a Theatrical Motion Picture" – ''The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King'' (shared with cast)

References

External links

Official website
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Boyd, Billy 1968 births Living people Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture Screen Actors Guild Award winners Male actors from Glasgow Alumni of the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland Scottish male film actors Scottish male stage actors Scottish stand-up comedians Scottish male television actors Musicians from Glasgow 20th-century Scottish male actors 21st-century Scottish male actors