Tom Cullen
| Tom Cullen | |
|---|---|
| Born |
17 July 1985 Aberystwyth, Dyfed, Wales |
| Occupation | Actor, writer |
| Years active | 2006–present |
| Partner(s) |
Tatiana Maslany (2011–present) |
Tom Cullen (born 17 July 1985) is a Welsh actor and writer.
Early life
Cullen was born in Aberystwyth, Dyfed. He spent his early years in Llandrindod Wells and moved to Cardiff at age 12, where he attended Llanishen High School.[1] He is the son of two writers and has two siblings.[2] Before pursuing an acting career he was involved in music.[3] He graduated from the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama in 2009 with First Class Honours degree in Acting after spending a year at the Central School of Speech and Drama.[4]
Career
Acting
Whilst still in training, Cullen was taken out of the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama to appear in Daddy's Girl, which won the BAFTA Cymru for Best Film,[5] and to star in Watch Me, which won the BAFTA Cymru for Best Short.[6] His stage roles include Gorgio at the Bristol Old Vic, Assembly and A Good Night Out in the Valleys at National Theatre Wales, and The Sanger at Sherman Cymru.[7] In 2011, he was named on the Screen International Stars of Tomorrow list.[8]
Cullen starred in the 2011 film Weekend as Russell, a Nottingham lifeguard. Weekend collected numerous awards including the Grand Jury award at the Nashville Film Festival and Best Achievement in Production at the British Independent Film Awards. Cullen won Most Promising Newcomer at the British Independent Film Awards and Best Actor at the Nashville Film Festival in 2011 for his role as Russell.[9] His television roles include Jonas in Black Mirror, drug trafficker Yoram in Banged Up Abroad,[10][11] and Richard in Pen Talar. He starred as Wulfric in the 2012 miniseries World Without End.[12] He had a recurring role as Mary Crawley's suitor Anthony Foyle (the Viscount Gillingham) in Downton Abbey.[13]
Recent films include Desert Dancer, the story of Iranian dancer Afshin Ghaffarian, who risked his life to become a dancer despite a nationwide dancing ban, and the science fiction The Last Days on Mars, based around the first manned mission to Mars. Upcoming films include Happily Ever After, No Compass in the Wilderness, and A Hundred Streets.[7][14]
Cullen played Joe Rose in the new three-part ITV drama The Trials of Jimmy Rose, airing in September 2015.[15] He will star in a Canadian indie from production company Motel Pictures, The Other Half, with his partner Tatiana Maslany. The movie filmed in July, 2015.[16] He will play the lead role of Mark in Harlan Coben's The Five, a ten-part Sky 1 mystery series.[17]
Cullen's editorial work includes L'Uomo Vogue, Vogue Italia, Vanity Fair, and 10 Magazine.
Writing
In 2008, Cullen wrote and produced the short film Naughties with Alexander Vlahos. In 2009, he and Vlahos co-founded the Welsh company Undeb Theatre.[18] He wrote and directed his full-length play, Kingfisher, about a man returning from prison, in 2010, as well as other short plays performed by Undeb.[19] His short film about a Welsh boy coping with his parents' divorce was commissioned for the BBC. He has also recently written a script about a young woman.[20]
Personal life
Since 2011, Cullen has been in a relationship with Canadian actress Tatiana Maslany, whom he met filming the Channel 4 miniseries World Without End.[4]
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Cravings | Jason | |
| 2008 | Watch Me | Tom | Short film Nominated for BAFTA Cymru Best Short Film |
| 2009 | 20 Questions | Adam | Short film |
| 2010 | Balance | Nico | Short film |
| 2011 | Weekend | Russell | British Independent Film Award for Best Newcomer |
| 2012 | Henry | Henry | Short film |
| 2013 | Room 8 | Ives | Short film BAFTA Award for Best British Short Film |
| 2013 | The Last Days on Mars | Richard Harrington | |
| 2014 | Desert Dancer | Ardavan | |
| 2015 | Black Mountain Poets | Richard | |
| 2016 | Happily Ever After | Colin | |
| 2016 | No Compass in the Wilderness | Nils | Short film |
| 2016 | A Hundred Streets | Jake | |
| 2016 | The Batsman and the Ballerina | Simon | Short film |
| 2016 | Mine | Tommy Madison | |
| 2016 | The Other Half | Nickie |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Banged Up Abroad | Yoram | Episode: "Tokyo" |
| 2010 | Pen Talar | Richard | 2 episodes |
| 2011 | Black Mirror | Jonas | Episode: "The Entire History of You" |
| 2012 | World Without End | Wulfric | 8 episodes |
| 2013–2014 | Downton Abbey | Anthony Foyle, Viscount Gillingham | 12 episodes |
| 2015 | The Trials of Jimmy Rose | Joe Rose | 3 episodes |
| 2016 | The Five | Mark Wells | 10 episodes |
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Category | Work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | IMS Awards | Best Actor | 20 Questions | Won |
| 2011 | London Film Critics Circle Awards | British Actor of the Year | Weekend | Nominated |
| 2011 | BFI London Film Festival | Best Newcomer | Weekend | Nominated |
| 2011 | Nashville Film Festival | Best Actor | Weekend | Won |
| 2011 | British Independent Film Award | Best Newcomer | Weekend | Won |
| 2016 | Screen Actors Guild Award | Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series | Downton Abbey | Won |
References
- ↑ "Emerging Welsh actor Tom Cullen on his big screen success". Wales Online. Retrieved 16 September 2014.
- ↑ Grice, Natalie. "Indie film Weekend break for Cardiff actor Tom Cullen". BBC Wales News. Retrieved 16 September 2014.
- ↑ Aftab, Kaleem. "Tom Cullen". Interview Magazine. Retrieved 16 September 2014.
- 1 2 Rorke, Robert. "Lady Mary's dashing new suitor to debut on 'Downton Abbey'". NY Post. Retrieved 16 September 2014.
- ↑ "BAFTA Award for Daddy's Girl". Dragon Di. Retrieved 2008-04-25.
- ↑ "BAFTA Nomination: Ieuan Morris 'Watch Me'". Glamorgan. Retrieved 2008-04-08.
- 1 2 "Spotlight%20-%20Tom%20Cullen". Retrieved 16 September 2014.
- ↑ "Screen International Stars of Tomorrow 2011". Screen Daily 30.06.2011. Retrieved 2011-09-17.
- ↑ "Weekend Awards". Weekend. Retrieved 16 September 2014.
- ↑ "Spotlight%20-%20Tom%20Cullen". Retrieved 15 January 2016.
- ↑ "Tokyo - Locked Up Abroad". National Geographic. Retrieved 15 January 2016.
- ↑ "FUTURES: Star Tom Cullen Turns a One Night Stand Into Art". IndieWire. Retrieved 2011-07-07.
- ↑ "Downton Abbey: the dashing aristocrats lining up to lift Lady Mary out of despair". TheTelegraph. Retrieved 2013-03-01.
- ↑ "Graduate Profile: Tom Cullen". Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama. Retrieved 2014-04-18.
- ↑ "Filming begins on The Trials of Jimmy Rose from ITV Studios". ITV Press Centre. Retrieved 7 November 2014.
- ↑ Vlessing, Etan (21 April 2015). "Tatiana Maslany, Tom Cullen to Star in Indie 'The Other Half'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 23 April 2015.
- ↑ Roxborough, Scott (30 September 2015). "MIPCOM: Canal Plus Takes Harlan Coben's 'The Five' for France". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 15 January 2016.
- ↑ "Actors Unite for Theatre". WalesOnline. Retrieved 2009-09-28.
- ↑ Wild, Susie. "Undeb celebrate first birthday with Undeb-velopment – review". The Guardian. Retrieved 16 September 2014.
- ↑ wise, Louis (21 September 2014). "A cushy new career". Sunday Times. Retrieved 23 September 2014.