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Billy Boyd | |
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 Boyd in 2025 | |
| Born | William Nathan Boyd (1968-08-28)28 August 1968 (age 57) Glasgow, Scotland |
| Alma mater | Royal Conservatoire of Scotland |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 1996–present |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 1 |
William Nathan Boyd (born 28 August 1968)[1] is a Scottish actor and musician. He playedPeregrin "Pippin" Took inPeter Jackson'sepic film trilogyThe Lord of the Rings (2001–2003),Barret Bonden inMaster and Commander: The Far Side of the World (2003) and Glen and Glenda (later G.G. Valentine) in theChild's Play filmSeed of Chucky (2004) andsecond season of the television seriesChucky (2022).[2]
Boyd was born inGlasgow, to William and Mary Boyd,[1] who both died a year apart when Boyd was in his early teens.[3] He worked as a bookbinder for six years before pursuing an acting career. After graduating from theRoyal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama, he went on to perform with St Andrews Repertory and the Traverse Theatre.[3]
Boyd started his career appearing inTaggart (1996),The Soldier's Leap (1998), andUrban Ghost Story (1998). He also appeared in the 7:84 Theatre Company Scotland production ofCaledonia Dreaming by David Greig in 1997. His breakthrough, and most notable acting role, wasPeregrin "Pippin" Took inThe Lord of the Rings trilogy, from 2001 to 2003. Boyd wrote the melody for and sang the song "The Edge of Night", which was featured inThe Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.[4] The song was later used over the trailer forThe Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies (2014), the final film in theHobbit trilogy. Boyd also wrote and performed the song "The Last Goodbye", which is played during the ending credits of the film.[5]
In 2004, he starred as Glen and Glenda,Chucky's (Brad Dourif) andTiffany's (Jennifer Tilly) offsprings in theChild's Play filmSeed of Chucky. He has also made a cameo appearance in the popular Scottish comedyStill Game in the second episode of the first series.
As well as being a screen actor, he also appears on the stage. Boyd has been in several plays; includingSan Diego andThe Ballad of Crazy Paola. He performed at theDundee Repertory Theatre in the role of Davie inSunshine on Leith, as well as inLong Hong Jimmy, in which he was the lead actor. He also starred (2007) as Richard MacDuff in the BBC Radio adaptation of the book:Dirk Gently′s Holistic Detective Agency written byDouglas Adams.
In 2011, his feature filmGlenn, the Flying Robot was shown in theDawn Breakers International Film Festival, and was followed by aNetflix release. In June 2012, he appeared on stage as the voice of the guide inThe Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy live radio show. In 2013, Boyd playedBanquo inShakespeare'sMacbeth, at theShakespeare's Globe alongsideJoseph Millson andSamantha Spiro.
Boyd together with fellowThe Lord of the Rings castmatesSean Astin,Sean Bean,Orlando Bloom,Ian McKellen,Dominic Monaghan,Viggo Mortensen,Miranda Otto,John Rhys-Davies,Andy Serkis,Liv Tyler,Karl Urban, andElijah Wood, plus writerPhilippa Boyens and directorPeter Jackson on 31 May 2020 joinedJosh Gad'sYouTube seriesReunited Apart which reunites the cast of popular movies through video-conferencing, and promotes donations to non-profit charities.[6]
In 2022, he reprised hisChild's Play role in thesecond season finale of the television seriesChucky, titled "Chucky Actually", as a merged incarnation of Glen and Glenda Tilly, known as G.G. Valentine.
He made his stage debut in 2024 withThe Lord of the Rings castmate Dominic Monaghan in the Canadian production of Tom Stoppard'sRosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead.[7]
Boyd fronts a band called Beecake.[8][9] The band was named after a time when Boyd'sLord of the Rings co-starDominic Monaghan sent a picture of a cake covered in bees. Other members of the band included Paul Burke, Billy Johnston, and Rick Martin.[10]
Boyd made a guest appearance onViggo Mortensen's 2003 albumPandemoniumfromamerica, where he played the bass on two songs, as well as drums on another.
In June 2010, Beecake released an albumSoul Swimming. As well as topping some of the internationalMySpace charts, the band was awarded VisitScotland's award for Best Live Act at the Tartan Clef Music Awards. The award was created by VisitScotland to celebrate Scotland's live music scene and Glasgow's new title of UNESCO City of Music.[11]
Beecake released the EPPlease Stay on 4 June 2012. The music video for the song "Please Stay" from the EP was released to coincide with the release of the EP. The song's music video was directed byMichael Ferns, a graduate from the RSAMD where Boyd himself graduated.[12] The group released their second albumBlue Sky Paradise in December 2012.[13] The band released a second EP titledJust B in July 2013.
In 2014, Boyd wrote and performed the song "The Last Goodbye", which was played over the ending credits of the movieThe Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies.[5]
Boyd is an avid surfer and spent his free time surfing in New Zealand during the production forThe Lord of the Rings.[3] He also holds a Grade 7 in foil fencing. He trained in martial arts at the Krauseworld Academy in Glasgow under brothers Steve Krause and Mike Krause where he achieved Phase 4 rank in bothJeet Kune Do andFilipino Kali.[14] He topped a list of the 100 Most Eligible Men in Scotland in 2002.
He owns a house inGlasgow with his wife, Alison McKinnon. The couple had their first child, a boy named Jack William Boyd,[15] on 26 April 2006. He and McKinnon were married in a ceremony with 30 guests atÒran Mór in Glasgow's West End on 29 December 2010; the wedding was attended byLord of the Rings castmatesElijah Wood andDominic Monaghan. A reception was held afterwards for about 130 guests.
Boyd has atattoo of the Elvish word for "nine" written with theTengwar script, a reference to his involvement inThe Lord of the Rings, and the fact that his character was one of the nine members of theFellowship of the Ring. The other actors of "The Fellowship" (Elijah Wood,Sean Astin,Sean Bean,Ian McKellen,Dominic Monaghan,Viggo Mortensen, andOrlando Bloom) got the same tattoo with the exception ofJohn Rhys-Davies whose stunt double got the tattoo instead.[16]
He remains close withThe Lord of the Rings co-starDominic Monaghan. Monaghan revealed in an interview for the national breakfast television showGMTV that he continues to see Boyd on a regular basis, as he is "essentially, kind of, godfather to his kid." Boyd and Monaghan co-host the podcast ‘The Friendship Onionʼ together.[17]
Boyd is one of the patrons ofScottish Youth Theatre, Scotland's National Theatre "for and by" young people. He is also the patron of theNational Boys' Choir of Scotland.
In 2008, Boyd frontedVisitScotland's Perfect Day Campaign, and talked of his love of surfing in Scotland, particularly inMachrihanish near the town ofCampbeltown in Kintyre in the west coast of Scotland, andPease Bay andColdingham Bay on Scotland's east coast. In an interview about the campaign withThe Scotsman on 28 July 2008, he said: "I don't really do much promotional stuff but felt that with this one I could be honest... I'm very proud of where I come from and I get very excited if a friend comes over and I can show them around."[18]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Taggart | Jamie Holmes | Episode: "Dead Man's Chest" |
| 1999 | Coming Soon | Ross | Miniseries |
| 2002 | Still Game | Bearded Man | Episode: "Faimly" |
| 2004 | Instant Credit | Frankie | Short television film |
| 2007 | Save Angel Hope | Vince Sandhurst | Television film |
| 2008 | Empty | Tony | 6 episodes |
| 2011 | Moby Dick | Elijah | Miniseries, 2 episodes |
| 2012 | Casualty | Duncan Jessup | Episode: "Hero Syndrome" |
| 2014 | Wild Things with Dominic Monaghan | Himself | Episode: "The Giant Wetapunga" |
| 2015 | Motive | Lawrence Frampton | Episode: "Frampton Comes Alive" |
| 2017 | Sofia the First | Malachite (voice) | Episode: "The Crown of Blossoms" |
| Snowfall | Jim Stewart | Episode: "Baby Teeth" | |
| The Simpsons | Himself (voice) | Episode: "The Serfsons" | |
| 2018, 2020 | Outlander | Gerald Forbes | 4 episodes |
| 2019 | Grey's Anatomy | Seamus | Episode: "I Walk the Line" |
| 2020 | Hollywood | Noël Coward | Episode: "Outlaws" |
| 2021 | Doom Patrol | Samuelson | Episode: “Vacay Patrol” |
| 2022 | NCIS: Hawai'i | Colin McIntyre | Episode: “Ohana” |
| Chucky | G.G. Valentine (voice) | Episode: "Chucky Actually" | |
| 2023 | The Legend of Vox Machina | Garmelie (voice) | |
| That's My Jam | Himself | ||
| 2024 | The Wingfeather Saga | The Overseer | Season 2 recurring role; 3 episodes |
| 2025 | Billy and Dom Eat the World | Himself | 8 episodes |
| 2025 | Washington Black | Willard |
| Year | Title | Role | Venue | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Macbeth | Banquo | Shakespeare's Globe | |
| 2024 | Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead | Guildenstern | Neptune Theatre | |
| CAA Theatre |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency | Richard MacDuff | BBC Radio 4 |
| 2008 | The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul | Richard MacDuff | BBC Radio 4[20] |
| 2022 | Moriarty: The Devil's Game | Colonel Sebastian Moran | Audible Original[21] |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King | Peregrin "Pippin" Took | Voice role |
| 2004 | The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth | Peregrin "Pippin" Took | Voice role |
| 2006 | The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth II: The Rise of the Witch-king | Peregrin "Pippin" Took | Voice role |
| 2013 | Lego The Lord of the Rings | Peregrin "Pippin" Took | Archive audio |
| 2019 | Magic: The Gathering Arena | Will Kenrith | |
| 2020, 2022 | The Elder Scrolls Online | Bradan, Brahgas | [22][23] |
Broadcast Film Critics Association Award
National Board of Review of Motion Pictures
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