Tom Payne

Tom Payne — Biography

Tom Payne grew up in Bath, Somerset, where he attended King Edward's School and was active in its drama department, before graduating from the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama in 2005. He was named one of Screen International's Stars of Tomorrow in 2007, the year he played Brett Aspinall on the BBC's Waterloo Road, and went on to play footballer George Best in the BBC Two film Best: His Mother's Son, as well as roles in ITV's Marple and Wuthering Heights. In 2010 he joined the cast of Michael Mann's HBO pilot Luck as a Cajun jockey, and in 2012 he took the title role in The Physician alongside Stellan Skarsgård and Ben Kingsley. His defining role came as Paul "Jesus" Rovia on The Walking Dead, beginning as a recurring character in season six, becoming a series regular in season seven, and staying through much of season nine. In 2019 he took the lead as Malcolm Bright, a serial killer's son, on Prodigal Son. Payne married singer Jennifer Åkerman on 21 December 2020; they have a son and twins, and his younger brother Will Payne is also an actor.