Tommy Flanagan - the Raising Star From the Film 'Sons of Anarchy'
Actors come in all different shapes and sizes. Even though a majority is expected to look like perfect looking human specimen who have never suffered a day in their life, the stories Hollywood have and want to tell requires those who do not look like the perfection in physical appearances that we have come to expect and associate with professional actors in Hollywood. The truth is, some actors, like Tommy Flanagan, have their roles to play in the vast storytelling island that is Hollywood, and he plays it so well in Sons of Anarchy where is famously known as a Fillip ‘Chibs’ Telford.
Tommy Flanagan – Biography
In a little town in Glasgow called, Easterhouse on the 3rd of July 1965, David Flanagan and Elizabeth Flanagan welcomed their son, Tommy Flanagan to the world. He was raised in Glasgow, alongside his brother, Andrew Flanagan and five other children. Not exactly a surprise for a Scottish, Tommy was raised Catholic and spent his childhood days as an altar boy in the Catholic church.
Life took an unexpected turn for Tommy when his father walked away from the family, leaving them without a patriarch to support the large family. This unfortunate turn of events bred trouble for the Flanagan children, with a couple of them, including Tommy himself getting into trouble trying to live life the way he saw fit. A large family such as theirs struggled with money and Tommy, like the rest of his siblings, worked to support the family. Tommy especially took on odd jobs like painting, decoration, and DJ.
There is no official information on Tommy’s education history, with little confirmation that he attended college. Perhaps if he had, he would not have become a DJ, which eventually led him to become an actor. His career as a DJ came to an abrupt stop when he was attacked by a couple of thugs who had a knife on him outside of a nightclub he worked as DJ. The scar from the attack is still very much noticeable on his face.
After the attack, his friend, Robert Carlyle advised him to leave the profession and become an actor. Our enjoyment of his characters in films like Braveheart, The Game, Face/Off are a result of him choosing to take that advice. After leaving the hospital, he joined Carlyle’s Raindog Theater Company, where he began to appear on stage. During his time as a stage actor, Tommy appeared in plays like Wasted I and II, Macbeth and One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.
During three years working for theater, Tommy saw acting as a legitimate way to build the life he wanted and fell in love with the profession. He eventually, began to seek roles in onscreen productions and got his debut in an episode of Screen One in 1992. He further appeared in Tis the Season to be Jolly and Taggart. In 1995, he had his first appearance in a Hollywood project, appearing in Braveheart alongside Mel Gibson. Since then, Tommy Flanagan has appeared in several Hollywood films and television shows. Gladiator, Ratcatcher, The Game, Face/Off, Sin City, Smokin’ Aces, are just some of the major films Tommy Flanagan has appeared in over the years. In television, he got his most iconic role yet as Filip “Chibs” Telford on the Sons of Anarchy. He played the role for 90 episodes between 2008 and 2014. He has most recently been cast to play Alec McCullough in Wu Assassins in a 2019 project. Moreover, his status as one of Hollywood’s biggest Scottish actors has earned him an ambassadorial role, such as being the spokesperson of Irn-Bru, a Scottish soft drink.
On the whole, actors come from all over the world to make a name for themselves in the best film industry in the world, and so did Tommy Flanagan, who made the move from Scotland to America. He reached the peak of his popularity just after his role in the film Sons of Anarchy.
