Billie Piper (BD+CGI+Dummy Model) in Penny Dreadful [S2E1]
Billie Piper
Biography
Date of Birth 22 September 1982, Swindon, Wiltshire, England, UK
Birth Name Lianne Paul Piper
Height 5′ 5ΒΌ” (1.66 m)
Billie Piper studied at the prestigious Sylvia Young Theatre School. She caught the eyes of record producers who were interested in signing a young vocalist when she was the poster girl for the ad campaign of a British pop music magazine, “Smash Hits”. She released her first single, “Because We Want To”, which debuted at #1 at age 15. Her second single, “Girlfriend”, was also a #1 hit. By the time she turned 16, Billie had released 4 singles that all made the top three on the charts. She has been labeled the “Pop Princess” of England, UK.
Trade Mark
- Combination of blonde hair and very dark brown eyebrows
Trivia
- Singer.
- Chris Evans bought her a red sports car worth over Β£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.
- She was nominated for two BRIT Awards (the UK equivalent of the Grammys) in 1999, for Best British Newcomer and Best British Female, but lost to Belle & Sebastian in the former category and Des’ree in the latter category.
- Won the Breakthrough Award For Rising British Talent at the 10th annual South Bank Show Awards at the Savoy Hotel in London, England on Friday 27th January, 2006.
- Won the most popular actress award at the 11th annual National
- Television Awards in London, England on October 25, 2005 for her portrayal of “Rose Tyler”. Her Doctor Who (2005) co-star Christopher Eccleston, won for most popular actor.
- She has a brother named Charlie, and two sisters, Harley and Ellie.
- Her singing career included some misfortunes: Billie’s PR company dropped her because of Chris Evans’s interference with her image. Virgin dithered about releasing a new single, and Billie’s manager, Nicki Chapman, the Pop Idol (2001) judge, canceled their three-year contract.
- While she was at Sylvia Young’s, Billie was spotted by Hugh Goldsmith, managing director of Innocent Records, who was looking for a singer to take on the Spice Girls. He liked her vocals, and at age 14, Billie signed a three-album deal. At 15, she had a number-one hit with ‘Because We Want To’. Two more number ones followed and an album, Honey to the B, went double platinum, selling half a million copies in the UK alone.
- Refused to take any money from her divorce settlement with Chris Evans.
- Her parents only found out by listening to Virgin Radio that she had married Chris Evans in a Las Vegas chapel called Little Church of the West, when she was 18 and he was 34. Billie wore flip-flops and Danny Baker was best man. Billie and Chris took the second most expensive wedding package the chapel offered.
- Despite having, at the age of 15, a No 1 hit with “Because We Want To”, Piper revealed that her earnings from her early singing career were negligible due to being young and taken advantage of. She claimed that she is working twice as hard now because there was a massive financial rip-off and was then left with hardly any money.
- Auditioned for the role of Nikki in Alfie (2004).
- Won Best Actress, BBC Drama Awards.
- Named BBC Face of the Year.
- Woman of the Year, GQ Magazine UK.
- Won Best Actress, Best Exit of the Year for Doctor Who (2005), BBC Drama Awards.
- Won The Times Breakthrough Award – Rising British Talent, The South Bank Show Awards.
- Nomination for Best Actress, for her theatre role in “Treats”, Evening Standard Theatre Awards.
(2007/08) Nomination for London Newcomer of the Year, for her theatre role in “Treats”, Theatregoers’ Choice Awards. - Daughter-in-law of actor James Fox.
- 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.
- Was 4 months pregnant with her son Winston when she completed filming the second series of Secret Diary of a Call Girl (2007).
Returned to work 7 months after giving birth to her son Winston in order to begin filming her final series episode of Doctor Who (2005). She would later return for the show’s 50th Anniversary special. - Delivered her son Winston via emergency Caesarean section after enduring a 26-hour labour.
- Niece-in-law of Edward Fox and Robert Fox, and sister-in-law of Thomas Fox, Robin Fox, Jack Fox and Lydia Fox.
- Ranked #72 in the 2011 FHM list of “100 Sexiest Women in the World”.
- Gave birth to her second child at age 29, a son Eugene Pip Fox on April 5, 2012. Child’s father is her second husband, Laurence Fox.
- Was 6 months pregnant with her son Eugene when she completed her run of the stage production “Reasons to be Pretty”.
- Returned to work 7 months after giving birth to her son Eugene in order to begin performing in the stage production of “The Effect”.
- Makes her return to the Charts with “Day and Night”. [May 2000]
- BBC News reported that she would be leaving Doctor Who (2005) at the end of Series 2. Her last appearance as a series regular in the show will be in the episode “Doomsday,” which aired on 8 July 2006. [June 2006]
- Currently filming for Series Four of Doctor Who (2005). [November 2007]
- Promoting Secret Diary of a Call Girl (2007) in America. [March 2008]
- Cast as “Rose Tyler”, travelling companion to the mysterious “Doctor” in the long awaited 2005 re-launch of BBC TV’s long running science-fiction television serial Doctor Who (2005). [May 2004]
- Has moved back home to London, England since landing her role on Doctor Who (2005). [November 2005]
- Filming the second series of Secret Diary of a Call Girl (2007). [May 2008]
- Currently starring in the London West End play “Treats” with Laurence Fox. [February 2007]
- Appeared on Doctor Who (2005) for the show’s 50th Anniversary special, which aired on 23 November 2013. [November 2013]
- Won Best Actress Award for her role in ‘Great Britain’ at British Stage Awards 2015.
Personal Quotes
- That’s what the Doctor (Doctor Who (2005)) is about, essentially – having that energy that you just can’t understand.
[on Christopher Eccleston] We get on famously. I have learned an awful lot from him. - I am thinking about those things now. More so than all my friends – they’re a lot older than me, but they’re not even thinking about babies.
- In the next few years I’d love to play a female version of Doctor Who. I know exactly how I would play her – she would be crafty in a clever kind of way.
- A musical film is my idea of heaven. You can pre-record, you don’t have to sing live. Singing live was the bit I hated the most. I never felt like a confident singer.
- Steve Coogan does something for me. He is so naughty, but I quite fancy him.
- There are lots of great movies coming out of the U.S. but it’s not something I’ve ever really been interested in. They’re great films but I much prefer the smaller independent films, which are more thought provoking and experimental.
- I’m reading more than ever. I used to find it tedious, but now it’s like my little friend – it takes my mind off things.
- I’m happy in the UK. I absolutely love it and I’ve finally got a great group of friends. I’ve got a lovely little flat and my work’s here.
- I would really love to do a musical, I don’t know in what capacity but something funny.
- I love fresh flowers for my home. I spend far too much money on them, buying them almost every day.
- I have to teach myself. I kind of wish I’d continued with my education, but that’s something I can do in the future.
- There’s not enough money in the world to get me singing “Because We Want To”, again. I wouldn’t do it. I think BeyoncΓ© Knowles got a couple of million for a private show but I would be happy to turn it down.
- Amadu is all about the family. I’ve never known love like that before, and it made me think, ‘I want a bit of that’. It kind of forced me to get to know my family again. Another reason why he’s so lovely.
- Weight doesn’t matter as long as you’re happy with yourself.
- The more things you own, the more people you need to employ.