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Billie Paul Piper was born in
Swindon, UK, on the 22nd of September 1982. Growing up with her brother
Charlie and sisters Harley and Ellie, Billie knew early on that she wanted
to be a performer.
An ambitious Billie enrolled in the Sixth Sense theatre company in 1990,
which gave her acting experience in several television commercials and an
episode of The EastEnders. After a year of studies at Secondary School in
her hometown, she was accepted into the Sylvia Young Theatre School in
London. Despite her attendance at the prestigious school, Billie's busy
schedule forced her to continue her education with a private tutor.
This busy schedule was triggered after Billie was chosen as a spokesmodel
for the British pop music magazine, Smash Hits. Scouts for the new Virgin
Records subsidiary, Innocent Records, spotted the Smash Hits poster girl
in 1998, and signed her to their label.
Billie's first single, "Because We Want To", was released that same year
and propelled the 15-year-old singer to the status of the youngest solo
artist to debut at number one on the UK charts. With the help of the
follow-up single "Girlfriend" (which entered the charts at number 1) and
the release of her debut album, Honey To The B, Billie deservedly earned
the title of England's "Pop Princess" and Best Female Star at the Smash
Hits Poll Winners party.
In May of 2000, Billie made her anticipated return to the music charts
with the release of the single "Day and Night", off of her second album,
Walk of Life. Billie enlisted the help of producer Elliot Kennedy, to
match the success of her previous album -- but as her platinum album was a
tough act to follow, Walk of Life has only seen considerable success.
Along with singing, Billie has broken into the acting scene. She appeared
in the television series Never Mind the Buzzcocks and Young Entertainers
(as herself) in 1999, and appeared in Music Chronicles in 2000. After
having appeared in small roles in movies such as The Leading Man and Evita
in 1996, Billie hosted the television feature Billie Wants You!, in 1999.
Billie took a break from performing when she married media mogul Chris
Evans in 2001, but recently relaunched her acting career with a string of
critically acclaimed performances in projects such as The Canterbury Tales
and Bella and the Boys. In 2004 she appeared on the big screen with
Orlando bloom in the film “The Calcium Kid”. Next up, catch Billie in
"Spirit Trap", a horror film co-starring Luke Mably.
Naming Madonna and Janet Jackson as her heroes, Billie has enjoyed the
success of having 4 chart-topping singles, and contributing to the Pokémon
soundtrack. Although she has toured in the US, and has even performed for
President Bill Clinton while on tour, Billie has yet to break through in
America. But when she does, this princess will reign supreme. |
