Thomas Jolly (born 1 February 1982)[1] is a French actor and artistic director of La Piccola Familia, a theatre company that he founded in Rouen in 2006.

[2][3] Jolly's early life in Normandy was marked by a strong interest in theater, performing from a young age in his hometown of La Rue-Saint-Pierre.

[6][7] From a young age, he exhibited a penchant for the theatrical, often staging shows at home in La Rue-Saint-Pierre, a small village in Seine-Maritime.

[8] Before he started performing "Seven Farces for Schoolchildren" by Pierre Gripari, a book his mother gave him when he was about six years old, Jolly was staging scenes from cartoons.

[8] Jolly began acting in 1993 in Rouen and joined the children's theatre company, Théâtre d'enfants, directed by Nathalie Barrabé.

He then attended Jeanne-d'Arc High School in the "Theatre" class, working under the guidance of actors from the Théâtre des Deux Rives.

In 2001, he joined the professional training for actor interns at ACTEA (La Cité Théâtre) in Caen, directed by Olivier Lopez.

[19] Jolly presented an artistic staging, structured around a series of 12 tableaux, designed to be inclusive and representative of France, declaring "above all, I want this ceremony to include everyone.

A statement from Paris 2024 said that it was inspired by Leonardo da Vinci's fresco The Last Supper, which depicts Jesus and the Twelve Apostles, while Jolly held it to represent "a pagan feast linked to the gods of Olympus".

[30] This probe, overseen by the French judiciary’s online hate division, may lead to charges such as defamation, public abuse, and threats based on origin and sexual orientation.

[30] The Paris 2024 organizing committee strongly condemned the threats and harassment against Jolly and other artists involved in the opening ceremony, expressing their full support.