Tom Riley (born 5 April 1981) is an English actor, producer, and director.

Early life

Riley was born in

Maidstone Maidstone is the largest Town status in the United Kingdom, town in Kent, England, of which it is the county town. Maidstone is historically important and lies east-south-east of London. The River Medway runs through the centre of the town, l ...

Kent Kent is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Essex across the Thames Estuary to the north, the Strait of Dover to the south-east, East Sussex to the south-west, Surrey to the west, and Gr ...

, England. He became involved in drama in his hometown at the age of four, and spent his school years writing and directing plays. He attended Maidstone Grammar School. He studied English literature and Drama at the

University of Birmingham The University of Birmingham (informally Birmingham University) is a Public university, public research university in Birmingham, England. It received its royal charter in 1900 as a successor to Queen's College, Birmingham (founded in 1825 as ...

, graduating in 2002 with first class honours, and graduated from the

London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art The London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA) is a drama school located in Hammersmith, London. Founded in 1861, it is the oldest specialist drama school in the British Isles and a founding member of the Federation of Drama Schools. In ...

(LAMDA) in 2005. After his undergraduate studies, he formed the theater company Article 19, and while attending the LAMDA began working with the

Royal Court Theatre The Royal Court Theatre, at different times known as the Court Theatre, the New Chelsea Theatre, and the Belgravia Theatre, is a West End theatre#London's non-commercial theatres, non-commercial theatre in Sloane Square, London, England, opene ...

company, appearing in the play ''The Woman Before''.

Career

In 2008 Riley performed alongside

Indira Varma Indira Anne Varma (born 27 September 1973) is a British actress and narrator. Her film debut and first major role was in '' Kama Sutra: A Tale of Love''. She is known for her television roles, such as playing Niobe in the BBC and HBO series ''R ...

and

Anton Lesser Anton Lesser (born 14 February 1952) is a British actor. He is known for his roles as Qyburn in the HBO series ''Game of Thrones'', Harold Macmillan in ''The Crown'', Clement Attlee in '' A United Kingdom'', Chief Superintendent Bright in '' E ...

in the UK premiere of David Hare's ''

The Vertical Hour ''The Vertical Hour'' is a play by David Hare. The play addresses the relationship of characters with opposing views on the 2003 invasion of Iraq, and also explores psychological tension between public lives and private lives. Productions The ...

'', directed by Jeremy Herrin at The Royal Court Theatre, London. Riley made his

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street ** Broadway Theatre (53rd Stre ...

debut in 2011, in a revival of

Tom Stoppard Sir Tom Stoppard (; born , 3 July 1937) is a Czech-born British playwright and screenwriter. He has written for film, radio, stage, and television, finding prominence with plays. His work covers the themes of human rights, censorship, and politi ...

's '' Arcadia''.

Personal life

In May 2016, Riley became engaged to American actress

Lizzy Caplan Elizabeth Anne Caplan (born June 30, 1982) is an American actress. Her performances as Virginia E. Johnson in the Showtime series '' Masters of Sex'' (2013–2016) and as Libby Epstein in FX on Hulu's '' Fleishman Is in Trouble'' (2022) have e ...

. They had met in January 2015 while Caplan was filming in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, and made their red carpet debut as a couple at the Prague Opera Ball in February 2016. They were married in September 2017, and their son was born in 2021.

Filmography

Film

Television

Stage

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Riley, Tom 1981 births 21st-century English male actors Alumni of the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art Alumni of the University of Birmingham British male radio actors British male film actors English male radio actors English male stage actors English male television actors English male voice actors Living people Male actors from Maidstone