1. Layton Williams was born on 13 September 1994 and is an English actor.
21 Facts About Layton Williams
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Layton Williams won the 2025 Laurence Olivier for Best Supporting Actor in a Musical for his performance in Titanique.
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On television, Layton Williams is known for his roles in the BBC series Beautiful People and Bad Education.
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Layton Williams featured in the CBBC documentary series School for Stars, which documented life at the acting school Italia Conti.
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Layton Williams was born in Bury, Greater Manchester, to a white mother and a father of Jamaican descent.
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Layton Williams's paternal grandparents are from Jamaica and his father was born in the UK.
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Layton Williams went to London at age 11 to pursue an acting career.
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Layton Williams's 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.
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Layton Williams is the second person of colour, the other being Matthew Koon, and the first mixed heritage performer to star in the show.
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Layton Williams 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.
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On 31 January 2009, two months after his final performance, Layton Williams 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.
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Layton Williams took street dance and drama lessons at Carol Godby's Theatre workshop in Bury and ballet lessons at Centre Pointe, Manchester.
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Layton Williams was awarded a scholarship to Sylvia Young Theatre School in Marylebone, London and stayed there until 2008.
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Layton Williams attended Broad Oak High School in his home town Bury and then the Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts in London.
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Layton Williams returned to the show for the 2022 reunion special and became the co-lead of the show's fourth series alongside Charlie Wernham.
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Layton Williams went on tour with Matthew Bourne's show The Car Man.
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Layton Williams announced that he would be in the new 20th anniversary cast of Rent which toured the UK from October 2016.
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Layton Williams 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.
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From 3 June to 21 September 2024, Layton Williams played the Emcee in Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club at the Playhouse Theatre opposite Rhea Norwood as Sally Bowles.
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Layton 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.
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Layton Williams is a strong supporter of the charities Stonewall and Ditch the Label.