Tom Vaughan-Lawlor was born in 1977. He grew
up in Dundrum, in Dublin. He attended De La Salle College
Churchtown and credits his English teacher, Mr Corbet, with
sparking his interest in drama, and he even wrote his own play
whilst at the school. Afterwards Tom went to Trinity College and
graduated with a degree in Drama Studies, continuing on to the
Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London.
After leaving the Academy Tom Vaughan-Lawlor
starred in many plays, such
as The Quare
Fellow,
The Field, This Lime Tree
Bower and
The Playboy of the Western
World, which
toured in the USA. In 2007 he was nominated for an Ian
Charleson Award for his role in
Henry
V. He also had
small roles
in The
Tiger's Tail,
which starred fellow Irish actor Brendan
Gleeson, and
Becoming
Jane, which
starred Anne Hathaway and James
McAvoy.
In 2010 he began playing the role of Nigel
'Nidge' Delaney in the critically acclaimed Irish
television crime
drama Love/Hate
. His portrayal of Nidge has been extremely
well-received by critics and he has won the Best Actor in a
Supporting Role for Television award at the 2012 IFTA Awards, and
the Best Actor for Television award at the 2013 IFTA Awards,
as well as being nominated for the Best Actor in a Leading Role in
Television at the 2014 IFTA Awards, which will be held in April
2014.
Concerning his protrayal of Nidge, Tom said:
'It's very strange because I remember watching it and looking back,
getting kind of upset. Because I thought, is that me?' However,
there is no doubt the show has had a huge effect on him and has
been an exceptional experience. 'One of the joys of playing the
part is he's a different man in all four series, he's always
changing and he's incredibly difficult to pinpoint. People are
drawn to him because of his humour, the moments he has with his
children and the moments he has with his own
conscious.'
However, Tom has stated that his real love
still lies with theatre. In early 2013 he starred in a one-man
production
of Howie The
Rookie which
opened to great reviews. In October 2013, he began working on the
new three-part political drama
Citizen
Charlie which
is based on the life of the late Taoiseach Charles Haughey. He
will play political spin-doctor P. J. Mara in the
drama.
Tom Vaughan-Lawlor currently lives in London
with his wife Claire Cox and his one child. In 2013 a group of
then-Transition Years invited Tom to the school and interviewed him
as part of their radio module. You can listen to the
recording here.