Tom Francis (actor)
Tom Francis | |
|---|---|
Francis performing outside the St. James Theatre in July 2025 | |
| Born | Thomas Francis Barber 29 June 1999 Colchester, England |
| Other names | Tom Barber |
| Alma mater | ArtsEd (BA) |
| Occupation(s) | Actor and singer |
| Years active | 2020–present |
Thomas Francis Barber (born 29 June 1999) is an English actor and singer known for his roles on the West End and Broadway stages. For his performance as Joe Gillis in Sunset Boulevard, he won the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Musical and was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical.[1][2]
Early life
Francis was born in Colchester and grew up in Thorpe Morieux, Suffolk.[3] He joined the Youth Theatre at the Theatre Royal, Bury St Edmunds, he was part of the local Voice Squad group in Bury St Edmunds,[4] and studied at the Arts Educational School (ArtsEd) in West London from 2017 to 2020, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in Musical Theatre.[5]
Career
In 2020, Francis made his professional stage debut as Roger Davis in Rent at the Hope Mill Theatre in Manchester under the direction of Luke Sheppard.[6][7] Francis would reunite with Sheppard for his following show & Juliet at London's Shaftesbury Theatre, taking over the role of Romeo in March 2022 and marking his West End debut.[8]
In 2021, Francis performed as Claude in concert performances of Hair at the London Palladium, replacing Jordan Luke Gage.[9]
For his performance as Joe Gillis in Sunset Boulevard at the Savoy Theatre, he won the 2024 Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Musical. Francis also performed at the awards show.[10] He made his Broadway debut that fall when Sunset Boulevard transferred to the St. James Theatre.[11][12] In both the Broadway and West End version, there is a six-minute sequence at the start of the second act in which Francis, performing as Joe, would exit the theatre to sing "Sunset Boulevard" while walking through Shubert Alley (in the West End, outside the Savoy Theatre), before returning to the theatre for the end of the song.[13] In November, he took a pause from the role due to a vocal cord injury.[14] He later received multiple nominations for his performance on Broadway, including for a Tony Award. He’s set to leave the production on July 6, two weeks before it closes.[15]
Francis made his television debut as Clayton in the fifth and final season of the Netflix series You.[16][17] He is set to make his film debut in Noah Baumbach's upcoming ensemble film Jay Kelly.[14]
Acting credits
Stage credits
| Year | Title | Role | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020–2021 | Rent | Roger Davis | Hope Mill Theatre, Manchester |
| 2021 | Hair | Claude | London Palladium, West End |
| What's New Pussycat? | Ensemble u/s Tom Jones |
Birmingham Repertory Theatre | |
| 2022–2023 | & Juliet | Romeo Montague | Shaftesbury Theatre, West End |
| 2023–2024 | Sunset Boulevard | Joe Gillis | Savoy Theatre, West End |
| 2024–2025 | St. James Theater, Broadway |
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | You | Clayton | 4 episodes |
| Jay Kelly | Judd | Post-production |
References
- ^ Marshall, Alex (14 April 2024). "'Sunset Boulevard,' Heading to Broadway, Wins Big at Olivier Awards". New York Times.
- ^ Huston, Caitlin (1 May 2025). "2025 Tony Awards: 'Buena Vista Social Club,' 'Death Becomes Her,' 'Maybe Happy Ending' Lead Nominations". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 1 May 2025.
- ^ Reid, Cameron (19 April 2024). "Tom Francis, who grew up near Bury St Edmunds, wins best actor in a musical Olivier Award for West End Sunset Boulevard performances with Nicole Scherzinger". Suffolk News. Retrieved 19 May 2024.
- ^ Reid, Cameron (2 May 2025). "Tom Francis, who grew up in Thorpe Morieux, near Bury St Edmunds and Sudbury, nominated for Tony award after leading role in Sunset Boulevard". Suffolk News, Iliffe News and Media. Retrieved 23 May 2025.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "Tom Francis". Jag London. 14 April 2024.
- ^ "Tom Francis". TresA Magazine. 3 February 2021. Retrieved 29 December 2024.
- ^ "Rent – Hope Mill Theatre, Manchester". Musical Theatre Review. 9 August 2021. Retrieved 29 December 2024.
- ^ Hall, Margaret (21 February 2022). "Tom Francis to Join Cast of London's & Juliet". Playbill. Retrieved 20 May 2024.
- ^ Thomas, Sophie (17 March 2021). "'Hair' concerts to transfer to London Palladium in June". LondonTheatre.
- ^ Wild, Stephi (15 April 2024). "Video: Tom Francis Performs Sunset Boulevard at the 2024 Olivier Awards". BroadwayWorld. Retrieved 8 June 2024.
- ^ Evans, Greg (21 June 2024). "Broadway-Bound 'Sunset Boulevard' Actor Tom Francis Signs With Linden Entertainment". Deadline. Retrieved 8 July 2024.
- ^ Wong, Curtis M (27 November 2024). "Tom Francis Is Having a Bloody Good Time in Sunset Boulevard on Broadway". HuffPost. Retrieved 29 December 2024.
- ^ Bahr, Sarah (22 November 2024). "6 Minutes. 62 People. 1 Epic Sunset Boulevard Sequence". The New York Times. Retrieved 19 December 2024.
- ^ a b Cristi, A.A. (12 November 2024). "Sunset Boulevard Star Tom Francis Sidelined Due To Vocal Injury". BroadwayWorld. Retrieved 29 December 2024.
- ^ Huston, Caitlin (1 May 2025). "2025 Tony Awards: 'Buena Vista Social Club,' 'Death Becomes Her,' 'Maybe Happy Ending' Lead Nominations". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 1 May 2025.
- ^ "Natasha Behnam, Pete Ploszek, Tom Francis Join Final Season of You". Outlook. 12 May 2024. Retrieved 19 May 2024.
- ^ Santanu (12 May 2024). ""I might actually watch the show now": You Season 5 Adds Tom Francis to the Cast as Fans Expect Penn Badgley's Joe to Have a Different Awakening". Fandom Wire. Retrieved 19 May 2024.
External links
- Tom Francis at JAG London