# Tom Hopper
**Tom Hopper** (Thomas [Edward Hopper](https://www.edgepedia.org/edward-hopper), born 1985) is an English actor best known for playing physically imposing characters: Sir Percival in *[Merlin](https://www.edgepedia.org/merlin-2008-tv-series)* (2010–12), [Billy Bones](https://www.edgepedia.org/billy-bones) in *Black Sails* (2014–17), Dickon Tarly in *Game of Thrones* (2017), Luther Hargreeves in *The Umbrella Academy* (2019–24), and Raife Hastings in *The Terminal List: Dark Wolf* (2025)[1](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/33052/tom-hopper) • [2](https://tv.apple.com/gb/person/tom-hopper/umc.cpc.90zdvzjxk4fdg39cki4ovwxt).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1985 in Coalville, Leicestershire, England[1](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/33052/tom-hopper) |
| Training | Ashby School, where he joined a drama class and appeared in *Return to the Forbidden Planet*; Rose Bruford College[1](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/33052/tom-hopper) |
| Signature roles | Percival in *Merlin*, Billy Bones in *Black Sails*, Dickon Tarly in *Game of Thrones*, Luther Hargreeves in *The Umbrella Academy*, Raife Hastings in *The Terminal List: Dark Wolf*[1](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/33052/tom-hopper) |
| *The Umbrella Academy* | Luther Hargreeves, 36 episodes, 2019–2024[1](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/33052/tom-hopper) |
| Physical profile | 6'5" tall; former rugby player[3](https://www.mensjournal.com/entertainment/the-umbrella-academy-tom-hopper-on-self-image-body-dysmorphia) |
| Representation | Signed with UTA in 2026 for representation in all areas[4](https://malaysia.news.yahoo.com/umbrella-academy-actor-tom-hopper-195545143.html) |
| Upcoming | Ben Dawson in *The Mark* opposite Jessica Alba; lead and producer of the indie feature *Better*[5](https://screenqueensland.com.au/sq-news/media-centre/queensland-makes-the-mark-with-jessica-alba-and-tom-hopper-in-spy-thriller-set-on-the-gold-coast/) • [6](https://www.sophiemoelle.com/better) |
## Background and training
Hopper attended Ashby School in [Leicestershire](https://www.edgepedia.org/leicestershire), where he first developed an interest in acting, joining a drama class and appearing in a production of the musical *Return to the Forbidden Planet*. He then studied acting at Rose Bruford College[1](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/33052/tom-hopper). At 6'5" and a former rugby player, he stands out in a profession where he has been described as "a rare breed"[3](https://www.mensjournal.com/entertainment/the-umbrella-academy-tom-hopper-on-self-image-body-dysmorphia).
In interviews he has described how his build shaped his casting. He said he wanted to stand out in a competitive field, and after bulking up he began landing roles in low-budget movies and on British television, usually as menacing types such as soldiers and swashbucklers[7](https://www.muscleandfitness.com/workouts/athletecelebrity-workouts/tom-hopper-talks-umbrella-academy-hardcore-workouts-and-diet/). He has said he consciously put himself in the "big guy" bracket and played those roles first so that he could later establish his acting ability and versatility[8](https://fault-magazine.com/2024/08/tom-hopper/).
## Television career
**Merlin and early roles.** Hopper's first substantial television role was Sir Percival, one of the [Knights of the Round Table](https://www.edgepedia.org/knights-of-the-round-table), in the BBC series *Merlin* (2010–12), in which he appeared in 26 episodes[2](https://tv.apple.com/gb/person/tom-hopper/umc.cpc.90zdvzjxk4fdg39cki4ovwxt) • [9](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2584392/). He has said that *Merlin* gave him the first role requiring the big, quiet giant characterization that later defined his casting[10](https://themodelhealthshow.com/tom-hopper/).
**Black Sails.** After *Merlin*, Hopper played the pirate Billy Bones in *Starz*'s *Black Sails* (2014–17), a leading role opposite [Toby Stephens](https://www.edgepedia.org/toby-stephens) and [Ray Stevenson](https://www.edgepedia.org/ray-stevenson), with [Michael Bay](https://www.edgepedia.org/michael-bay) and Brad Fuller as executive producers[4](https://malaysia.news.yahoo.com/umbrella-academy-actor-tom-hopper-195545143.html) • [2](https://tv.apple.com/gb/person/tom-hopper/umc.cpc.90zdvzjxk4fdg39cki4ovwxt). He has called getting *Black Sails* the biggest turning point of his career[3](https://www.mensjournal.com/entertainment/the-umbrella-academy-tom-hopper-on-self-image-body-dysmorphia). The production put him on a rigorous training regime and an intense diet, which he has said he would not necessarily recommend looking back on for health[10](https://themodelhealthshow.com/tom-hopper/).
**Game of Thrones.** Following *Black Sails*, HBO cast him in the seventh season of *Game of Thrones* as the swordsman-hunter Dickon Tarly, a character who dies burned by dragon fire[9](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2584392/) • [7](https://www.muscleandfitness.com/workouts/athletecelebrity-workouts/tom-hopper-talks-umbrella-academy-hardcore-workouts-and-diet/).
**The Umbrella Academy.** Hopper's most prominent role is Luther Hargreeves, the eldest sibling in the Netflix superhero series *The Umbrella Academy*, which ran from 2019 to 2024 across 36 episodes[2](https://tv.apple.com/gb/person/tom-hopper/umc.cpc.90zdvzjxk4fdg39cki4ovwxt) • [1](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/33052/tom-hopper). The role required a prosthetic bodysuit for the gorilla-bodied, super-strong Luther[11](https://www.esquire.com/entertainment/tv/a65933345/the-terminal-list-dark-wolf-tom-hopper-interview/). In the fourth and final season, the character loses his powers and briefly appears as a male stripper, and Hopper described the difficulty of playing Luther without the suit, saying that when the suit came back it helped him return to the character he had created[8](https://fault-magazine.com/2024/08/tom-hopper/). His comedic work in the series' second season has drawn particular attention from viewers, and he has credited the sitcom *Friends* as a formative comedic influence[12](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2020/jul/21/tom-hopper-umbrella-academy-friends-made-in-chelsea).
**The Terminal List: Dark Wolf.** In 2025 Hopper starred as Navy SEAL Lieutenant Raife Hastings in *The Terminal List: Dark Wolf* on Prime Video, a prequel to the 2022 series *The Terminal List* starring [Chris Pratt](https://www.edgepedia.org/chris-pratt), telling the origin story of [Taylor Kitsch](https://www.edgepedia.org/taylor-kitsch)'s character Ben Edwards[11](https://www.esquire.com/entertainment/tv/a65933345/the-terminal-list-dark-wolf-tom-hopper-interview/) • [4](https://malaysia.news.yahoo.com/umbrella-academy-actor-tom-hopper-195545143.html). Hopper's connection to the character came while reading *True Believer*, the 2019 second book in Jack Carr's Terminal List series, in which an interaction between characters named Freddie and Reece resonated with him personally[11](https://www.esquire.com/entertainment/tv/a65933345/the-terminal-list-dark-wolf-tom-hopper-interview/). He will reprise the role of Raife in Season 2 of *The Terminal List*[4](https://malaysia.news.yahoo.com/umbrella-academy-actor-tom-hopper-195545143.html).
## Film work
Hopper's film credits include [Albert Wesker](https://www.edgepedia.org/albert-wesker) in the [Screen Gems](https://www.edgepedia.org/screen-gems) reboot *Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City* (2021), *The Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard* (2021) with [Ryan Reynolds](https://www.edgepedia.org/ryan-reynolds) and Samuel L. Jackson, Netflix's *Love in the Villa* (2022) opposite Kat Graham, *SAS: Red Notice* alongside Sam Heughan and Ruby Rose, a role in *Terminator: Dark Fate*, and Logan O'Leary in the 2024 romantic comedy *Space Cadet* opposite Emma Roberts and Gabrielle Union[9](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2584392/) • [4](https://malaysia.news.yahoo.com/umbrella-academy-actor-tom-hopper-195545143.html).
**Current and upcoming projects.** In October 2025, production began in [Queensland](https://www.edgepedia.org/queensland), Australia on *The Mark*, a spy thriller directed by Justin Chadwick in which Hopper plays Ben Dawson, a single father mistaken for the world's deadliest assassin alongside [Jessica Alba](https://www.edgepedia.org/jessica-alba)'s spy Eden[5](https://screenqueensland.com.au/sq-news/media-centre/queensland-makes-the-mark-with-jessica-alba-and-tom-hopper-in-spy-thriller-set-on-the-gold-coast/). He also stars in and produced the independent feature *Better*, in which he plays identical twins, with his wife Laura Hopper co-starring and co-producing[6](https://www.sophiemoelle.com/better). In April 2026 he signed with UTA for representation in all areas, continuing to be managed by Range Media Partners[4](https://malaysia.news.yahoo.com/umbrella-academy-actor-tom-hopper-195545143.html).
## Approach to acting and public image
Hopper has spoken about typecasting and versatility. Asked about the genre he most wants to try, he named a World War II film, citing *Saving Private Ryan*, while saying that the script and character matter more to him than genre[8](https://fault-magazine.com/2024/08/tom-hopper/). The best acting advice he received came from his *Black Sails* co-star Toby Stephens: that the best acting happens when you are completely relaxed and not trying to act[8](https://fault-magazine.com/2024/08/tom-hopper/).
With experience, he says his priorities have shifted from what a role could do for his career to who he will spend months of production with; as he put it, the role always matters but the people matter more[13](https://daman.co.id/celebrities/tom-hopper-the-terminal-list-interview/). He has also discussed his struggles with self-image and his road to clean eating in Hollywood[3](https://www.mensjournal.com/entertainment/the-umbrella-academy-tom-hopper-on-self-image-body-dysmorphia), and away from acting he is an avid motorcycle rider[14](https://www.numeronetherlands.com/in-conversation-with/in-conversation-with-tom-hopper).
## References
1. [Tom Hopper, TVmaze](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/33052/tom-hopper)
2. [Tom Hopper Films and Shows, Apple TV](https://tv.apple.com/gb/person/tom-hopper/umc.cpc.90zdvzjxk4fdg39cki4ovwxt)
3. ['The Umbrella Academy' Star Tom Hopper on Struggling With Self-Image, Men's Journal](https://www.mensjournal.com/entertainment/the-umbrella-academy-tom-hopper-on-self-image-body-dysmorphia)
4. ['The Umbrella Academy' Actor Tom Hopper Signs With UTA, Deadline via Yahoo News Malaysia](https://malaysia.news.yahoo.com/umbrella-academy-actor-tom-hopper-195545143.html)
5. [Queensland makes The Mark with Jessica Alba and Tom Hopper, Screen Queensland](https://screenqueensland.com.au/sq-news/media-centre/queensland-makes-the-mark-with-jessica-alba-and-tom-hopper-in-spy-thriller-set-on-the-gold-coast/)
6. [Better, Sophie Moelle production design page](https://www.sophiemoelle.com/better)
7. [Tom Hopper Talks 'Umbrella Academy,' Hardcore Workouts, and Diet Discipline, Muscle & Fitness](https://www.muscleandfitness.com/workouts/athletecelebrity-workouts/tom-hopper-talks-umbrella-academy-hardcore-workouts-and-diet/)
8. [Tom Hopper FAULT Magazine Covershoot and Interview, FAULT Magazine](https://fault-magazine.com/2024/08/tom-hopper/)
9. [Tom Hopper, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2584392/)
10. [TMHS 304: Maximizing Fitness to Stand Out with Tom Hopper, The Model Health Show](https://themodelhealthshow.com/tom-hopper/)
11. [Tom Hopper on 'The Terminal List: Dark Wolf,' Fatherhood, and Taylor Kitsch, Esquire](https://www.esquire.com/entertainment/tv/a65933345/the-terminal-list-dark-wolf-tom-hopper-interview/)
12. [Tom Hopper: 'I could watch another 10 seasons of Friends', The Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2020/jul/21/tom-hopper-umbrella-academy-friends-made-in-chelsea)
13. [Tom Hopper on Why Good People Matter More Than Good Roles, DAMAN Magazine](https://daman.co.id/celebrities/tom-hopper-the-terminal-list-interview/)
14. [In Conversation with Tom Hopper, Numéro Netherlands](https://www.numeronetherlands.com/in-conversation-with/in-conversation-with-tom-hopper)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Screen actors of the Anglosphere and Europe › English actors: 2000s onward › Surnames Gw to H*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license