William Nathan Boyd – better known as Billy Boyd, is a Scottish actor most known for playing Peregrin “Pippin” Took in the Lord of the Rings trilogy.
Let’s journey to middle earth to learn more about his life and what he’s been up to since filming on the TLOTR trilogy wrapped up.
Billy was born on August 28, 1968, in Glasgow, Scotland. His parents tragically passed away within a year of one another when he was a teenager.
Before pursuing a film career, Billy worked as a bookbinder. He was in this role for six years before turning his sights on acting in the mid-90s.
He attended the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama. Upon graduation, he performed at both the Traverse Theatre and St. Andrew’s Repertory.
Acting Career
After graduating, Billy landed his first role in the TV series, Taggart in 1996, playing the role of Jamie Holmes. He guest-starred in three episodes.
Two years later, in 1998, he played a postman in the short film, The Soldier’s Leap and a loan shark in Urban Ghost Story.
In 1999, he landed more minor roles, including the TV movie, Coming Soon and Julie and the Cadillacs.
His big acting break wouldn’t come until 2001 when he landed the role of Pippin in the Lord of the Rings.
Lord of the Rings
In 2001, at the age off 33, he landed the role of Peregrin “Pippin” Took in the Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Rings.
He reprised his role in 2003 for The Lord of the Rings: The Two Tower and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.
What Did He Do After Lord of the Rings?
Billy’s career carried on once filming for the trilogy commenced. In 2003, he played Barrett Bonden, Coxswain in Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World opposite Russel Crowe.
In 2004, he lent his voice to the role of Glen/Glenda in the horror film, Seed of Chucky.
He later starred as Bill Craig in Stone of Destiny in 2008 and then guest starred in two episodes of The Witches of Oz in 2011 and then later starred in the film Dorothy and the Witches of Oz, reprising his role in the same year.
Throughout 2012 through 2022, he appeared in several films including Walking with Herb, Mara and the Firebringer, and Beyond Metal.
He also appeared in several episodes of Outlander, NCIS: Hawai’i, and an episode of Sofia the First.
Music Career
In addition to his acting credits, his band, Beecake, released an album in 2010, which went on to top the MySpace charts.
The band also went on to win VisitScotland’s award for Best Live Act at the Tartan Clef Music Awards. They released another album in 2012 and again in 2013.
What is Billy Boyd Doing Now?
Billy is still very much active as an actor. In 2021, he starred in Walking With Herb, the Loud House Movie, Doom Patrol, Invisible Manners, and an Intrusion.
In 2022, he joined the 10 episodes of the podcast series, Moriarty: The Devil’s Game, and in 2023, he will be appearing in one episode of the Legend of Vox Machina.
In May 2022, it was announced that Billy would be joining Julian Rhind-Tutt and Ntare Guma Mbaho Mwine in the Hulu series, Washington Black.
The series, which was adapted from Esi Edugyan’s novel, follows Washington Black as he breaks free from a sugar plantation in Barbados.
Boyd is set to play the role of Willard, the individual tasked with finding and capturing Black to bring him back to the plantation. At the time of publication, there is no more information regarding when the limited TV series will air.
Podcast
In 2021, Boyd reunited with his Lord of the Rings co-star, Dominic Monaghan to launch the Friendship Onion. The podcast will discuss Lord of the Rings’ history and trivia and dig into pop culture.
Reuniting With His Old LOTR Cast Mates
In May 2022, Billy reunited with several of his former LOTR cast mates, including Dominic Monaghan, Sean Astin, and Elijah Wood. The group shared selfies over dinner.
However, it was far from the only time they reunited. That same month they also appeared at the Calgary Expo. And, the month prior, both Elijah and Sean stopped by the Friendship Onion podcast.
Fan Conventions
Billy regularly attends fan conventions, with the most recent including Steel City Con and German Comic Con in December 2022. No dates for 2023 have been announced yet.
Fans can book a personalized video recording from Billy on Cameo for $190. Or, if they can book a business video for $1,300. According to his Cameo profile, he is highly responsive and has a 5-star rating.
Thoughts on the new Lord of the Rings series
In an interview with Syfy, Billy revealed that he liked the new Lord of the Ring series, Lord of the Rings: Rings of Power.
Billy stated that he enjoyed revisiting the places the series covered, including those that were revealed for the first time. When speaking about this, he said, “I think that gave me the most joy. I think the way they jump from one place to another made it very watchable for me.”
Personal Life
In 2010, he got married to Alison McKinnon, who had a relatively short acting career with only one credit to her name.
Together, they have one child – Jack William Boyd, born in 2006.
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