Tomlinson began his career as an actor, initially appearing in ITV drama Fat Friends as an extra. He also went on to appear in another ITV drama film If I Had You and the BBC drama Waterloo Road. 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. In 2013, he was signed as a footballer by Doncaster Rovers of the Football League Championship on a non-contract basis. In 2014, he attempted to jointly purchase Doncaster Rovers,[3] but the deal fell through[4] when the crowdfunding part of the deal failed.