Biography
Date of Birth
22 December 1987, Epsom, Surrey, England, UK
Birth Name
Thomas Andrew Felton
Mini Biography
Tom Felton was born in Epsom, Surrey, to Sharon and Peter Felton. He has been acting since he was 8 years old at the suggestion of an actress friend of his family who recognized Felton's theatrical qualities. Felton met with an agent, and two weeks later, after auditioning with over 400 other children, he landed an international commercial campaign and went abroad to work.
A talented singer, he started singing in a church choir at the age of 7 and has been a member of four choirs at school. He declined an offer to join the Guildford Cathedral Choir. He is a keen sportsman enjoying football (soccer), ice skating, roller blading, basketball, cricket, swimming, and tennis.
After working on Anna and the King (1999) with Jodie Foster, Tom received his big break in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (2001) as Draco Malfoy, school boy rival to the titular character as played by Daniel Radcliffe. Tom managed to film the part of Draco in all eight "Harry Potter" movies while also having an active life outside the magical world it created. In between shoots he filmed independent horror movies The Disappeared (2008), Night Wolf (2010), and The Apparition (2012) with Twilight's Ashley Greene. It was directly after completing his filming on "Harry Potter" that he landed his roles in Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011) and From the Rough (2013). His newest projects are In Secret (2013), Fangs of War (????) and Attachment.
In between acting gigs, Tom still manages times with his music. He is one of the founding owners and talent of Six String Productions, a recording company devoted to signing young musical artists overlooked by the major recording industry.
Trivia
Is the youngest of four children. He has three older brothers; Ashley, Chris, and Jonathan.
Enjoys football (soccer), ice-skating, rollerblading, basketball, cricket, swimming, tennis, and fishing.
One of his older brothers was his chaperon on the set of the earlier Harry Potter films.
Likes hip-hop and acoustic-based music claiming Jack Johnson, John Mayer, Jason Mraz, and Eminem as inspiration.
Hadn't read any of the Harry Potter books prior to being cast as Draco Malfoy.
Attended Howard of Effingham School, an academy school located in Effingham, Leatherhead, Surrey, England. He left school at the age of sixteen in May of 2004 after completing his GCSEs.
His natural hair color is dark blonde. He bleached his hair platinum blonde for all eight of the Harry Potter films. Over the 10-year period the franchise was filmed, it was said that he had to color his hair every ten days. He said in an interview when the series had ended that he was looking forward to not having to dye his hair anymore.
As a boy, he owned a pet chinchilla named Stanley.
Had said he would enjoy studying fishery management in college, but admitted in interviews during the fall of 2009, that he would prefer to continue acting.
Loves shopping in New York. He loves clothing from the Air Jordan collection.
His Chesapeake Bay Retriever, Timberland (Timber), died in 2014 after health complications.
Was considered one of the 55 faces of the future by Nylon Magazine's Young Hollywood Issue (May 2010).
The London Sun claims that he is related to John Proctor, one of the accused witches in the 17th century Witch Trials in Salem, Massachusetts. Proctor's son Thorndike Proctor married a Hannah Felton. The elder Proctor appears in as a character in Arthur Miller's play The Crucible (1996), and is portrayed in the film by Daniel Day-Lewis. Tom himself, of course, plays a wizard in the Harry Potter films.
His filming schedule for the Harry Potter films was as follows: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004) (July 2003), Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005) (April 2004), Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007) (March 2006), Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009) (May 2008), and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (2010) & Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (2011) (March 2010).
Was in a relationship with production assistant Jade Gordon from 2008 until January of 2016. The two met on the set of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009). Prior to his relationship with Gordon, he was seeing singer/songwriter Melissa Tamschick from 2004 until 2007.
Resides in Venice Beach, California.
Describes himself as an "indecisive agnostic". Prior to working on his 2016 film Risen (2016), he considered himself an "out and out atheist" and stated in an interview that the experience of working on the film changed his views on Christ and his final days.
Has two tattoos; a dog on the inside of his right bicep and palm trees on the inside of his right ankle.
Stated in multiple interviews over time that his favorite film of the Harry Potter franchise is Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009).
In Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002) he adlib the line Reading? I didn't know you could read.
Trademarks:
Often plays villainous or mischievous characters
Quotes
In spite of what Draco is like, I really like school, and I miss it a lot when I'm filming. I've a fair idea what I want to do for my GCSEs, I will definitely be doing music.
I really tried out for the part of Harry Potter, but they ended up picking me for the part of the enemy of Harry. Actually it is really fun playing the bad kid because it just has so many interesting qualities to it. And Daniel Radcliffe and I get along really well off set so it's really fun filming.
[on playing a bad guy in Harry Potter's film]: I think it's more fun, there are a lot of goodies in the film and not a lot of baddies, so I like to be in the baddie group.
So those of you that think filming is all glamor, you're so wrong! Really, only the premieres are the glitzy bits.
Jason Isaacs always looked after me very well. Alan Rickman, Michael Gambon, Helena Bonham Carter - they're all wonderful people and very helpful and inspiring. I bored Alan Rickman for hours about Robin Hood. It was one of my favorite films when I was younger and I asked how he did certain scenes. He was very patient and charming. It took me six years to work up the courage to ask him. Helena gave me advice about crying in a scene. She said tell your brain you're not allowed to cry and then it's more likely to happen. No one was difficult. You hear stories about actors who demand their coffee to be served at a certain temperature but on Harry Potter if you wanted a cup of tea you had to get it yourself.
I'll take my clothes off - whatever the job requires.
It's a hard industry to have a long career regardless of what films you've been in but fingers crossed I can continue in it. Whether it's acting, directing or writing, I want to be involved in the film industry for the rest of my life.
I'm stunned when people ask if I'm like Draco. Jo (Rowling) wrote Draco as a one-dimensional bully, a slimy individual, to get the audience hating him. Rupert (Grint) and Ron, I can see the similarity. Emma (Watson) and Hermione, certainly. Even Daniel and Harry. But for crying out loud, I'm definitely not like Draco.
One thing that people keep on saying to me is that the wealth and the fame must have made up for missing out on my childhood. But the idea of money - putting a price on your childhood - is ridiculous. You will never get those years back and you can't put a price on them.
When I was 9 or 10 years old it wasn't the thing to be seen doing - reading a book in your spare time.
[Daniel Radcliffe]'s a fantastic actor and a brilliant guy. I'm sure we'll catch up over a pint tonight at some point.
Working with big actors and realising that they were just normal people who've got an incredible talent was just a great experience.
I like the laid-back ladies. Looks are stressed so much these days, and a lot of girls feel they need to do all of these weird and wonderful things to look good, and they really don't. The best-looking girls don't do anything; they just sort of know they're beautiful, especially in jeans and a hoodie.
I like physics. I think it is the best science out of all three of them, because generally it's more useful. You learn about speed and velocity and time, and that's all clever stuff.
Oh God, you know what would be really good for me is a dog locater - it would save me the hours that I have to spend looking for my dog.
I bought a lot of rubbish things that kids buy: skateboards and clothes and typical teenage stuff. And, as soon as I could, I wasted a lot of money on cars - BMW's mostly - for myself and my family.
I had been working for eight years and all I had to show for it was this horrible debt. At one point we had the bailiff at the door.
I'm not too unintelligent.
It sounds like a media line, but I'm passionate about thanking the fans for their support.
I'd rather play a character that was really, really different to me as to someone who is quite close to my character.
I would miss months of school and then return with bright blond hair. Needless to say, there was bullying. I wasn't beaten up daily, but there was name-calling and jealousy. You have to bear in mind that 'Harry Potter' wasn't cool. I wasn't part of the 'Terminator' franchise.
What a house. Turns out they're doing OK, the Malfoy's. However, the interior decorating leaves a lot to be desired. And needless to say, Voldemort isn't the greatest houseguest.
I have done a bit of recording and the songs are available on iTunes, and I've got some nice comments. It's something I enjoy doing, but I'm not looking for a singing career any time soon. As long as one person gets enjoyment out of it, I'm happy to make it available.
If you're tempted by one of these appalling excuses of entertainment [tabloid magazines], you need to have long look in the mirror and ask the question, What do I stand to gain in indulging in other people's misery? Vastly exaggerated or completely fabricated stories matched with random pictures that help sell a narrative of misery are not food for the soul, they are the snack of stupidity. Wake up please.
I'm going to change my image - backward caps, the lot.
I'm a little bit of a geek - I have to be the first person to get new things when they come out. I always want to buy and try new gadgets.
If young children boo me, that makes my day.
If you're put on a set with a lot of people, it's just nice to see everyone working together.
There are a couple of carp fishing books I've been reading. I'm very interested in that line of books, because I think they write very well, carp anglers, about the general environment.
In England we are sort of very awkward.
I find it's usually the bullies who are the most insecure.
The only time I can really relax is up a tree or somewhere outside. I love being outside.
If someone tried to take the hierarchy thing too seriously - for example, being lovely to producers but moaning to runners about the tea - that would not be accepted on 'Harry Potter'; someone would pull you aside and have a word.
And to me, fame is not a positive thing. The idea of being famous is a lot better than the reality. It's fantastic when you go to premieres and people cheer you, but it's not real. And it's totally not my approach to get my name on a club door just because I can.
I was cursed with age, really. You do that stupid thing at 12 years old when you say something and it kind of sticks with you for the rest of your life. So, I believe I said I wanted to be a fishery manager. In hindsight, I think acting could be a better route.
I'm a real big country boy.
I live right in the middle of nowhere and I thoroughly enjoy it.
People always tell me I'm nothing like my character. Well, hopefully not! He's a character who's very defined. He was purposefully written by Jo Rowling as very one-dimensional in the first few books, because you're supposed to hate him.
As soon as you see 'Dame' in front of someone's name, you get nervous, but Dame Maggie Smith is the most wonderfully gentle woman I have ever met. She never had a bad word to say.
I remember my first scene with Alan Rickman, and I was anxious because he is a slight 'method' actor; as soon as he is in his cloak, he walks and talks like Snape - it is quite terrifying. But I really wanted to talk to him because 'Robin Hood' was one of my favourite films.
I plan to go to college in Southampton, a fishery studies college. Again, my brother was down there about two years ago and he said it was great, so I'm looking forward to that.
You avoid the hype while you're working, you have to, but the premiere is the one night of the year where you can enjoy it.
I like to fish. Fishing is always a way of relaxing.
I had a great childhood.
Whatever life throws at me I'll take it and be grateful for it as well.
It's fun to be blond, and it's almost difficult to remember how I used to look with my proper hair color.
I like geography. I like to know where places are.
I think I'd take a human butler over a robot one.
I like my ladies lady-ish, feminine so to speak. I love jeans and hoodies, but the idea of being an ultimate tomboy does slightly confuse me.
I have met a couple of six-year-olds who were apparently quite excited to meet me - before they actually met me. And when they actually met me they ran behind their parents' legs and cowered for shelter.
Going online and asking questions is the best way to learn.
I really liked the snake that breaks out of the cage in the beginning of the movie. I saw it in real life, and it was really cool. Really big and fat. The owls are cool as well, but you can't really pet them.
I'm terrible at texting people back. It takes me, like, three days. I'm not a big phone person.
I like all films whether it's dark or light, love, hate, whatever it is, I enjoy it.
I hope to be scaring children for the rest of my life.
