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| “ | I think, Arthur. That's what I do. I think, so that you don't have to. | „ |
| ~ Tommy Shelby's most famous quote. |
| “ | The one minute. The soldier’s minute. In a battle, that’s all you get. One minute of everything at once. And anything before is nothing. Everything after, nothing. Nothing in comparison to that one minute. | „ |
| ~ Tommy Shelby |
| “ | I’m not a traitor to my class. I am just an extreme example of what a working man can achieve. | „ |
| ~ Tommy Shelby |
Thomas Michael "Tommy" Shelby is the main protagonist of the BBC crime television series Peaky Blinders and will return in some capacity in its upcoming 2025 Netflix spin-off film of the same name.
He is a war-veteran from World War 1 and in the present time is a gangster and businessman who runs both the Shelby Company and the Romani criminal organization known as The Peaky Blinders.
He is portrayed by Cillian Murphy, who also played the Scarecrow in The Dark Knight Trilogy, Jackson Rippner in Red Eye and Timekeeper Raymond Leon in In Time.
Biography[]
Early Life[]
Thomas Michael "Tommy" Shelby was born in 1890, England to Arthur Shelby, Sr. and an unnamed mother on a boat called "The January", and is the brother to Arthur Jr., John, Ada and Finn Shelby. Growing up in Birmingham, Tommy spent his time with his siblings, helping them collect beer for their father or getting into fights with his eldest brother. When not with his siblings, he would scare the other children by telling them he could lay curses, due to his parents both being Romani. The children also became acquainted with their parents' friend Charlie Strong, whom they referred to as "uncle" since he was around during their youth. The Shelby siblings would experience a loss when their mother committed suicide, resulting in their aunt Polly taking care of them after their father left them in her care.
During his adulthood, Tommy fell in love with a woman named Greta Jurossi, but her parents disapproved of their relationship since he was Romani. He managed to earn their trust, but Greta would pass away from an illness several months later, breaking Thomas heart. Around 1914, Shelby had a one night stand with a woman named Zelda, whom would give birth to his son Erasmus, but didn't learn of this until years later. When her father learned of this, he attempted to kill Tommy, but the latter was sent to the British Army alongside his brothers.
Military Service[]
During the first world war, Tommy served in the British Army and reached the rank of sergeant major, but also served as a sapper to dig tunnels. Joining the Birmingham Rifles, a volunteer unit in the army, Shelby earned the respect of his squad mates for his natural leadership. He also became known for his bravery, participating in several battles such as the Battle of Verdun and the battle of Somme. Later on, Tommy participated in the Battle of Mons, where he saved thousands of lives, and earned the Military Medal and the Distinguished Conduct Medal for his heroics. After the war, Tommy returned home, but the war left him experiencing symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder.
Peaky Blinders[]
Season 1[]
Following the war, Tommy becomes the head of the Peaky Blinders, dissatisfied with the organization's status as a street gang and intending to expand their power. While participating in fixing horse races and the Birmingham Small Arms consignment, Tommy becomes acquainted with Grace Burgess, whom is secretly working with Inspector Campbell to find the missing Birmingham weapons.
Personality[]
| “ | Now it is Tommy that has brought strength and power to this family. 'Cause he knows, you have to be as bad as them above an order to survive. | „ |
| ~ Polly Gray to Ada Shelby. |
As the leader of the titular Peaky Blinders, Thomas is a very cold and stoic, but highly intelligent, professional and pragmatic gangster who rarely expresses emotions and prefers not to get emotions mixed into his businesses. Throughout the show he is put in various risky situations but is able to think on his feet alone and get himself out of said situations by out-smarting his antagonists, while the likes of his brothers Arthur and John are quite the opposite as they are very impulsive and dimwitted, especially Arthur. Thomas has no problems with killing or torture rival-criminals if it is good for his business, but he prefers not to harm innocent civilians and most of the people he murders are those who clearly has it coming.
His organization runs the city of Birmingham from the shadows as they are the most powerful gang in said city and bribes the local police, allowing them to get away with whatever they want.
Despite his cold personality, Thomas is shown to have a humane side as well. Such as genuinely loving his family and his wife Grace and their son Charles. It is also made clear that Thomas is one of the least evil and more sympathetic crime lords in the show and actually wants the family-business to become legitimate, especially after his wife died as a consequence of his criminal activities.
Thomas is also quite the Casanova, as he has had several lovers, but the one he loved the most was Grace, who still haunts him after her demise.
Being a WW1-veteran, he suffers from PTSD and has recurring nightmares about his time in Somme during the war and it is likely that it helped shaping his cold personality he has in the present time. His experience from the war and seeing the powers mistreated him and his fellow soldiers, desires to have his family gain power to never be touched.
Quotes[]
| “ | Do I look like a man, who wants a simple life? | „ |
| ~ Thomas Shelby. |
| “ | He looked at me the wrong way. It's not a good idea to look at Tommy Shelby the wrong way. | „ |
| ~ Thomas Shelby. |
| “ | Grace Burgess: Okay, but I warn you: I'll break your heart. Tommy Shelby: Already broken. |
„ |
| ~ Grace and Tommy. |
| “ | Since my f-cking wife took a bullet meant for me! | „ |
| ~ Thomas to John. |
| “ | The eleventh hour. Armistice. Peace at last. Peace at last. | „ |
| ~ Thomas deciding to spare Dr. Holford. |
Trivia[]
- Cillian Murphy's performance as Thomas Shelby received critical claim, winning him the Irish Film & Television Award and the National Television Award.
- Thomas Shelby was voted by Instagram followers of Pubity as the "Greatest Mafia Character of All Time", surprisingly beating out Vito Corleone from The Godfather against all odds.
External Links[]
- Thomas Shelby on the Wikipedia
[]
 Villains
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The Shelbys Peaky Blinders Birmingham Police force Irish Republican Army Changretta Crime Family The Economic League The British Union of Fascists Others | ||