Billie Piper facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Billie Piper
Piper at the 2019 Brussels Comic Con
Born	Leian Paul Piper (1982-09-22) 22 September 1982 (age 42) Swindon, Wiltshire, England
Education	Sylvia Young Theatre School
Occupation	Actress singer
Years active	1996–present
Spouse(s)	Chris Evans ​ ​ (m. 2001; div. 2007)​ Laurence Fox ​ ​ (m. 2007; div. 2016)​
Partner(s)	Johnny Lloyd (2016–2023)
Children	3
Awards	Full list
Musical career
Genres	Pop dance-pop
Instruments	Vocals
Years active	1996–2003
Labels	Innocent Virgin

Billie Paul Piper (born Leian Paul Piper on 22 September 1982) is an English actress and former singer. She is well-known for playing Rose Tyler in the TV show Doctor Who from 2005 to 2010.

Billie first became famous as a singer. She released her first song, "Because We Want To", when she was 15. This made her the youngest female singer to reach number one on the UK Singles Chart. Her next song, "Girlfriend", also hit number one. In 1998, she released her first album, Honey to the B, which sold very well. Her second album, Walk of Life, came out in 2000 and included her third number-one song, "Day & Night". In 2003, Billie decided to stop her music career to focus on acting.

She starred as Rose Tyler, a friend to the Doctor, in the BBC One science fiction series Doctor Who. She was a regular cast member in 2005 and 2006. She also made guest appearances in 2008 and 2010. Billie returned for the show's 50th anniversary special in 2013. She played a character called "The Moment" but was still credited as Rose Tyler. She also appeared in "The Reality War" in 2025 in a mystery role.

Billie has also starred in other TV shows. These include Penny Dreadful (2014–2016) and Collateral (2018). For Collateral, she was nominated for a British Academy Television Award for Best Supporting Actress. Billie also helped create and starred in the show I Hate Suzie (2020–2022). She received nominations for Best Actress for this role.

Since 2007, Billie has performed in five plays. She won the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress in 2017 for her role in Yerma. This performance was called one of the "generation's best."

Early Life and Education

Billie Piper was born in Swindon, Wiltshire, England, on 22 September 1982. Her birth name was Leian Paul Piper. Her parents legally changed her first name to Billie in April 1983. She has three brothers and sisters.

Billie started taking dance classes when she was five years old. Two years later, she appeared in commercials for soft drinks in America. She also had a small role in the 1996 film Evita. She went to Bradon Forest School near Swindon. However, she left around age 12 after winning a scholarship. This scholarship allowed her to attend the Sylvia Young Theatre School in London.

Music Career Highlights

Billie's career began when she was chosen for the children's TV show Scratchy & Co. She later appeared in a TV commercial for Smash Hits magazine. At 15, she was offered a record deal. In 1998, she became the youngest artist to have a number one song in the UK. This song was "Because We Want To". Her next song, "Girlfriend", also reached number one.

Her first album, Honey to the B, came out soon after. It reached number 14 on the UK Albums Chart. It sold over 300,000 copies in the UK. It also sold very well in New Zealand. However, it was not as popular in other countries like Australia or the US.

At the 1998 Smash Hits Poll Winners' party, Billie was nominated for Best New Act. She won the "Princess of Pop" award. She then released "She Wants You" and "Honey to the Bee". Both songs reached number three on the charts.

In 1999, Billie was nominated for two BRIT Awards. She also won two awards at the 1999 Smash Hits Poll Winners' party. She started touring and releasing music in Asia. She recorded a song for Pokémon: The First Movie called "Makin' My Way (Any Way That I Can)".

Piper in 2004

Billie recorded her second album during this time. She decided to use her full name, Billie Piper, for future releases. In May 2000, she had her third number-one song, "Day & Night". Her second album, Walk of Life, was released in October 2000. It reached number 14 in the UK. However, it quickly left the charts. Billie later said in her book that the album was a "commercial bomb." The last song from the album, "Walk of Life", reached number 25.

In 2007, a radio DJ named Chris Moyles helped "Honey to the Bee" get back into the top 100. This happened because of new rules that counted song downloads. The song re-entered the UK singles chart at number 17.

Film and Television Roles

In 2004, Billie appeared in the films The Calcium Kid and Things to Do Before You're 30. She also starred in the horror film Spirit Trap in 2005. In November 2005, she played Hero in a BBC version of Much Ado About Nothing. This version was set in modern times.

In 2005, Doctor Who returned to TV after many years. Billie was chosen to play Rose Tyler. Rose was a friend who traveled with the ninth Doctor (played by Christopher Eccleston). Billie won the Most Popular Actress award at the National Television Awards in 2005 and 2006 for her role in Doctor Who. BBC News named her one of its "Faces of the Year" for 2005. In 2006, she won The Times Breakthrough Award for successfully moving from singing to acting. She was also named Best Actress at the TV Quick and TV Choice Awards.

After the first successful series of Doctor Who, there were many rumors about how long Billie would stay. In June 2006, the BBC announced she would leave the show in the episode "Doomsday". She had decided to leave a year earlier, but it was kept a secret.

Piper and David Tennant filming the fourth series of Doctor Who in Penarth

In November 2007, the BBC confirmed Billie would return as Rose Tyler for three episodes in the fourth series of Doctor Who. This return had been planned since she left. The series started in April 2008. After a few small appearances, Billie officially returned as Rose in the final episodes of series four: "Turn Left", "The Stolen Earth", and "Journey's End".

Billie also worked on other TV shows. In December 2006, she played Sally Lockhart in a BBC adaptation of The Ruby in the Smoke. She continued this role in The Shadow in the North in December 2007. Billie also played Fanny Price in a version of Jane Austen's Mansfield Park in March 2007. This was her first TV role for a channel other than the BBC.

Piper at the Doctor Who panel at the 2015 Oz Comic Con

She returned as Rose Tyler in "The End of Time", the last of the Doctor Who specials from 2008–2010. She played a younger version of Rose. In January 2013, Billie said she had not been asked to return for the 50th anniversary of Doctor Who. However, the BBC announced in March that she would return for "The Day of the Doctor" in November 2013. In this episode, she played "The Moment," a special weapon that took on Rose's appearance.

In May 2014, Showtime aired a new horror series called Penny Dreadful. Billie played Brona Croft, an Irish immigrant. In the second series, Brona was brought back to life as Lily by Victor Frankenstein. She was nominated for Best TV Supporting Actress for this role.

Piper at the 2016 Phoenix Comicon

Billie returned to play Rose Tyler in three audio stories for The Tenth Doctor Adventures in November 2017. She also starred in her own audio drama series called Rose Tyler: The Dimension Cannon. The first set of stories was released in September 2019.

In 2019, Billie wrote, starred in, and directed her first film, Rare Beasts. She also appeared in Eternal Beauty. In August 2020, Billie helped create and starred in the show I Hate Suzie. She played Suzie Pickles, a former child star whose life changes after a phone hack. Critics praised her performance.

In March 2021, it was announced that Billie would appear in the film Catherine Called Birdy. In April 2022, she was announced to star in and produce a Netflix series based on the book Coming Undone. In February 2023, it was announced she would play Sam McAlister in Scoop, a Netflix film about a famous TV interview. In May 2024, it was announced that Billie joined the cast of Wednesday season two. In May 2025, Billie returned to Doctor Who in "The Reality War" in an unknown role.

Stage Performances

Billie made her first stage appearance in a play called Treats in 2007. She played Carly in the play Reasons to Be Pretty from November 2011 to January 2012. Her performance received great reviews. BBC Radio 4 called her "fantastic, completely brilliant."

Billie made her debut at the National Theatre in The Effect from November 2012 to February 2013. This play was very popular. Billie was nominated for the WhatsOnStage Best Actress award for her role. In 2013, she was also nominated for Best Actress at the Olivier Awards and Evening Standard Theatre Awards for The Effect. Billie also starred in Great Britain at the National Theatre in 2014.

Piper at the 2016 Magic City Con

In 2016, Billie starred in Yerma at the Young Vic theatre. Her performance received huge praise. The Guardian called her "earth-quaking," and The Stage called it "a generation's greatest performance." The Independent said she was "shattering." Billie won all six major Best Actress awards for this performance. This made her the only actor to win all six UK theatre Best Actress awards for a single role, including the important Olivier Award.

In August 2017, Yerma was shown live in over 700 cinemas across the UK. Many cinemas sold out. After the screening, '#Yerma' was a trending topic on Twitter. The play was also streamed worldwide.

Billie performed Yerma again in New York in March and April 2018. She received more excellent reviews. The New York Times called her performance "an unconditional victory" and "blisteringly powerful." Vogue called Billie "one of the great talents of her generation."

Personal Life

Billie Piper married TV presenter Chris Evans in a secret ceremony in Las Vegas on 6 May 2001. They had been dating for six months. Their marriage attracted attention because Billie was 18 and Chris was 35. They separated in 2004 and divorced in May 2007.

Billie married actor Laurence Fox on 31 December 2007. They have two sons together. Billie and Laurence divorced in May 2016.

Billie began dating Johnny Lloyd, the lead singer of the band Tribes, in 2016. Their daughter was born on 2 January 2019. The couple separated in 2023.

Filmography

Film

Television

Audio

Theatre

Discography

• Honey to the B (1998)
• Walk of Life (2000)

Awards and Recognition

Billie Piper has won and been nominated for over 70 awards. During her music career, she was nominated for two BRIT Awards in 1999. For her acting in Doctor Who, she won two National Television Awards for Best Actress in 2005 and 2006. She has also been nominated for two British Academy Television Awards. These were for Best Supporting Actress in Collateral (2018) and Best Actress in I Hate Suzie (2020–2022).

For her role in the 2016 play Yerma, Billie won six Best Actress awards. This includes the prestigious Laurence Olivier Award. She is the only actor to have won all currently available UK theatre Best Actress awards for a single performance.

See also

In Spanish: Billie Piper para niños

• List of British actors