Billie Paul Piper (born Leanne Paul Piper[1] on 22 September 1982) is an English actress. She began her career as a pop singer in her teens and was well known for her marriage to DJ Chris Evans but is now best known for portraying Rose Tyler, companion to the Doctor in the television series Doctor Who from 2005 to 2006.
Contents
1 Career
1.1 Music
1.2 Film and television
1.3 Theatre
2 Doctor Who
3 Personal life
3.1 Autobiography
4 Awards and nominations
4.1 Awards
4.2 Nominations
5 Filmography
5.1 Television
5.2 Film
6 Discography
6.1 Albums
6.2 Singles
7 Ranking in Polls
7.1 Ranking in FHM's 100 Sexiest Women In The World
8 References
9 Footnotes
10 External links
Career
Music
Piper's first break in the entertainment world came as a teenager, when she was selected to appear on the Saturday morning kids' television show Scratchy and Co. Piper later landed a role in a television commercial promoting the pop magazine Smash Hits. Her role was to blow a bubble in front of the camera, burst it with her finger and shout "Pop!". A red screen would then come up and the words "Smash hits Magazine. 100% pure pop!" with Piper's voice saying the words. She then had to run up to the camera and dance, then run back. Soon after she was offered a record deal at the age of fifteen, and in 1998 became the youngest artist ever to debut at number one in the UK singles chart with "Because We Want To", released under the artist name "Billie". Her follow-up single "Girlfriend" also debuted at number one and her first album, Honey to the B (released immediately afterwards) debuted at Number 14 in the UK album charts. She released two further singles off the album, "She Wants You" and "Honey to the Bee"; both songs debuted at Number 3.
Piper then took a year off to record her second album. She decided to release further records under her full name, Billie Piper. She returned to the Singles Chart in May 2000 with a new, sexier sound. She hit the Number 1 spot with "Day & Night", but her success wasn't to continue. She waited until the following September to release "Something Deep Inside". That reached Number 4 in the UK Singles Chart. In October 2000, Piper released her second album, Walk of Life, which reached Number 14 in the UK Album Chart. The song "Walk of Life", the final single off this album, was released in December 2000 and reached Number 25 in the UK Singles Chart.
In 1999, Piper was nominated for two BRIT Awards and was named Best Female Star at the Smash Hits Poll Winners' party, although at the latter ceremony she was reduced to tears after being viciously booed by jealous fans of Ritchie Neville, member of boyband Five, whom she was dating at the time.
On 15 January 2007, BBC Radio 1 DJ Chris Moyles started a campaign to get "Honey to the Bee" back into the Top 100 on download sales as a way of testing out new chart rules that favour download sales.[2] The campaign was highly successful, with "Honey to the Bee" re-entering the official UK singles chart at #17, eight years after it was first released.
Film and television
Piper in The Canterbury Tales.In 2003, Piper decided to end her pop career and return to her original ambition, acting. She took acting lessons while living in Los Angeles and, still a high-profile figure, quickly earned roles in the BBC Television series The Canterbury Tales (modern retellings of Chaucer's stories) and the one-off drama Bella and the Boys.
Piper gained very positive reviews for these appearances, critics seemingly feeling that she was a far better actress than she was a singer.
In 2004, Piper appeared in the films The Calcium Kid, as the romantic interest of Orlando Bloom's character, and Things to do Before You're Thirty. Shortly before starting work on Doctor Who, she filmed a starring role in the horror movie Spirit Trap along side Russian pop star Alsou, released in the summer of 2005 to generally poor reviews.
In November 2005, Piper starred as Hero in a BBC adaptation of Much Ado About Nothing, updated for the modern day in a similar manner to the Canterbury Tales series in which she featured, with Hero now being a weather presenter in a television station.
Piper has completed work on two stand-alone television productions. In the first, a BBC adaptation of Philip Pullman's historical novel The Ruby in the Smoke broadcast in December 2006, Piper played protagonist Sally Lockhart, a Victorian orphan. The BBC plans to film all four of Pullman's Sally Lockhart novels, presumably with Piper continuing in the role. In 2007 she appeared as the main character, Fanny Price, in an adaptation of Jane Austen's novel Mansfield Park, screened on ITV1.[3] This was her first acting role on television for a broadcaster other than the BBC.
Besides her acting work, Piper has also begun to provide voiceovers for various television commercials, including one for Comfort Fabric Softener airing in June 2007. Piper also appears in an ITV2 adaptation of Belle de Jour, a book detailing the life of a high-class prostitute.[4] The racy new show is entitled Secret Diary of a Call Girl and is airing from 27 September 2007. The series sees Piper in several semi-nude scenes, where one scene features her saddling a client and riding him like a horse.[5] The first episode attracted strong viewing figures of 1.8 million and became one of ITV2’s biggest ever audiences since the channel's debut in 1998, and the biggest audience since August 2006.[6] It became the top multichannnel show during its timeslot and also the highest rated non-terrestrial commission of the year to date.[7]
Theatre
Piper made her stage debut in a touring production of Christopher Hampton's play Treats, which opened in early 2007 in Windsor. Treats was to have ended its tour in the West End, at the Garrick Theatre, starting on 28 February 2007 with previews from on 20 February. The play officially finished as of 26th May.[8]
Doctor Who
In May 2004, it was announced that Piper was to play the character Rose Tyler, companion to the Doctor, played by Christopher Eccleston, in the T.V. series of Doctor Who, beginning in 2005. Piper won the Most Popular Actress category at the 2005 and 2006 National Television Awards for her work on Doctor Who which was considered by many people to be brilliant.[9] BBC News named Piper as one of its "Faces of the Year" for 2005, primarily due to her success in Doctor Who. At The South Bank Show Awards on 27 January 2006 Piper was awarded The Times Breakthrough Award for her successful transition from singing to acting. In March 2006, the Television and Radio Industries Club named Piper as best new TV talent at their annual awards ceremony. In September 2006, Piper was named Best Actress at the TV Quick and TV Choice Awards.[10]
After the completion of the first series of Doctor Who which was very successful, the British media regularly released conflicting reports about how long Piper would be staying with the programme. In March 2006, she claimed that she would continue on Doctor Who into its third season in 2007.[11] On 10 May 2006, however, she was reported to be considering quitting the series, although she did express an interest in playing a female version of the Doctor in the future (possibly related to a proposed Doctor Who spin-off series about Rose which was later dropped).[12] On 15 June 2006, the BBC announced that she was to depart in the final episode of the second series, "Doomsday".[13] Piper's decision to leave had been taken a year previously, but remained a secret until news of her departure became public.[14]
Both Piper and head writer Russell T. Davies have mentioned that the manner of her departure was intended to leave the door open for the character of Rose Tyler to return to the role at a later date. Rose did not, however, return during the third series of the show. The BBC had briefly planned to produce a Rose Tyler spin-off, starring Piper, which was to follow Rose's life after leaving the Doctor, but Davies ultimately decided to cancel the project, saying it would be one spinoff too many along with Torchwood and The Sarah Jane Adventures.[15]
In September 2007, a UK tabloid newspaper, The News of the World, claimed Piper was in talks to signing a contract to return to Doctor Who for three episodes. However the story is unconfirmed and Piper denied any knowledge of it.[16] In October 2007 in the Daily Star, another UK tabloid, claimed Piper would appear in the Doctor Who series four finale.[17]
In a recent edition of OK! Magazine, they claimed Piper would return as Rose Tyler in the Doctor Who film, which had been given the "go-ahead".
Personal life
Piper was born in Swindon, Wiltshire, England to Paul Piper and Mandy Kent. Her parents changed her given name from Leanne to Billie three weeks after registering her birth. Piper has one younger brother, Charlie, and two younger sisters, Harley and Ellie.[18]
Piper grew up in Nine Elms, Swindon. She went to Brookfield Primary School in the Shaw, Swindon, and Bradon Forest Secondary School in the village of Purton. She supports Swindon Town football club. Later, she attended The Sylvia Young Theatre School. She is 1.65 metres tall. She is quoted as saying: "Weight doesn't matter as long as you're happy with yourself."
Piper married businessman, television presenter, and BBC Radio 2 DJ Chris Evans in a secret ceremony on May 2001 in Las Vegas after five months of dating. Their marriage attracted much comment due to the sixteen-year age gap between the two.[19]
A story in The Independent on 27 June 2006 stated that Piper has declared that she does not wish to claim any money from Evans' reported £30m wealth or his £540,000 salary from Radio Two. "I'm not taking a penny from him," she told the Radio Times. "I think that's disgusting." Piper also revealed in her interview with Radio Times that she left her pop star career with very little money.[20] The couple got divorced on 31 May 2007.[21] Evans has admitted that the age gap was a reason in seeking the divorce.[22]
Piper dated and lived with law student Amadu Sowe from 2004 to 2006.[23] She is now dating actor Laurence Fox, son of James Fox, and they are living together in their new home in a village in West Sussex.[24] They are currently engaged,[25] with the wedding date set for December 31, 2007.[26]
Autobiography
Piper signed a six-figure contract with publishers Hodder and Stoughton to write her autobiography Growing Pains, which was released in the autumn of 2006. According to an interview for the BBC's Top Gear programme, Piper only released the autobiography because an unauthorised biography had been announced.
In recent publication, an excerpt of her autobiography has been printed. Piper divulges about her battle with anorexia that developed after a television presenter called her fat when she was a 16-year-old pop star. Piper began to use laxatives as well as starvation to drop weight. During a US promotional tour, she contemplated suicide as a result of low record sales and self doubt. She admits to managing five days without food during which time she subsisted on nothing more than Diet Coke and coffee. She also stated that her relationship with Evans made her ditch her starvation diet and gave her a new zest for life.[27] However, after her split with Evans, Piper returned to anorexia.[28] In the autobiography, Piper said that eating disorders were rife among the girls at her former school the Sylvia Young Theatre School. Young has since spoken out against Piper calling her claim "rubbish" and stating she feels "bewildered" by the allegation.[29]
Birth Name
Lianne Paul Piper
Height
5' 5" (1.65 m)
Mini Biography
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.
IMDb Mini Biography By: Dori-6
Spouse
Chris Evans (6 May 2001 - 31 May 2007) (divorced)
Trade Mark
Combination of blonde hair and very dark brown eyebrows
Trivia
Singer
Chris Evans bought her a red sports car worth over £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 Evan's interference with her image. Virgin dithered about releasing a new single, and Billie's manager, Nikki Chapman, the Pop Idol 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 becoming, at the age of 15, the youngest British pop singer to have 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.
David Tennant (The Tenth Doctor) was born in 1971 when Jo Grant and The Master made their first appearances in "Terror of the Autons", Christopher Eccleston (The Nineth Doctor) was born in 1964 when Susan left the series in "The Dalek Invasion of Earth", Camille Coduri (Jackie Smith) was born in 1966 when William Hartnell left the original series and Patrick Troughton took over the role, Billie Piper (Rose Tyler) was born in 1982 when Adric died in "Earthshock" and Noel Clarke (Mickey Smith) was born in 1975 when Davros, the creator of the Daleks made his first appearance in "Genesis of the Daleks".
Auditioned for the role of Nikki in Alfie (2004).
Engaged to Laurence Fox. [2007]
Nomination for Best Actress, for her theatre role in "Treats", Evening Standard Theatre Awards. [2007]
Where Are They Now
(May 2000) Makes her return to the Charts with "Day and Night"
(May 2004) 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).
(November 2005) Has moved back home to London, England since landing her role on "Doctor Who" (2005).
(June 2006) BBC News reported that she would be leaving Doctor Who at the end of Series 2. Her last appearance in the show will be in the Episode "Doomsday" which will air on 8 July 2006.
(February 2007) Currently starring in the London West End play "Treats" with Laurence Fox
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