Billie Paul Piper, born Leian Paul Piper, is a British actress, singer and dancer who portrays Brona Croft/Lily Frankenstein on Showcase's Penny Dreadful.
Biography[]
Piper was born in Swindon, Wiltshire. Her first name, Leian, was legally changed to Billie on 25 April 1983, by her parents, Paul Victor Piper and Mandy Kane Kent. She has one younger brother, Charley, and two younger sisters, Harley and Elle. She studied at the Sylvia Young Theatre School and Bradon Forest School.
Piper's career began when she was selected to appear on the Saturday morning children's television show Scratchy & Co. She later landed a role in a television commercial promoting the pop magazine Smash Hits. She was offered a record deal at the age of 15, and in 1998 became the youngest artist ever to debut at number one in the UK Singles Chart with "Because We Want To", released under the stage mononym "Billie". Her follow-up single "Girlfriend" also debuted at number one.
In the autumn of 2003, it was announced that Doctor Who would be resurrected in 2005; the casting of Piper as Rose Tyler, a travelling companion to the ninth incarnation of The Doctor (to be played by Christopher Eccleston), was announced in May 2004. Piper won the Most Popular Actress category at the 2005 and 2006 National Television Awards for her work on Doctor Who. BBC News named her one of its "Faces of the Year" for 2005, primarily due to her success in Doctor Who. At The South Bank Show Awards in January 2006, she was awarded The Times Breakthrough Award for her successful transition from singing to acting. In March, the Television and Radio Industries Club named her as the best new TV talent at their annual awards ceremony. In September, she was named Best Actress at the TV Quick and TV Choice Awards.
On 11 May 2014, Showtime aired a new horror series called Penny Dreadful in which Piper plays Brona Croft, a poor Irish immigrant who is trying to escape a dark past. In the show's second season, Brona is resurrected by Victor Frankenstein as "Lily". She was nominated for "Best TV Supporting Actress" in the 2015 Fangoria Chainsaw Awards. The show was renewed for a third season which she began filming on 17 September 2015.
Trivia[]
- Refused to take any money from her divorce settlement with Chris Evans.
- Chris Evans bought her a red sports car worth over £100,000 after they had been dating for just three days. She couldn't even drive.
- During her singing career she suffered from insomnia due to the pressure of fame.
- Daughter of builder Paul Piper.
- Her ex-husband Chris Evans is a popular and wealthy radio DJ in England.
- On April 25, 1983, her name was officially changed to Billie Paul Piper, by her parents, Paul Victor Piper and Mandy Kane Kent.
- Gave birth to her first child at age 26, a son Winston James Fox on October 21, 2008. Child's father is her second husband, Laurence Fox.
Filmography[]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Evita | Girl wanting Juan Perón's autograph | Uncredited |
| 1996 | The Leading Man | Uncredited | |
| 2004 | The Calcium Kid | Angel | |
| 2005 | Things to Do Before You're 30 | Vicky | |
| 2005 | Spirit Trap | Jenny | |
| 2007 | Mansfield Park | Fanny Price | |
| 2010 | Animals United | Bonnie | Voice |
| 2010 | The Raven | Raven | Short film[2] |
| 2016 | City of Tiny Lights | Shelley | Post-production[3] |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Billie Wants You | Herself | Documentary |
| 2002 | Victoria Wood with All the Trimmings | Painted-by-Numbers Contestant | |
| 2003 | The Canterbury Tales: The Miller's Tale | Alison Crosby | |
| 2004 | Bella and the Boys | Bella | |
| 2005 | ShakespeaRe-Told: Much Ado About Nothing | Hero | |
| 2005–06, 2008, 2010, 2013 | Doctor Who | Rose Tyler | Series 1, Series 2, Series 4, 2008–10 specials, 2013 specials |
| 2006 | The Ruby in the Smoke | Sally Lockhart | |
| 2007 | Top Gear | Herself | Series 9, Episode 6 |
| 2007 | The Shadow in the North | Sally Lockhart | |
| 2007–11 | Secret Diary of a Call Girl | Hannah Baxter | 32 episodes |
| 2010 | A Passionate Woman | Betty | Miniseries |
| 2012 | True Love | Holly | 1 episode |
| 2014 | Playhouse Presents: Foxtrot | Badger | Playhouse Presents special |
| 2015– | Penny Dreadful | Brona Croft/Lily Frankenstein | 18 episodes |
Appearances[]
| Season 1 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| "Night Work": | "Séance": | "Resurrection": | "Demimonde": | ||
| Absent | Appears | Appears | Appears | ||
| "Closer Than Sisters": | "What Death Can Join Together": | "Possession": | "Grand Guignol": | ||
| Absent | Appears | Absent | Appears | ||
| Season 2 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| "Fresh Hell": | "Verbis Diablo": | "The Nightcomers": | "Evil Spirits in Heavenly Places": | "Above the Vaulted Sky": | |
| Appears | Appears | Absent | Appears | Appears | |
| "Glorious Horrors": | "Little Scorpion": | "Memento Mori": | "And Hell Itself My Only Foe": | "And They Were Enemies": | |
| Appears | Appears | Appears | Appears | Appears | |
| Season 3 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| "The Day Tennyson Died": | "Predators Far and Near": | "Good and Evil Braided Be": | "A Blade of Grass": | "This World Is Our Hell": | |
| Absent | Appears | Appears | Absent | Absent | |
| "No Beast So Fierce": | "Ebb Tide": | "Perpetual Night": | "The Blessed Dark": | ||
| Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | ||