| Tom Payne | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | (1982-12-21) 21 December 1982 (age 42) Chelmsford, Essex, England |
| Education | Royal Central School of Speech & Drama |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 2005–present |
| Spouse |
Jennifer Åkerman (m. 2020) |
| Children | 3 |
| Father | Jeremy Payne |
| Relatives | Will Payne (brother) |
Tom Payne (born 21 December 1982) is an English actor. He is known for appearing on AMC's The Walking Dead as Paul "Jesus" Rovia, and BBC's Waterloo Road as Brett Aspinall. He portrayed Malcolm Bright on the American television series Prodigal Son from 2019 to 2021. Payne also currently has a recurring role in Law & Order: Organized Crime.
Early life
Payne grew up in Bath, Somerset, where he attended King Edward's School and was a prolific contributor to the school's drama department. He attended the Royal Central School of Speech & Drama, graduating in June 2005.
Career
In January 2007, he first appeared in Waterloo Road for the BBC, playing sixth former Brett Aspinall. Despite being 24 at the time, Payne portrayed a 17-year-old character. He remained in the series until the end of the following season in March 2008. It was revealed afterwards that he would not be returning for the new season. Between season 1 and 2 he filmed Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day and Skins and was named one of Screen International's Stars of Tomorrow 2007.
After leaving Waterloo Road Payne played George Best in Best: His Mother's Son, a BBC2 film about the legendary footballer. In the same year he appeared in Marple: They Do It With Mirrors and Wuthering Heights for ITV.
On 8 March 2010, it was announced that Tom had joined the cast of Luck a new pilot for HBO directed by Michael Mann, written by David Milch, starring Dustin Hoffman and Nick Nolte. He played the role of a Cajun jockey.
In 2012, he was cast in the title role of The Physician (based on the book of the same name) alongside Stellan Skarsgård and Ben Kingsley.
His career defining role came when he was cast with a recurring role in Season 6 of The Walking Dead, as Paul "Jesus" Rovia, and promoted to series regular for season 7. He played the character until midway through season 9.
In 2019, Payne was cast in the lead role as a serial killer's son in the Fox police procedural series Prodigal Son.
Personal life
Payne began dating singer Jennifer Åkerman in late 2013. He announced on an episode of Talking Dead that they had become engaged. Åkerman later revealed on her Instagram that they married on December 21, 2020 after postponing their wedding due to COVID-19. They had a son, born on January 5, 2022 and twins on April 1, 2024.
His younger brother Will Payne is also an actor.
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day | Phil Goldman | |
| 2009 | Into the Rose-Garden | Sam | Short film |
| 2011 | The Task | Stanton | |
| Generation Perdue | Toby Perdue | Short film | |
| 2012 | The Inheritance | Matthew | |
| My Funny Valentine | Zander | ||
| Still Young | Edward | Short film | |
| 2013 | The Physician | Rob Cole | |
| 2015 | Winter | Tom | |
| MindGamers | Jaxon | ||
| 2017 | It's No Game | East | Short film |
| 2019 | IO | Elon | Voice role |
| 2024 | Imaginary | Max | |
| Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1 | Hugh Proctor | ||
| Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 2 | Hugh Proctor |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Casualty | Toby Tyler | Episode: "Love and Duty" |
| 2007 | Skins | Spencer | Episode: "Effy" |
| Miss Marie Lloyd | Bernard | Television film | |
| 2007–2008 | Waterloo Road | Brett Aspinall | Recurring role, 32 episodes |
| 2008 | He Kills Coppers | Jonny Taylor | Television film |
| 2009 | Wuthering Heights | Linton | 2 episodes |
| Miss Marple | Edgar Lawson | Episode: "They Do It with Mirrors" | |
| Best: His Mother's Son | George Best | Television film | |
| Beautiful People | Mr. Carr | Episode: "How I Got My Plumes" | |
| 2010 | The People vs. George Lucas | Himself | Documentary |
| 2011–2012 | Luck | Leon Micheaux | 9 episodes |
| 2014 | New Worlds | Monmouth | 4 episodes |
| 2016–2019 | The Walking Dead | Paul "Jesus" Rovia | Recurring (season 6) Main Cast (seasons 7–9) |
| 2016–2018 | Talking Dead | Himself | 7 episodes |
| 2017 | The Nightly Show | Episode: "With David Walliams - Night Four" | |
| 2018 | Fear the Walking Dead | Paul "Jesus" Rovia | Guest Star, episode: "What's Your Story?" (season 4) |
| 2019–2021 | Prodigal Son | Malcolm Bright (formerly Whitly) | Lead role (32 episodes) |
| 2024 | Law & Order: Organized Crime | Julian Emery | 3 episodes |
References
- "Walking Dead Star Tom Payne and Wife Jennifer Akerman Welcome a Baby Boy: 'Love You Immeasurably'".
- "Famous birthdays for Dec. 21: Tom Payne, Jane Fonda". UPI. Retrieved 20 January 2024.
- Dobson, Patricia (12 July 2007). "UK Stars Of Tomorrow 2007: The Actors (3)". Screendaily.com. Archived from the original on 14 September 2015. Retrieved 8 December 2011.
- Reynolds, Simon (27 November 2008). "Payne to star as George Best in BBC drama". Digital Spy. Archived from the original on 3 June 2020. Retrieved 29 April 2009.
- Andreeva, Nellie (13 October 2010). "Four trying their 'Luck' in HBO pilot". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on 30 October 2019. Retrieved 8 December 2011.
- "Jesus Speaks! The Walking Dead's Tom Payne Talks His Big Arrival and Surprising Connection to Andrew Lincoln". E! News. 22 February 2016. Archived from the original on 12 October 2016. Retrieved 7 October 2016.
- "Jesus speaks! New 'Walking Dead' cast addition Tom Payne gives first interview". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on 20 September 2016. Retrieved 7 October 2016.
- Goldberg, Lesley (7 July 2016). "'Walking Dead' Promotes 4 to Series Regular for Season 7 (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on 8 July 2016. Retrieved 7 July 2016.
- Otterson, Joe (12 March 2019). "Tom Payne Takes Over Lead Role in Fox Pilot 'Prodigal Son' From Finn Jones". Variety. Archived from the original on 19 March 2019. Retrieved 24 April 2019.
- Paige, Rachel (9 May 2019). "Scandal Alum Bellamy Young's New Show Prodigal Son Is Officially Heading to Fox". TV Guide. Archived from the original on 10 May 2019. Retrieved 10 May 2019.
- Andreeva, Nellie (9 May 2019). "Fox Picks Up 4 New Drama Series: 'Prodigal Son', 'Deputy', 'NeXt' & Weisman/Katims; What Does It Mean For Network's Bubble Dramas?". Deadline. Archived from the original on 11 May 2019. Retrieved 10 May 2019.