Thomas Howes (born in 1986; Doncaster, England) is the English actor who portrayed second footman William Mason in Downton Abbey, who died during the second season as a result of fighting in the war. Thomas is known for his kindness and got along very well with the rest of his cast members in Downton — he even said that tears were flowing when his last script was read by everyone on the set (even Maggie Smith!). He also has a great Winston Churchill impersonation.
He trained at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, and he is a trained pianist. He is best known for his role as Manchester United's captain Mark Jones in the 2011 TV film of the Munich air disaster, United. He also has performed in stage productions Dickie in The Winslow Boy, Scripps in The History Boys on The UK tour of the National Theatre. He also played the role of Little Ralf in the BBC's ChuckleVision series The Mystery of Little-Under-Standing. He is also known for his role as the young Winston Churchill in the Canadian TV series Murdoch Mysteries, Season 6 (2013).
He starred alongside Alun Armstrong and Joanne Froggatt in Dark Angel (2016).