Tom Holland swung to fame as Marvel Studios’ Spider-Man, but the young actor has a rich career that stretches before and beyond the web-slinger. Holland has proven to be more than the excitable comic book character he plays, displaying vast versatility in a range of drama, thrillers, and kids’ movies.
The English actor expressed an early interest in the arts, inspired by his parents’ creative careers. His mother is a professional photographer, and his father is in the entertainment industry as a stand-up comedian and author. Holland entered the artistic world as a young dancer at a street dance club. During a club performance, he was identified for his natural acting instincts and encouraged to audition for “Billy Elliot the Musical” (via West End Theater).
In 2008, twelve-year-old Holland made his acting debut as Billy Elliot at the West End’s Victoria Palace Theater. Holland then transitioned directly into film, with a featured role in the 2012 Ewan McGregor thriller, The Impossible. He went on to appear in several dramas, drawing the attention of directors through his engaging and moving performances.
In 2015, Sony officially announced Holland as the MCU’s newest Spider-Man. The long-time Spider-Man fanboy premiered as the friendly vigilante in 2016’s Captain America: Civil War. Holland charmed mass audiences with his innocent and lovable take on Peter Parker. While he risks falling into the archetype of his most popular character, Holland continues to demonstrate his expansive range in a variety of stellar roles.
Locke (2013)
Written and directed by Steven Knight (Peaky Blinders), Locke is a unique psychological thriller that sits with one character during a life-changing drive. Tom Hardy, the film’s only actor, drives to the birth of his baby, conceived during a night of infidelity. During the journey, he receives a series of calls, including one from his wife in which he confesses his indiscretion.
Holland voices the protagonist’s son, Eddie. In a brief yet powerful voicemail message, Eddie tells his dad the score of the soccer game they had planned to watch together, while his breaking voice hints at the family’s fracturing. Holland’s layered and deeply moving vocal performance displays his raw talent as an actor, which landed him larger future roles.
The little-known film boasts a 91% on Rotten Tomatoes and is finding a wider audience on streaming.
Spider-Man (2017 – 2026)
Holland debuted as Sony’s Spider-Man in the Avengers films and swung into his first solo feature in 2017. Spider-Man: Homecoming introduced mass audiences to Holland’s lovable Peter Parker. Throughout the ongoing series, Holland’s initial naive enthusiasm has matured and hardened as his character experiences immense loss—usually relegated to Spider-Man’s backstory.
The entire existing trilogy displays Holland’s talent and charisma, though one film stands out. Spider-Man: No Way Home is one of his best and most successful spider-flicks, featuring all three live-action Spider-Men. The film made cinematic and box office history. No Way Home is the third-highest-grossing domestic release of all time, with $814.8 million (via Box Office Mojo).
Holland’s new Spider-Man movie, Brand New Day, arrives this July. While it is unlikely to outperform the last installment, it is still expected to top the summer box office.
The Lost City of Z (2017)
The Lost City of Z is a historical epic, released just three months before Holland’s first solo Spider-Man movie. The acclaimed historical action movie boasts a 7/10 from Screen Rant and an 85% on Rotten Tomatoes.
In the 1920s, British explorer Percy Fawcett disappeared while searching for a lost civilization in the Amazon. About eighty years later, journalist David Grann followed Fawcett’s journey and chronicled his experience in a New Yorker article and later a novel, The Lost City of Z (via Time).
Directed by James Gray, the movie adaptation brings the true and thrilling action to life through tangible performances, oozing with chemistry. Charlie Hunnam plays Fawcett and Tom Holland portrays his eldest son, Jack. Robert Pattinson also appears as fellow explorer Henry Costin—not the last time Pattinson and Holland will share a screen.
Avengers: Endgame (2019)
Avengers: Endgame is Holland’s highest-grossing movie of all time. The superhero epic earned about $2.8 billion worldwide, the second-highest worldwide lifetime gross in cinematic history.
Holland stands out in each Avengers movie that he appears in, and he delivers an incredibly touching performance in Avengers: Infinity War. However, Avengers: Endgame carries a particularly mighty legacy as the conclusion of the MCU’s Infinity Saga.
Following the disastrous events of the Infinity War, in which Thanos snapped away half the universe, the original Avengers unite to defeat the deviant warlord and revive the vanished. The epic blockbuster honors the complex Avengers lore, offers an emotional but ultimately satisfying conclusion, and ushers in the next saga, the Multiverse.
Spies in Disguise (2019)
Blue Sky Studios’ Spies in Disguise hides in the shadows of Holland’s other towering blockbusters. However, it is an entertaining family flick that displays Holland’s voice acting talents.
Directed by Troy Quane and Nick Bruno, the animation sees well-meaning tech scientist Walter Beckett (Tom Holland) accidentally transform slick secret agent Lance Sterling (Will Smith) into a pigeon. The two then begrudgingly unite to save the world.
Holland and Smith are a surprisingly dynamic duo that expertly imbue Spies in Disguise with tangible humor and heart. Though not a comedic actor per se, Holland earnestly bounces his excitable energy off of the suave Smith to great comedic effect.
The underrated feature had a lukewarm box office performance, but Spies in Disguise is among the best kids’ spy movies, and it is finding a wider audience on Disney+.
Onward (2020)
Holland’s Disney animated debut was cut short by the COVID lockdown. Onward is a generally well-done and touching Disney-Pixar movie, but its success was dampened by its March 2020 release, amid the burgeoning pandemic.
Written and directed by Dan Scanlon (Monsters University), Onward follows elf brothers Ian (Tom Holland) and Barley (Chris Pratt) on a quest to complete a spell to resurrect their deceased dad for a day, after their first attempt only conjures his legs.
Holland and Pratt first developed a rapport working on the Avengers films together, as Peter Quill and Peter Parker. The actors’ earned chemistry is on full display in Onward, as they expertly depict the teen brother dynamic to deliver the film’s humor and heart. Their performances bring the Elven brothers to life and make this fantastical story relatable for audiences.
The Devil All The Time (2020)
Directed by Antonio Campos, this Netflix original thriller is a hyper-violent exploration of moral depravity buoyed by captivating performances from a strong cast.
Based on Donald Ray Pollock’s 2011 novel, The Devil All The Time follows multiple intersecting stories in religious southern towns during the 1950s and 60s. Holland plays the central character, Arvin Russell. Russell is a righteous anti-hero with a protective instinct that leads him to violence. Speaking with Variety, Holland admitted he was apprehensive to approach the dark narrative, which took him to a mental space that he is not eager to revisit.
“I’ve got to say I was really nervous and scared coming on set for the first time because I didn’t know if I had it in me to play this type of character,” Holland told Variety. “He is a really complicated character, and it is very dark, and I had to go to places mentally that I didn’t know I could go to or don’t think I ever want to go to again.”
While reviews are mixed, ranging from lukewarm to positive, critics agree that the performances are phenomenal. Tom Holland ushers audiences through the twisting narrative with his outstanding lead performance. He has a particularly palpable scene with Robert Pattinson, who plays an egotistical and indeciduous preacher.