Tom Holland went from dancing on a West End stage at 12 to playing Spider-Man in one of the most successful film series ever made. In the summer of 2026 he had two films in cinemas at once: Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey and Spider-Man: Brand New Day, which opened to one of the biggest weekends in box office history.
This guide covers the verified facts about his life: his age and height, his family and schools, how he got his start in Billy Elliot the Musical, his Marvel career, his awards, and his marriage to Zendaya.
Tom Holland quick facts
Full name: Thomas Stanley Holland
Date of birth: 1 June 1996
Age: 30 years old
Birthplace: Kingston upon Thames, south-west London, England
Height: About 5 ft 8 in (173 cm), a figure he has acknowledged in interviews
Parents: Dominic Holland (comedian and author) and Nicola Holland, née Frost (photographer)
Siblings: Three younger brothers: Harry, Sam and Paddy
Education: Donhead Preparatory School, Wimbledon College and the BRIT School
Wife: Zendaya (married; Holland confirmed it in June 2026)
Best known for: Peter Parker/Spider-Man in the Marvel Cinematic Universe
Major award: BAFTA Rising Star Award (2017)
(Sources: Wikipedia; The Guardian; Esquire UK; BBC News; Deadline; Anadolu Agency)
Early life and family
Thomas Stanley Holland was born on 1 June 1996 in Kingston upon Thames, in south-west London. His mother, Nicola Holland (née Frost), is a photographer. His father, Dominic Holland, is a comedian and author who has also acted as Tom's unofficial manager for most of his career.
Tom is the oldest of four boys. His younger brothers are Harry, Sam and Paddy, and they help run the family's charity, The Brothers Trust.
At the age of seven, Holland was diagnosed with dyslexia. He has since said publicly that he also has ADHD.
Education: Wimbledon College and the BRIT School
Holland went to Donhead Preparatory School, an all-boys Catholic school in Wimbledon, and then to Wimbledon College, a Jesuit secondary school. He later studied at the BRIT School for Performing Arts and Technology in Croydon.
As a teenager he also spent a short time at a carpentry school in Cardiff, Wales.
How Billy Elliot started his career
In 2006, choreographer Lynne Page spotted Holland at a dance festival and invited him to audition for Billy Elliot the Musical in London's West End. He made his debut at the Victoria Palace Theatre in June 2008 as Michael, Billy's best friend.
Later in 2008 he was promoted to the title role. He played Billy until 2010.
The Impossible: his first film role
Holland's screen debut came in 2012 with The Impossible, a disaster drama about a family caught in the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. He played the eldest son, opposite Naomi Watts and Ewan McGregor.
Critics singled him out. He won the London Film Critics' Circle award for Young British Performer of the Year and the National Board of Review award for Breakthrough Performance. Over the next few years he took smaller parts in How I Live Now (2013), the BBC series Wolf Hall (2015) and Ron Howard's In the Heart of the Sea (2015).
Becoming Spider-Man
Photo: Gage Skidmore, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
In June 2015, Marvel Studios and Sony announced Holland as the new Peter Parker. He signed a six-picture deal with Marvel and first appeared as Spider-Man in Captain America: Civil War (2016).
His solo films followed:
Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019)
Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021)
Spider-Man: Brand New Day (2026)
He also played the character in Avengers: Infinity War (2018) and Avengers: Endgame (2019). No Way Home was the first film of the pandemic era to pass $1 billion at the worldwide box office, according to BBC News.
Photo: Purplehighlighter24, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Films and TV beyond Marvel
Between Spider-Man films, Holland chose darker roles. He starred in the Netflix thriller The Devil All the Time (2020) and played an army medic who becomes addicted to opioids in the Russo brothers' Cherry (2021).
In 2022 he starred as a young Nathan Drake in Uncharted, the film version of the PlayStation game series. A year later he led and executive produced the Apple TV+ thriller series The Crowded Room, which earned him a Critics' Choice Television Award nomination.
In May 2024 he returned to the stage as Romeo in Jamie Lloyd's West End revival of Romeo and Juliet. The production ran for twelve weeks, and critics were divided on both the play and his performance. In December 2024, his production company, Billy17, signed a deal with Sony.
2026: The Odyssey and Spider-Man: Brand New Day
Photo: Philip Romano, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
July 2026 was the biggest month of Holland's career. First came Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey, in which he plays Telemachus, the son of Odysseus (Matt Damon) and Penelope (Anne Hathaway). The film opened in mid-July with about $124 million in North America and passed $600 million worldwide within two weeks. Holland called making it the best experience of his career.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day opened on 31 July 2026, two weeks after The Odyssey. Directed by Destin Daniel Cretton, it picks up after No Way Home, with Peter Parker fighting crime full time in a world that no longer remembers who he is. Its global opening weekend was reported at around $927 million, the second biggest in history behind Avengers: Endgame.
Filming was not easy. In September 2025, Deadline reported that Holland was taken to hospital after a concussion on set.
Awards and recognition
BAFTA Rising Star Award (2017), voted for by the public at the 70th British Academy Film Awards
London Film Critics' Circle: Young British Performer of the Year for The Impossible
National Board of Review: Breakthrough Performance for The Impossible
Empire Award: Best Male Newcomer (2013)
Saturn Awards: three wins for Best Performance by a Younger Actor, for Civil War, Homecoming and Far From Home
Kids' Choice Award: Favorite Movie Actor (2022)
Tom Holland and Zendaya
Holland met Zendaya on the set of Spider-Man: Homecoming, where she played Michelle "MJ" Jones. The pair kept their relationship private for years and confirmed it in November 2021, shortly before No Way Home was released.
They became engaged in December 2024. In March 2026, Zendaya's longtime stylist Law Roach said the couple had already married in secret, and Holland confirmed the marriage in an interview with Esquire UK in June 2026. A private wedding celebration followed in August at a country hotel in England.
Sobriety, BERO and golf
Holland took part in Dry January in 2022 and stopped drinking afterwards. He has spoken openly about it, telling interviewers that he had been addicted to alcohol.
In 2024 he launched BERO, a non-alcoholic beer brand, and later brought it to Target stores in the United States with his brother Harry.
Photo: ChristopherJClarke, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
He also plays golf, and in 2023 he took part in the pro-am event at Wentworth Club in Surrey.
The Brothers Trust
In 2017, Holland's parents set up The Brothers Trust, a UK charity that uses Tom's profile to raise money for smaller causes that struggle to get attention. His brothers help run it, and Tom supports it through fundraising events and auctions.
Frequently asked questions
How old is Tom Holland?
Tom Holland was born on 1 June 1996, so he is 30 years old.
How tall is Tom Holland?
He is about 5 ft 8 in (173 cm). Zendaya is slightly taller, and Holland has joked about the height difference in interviews.
Is Tom Holland married?
Yes. Holland confirmed in June 2026 that he and Zendaya are married.
Who does Tom Holland play in The Odyssey?
He plays Telemachus, the son of Odysseus and Penelope, in Christopher Nolan's 2026 film.
How many Spider-Man movies has Tom Holland been in?
Four solo films (Homecoming, Far From Home, No Way Home and Brand New Day), plus Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame.
Sources: Wikipedia; Anadolu Agency; BBC News; Esquire UK; The Guardian; Deadline; Rolling Stone; Dominic Holland.
