Where are the Billys from Billy Elliot now?

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 that wanted to do ballet kickstarted the careers of some very familiar faces including Spiderman 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.

We did some digging to take a closer look at what some of the actors are up to today – take a look below and tell us who you saw in the show!

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.

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 films like Queer with Daniel Craig and Heather.

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 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, 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 Spiderman/Peter Parker in a little-known Marvel franchise, but he recently returned to the stage. This year he led a revival of Romeo and Juliet directed by Jamie Lloyd and is up for Best Performer in a Play at the 25th Annual WhatsOnStage Awards.

Tom Holland in Romeo and Juliet, © Marc Brenner

Trent Kowalik

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.

Liam Mower

One of the three originating Olivier Award winners, Mower is now a part of Matthew Bourne’s New Adventures. He has featured in much-loved productions including Edward Scissorhands, The Car Man, and The Nutcracker.

Redmand Rance

This former Billy Elliot starred in the Hetty Feather TV series and has continued to dance – appearing in the recent Cats, Matilda, and Barbie movies, and you’ll also be able to spot him in the upcoming Snow White live-action film. On stage, Rance has performed in Curve’s recent revivals of A Chorus Line and West Side Story directed by Nikolai Foster. You can see him on stage at The London Palladium in their pantomime Robin Hood right now.

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 and Carousel. 

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

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. Since then, he has bagged a WhatsOnStage Award nomination for his role as the Emcee in Cabaret and is currently playing the Iceberg in new musical comedy Titanique.