Layton Williams
{{Short description|British actor}}
{{Use British English|date=March 2025}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2025}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Layton Williams
| image =
| alt =
| caption =
| birth_name =
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|df=yes|1994|9|13}}
| birth_place = Bury, Greater Manchester, England
| occupation = Actor
| years_active = 2007–present
}}
Layton Williams (born 13 September 1994) is an English actor. He won the 2025 Laurence Olivier for Best Supporting Actor in a Musical for his performance in Titanique. Williams began his career as a child actor on the West End, starring as the titular role of Billy Elliot the Musical and Young Michael Jackson in Thriller – Live. As an adult, he went on tour with Rent{{cite web |url=http://www.rentonstage.co.uk/cast |title=Cast |publisher=Robert Mackintosh and Idili Theatricals Ltd for RENT 20th Anniversary Production Ltd |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20170310125610/http://www.rentonstage.co.uk/cast |year=2017 |archivedate=10 March 2017 |accessdate=10 March 2017}} and Everybody's Talking About Jamie.
On television, Williams is known for his roles in the BBC series Beautiful People (2008–2009) and Bad Education (2012–2014, 2022–2024). He featured in the CBBC documentary series School for Stars, which documented life at the acting school Italia Conti.
Early life, acting background and education
Williams was born in Bury, Greater Manchester, to a white mother and a father of Jamaican descent. His paternal grandparents are from Jamaica and his father was born in the UK. He has several siblings and half-siblings. Williams went to London at age 11 to pursue an acting career.
After several months of training at the Billy Elliot Academy in Leeds, Williams debuted in Billy Elliot the Musical on 26 February 2007 in London's West End.{{cite web|url=http://www.broadwayworld.com/article/Photo_Flash_Layton_Williams_Debuts_as_Billy_Elliot_20070226|title=Photo Flash: Layton Williams Debuts as Billy Elliot|publisher=Broadwayworld.com|date= 26 February 2007}} His training was documented on The Paul O'Grady Show in which he appeared in on 25 May 2007 and then in several morning TV shows, TV interviews, and short clips related to the musical. He is the second person of colour, the other being Matthew Koon, and the first mixed heritage performer to star in the show. He gave his final performance in the musical on 29 November 2008 while still being the second-longest running performer as 'Billy' in the show's history.{{cite web|url=http://www.londonmusicalsonline.com/proddesc.php?ProdID=BE|title=Billy Elliot Description – Roles in Billy Elliot (contracts of the cast)|publisher=Londonmusicals Online|accessdate=31 May 2010}} On 31 January 2009, two months after his final performance, Layton appeared on the programme Feelgood Factor on ITV, where he and two other 'Billy' actors, Tanner Pflueger and Tom Holland, performed a specially choreographed version of Angry Dance from Billy Elliot the Musical.
Williams took street dance and drama lessons at Carol Godby's Theatre workshop in Bury and ballet lessons at Centre Pointe, Manchester. Williams was awarded a scholarship to Sylvia Young Theatre School in Marylebone, London and stayed there until 2008. He attended Broad Oak High School in his home town Bury and then the Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts in London. During his time at Italia Conti, Williams featured in a children's documentary School for Stars which was broadcast on the children's television channel CBBC.
Career
He was offered the part as Young Michael Jackson in the West End musical Thriller – Live where he did a few performances before he outgrew the role. Williams became well known to a TV audience as the character Kylie – acting, dancing and singing in the 2008 to 2009 BBC Two comedy Beautiful People, series 1 and 2.{{cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2008/09_september/11/beautiful_people.shtml |title=Press Office – Beautiful People Press Pack |publisher=BBC |date=2 October 2008 |accessdate=26 July 2010}}{{cite news|author= Teeman, Tim|title= Beautiful People; Ian Hislop Goes Off the Rails; Natural Born Sellers|url= http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/tv_and_radio/article4869517.ece|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110616070038/http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/tv_and_radio/article4869517.ece|url-status= dead|archive-date= 16 June 2011|work= The Times|date= 3 October 2008|accessdate= 8 October 2008 | location=London}}{{cite news|author= Eyre, Hermione|title= Jamie's Ministry of Food, Channel 4; Beautiful People, BBC2; Ian Hislop Goes Off The Rails, BBC4|url= https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/film-and-tv/tv-radio-reviews/jamies-ministry-of-food-channel-4-br-beautiful-people-bbc2-brbr-ian-hislop-goes-off-the-rails-bbc4br-951381.html|work= The Independent|date= 8 October 2008|accessdate= 8 October 2008}} From 2012 to 2014, he played Stephen Carmichael in the BBC comedy Bad Education and also appeared in the 2015 spinoff film. Williams returned to the show for the 2022 reunion special and became the co-lead of the show's fourth series alongside Charlie Wernham.
Williams went on tour with Matthew Bourne's show The Car Man. Following that he performed the part of Duane in Hairspray the Musical 2015–2016 tour. He announced that he would also be in the new 20th anniversary cast of Rent which toured the UK from October 2016. Layton landed the lead role in the hit musical Everybody's Talking About Jamie in the Apollo Theatre in London's West End, where he would play the role of Jamie for 11 months. In August 2019, it was announced Williams would be joining the tour cast of the musical, which was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic, but later resumed in 2021. The production also made its US premiere at the Ahmanson Theatre in Los Angeles in January 2022 where Williams played also Jamie.{{Cite web |date=14 August 2021 |title=Everybody's Talking About Jamie reveals initial cast for north American premiere |url=https://www.whatsonstage.com/london-theatre/news/everybodys-talking-about-jamie-reveals-cast-usa_54698.html/ |access-date=7 May 2024 |language=en-US}}
In August 2023, Williams was announced as a contestant on the twenty-first series of Strictly Come Dancing. He was partnered with professional dancer Nikita Kuzmin. They achieved not only their first perfect 40 score, but the first of the whole series in Musicals week, which they followed up with another one in the semi-finals, as well as two in the final. They finished as joint runners-up, alongside Bobby Brazier and Dianne Buswell, losing to winners Ellie Leach and Vito Coppola.{{Cite news |last=Hogan |first=Michael |date=16 December 2023 |title=Strictly Come Dancing: the final – as it happened |url=https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/live/2023/dec/16/strictly-come-dancing-the-final-live |access-date=6 February 2024 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}
From 3 June to 21 September 2024, Williams played the Emcee in Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club at the Playhouse Theatre opposite Rhea Norwood as Sally Bowles.{{Cite web |date=7 May 2024 |title=Cabaret to star Layton Williams and Heartstopper's Rhea Norwood in the West End |url=https://www.whatsonstage.com/news/cabaret-to-star-layton-williams-and-heartstoppers-rhea-norwood-in-the-west-end_1598221/ |access-date=7 May 2024 |language=en-US}}
Williams then originated the role of Iceberg in the West End premiere of Titanique at the Criterion Theatre in December 2024, which earned him a Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role in a Musical for his performance.{{Cite web |date=8 October 2024 |title=Titanique announces West End cast including Layton Williams, Lauren Drew, Jordan Luke Gage & Charlotte Wakefield {{!}} West End Theatre |url=https://www.westendtheatre.com/257173/news/titanique-announces-west-end-cast-including-layton-williams-luke-jordan-gage-charlotte-wakefield/ |access-date=7 April 2025 |website=westendtheatre.com |language=en-GB}}{{Cite news |last=Wiegand |first=Chris |date=6 April 2025 |title=Olivier awards 2025: Giant, Benjamin Button and Fiddler on the Roof triumph |url=https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2025/apr/06/olivier-awards-2025-giant-benjamin-button-and-fiddler-on-the-roof-triumph |access-date=7 April 2025 |newspaper=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}
=Other ventures=
Williams is a strong supporter of the charities Stonewall and Ditch the Label.{{cite web |url=https://www.londontheatre1.com/news/108047/interview-with-layton-williams/ |title=Interview with Layton Williams |publisher=London Theatre 1 |date=10 June 2015 |accessdate=10 June 2015}} He is the director of 'Pros From The Shows', which holds dance, singing and acting workshops across the UK. Pros From The Shows has also released a successful clothing line.{{citation needed|date=June 2021}}
Personal life
Williams is gay and has spoken about coming to terms with his sexuality while working on Billy Elliot in London.{{cite web |url= https://www.attitude.co.uk/culture/film-tv/bad-education-star-layton-williams-on-coming-out-and-playing-gay-285358/ |title=Bad Education star Layton Williams on coming out and playing gay |first=Nick |last=Bond |work=Attitude |date=12 July 2015 |accessdate=10 March 2017 }}{{cite web |url=http://www.stonewall.org.uk/at_school/education_events/education_for_all_conference_2013/8571.asp |title=Education for All Conference 2013: Youth Programme |publisher=Stonewall |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130816080253/http://stonewall.org.uk/at_school/education_events/education_for_all_conference_2013/8571.asp |date=5 July 2013 |archivedate=16 August 2013 |accessdate=10 March 2017 }}{{cite AV media |title=Layton Williams gives a keynote address at Stonewall's 2013 Education for All conference |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KU-P94tQO78 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140326030751/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KU-P94tQO78 |archive-date=26 March 2014 |url-status=dead|publisher=Stonewall |via=YouTube |date=25 July 2013 |accessdate= }}
Acting credits
= Film and television =
| class="wikitable sortable" | |||
| Year
! Title ! Role ! Notes | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008–2009 | Beautiful People | Kylie Parkinson | |
| 2010 | School For Stars | Himself | |
| 2011 | Postcode | Russell | |
| 2012–2014 2022–2024 | Bad Education | Stephen Carmichael | Main cast (33 episodes) |
| 2015 | The Bad Education Movie | Stephen Carmichael | Film |
| 2018 | Benidorm | Airport check-in assistant | |
| 2020 | The Magic of Movie Musicals | Himself | |
| rowspan=2| 2021 | The Cleaner | Bernard / "Hosea" | Episode: "The Influencer" |
| Everybody's Talking About Jamie | Dancer | ||
| rowspan=2|2022 | Queens for the Night | Judge | |
| I Hate Suzie | Adam Jackson | 3 episodes | |
| rowspan=2| 2023
|Himself | |||
| Strictly Come Dancing | Himself | Runner-up; series 21 |
= Theatre =
| class="wikitable" | ||||
| Year
! Title ! Role ! Theatre ! Location | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007–08 | Billy Elliot | Billy Elliot | Victoria Palace Theatre | West End |
| 2015 | The Car Man | Dancer | Royal Albert Hall | London |
| 2016 | Hairspray | Duane/ Understudy Seaweed J. Stubbs | colspan="2" rowspan="3" | UK National Tour | |
| 2016–17 | Rent | Angel | ||
| 2017–18 | Hairspray | Seaweed J. Stubbs | ||
| 2018–19 | Kiss Me Kate | Paul | Sheffield Crucible | Sheffield |
| 2019–20 | rowspan=3| Everybody's Talking About Jamie | rowspan=3| Jamie New | Apollo Theatre | West End |
| 2021–22 | colspan=2| UK National Tour | |||
| 2022 | Ahmanson Theatre | Los Angeles | ||
| 2024
|Emcee |Kit Kat Club at the Playhouse Theatre |West End | ||||
| 2024-25 | Titanique | Iceberg | Criterion Theatre | West End |
= Workshops =
| class="wikitable" | |||
| Year
! Title ! Theatre ! Location | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Halls The Musical | Turbine Theatre | London |
Awards
| class="wikitable"
|+ !Year !Award !Category !Work !Result !Ref. |
| 2019
|Best Male Actor in a Musical | rowspan="2"| Everybody's Talking About Jamie | {{won}} |
| 2020
|LGBTQ+ Champion | {{won}} |
| rowspan="2"|2025
|Best Takeover Performance |{{won}} |
| Laurence Olivier Awards
|Best Actor in a Supporting Role in a Musical |{{won}} |
See also
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
{{Commons category}}
- {{IMDb name}}
{{OlivierAward MusicalSupportingPerformance}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, Layton}}
Category:Alumni of the Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts
Category:Alumni of the Sylvia Young Theatre School
Category:English gay musicians
Category:English LGBTQ singers
Category:English male child actors
Category:English male musical theatre actors
Category:English male stage actors
Category:English male television actors
Category:English people of Jamaican descent
Category:English people of Montserratian descent