50 facts about Louis Tomlinson from One Direction

Taking the lead role of Danny Zuko in the Hall Cross musical production of Grease motivated him to audition for The X Factor. Learn 50 facts about Louis Tomlinson.

1. Tomlinson was born in Doncaster, South Yorkshire.

2. Her parents were Johannah Poulston and Troy Austin, who split up when he was young.

3. He later took on his stepfather Mark Tomlinson's name.

4. Tomlinson was a sixth form student at Hall Cross School (a state comprehensive school) and a former pupil of the Hayfield School.

5. He failed his first year of A levels at the Hayfield School and ended up going back to Hall Cross and starting A levels again.

6. He had a number of jobs, including at a Vue cinema and at Doncaster Rovers football stadium as a waiter in the hospitality suites.

7. As a student at Hall Cross, Tomlinson appeared in several musical productions.

8. He admitted to not applying himself academically in school, but he thoroughly enjoyed being with his friends and being involved with musical productions.

9. Taking the lead role of Danny Zuko in the Hall Cross musical production of Grease motivated him to audition for The X Factor.

10. His full name is Louis William Tomlinson.

11. He is an English pop singer and songwriter, and actor.

12. He is mostly known as a member of the boy band One Direction.

13. Tomlinson began his career as an actor, initially appearing in ITV drama Fat Friends as an extra.

14. He also went on to appear in another ITV drama film If I Had You and the BBC drama Waterloo Road.

15. In 2010, he became a founding member of the One Direction which went on to finish third in the 2010 series of The X Factor.

16. In 2013, he was signed as a footballer by Doncaster Rovers of the Football League Championship on a non-contract basis.

17. In 2014, he attempted to jointly purchase Doncaster Rovers, but the deal fell through when the crowdfunding part of the deal failed.

18. Tomlinson, along with two of his siblings, had extra roles in Fat Friends. After Fat Friends, he attended an acting school in Barnsley.

19. Tomlinson auditioned for The X-Factor in 2009 where he failed to progress past the producer's audition, but this minor defeat only gave him the determination to return the following year.

20. In 2010, Tomlinson auditioned for the seventh series of the singing competition The X Factor. He failed to progress to the "Boys" category at "judges' houses" but, after a suggestion from Nicole Scherzinger, a guest judge, during the "bootcamp" stage of the competition at Wembley Arena, London in July 2010, he was put together with Niall Horan, Zayn Malik, Liam Payne and Harry Styles to form a five-piece boy band, thus qualifying for the "Groups" category.

21. One Direction finished in third place and immediately after the final their song "Forever Young", which would have been released if they had won The X Factor, was leaked onto the internet. Shortly afterwards it was confirmed that One Direction had been signed by Cowell to a reported £2 million Syco Records record contract.

22. Propelled to international success by the power of social media, One Direction's first two albums, Up All Night and Take Me Home, released in 2011 and 2012 respectively, broke several records, topped the charts of most major markets, and generated hit singles, including "What Makes You Beautiful" and "Live While We're Young".

23. Often described as forming part of a new "British Invasion" in the United States, the group have sold over 35 million records worldwide, according to the band's management company, Modest! Management. Their achievements include two BRIT Awards, two American Music Awards, and three MTV Video Music Awards.

24. They were proclaimed 2012's "Top New Artist" by Billboard.

25. Tomlinson, along with his other band members, appeared in an episode of iCarly in spring 2012.

26. Tomlinson cites Robbie Williams as his biggest influence and idol.

27. In an interview with Now magazine, he said: "I've always loved Robbie. He's just so cheeky, he can get away with anything. His performances are unbelievable."

28. He also admires fellow British recording artist Ed Sheeran, describing him as "phenomenal".

29. One Direction has a planned hiatus starting in March 2016 to pursue individual projects. Tomlinson has his own personal projects in mind.

30. He made guest appearances on The X-Factor this year, serving as a guest judge along side Simon Cowell.

31. Tomlinson has indicted he would be interested in becoming a permanent X-Factor judge during the hiatus if he is asked.

32. During the hiatus, he also plans to continue song writing with fellow band member Liam Payne and spending time with his other band members.

33. He is estranged from his father.

34. He has four half-sisters from his mother's second marriage to Mark Tomlinson: Charlotte "Lottie", Félicité "Fizzy", and identical twins Daisy and Phoebe.

35. His twin half-sisters had roles as babies in the television series Fat Friends alongside their brother.

36. Mark and Johannah divorced while Louis was competing on The X Factor.

37. Tomlinson has another half-sister, Georgia, from his father's second marriage.

38. It was announced in October 2013 that his mother Poulston was expecting twins with her fiancé, Daniel Deakin. She gave birth to a set of fraternal twins, Ernest and Doris, on 12 February 2014.

39. His mother Poulston married Deakin on 20 July 2014.

40. For several months in late 2011, Tomlinson shared an apartment with One Direction bandmate Harry Styles.

41. Tomlinson was in a relationship with student Eleanor Calder for nearly four years, but the two broke up in March 2015.

42. In July 2015 it was reported that Tomlinson was expecting a baby with 23-year-old American stylist, Briana Jungwirth, who is based in Los Angeles, and in early August 2015, on Good Morning America, he confirmed the reports.

43. One Direction has put forth great efforts towards charity work, Tomlinson himself has also done great charity work outside One Direction.

44. He along with band member Payne, co-hosted a charity ball held in honor of Believe in Magic, an organization that supports terminally ill children.

45. He has been thoroughly involved with Bluebell Wood Children's Hospice and is one their patrons.

46. Tomlinson tends to get active social media to help boost support and awareness for his charity work.

47. For his 23rd birthday last year, One Direction fans established a donation drive for Bluebell Wood Children's Hospice and set the bar high for the donation target.

48. Tomlinson also turned to social media along with some of his family member for the charity, Niamh's Next Step. Which gained the charity several more followers on their Twitter account which also draws in more awareness to the cause.

49. During One Direction's hiatus, Tomlinson wants to increase his charity work with his newly found free time. He says about the charity work: "Being my age and being able to be in a position where I can help people out and give opportunities to other people is the most exciting thing to me."

50. Louis Tomlinson enjoys playing football.