Matthew James Thomas

Matthew James Thomas (born 3 March 1988) is a British actor from Buckinghamshire, England, whose work spans theater, television, and film in both the United Kingdom and the United States. He trained at the Sylvia Young Theatre School in London before continuing his studies at the Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts. His professional career began at age eight, when he played Kipper in a West End production of Oliver!, and as a child he also appeared as Simon in Billy Elliot and in the film About a Boy, starring Hugh Grant.

Thomas built an extensive stage and screen résumé in the UK before transitioning to Broadway. His early British television credits include appearances on Wonderful You, The Bill, Bad Girls, and Stephen Poliakoff's The Lost Prince. In 2008, he was cast as Jeremy Tyler in the ITV drama-musical series Britannia High, created by Arlene Phillips, which ran for nine episodes after more than 3,000 people auditioned for its six lead roles. His UK stage work included a featured role as Clarence in Andrew Lloyd Webber's Whistle Down the Wind, Schlomo in Fame directed by Karen Bruce, Wayne in a stage adaptation of Ben Elton's Popcorn at the Landor Fringe Theatre directed by Lee Morgan, and productions of Romeo and Juliet and Dick Whittington directed by Gillian Lynne. In 2009, he took the title role in a musical adaptation of Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray, which ran from 2 July to 2 August at the Leicester Square Theatre, directed by Linnie Reedman with music by Joe Evans. In 2010, he appeared in an episode of the ITV series Midsomer Murders alongside John Nettles, Sylvestra Le Touzel, Lydia Wilson, and Richard Fleeshman.

Thomas made his Broadway debut in 2010 as the alternate lead in Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark, directed by Julie Taymor with music by Bono and The Edge of U2, staged at the Foxwoods Theatre (later renamed the Lyric Theatre). He played Peter Parker/Spider-Man in two performances per week while Reeve Carney performed the role six times weekly. In November 2011, Thomas sustained a backstage injury during a Wednesday matinee, though it was not considered serious. His final performance in the production was on 10 November 2012.

Following Spider-Man, Thomas was cast in the lead role of the American Repertory Theater's revival of Pippin, directed by Diane Paulus. The production originated in Cambridge, Massachusetts before transferring to the Music Box Theatre on Broadway, where it officially opened on 25 April 2013. Thomas performed eight shows per week alongside co-stars Patina Miller, Terrence Mann, and Andrea Martin. Pippin won the Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical in 2013, among four wins from ten total nominations. Thomas's performance earned him a nomination for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Musical from the Outer Critics Circle Awards. At the conclusion of Pippin's Broadway run in 2014, Thomas stepped in as a late addition to the U.S. national tour, replacing Kyle Selig, who had been placed on vocal rest. Thomas joined the tour in Denver with eight days' notice and continued in the role through later dates in Los Angeles and San Francisco.

Also in 2013, Thomas released a three-track EP of original songs titled No Sound at All, produced by Duncan Sheik. In late 2014 and into 2015, he starred as Fenwick in Diner, a musical adaptation of Barry Levinson's 1982 film, with music by Sheryl Crow. The production was developed at the Signature Theatre in Arlington, Virginia, directed by Kathleen Marshall and produced by Levinson and Scott Landis. The run sold out entirely at the Signature Theatre, and Thomas received a Helen Hayes Award nomination for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Musical for his performance.

In 2016, Thomas performed the role of Riff in a production of West Side Story at the Hollywood Bowl with the LA Philharmonic, conducted by Gustavo Dudamel, alongside Jeremy Jordan and Karen Olivo. He appeared in 2015 as Henry Paine in a pilot for the planned HBO drama The Devil You Know, co-created by Jenji Kohan, which was not picked up. In 2017, he appeared in the pilot for Shelter, a medical drama created by Warren Leight, which also went unproduced. Thomas appeared on Broadway in Time and the Conways before beginning his run as Harry Potter in Harry Potter and the Cursed Child on Broadway in 2024.