Tom Cunningham
| Tom Cunningham | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Hollyoaks character | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Portrayed by | Ellis Hollins | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Duration | 1999– | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| First appearance | 31 December 1999 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Created by | Phil Redmond | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Introduced by | Phil Redmond | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Spin-off appearances |
Hollyoaks Later (2008) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Classification | Present; regular | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Profile | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Occupation | Student | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Home | 17 Basswood Road | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Family | Cunningham |
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| Father | Gordon Cunningham |
| Mother | Helen Cunningham |
| Adoptive father | Jack Osborne |
| Adoptive mother | Frankie Osborne |
| Half-brothers |
Max Cunningham Lewis Richardson |
| Half-sisters |
Dawn Cunningham Jude Cunningham Cindy Cunningham Mandy Richardson |
| Daughters | Steph Cunningham-Lomax |
| Nephews |
Hilton Cunningham Alfie Nightingale |
| Nieces |
Bethany Cunningham Holly Cunningham Grace Hutchinson Ella Richardson |
| Other relatives | Benny Cunningham |
Thomas "Tom" Cunningham is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Ellis Hollins. The actor took over the role in 2003 and has played the character ever since. With Tom being a young child for most of his tenure, his early years featured minimal storylines, including the numerous death of his family, being abused by Clare Devine (Gemma Bissix) and having various guardians including Steph Cunningham (Carley Stenson) and Jack (Jimmy McKenna) and Frankie Osborne (Helen Pearson). However, a turning point came for Tom when it was announced that he would impregnate his girlfriend, Peri Lomax (Ruby O'Donnell) and deal with Peri's subsequent decision to give the baby away for adoption. Minor storylines have also included his friendships with Nico Blake (Persephone Swales-Dawson) and Dylan Jenkins (James Fletcher) and his relationships with Peri and his foster sister Jade Albright (Kassius Nelson). Tom is currently the sixth longest character in the show after over 16 years on the show.
The character has been played by Ellis Hollins since 2003. The actors drama teacher Judith Barker learned of the part through an agent friend and put him forward for the role.
Tom is born on Millennium Eve 1999 to parents Gordon (Bernard Latham) and Helen Cunningham (Kathryn George). After Helen and Gordon are killed in a car crash in 2004, Tom's older half sister Mandy Richardson (Sarah Jayne Dunn) becomes his legal guardian. Some time after, Mandy cannot cope looking after Tom, so gives custody to Tom's half brother Max Cunningham (Matt Littler). Max and best friend Sam "OB" O'Brien (Darren Jeffries) raise Tom in their flat. Tom runs away from home after overhearing Max tell OB he believes Tom will be better off in care. However, Mandy finds him by his parents' grave.
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