How Tom Sturridge Became One of the UK’s Best New Actors

 

Who is Tom Sturridge?

Tom Sturridge is a British actor, known for his work in film, television and theater, probably best recognized as Carlo Marx in the film “On the Road” (2012), and as Bobby in the play “American Buffalo” (2015), among numerous other roles he’s portrayed so far in his career.

Tom Sturridge Wiki: Age, Childhood, and Education

Thomas Sidney Jerome Sturridge was born on 5 December 1985, in London, England. He comes from a family deeply involved in the film industry; his father is the director Charles Sturridge, known for his work on such projects as “Brideshead Revisited”, “Shackleton”, “Churchill’s Secret”, and “Marcella”, while Tom’s mother is actress Phoebe Nicholls, known particularly for her work on the film “The Elephant Man”.

He has two siblings, including a sister Matilda Sturridge, who is an actress.

Tom attended The Harrodian School in South West London, then also Winchester College, an independent school for boys in Hampshire.

Career Beginnings

Sturridge made his debut as Tom Gulliver, a young boy who accompanies his father on some of his adventures in the miniseries “Gulliver’s Travels” (1996) – the character isn’t present in the original novel by Jonathan Swift, but was added for the TV adaptation. The series was directed by Tom’s father, and some of the stars of the series included Ted Danson, Mary Steenburgen and James Fox.

The following year, Tom appeared in another project directed by his father, the fantasy film “FairyTale: A True Story”, which tells the story of two young girls who take a photograph of what they claim is a real fairy, leading to a media frenzy and widespread public fascination with fairies.

In the film, Sturridge’s character Hob is a young boy who befriends the two girls and becomes involved in their quest to prove the existence of fairies. The film is loosely based on the real-life Cottingley Fairies hoax that took place in England in the early 20th century.

Tom Sturridge in Being Julia (2004) #tbt #throwbackthursday pic.twitter.com/uGavGmXYiN

— Tom Sturridge UK (@TomSturridgeUK) January 29, 2015

After this, he took an hiatus until mid- 2000s, when he returned with the role of Roger Gosselyn in the film “Being Julia”. Set in 1930s London, Annette Bening plays the title role of Julia Lambert, a famous stage actress who becomes involved in a romantic affair with a young American fan named Tom Fennell, played by Shaun Evans.

The following year, he portrayed William Herbert in the television film “A Waste of Shame”. The film is a dramatization of the events that led to the publication of William Shakespeare’s Sonnets in 1609, and explores the relationship between the poet and the enigmatic “Mr. W.H.”, to whom the sonnets are dedicated.

It was directed by John McKay and starred a cast of talented actors, including Rupert Graves as William Shakespeare, Zoë Wanamaker as the Dark Lady of the Sonnets, and Tom Hiddleston as John Hall, a physician who treated Shakespeare. The film was generally well-received by critics, and is considered a thoughtful exploration of Shakespeare’s life and work.

Four years later, he starred in the award-winning comedy-drama film “The Boat That Rocked”, directed by Richard Curtis. In the film, Sturridge’s character Carl is a young man sent by his mother to work on a pirate radio station, which broadcasts rock music from a ship in the North Sea in the 1960s. Carl is initially shy and introverted, but gradually becomes more confident and assertive as he’s involved in the station’s activities and relationships with the other DJs.

The film also starred an ensemble cast of well-known actors, including Philip Seymour Hoffman, Bill Nighy, Rhys Ifans and Emma Thompson, among others. The film is loosely based on the history of offshore pirate radio stations that broadcast rock music to the UK in the 1960s.

Rise to Prominence

Sturridge then played the lead role of Will Donner in the 2010 romantic drama film “Waiting for Forever”, directed by James Keach and also starred Richard Jenkins, Blythe Danner, and Nikki Blonsky. In the film, Will Donner is a young street performer deeply in love with his childhood friend, Emma Twist, played by Rachel Bilson. When Emma’s father becomes ill, she returns to her hometown, and Will follows her there, hoping to finally reveal his feelings to her and win her heart.

Then in 2014, he was Sergeant Francis Troy in the film “Far From the Madding Crowd”, based on the classic novel by Thomas Hardy, which follows the story of Bathsheba Everdene (played by Carey Mulligan), a headstrong and independent woman who inherits a farm and attracts the attention of three very different suitors. Sergeant Francis Troy is one of them, a handsome and charismatic soldier who is initially attracted to her, but ultimately reveals himself to be cruel and manipulative. It was directed by Thomas Vinterberg and starred Matthias Schoenaerts, Michael Sheen, and Juno Temple.

The following year, he starred as Tom in the mystery-drama film “Remainder”, which tells the story of a man who suffers from amnesia after a traumatic accident, and becomes obsessed with recreating and reenacting small details of his past, in an attempt to recover his lost memories, co-starring Cush Jumbo and Ed Speleers, while the film was directed by Omer Fast.

In 2017, he played Lord Byron in the biographical drama film “Mary Shelley”, starring Elle Fanning and Douglas Booth, among others, which explores the life of the famous writer and her romantic relationship with Percy Shelley, as well as the events that led to her writing her most famous novel, “Frankenstein”,

From 2018 to 2019, he starred as Jake in the TV series “Sweetbitter”, based on the novel of the same name by Stephanie Danler, and follows the story of Tess, a 22-year-old woman who moves to New York City and starts working in a prestigious restaurant. His character is a charismatic bartender at the restaurant where Tess works, is one of the senior staff members, and becomes a mentor to Tess, showing her the ropes of the industry and guiding her through the challenges she faces. The series starred Ella Purnell as Tess, Caitlin FitzGerald, Paul Sparks, and Evan Jonigkeit in supporting roles.

To speak further of his accomplishments, Sturridge secured the lead role of Dream of the Endless/Lord Morpheus in the Netflix series “The Sandman”. The series is based on the popular comic book series of the same name, created by Neil Gaiman and published by DC Comics, in which Dream is one of the seven Endless, immortal beings who embody universal concepts such as Death, Desire, and Destiny. Dream is the ruler of the dream realm, and has the ability to manipulate dreams and reality.

Stage Career

In addition to his work on screen, Tom has enjoyed popularity in theaters. He made his debut as William in the play “Punk Rock” in 2010, performed at Lyric Hammersmith. Some of his most prominent roles include Philip in the play “Orphans” (2013), then as God in the play “The Trial” (2015), as Winston Smith in the play “1984”, performed at Hudson Theatre, and as Alex in the play “See Wall/A Life” (2019), among other roles.

Net Worth

According to authoritative sources, Tom Sturridge’s net worth is estimated at over $3 million, as of early 2023.

Personal Life, Dating, Girlfriend, Single

Tom Sturridge dated actress Sienna Miller between 2011 and 2015; they have a daughter together, born in 2012.

According to reports, he’s currently in a relationship with model Alexa Chung. They’ve been spotted together in public several times, sharing intimate moments, including a kiss on the streets of New York City.

Appearance and Vital Statistics

Tom Sturridge has black hair and blue eyes. He stands at a height of 5ft 10ins (1.78m), while he weighs approximately 150lbs (69kgs). His vital statistics are unknown, but he has a slim figure.