Famous former Billy Elliots

When Billy Elliot closed in the West End in 2016, 42 boys had played the title role.

During the 11 years that the show ran at the Victoria Palace Theatre, the musical about the bairn who wanted to do ballet kick-started the careers of some very familiar faces, including Spider-Man himself, Tom Holland, and stage/Strictly Come Dancing star Layton Williams.

The talent of the actors taking on the role in the Elton John and Lee Hall adapted coming-of-age story never went unrecognised. The three originating West End Billys; James Lomas, George Maguire, and Liam Mower, were jointly awarded the Olivier for Leading Actor in a Musical, whilst Trent Kowalik flew over to open the show to Broadway and bagged a Tony Award with his co-stars in the process.

Many of the young stars went on to be successful dancers for stage, television and film, appearing in hit musicals like In The Heights and Cats. Several now dance with prestigious companies including Rambert, Matthew Bourne’s New Adventures, and Northern Ballet, as well as choreographing and completing further training.

With news that Noah Mannion (12 years old from Stockport), Rafferty Smale (12 years old from Leigh-on-Sea), Spencer Collins (13 years old from Los Angeles) and William Gurney (12 years old from Berkshire) are set to star when the musical returns on tour and in the West End – We did some digging to take a closer look at what some of the actors are up to today.

Sam Angell

Notably, Angell now works as a movement director but has appeared on stage leading Peter Pan at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre and more recently in the WhatsOnStage Award-nominated Maggie and Me. He is a co-founder of the award-winning theatre company From The Gut.

Josh Baker

Baker was “Confident” he’d return to the West End – and did! As a performer, he was last seen in & Juliet and the Regent’s Park production of Little Shop of Horrors. Now a choreographer, he works internationally on the Max Martin retelling of Romeo and Juliet, as well as on movie adaptations like Matilda.

Colin Bates

The musician and actor has appeared in productions across North America and returned to the West End in the premiere of Girl from the North Country. On-screen, Bates can be seen in shows including Task with Mark Ruffalo, and films like Queer with Daniel Craig.

Dean-Charles Chapman

Perhaps best known for his portrayal of Tommen Baratheon in Game of Thrones, the longest-serving Billy Elliot has also appeared in The White Queen and the Sam Mendes-directed film 1917. 

Leon Cooke

No stranger to the stage, Cooke has appeared in hits including Mamma Mia!, We Will Rock You and Barnum. His silver screen credits include Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again, Rocketman, Mary Poppins Returns, and The Little Mermaid.

Hogan Fulton

Progressing as a Newsie on Broadway was a natural next step for former Billy, Hogan Fulton!

Tom Holland

The Hollywood movie star started in a supporting role in the musical in 2008 before taking on the title role two years later. You might know him for playing Spider-Man/Peter Parker in a certain Marvel franchise, but he recently returned to the stage. He led a hit West End revival of Romeo and Juliet directed by Jamie Lloyd, and picked up a WhatsOnStage Award nomination for the turn! The Hollywood heartthrob has been making headlines recently due to his role in The Odyssey.

Trent Kowalik

Trent Kowalik made his professional stage debut in the role in London, before flying back home to America to open the show on Broadway. In the process, he and the two actors he shared the role with went on to become the youngest Best Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical Tony Award winners – a record they still hold

Liam Mower

One of the three originating Olivier Award winners, Liam Mower has spent time in the Matthew Bourne’s New Adventures family. He has featured in much-loved productions including Edward Scissorhands, The Car Man, and The Nutcracker. Excitingly, he’ll be returning to Billy Elliot to play Older Billy in the new tour.

Redmand Rance

This former Billy Elliot is currently appearing in the world premiere production of The Hunger Games on Stage as tribute Stele. He starred in the Hetty Feather TV series and has continued to dance, appearing in the recent Cats, Matilda, Barbie and Snow White movies. On stage, Rance has performed in Curve’s recent revivals of A Chorus Line and West Side Story directed by Nikolai Foster, as well as spending Christmas at The London Palladium in their pantomime Robin Hood. 

Corey Snide

Snide made his Broadway debut alternating the lead role of Evan in Broadway’s 13 – with a cast featuring Ariana Grande! He then appeared in productions of Cats on Broadway and Carousel. Now, he works as co-founder of Capital District Arts Initiative.

Kaine Ward

As a dancer, Ward made the final of Sky’s Got to Dance competition. After graduating from Juilliard, he became a founding member of Tanz Kassel before joining the Lyon Opera Ballet.

Layton Williams

WhatsOnStage and Olivier Award winner Layton Williams has been a regular fixture on the stage, having appeared in Rent, Hairspray, and Everybody’s Talking About Jamie, to name a few. Even more people were introduced to his talents when the Bad Education star reached the finals of 2023’s Strictly Come Dancing. After that, he appeared as the Emcee in Cabaret, before originating the role of the Iceberg in the musical comedy Titanique – a role that took him to the bright lights of Broadway, where he picked up a Tony Award nomination!