Tom Hollander

Born: 1969
Where: Oxford, England, UK

The former chorister's roles have ranged from a tweedy codebreaker in Enigma to pompous parson Mr Collins in Pride & Prejudice.

The son of a biology teacher and prep school master, he won a choral scholarship to Oxford's Abingdon School.

He went on to attend Cambridge University alongside childhood friend and Hollywood director Sam Mendes.

While at university, he joined the Footlights Revue and played a celebrated Cyrano de Bergerac, directed by Mendes.

After joining the National Youth Theatre, he accepted Mendes' offer of a job as an actor in The Threepenny Opera at London's Donmar Warehouse.

Hollander made his small screen debut in 1981 in the thriller John Diamond and first ventured onto the big screen in 1996 in the Irish drama Some Mother's Son.

Subsequent appearances included rowing drama True Blue, the Ben Elton comedy Maybe Baby and codebreaker Logie in WWII thriller Enigma.

In 2001, he attracted critical acclaim as Nick in The Lawless Heart and also starred in Robert Altman's ensemble whodunnit Gosford Park.

He played Sir Peter Leley in Stage Beauty and - in a rare misjudgement - played a sadistic snapper in the Mel Gibson-produced revenge thriller Paparazzi.

Recent work includes the toe-curling parson Mr Collins in Pride & Prejudice alongside Keira Knightley.