James Jacob Lomas (born 1 March 1990) is a British actor best known for his role as Billy Elliot in ''

Billy Elliot the Musical ''Billy Elliot: The Musical'' is a coming-of-age stage musical based on the 2000 film of the same name. The music is by Elton John, and the book and lyrics are by Lee Hall, who wrote the film's screenplay. The plot revolves around Billy, a ...

'', which earned a Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical, making him one of the youngest winners of the awards. Lomas was one of the three original

Billy Elliot ''Billy Elliot'' is a 2000 British coming-of-age comedy-drama film directed by Stephen Daldry and written by Lee Hall. Set in County Durham in North East England during the 1984–1985 miners' strike, the film is about a working-class boy w ...

s of the original

West End theatre West End theatre is mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres in and near the West End of London.Christopher Innes, "West End" in ''The Cambridge Guide to Theatre'' (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1998), pp. 1194–1 ...

production of ''

''. He continued performing until 7 January 2006. Together with his two original colleagues Liam Mower and George Maguire, alternating in the role of "Billy", he performed again in a first anniversary Gala show on 12 May 2006.

Early life and education

Lomas started dancing with the Sharon Berry School of Theatre Dance in

Sheffield Sheffield is a city in South Yorkshire, England, whose name derives from the River Sheaf which runs through it. The city serves as the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire a ...

at around the age of 12, after his Drama teacher taught him and suggested he pursue dancing in order to be able to perform on a West End stage. He attended

Ecclesfield School Ecclesfield School is a coeducational secondary school with academy status situated on Chapeltown Road (A6135) between Chapeltown and Ecclesfield, South Yorkshire in the East Ecclesfield district of Sheffield, England. It is for ages 11&nd ...

, in Chapeltown.

Acting career

Lomas was featured in '' Strictly Dance Fever'' performing part of the final scene of ''Billy Elliot the Musical'', and in several TV interviews and short clips related to the musical. In July 2006 he played the title role of young blind Nicholas Saunderson in the new musical ''No Horizon'' in

Penistone Penistone ( ) is a market town and civil parish in the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley, South Yorkshire, England, which had a population of 22,909 at the 2011 census. Historically in the West Riding of Yorkshire, it is west of Barnsley, n ...

, northern England and was well received for his performances. He won the

Variety Club Variety, the Children's Charity is a charitable organization founded in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 1927. History On October 10, 1927, a group of eleven men involved in show business set up a social club which they named the "Variety Club". On ...

's 2005 Outstanding New Talent award, and, jointly with Liam Mower and George Maguire, the Theatre Goers' Choice Award 2005 for The Most Outstanding Newcomer, as well as - uniquely in British theatre history - jointly with his two cast mates, the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Musical (2006). ''

'' has won several awards: The

Evening Standard Theatre Award The ''Evening Standard'' Theatre Awards, established in 1955, are the oldest theatrical awards ceremony in the United Kingdom. They are presented annually for outstanding achievements in London Theatre, and are organised by the ''Evening Standa ...

(2005), the

Critics' Circle Theatre Award The Critics' Circle Theatre Awards, originally called ''Drama'' Theatre Awards up to 1990, are British theatrical awards presented annually for the closing year's theatrical achievements. The winners, from theatre throughout the United Kingdom, ar ...

(2005), the Theatre Goers' Choice Award (2005), and the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Musical (2006), all for best British Musical. Lomas gained a place at the Millennium dance and drama school in London, where he began his studies from September 2006 onwards. He also starred in the short film ''King Ponce'', which debuted at the

2007 Cannes Film Festival The 60th Cannes Film Festival ran from 16 to 27 May 2007. The President of the Jury was British director Stephen Frears. Twenty two films from twelve countries were selected to compete for the Palme d'Or. The awards were announced on 26 May. '' 4 ...

, and featured in an episode of ''Super Sweet 16 UK'' as a dance partner for the party. After leaving drama school Lomas appeared in ''Dirty Dancing'', as a swing and understudy for Jordan, toured with '' Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat'' understudying Joseph and played ''

Espresso Espresso (, ) is a coffee-brewing method of Italian origin, in which a small amount of nearly boiling water (about ) is forced under of pressure through finely-ground coffee beans. Espresso can be made with a wide variety of coffee beans a ...

'' in ''

Starlight Express ''Starlight Express'' is a 1984 British musical, with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Richard Stilgoe. It tells the story of a young but obsolete steam engine, Rusty, who races in a championship against modern engines in the hope o ...

'' in Bochum, Germany.

Current work

Lomas is one of the "100" on the

BBC One BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's flagship network and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television bulletins, ...

Saturday night television show ''All Together Now''. He is currently touring in the uk with The Ballroom Boys

References

External links

Life after Billy
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Lomas, James 1990 births English male stage actors English male ballet dancers Living people Laurence Olivier Award winners Male actors from Sheffield

Early life and education

Acting career

Current work

See also

References

External links