William Boyd was born on August 28th, 1968, to William and Mary Boyd in Glasgow, Scotland, UK. The five foot seven actor is most commonly known in the U.S. as the actor who plays Peregrin Took in “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy, Boyd has had a long acting career. He was first introduced to acting when he was cast as Dodger in a school production of the classic musical “Oliver” at age 11 and was encouraged to act by his mother who enrolled him in the amateur dramatic class of the Dolphin Arts Centre.
Boyd decided to leave school just before his 17th birthday to train as a bookbinder, completing four years of apprenticeship. After two years working in the field, Boyd chose to pursue his acting career and applied to the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama. He spent a year in the U.S, where he learned of his acceptance to their three-year program. Returning to Scotland, Boyd earned a diploma in Dramatic Arts. Immediately out of school Boyd found work at the Byre Theatre in St. Andrews in the title role in the musical “Secret Diary of Adrian Mole.” He also played at Edinburgh’s Royal Lyceum Theatre and Traverse Theatre in such plays as “Much Ado About Nothing,” “Merlin the Magnificent,” “Hansel & Gretel,” and “Britannia Rules.”
Billy broke into TV on the crime drama “Taggart” playing an autistic teenager. He also played in “Coming Soon” and “Chapter & Verse”. His movie career began by playing a loan shark in the film “An Urban Ghost Story” and he later went on to act in such films as “Julie & the Cadillac’s,” “Soldiers Leap,” “The Far Side of the World,” and “Sniper470”. His international break came when he won the role of Peregrin Took in the wildly popular “Lord of the Rings” trilogy, in which Boyd and the cast were nominated by the Screen Actor’s Guild for the best ensemble award. He also played in the video “Winners & Losers” and has done many radio shows.
Boyd’s other skills include foil fencing, Jeet Kune Do, Filipino Kali, guitar, bass guitar, drums, and singing. He loves to focus on his sword fighting, karate, and guitar in his spare time. Even after Boyd’s success on the big screen he has again returned to the stage, most recently starring in “The Ballad of Crazy Paola” at the Traverse Theatre.
