Tom Sturridge was born in London, England. He is the son of actress Phoebe Nicholls and sometime-actor and full-time director Charles Sturridge, and the grandson of actors Anthony Nicholls and Faith Kent. His maternal great-grandfather, Horace Nicholls, was a prominent photographer. Tom started his acting career under the guidance of his father's directing, in a re-telling of the Gullivers Travels TV production, when Tom was just aged 11 years old. After returning to schooling, Tom attended the prestigious Winchester Collage, but dropped out before he completed his A-Levels. He returned to acting in 2004, with roles in 'Vanity Fair' and an excellent performance in 'Being Julia'. In 2005, Tom played a demanding role in a TV production about William Shakespeare, playing William Herbert 'the fair youth', the gay lover of Shakespeare. A tough role, handled well, saw Tom go from strength to strength as an actor. In that same year he played a blink-and-you'll-miss role in a bizarre mock documentary about two conjoined twins turned rock stars called 'Brothers Of The Head'. In 2006, Tom took a part in a psychological thriller called 'Like Minds' (also known as 'Murderous Intent) and although that movie may have failed on some levels, it was the chilling performance by Tom Sturridge that won most of the positive notices. Next it was rumoured that Tom Sturridge was supposed to be cast in the big Hollywood production 'Jumper', but was dropped in favour of a bigger star in the form of Hayden Christensen. Next, in 2009, after a near three-year absence from the big screen, Tom returned in an all star comedy called 'The Boat That Rocked', directed by Richard Curtis. The fine cast also included Philip Seymour Hoffman, Rhys Ifans and Bill Nighy. Although the movie didn't set the box office on fire, it did further show Tom's potential as a future leading man. Next, stepping up his acting credentials even further, Tom appeared in a stage play called 'Punk Rock'. So good was he in that role, he won the 2009 Critics' Circle Theatre Award. Upcoming movies 'Waiting For Forever', 'Junkhearts' and 'On The Road' promise to continue Tom's ascendancy as one of the UK's best new actors. Tom has a younger brother and sister, Matilda Sturridge and Arthur Sturridge; both have followed Tom into the acting profession.