Billy Howle was born in Stoke-on-Trent, England, to a schoolteacher mother and a father who teaches at Kent University, making him the second of four sons. His older brother, Sam, is a graphic designer, and despite their parents' academic backgrounds, Billy was not interested in further education. Instead, he worked at the local Stephen Joseph theater, involved in community-based projects that combined dance and acting.
After a year at drama school, Billy enrolled at the prestigious Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, graduating in 2013. His early stage appearances included 'The Little Mermaid' at Bristol and 'Ghosts' at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, opposite Lesley Manville, in Richard Eyre's production of Henrik Ibsen's classic play.
A year later, Billy reunited with Bristol Old Vic, the director, and Ms. Manville in a scorching production of 'Long Day's Journey Into Night' alongside Jeremy Irons, Hadley Fraser, and Jessica Regan. Billy held his own alongside his older, more experienced co-stars, showcasing his talent and range.
After a couple of small roles in television drama, Billy's first substantial lead came in the youth-oriented murder mystery Glue (2014),opening the first scene in memorable style as he rolled nude down stacks of grain in a barn. In 2016, he appeared in another murder mystery, The Witness for the Prosecution (2016),as the defendant accused of killing his wealthy benefactress.
By this time, Billy had already filmed his first forays into cinema: On Chesil Beach (2017) and Anton Chekhov's The Seagull (2018),both with Saoirse Ronan, and The Sense of an Ending (2017).
