Age: 43
male
Thomas "Tom" Payne (born December 21, 1982 in Chelmsford, Essex) is a British actor. He is known for the role of Paul "Jesus" Rovia in the television series The Walking Dead. Currently he can be seen in the role of Malcolm Bright in the series Prodigal Son. Payne grew up in Bath, Somerset, in western England. He trained at London's Central School of Speech and Drama, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 2005. During his training, he gained his first experience in plays such as Class Enemy, The Balcony, The Rivals, Three Sisters, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Richard III, and The Man Who Had All the Luck. After graduating, he landed his first leading role in London's West End production of Journey's End. He appeared alongside Imogen Stubbs in Maria Aberg's production of Shrieks of Laughter at the Soho Theatre. After his first television roles in series such as Skins - Hautnah or Casualty, in 2007 he obtained the role of Brett Aspinall in two seasons of the series Waterloo Road. In 2008, he made his feature film debut alongside Frances McDormand and Amy Adams in Miss Pettigrew's Big Day. From 2011 to 2012, he appeared in the television series Luck as Leon Micheaux. In 2013, Payne took his first leading role in The Medicus, the film adaptation of the novel of the same name by Noah Gordon. His brother Will Payne is also active as an actor.
The series centers on a high school show choir, also known as a glee club, in the fictional William McKinley High School in Lima, Ohio. Will Schuester takes over the glee club after the former teacher Sandy Ryerson is fired for inappropriate contact with a student. With a rag-tag group of misfit teenagers, Will attempts to restore the glee club to its former glory while tending to his developing feelings for his co-worker, guidance counselor Emma Pillsbury, as well as defending the glee club's existence from the conniving cheerleading coach Sue Sylvester (Jane Lynch). A major focus of the series is the students in the glee club: their relationships as couples, their love of singing and desire for popularity coming into conflict due to their membership in the low-status club, and the many vicissitudes of life in high school and as a teenager.
