Robbie Kay

**Robert Andrew Kay** is an English actor whose credits include Fugitive Pieces, Heroes Reborn, Pinocchio, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides and Peter Pan in the Once Upon a Time television series.

## Career

Kay's family moved to the Czech Republic, where he saw a note for English-speaking children to be extras in a film on a school noticeboard. Despite a lack of previous acting experience, this led to him getting a speaking part in The Illusionist, but his scenes were eventually cut from the film.

After small roles in Hannibal Rising and My Boy Jack, the Canadian production company making Fugitive Pieces asked him to play the part of Young Jakob which involved a 9-week shooting schedule, three of which were on Greek islands.

The people who made Fugitive Pieces had auditioned more than 150 boys before finding 10-year-old Robbie who had been living in Prague for two years. He spent a year studying acting, singing and dancing at one of Britain's Stagecoach theatre schools. Kay appeared in a miniseries adaptation of Pinocchio, playing the title character. After finishing Pinocchio, he went on to play Sam, a boy diagnosed with leukemia in Ways To Live Forever screening in late 2010. He appeared in Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, playing the Cabin Boy. More recently, he portrayed Peter Pan in Once Upon a Time.

In March 2015, Kay was cast as a high school student named Tommy Clark in the TV series Heroes Reborn.

## Reception

Kay's work has been generally well received by the critics. Alicia Cox of Chatelaine wrote on his work in Fugitive Pieces: "Robbie Kay, who plays the young Jakob, gives a remarkable performance with little words and a lot of emotion. When he smiles (which isn't often) you can't help but be affected."

## Personal life

Kay was born in Lymington, Hampshire, England to Ivan and Stephanie Kay. He moved to Brussels, Belgium at an early age. He has two older sisters, Camilla and Fiona.

In 2006, Kay and his family moved to Prague in the Czech Republic, where he attended the International School of Prague. He has been living in Houston, Texas since 2011.

## Awards and nominations

 Best Performance in a TV Movie, Miniseries, or Special — Leading Young Actor
 2014

## Trivia

* Robbie's first film was The Illusionist with Edward Norton. He played a 6-year-old boy but the scenes did not make the final cut. Robbie also played the younger version of Ralph Fiennes "Harry" in In Bruges. His scenes did not make it into the movie but can be seen in the deleted scenes section of the DVD.
* Was living in Prague for two years when he was cast as Young Jakob in 'Fugitive Pieces.'.
* Studied acting, singing and dancing for a year at England's Stagecoach Theatre School.
* Houston, Texas : Living, working and attending school [November 2011]
* Wasn't a fan of Once Upon a Time before he got cast as the role of Peter Pan.
* Has a deathly fear of heights and roller-coasters.
* Has a bloodshot eye as a result from a stick going into his eye when he was 5 years old. It burst a blood vessel, but hasn't affected his eyesight.
* After seeing a recruitment flyer for child actors, he earned a speaking role in The Illusionist. Unfortunately, his scene was cut from the final version. He appeared early in his career in Hannibal Rising and My Boy Jack.
* He played a young boy dying of cancer in the 2010 film Ways To Live Forever, which stars Ben Chaplin and Emilia Fox.
* He spent his childhood in England, Belgium, and the Czech Republic. His father Ivan grew up in Peterborough and his mother Stephanie lived in Newcastle upon Tyne.