Thomas Cullen (born 17 July 1985) is a Welsh actor and director. He had roles in the

independent film An independent film, independent movie, indie film, or indie movie is a feature film or short film that is produced outside the major film studio system, in addition to being produced and distributed by independent entertainment companies (or, i ...

'' Weekend'' (2011), as Anthony Foyle, Viscount Gillingham in the television series ''

Downton Abbey ''Downton Abbey'' is a British historical drama television series set in the early 20th century, created and co-written by Julian Fellowes. The series first aired in the United Kingdom on ITV on 26 September 2010 and in the United States on P ...

'', and as Sir Landry in the

historical History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbrella term comprising past events as well ...

drama series ''

Knightfall "Knightfall" is a 1993–1994 Batman story arc published by DC Comics. It consists of a trilogy of storylines that ran from 1993 to 1994, consisting of "Knightfall", "Knightquest", and "KnightsEnd".On the comic book covers, only the third part ...

''.. He also appeared in another historical drama playing the role of Thomas Seymour in

Becoming Elizabeth ''Becoming Elizabeth'' is a historical drama series, created by Anya Reiss, that follows the younger years of Queen Elizabeth I. It premiered on Starz on June 12, 2022. Plot The series follows the younger years of Queen Elizabeth I, an orphaned ...

Early life

Cullen was born in

Aberystwyth Aberystwyth () is a university and seaside town as well as a community in Ceredigion, Wales. Located in the historic county of Cardiganshire, means "the mouth of the Ystwyth". Aberystwyth University has been a major educational location in ...

. He is the son of two writers. His father is Irish and his mother is English. He spent his early years in

Llandrindod Wells Llandrindod Wells (, ; cy, Llandrindod, /ɬanˈdɾindɔd/ "Trinity Parish"), sometimes known colloquially as Llandod, is a town and community in Powys, within the historic boundaries of Radnorshire, Wales. It serves as the seat of Powys ...

and moved to

Cardiff Cardiff (; cy, Caerdydd ) is the capital and largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Cardiff ( cy, Dinas a Sir Caerdydd, links=no), and the city is the eleventh-largest in the United Kingd ...

at age 12, where he attended

Llanishen High School Llanishen High School ( cy, Ysgol Uwchradd Llanisien) is an English-medium secondary school based in Llanishen, Cardiff, Wales. It has approximately 1700 students, making it the largest single-site secondary school in Cardiff. It also has a sixth f ...

. He has two siblings. Before pursuing an acting career he was involved in music. He graduated from the

Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama , image_name = Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama.jpg , image_size = , motto = , established = 1949 , type = Public , staff = , vice_chancellor = , students = 779 (2017/18) , undergrad ...

in 2009 with First Class Honours degree in Acting after spending a year at the

Central School of Speech and Drama The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama was founded by Elsie Fogerty in 1906, as The Central School of Speech Training and Dramatic Art, to offer a new form of training in speech and drama for young actors and other students. It became a ...

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 BAFTA Cymru (or BAFTA in Wales or WAFTA) is the Welsh branch of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) and was founded in 1987.

for Best Film, and to star in ''Watch Me'', which won the

BAFTA Cymru BAFTA Cymru (or BAFTA in Wales or WAFTA) is the Welsh branch of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) and was founded in 1987.

for Best Short. His stage roles include ''Gorgio'' at the

Bristol Old Vic Bristol Old Vic is a British theatre company based at the Theatre Royal, Bristol. The present company was established in 1946 as an offshoot of the Old Vic in London. It is associated with the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, which became a fin ...

, ''Assembly'' and ''A Good Night Out in the Valleys'' at

National Theatre Wales National Theatre Wales (NTW) is a theatre company known for its large-scale site-specific productions and its grassroots work with diverse Welsh communities. It is the English-language national theatre of Wales, and refers to Theatr Genedlaeth ...

, and ''The Sanger'' at

Sherman Cymru The Sherman Theatre ( cy, Theatr y Sherman) is a venue in the Cathays district of Cardiff. It was built as a twin-auditorium venue in 1973 with financial support from Cardiff University. Sherman Cymru was the name of the Sherman Theatre between 2 ...

. In 2011, he was named on the

Screen International ''Screen International'' is a British film magazine covering the international film business. It is published by Media Business Insight, a British B2B media company. The magazine is primarily aimed at those involved in the global film business. ...

''Stars of Tomorrow'' list. Cullen starred in the 2011 film '' Weekend'' as Russell, a

Nottingham Nottingham ( , East Midlands English, locally ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, England. It is located north-west of London, south-east ...

lifeguard. ''Weekend'' collected numerous awards including the Grand Jury award at the

Nashville Film Festival The Nashville Film Festival (NashFilm), held annually in Nashville, Tennessee, is the oldest running film festival in the South and one of the oldest in the United States. In 2016, Nashville Film Festival received more than 6,700 submissions from ...

and Best Achievement in Production at the

British Independent Film Awards The British Independent Film Awards (BIFA) is an organisation that celebrates, supports and promotes British independent cinema and filmmaking talent in United Kingdom. Nominations for the annual awards ceremony are announced in early November, ...

. Cullen won Most Promising Newcomer at the

and Best Actor at the

in 2011 for his role as Russell. His television roles include Jonas in ''

Black Mirror ''Black Mirror'' is a British anthology television series created by Charlie Brooker. Individual episodes explore a diversity of genres, but most are set in near-future dystopias with science fiction technology—a type of speculative fictio ...

'', drug trafficker Yoram in ''

Banged Up Abroad ''Banged Up Abroad'' (rebadged as ''Locked Up Abroad'' in Asia and the United States, and ''Jailed Abroad'' in India, for the National Geographic Channel) is a British documentary/ docudrama television series created by Bart Layton that was p ...

'' and Richard in ''

Pen Talar ''Pen Talar'' is a drama series on S4C. The series tells the story of two families from west Wales over a period of half a century, starting in the 1950s and continuing until the present day. The main character, played by Richard Harrington, ap ...

''. He starred as Wulfric in the 2012 miniseries '' World Without End''. He had a recurring role as Mary Crawley's suitor Anthony Foyle (the Viscount Gillingham) in ''

''. Recent films include ''

Desert Dancer ''Desert Dancer'' is a 2014 British biographical drama film directed by Richard Raymond and written by Jon Croker. Starring Reece Ritchie and Freida Pinto, the film is based on the true story of Afshin Ghaffarian, a young, self-taught dancer in I ...

'', the story of Iranian dancer

Afshin Ghaffarian Afshin Ghaffarian ( fa, افشین غفاریان, ; born 1986 in Mashhad) is an Iranian choreographer, director, dancer, and actor, participating primarily with the group "Reformances". ''Desert Dancer'' is a 2014 movie inspired by his life. Gha ...

, who risked his life to become a dancer despite a nationwide dancing ban, and the science fiction ''

The Last Days on Mars ''The Last Days on Mars'' is a 2013 science fiction horror film directed by Ruairí Robinson with a screenplay by Clive Dawson, based on the short story "The Animators" by Sydney J. Bounds. It was screened in the Directors' Fortnight section at ...

'', based around the first crewed mission to Mars. Upcoming films include ''Happily Ever After'', ''No Compass in the Wilderness'', ''A Hundred Streets'' opposite

Idris Elba Idrissa Akuna Elba (; born 6 September 1972) is an English actor.

and

Gemma Arterton Gemma Christina Arterton (born 2 February 1986) is an English actress and producer. After her stage debut in Shakespeare's ''Love's Labour's Lost'' at the Globe Theatre (2007), Arterton made her feature film debut in the comedy '' St Trinian's'' ...

, and ''Mine'' opposite

Armie Hammer Armand Douglas Hammer (born August 28, 1986) is an American actor. Hammer began his acting career with guest appearances in several television series. His first leading role was as Billy Graham in the 2008 film '' Billy: The Early Years'', and ...

. Cullen played Joe Rose in the new three-part ITV drama ''

The Trials of Jimmy Rose ''The Trials of Jimmy Rose'' is a British crime drama television miniseries, starring Ray Winstone as protagonist Jimmy Rose, an ex-convict and businessman who tries to go straight after being released from prison on licence. The series also ...

'', airing in September 2015. He starred in a Canadian indie from production company Motel Pictures, '' The Other Half'' . He plays the lead role of Mark in

Harlan Coben Harlan Coben is an American writer of mystery novels and thrillers. The plots of his novels often involve the resurfacing of unresolved or misinterpreted events in the past, murders, or fatal accidents and have multiple twists. Among his novels a ...

's '' The Five'', a ten-part

Sky 1 Sky One was a British pay television channel operated and owned by Sky Group (a division of Comcast). Originally launched on 26 April 1982 as Satellite Television, it was Europe's first satellite and non-terrestrial channel. From 31 July 1989, ...

mystery series. He also stars as Landry in the

History History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the History of writing#Inventions of writing, invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbr ...

series ''

'', which started in December 2017. Cullen played

Guy Fawkes Guy Fawkes (; 13 April 1570 – 31 January 1606), also known as Guido Fawkes while fighting for the Spanish, was a member of a group of provincial English Catholics involved in the failed Gunpowder Plot of 1605. He was born and educated ...

alongside

Kit Harington Christopher Catesby Harington (born 26 December 1986) is an English actor who is widely known for his role as Jon Snow in the HBO epic fantasy television series ''Game of Thrones'' (2011–2019). After studying at the Royal Central School o ...

and

Liv Tyler Liv Rundgren Tyler (born Liv Rundgren; July 1, 1977) is an American actress, producer, singer and former model. She began a modeling career at age 14. She later decided to focus on acting and made her film debut in ''Silent Fall'' (1994); she ...

in ''

Gunpowder Gunpowder, also commonly known as black powder to distinguish it from modern smokeless powder, is the earliest known chemical explosive. It consists of a mixture of sulfur, carbon (in the form of charcoal) and potassium nitrate (saltpeter). ...

'' on BBC One. Cullen's editorial work includes '' L'Uomo Vogue'', ''

Vogue Italia ''Vogue Italia'' is the Italian edition of ''Vogue'' magazine. Owned by Condé Nast International, it has been called the top fashion magazine in the world. It's been in publication since 1964. Name ''Vogue Italia'' was first published as ''N ...

'', '' Vanity Fair'', and '' 10 Magazine''.

Writing

In 2008, Cullen wrote and produced the short film ''Naughties'' with

Alexander Vlahos Alexander Vlahos (born 30 July 1988) is a Welsh actor, writer, and director best known for playing Philippe, Duke of Orléans, in the Canal+ television series ''Versailles''. In 2012, Vlahos took over from Asa Butterfield in the role of Mordre ...

. In 2009, he and Vlahos co-founded the Welsh company Undeb Theatre. 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.

Directing

Cullen made his directorial debut with the 2019 film '' Pink Wall'' starring

Tatiana Maslany Tatiana Gabriele Maslany ( ; born September 22, 1985) is a Canadian actress. She rose to prominence for playing multiple characters in the science fiction thriller television series ''Orphan Black'' (2013–2017), which won her a Primetime Emmy ...

and

Jay Duplass Lawrence Jay Duplass (born March 7, 1973) is an American filmmaker, actor and author widely known for his films ''The Puffy Chair'' (2005), ''Cyrus'' (2010), and ''Jeff, Who Lives at Home'' (2011), made in collaboration with his younger brother, ...

. The film is described by Screen Daily as "the story of a couple’s struggles with the pressures of gender expectations and the conflict between life and ambition."Screen Daily, 'Weekend Star Tom Cullen Wraps Up Directorial Debut' 14 Dec 2017, https://www.screendaily.com/news/weekend-star-tom-cullen-wraps-directorial-debut-exclusive/5125001.article

Filmography

Film

Television

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Cullen, Tom 1985 births Living people Male actors from Cardiff People from Powys People from Aberystwyth Alumni of the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama Welsh male stage actors Welsh male television actors Welsh male film actors 21st-century Welsh male actors Welsh people of Irish descent Welsh people of English descent Welsh emigrants to the United States Welsh expatriates in the United States British expatriate male actors in the United States People educated at Llanishen High School