Tom Hollander

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Tom Hollander in "The Lawless Heart"

Tom Hollander (born 1969) is an English actor who has appeared in Enigma, Gosford Park, Cambridge Spies and Pride and Prejudice.

Hollander was born in Oxford, Oxfordshire, England, and attended Abingdon School. He read English at Selwyn College, Cambridge while actively participating in the many extracurricular theatre activities that Cambridge University offers. He was a member of the Footlights and the president of the Marlowe Society. Fellow student and childhood friend Sam Mendes directed him in several plays while they were at Cambridge, including a critically acclaimed production of Cyrano de Bergerac. After graduating from university and failing to secure a place at a drama school, Hollander was asked by Mendes to play Macheath in the Donmar Warehouse's 1994 production of The Threepenny Opera.

Hollander has since had a thriving career in theatre, television and film. He has worked repeatedly with Michael Gambon and Bill Nighy and is a good friend of James Purefoy. Although highly respected as a character actor and the recipient of several awards, many of his films will still poke fun at his height (5ft 5). These include Martha, Meet Frank, Daniel and Laurence, Gosford Park, The Lost Prince and Pride and Prejudice.

Hollander features in the 2006 sequel Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest. He lives in Notting Hill, London with his partner, casting assistant Dixie Chassay.