Daniel Craig Bio



Daniel Craig Biography


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Daniel Craig Bio

This Daniel Craig biography contains information believed to be accurate as extracted from sources around the internet including Wikipedia. If you believe there are errors or omissions in this Daniel Craig bio, please let us know so that we can correct any inaccuracies.


Daniel Craig Picture
Daniel Craig Pictures




Daniel Wroughton Craig (born 2 March 1968) is an English actor and film producer. His early film roles included Elizabeth, in which he played a monk who attempts to assassinate Queen Elizabeth (Cate Blanchett). He starred in The Power of One (film), A Kid in King Arthur's Court and the television episodes Sharpe's Eagle, Zorro and The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles: Daredevils of the Desert. He went on to star in his breakthrough performances Layer Cake, Road to Perdition, The Golden Compass and Lara Croft: Tomb Raider.

Craig became a household name when he was cast as the sixth actor to portray the fictional secret agent James Bond in the long-running Eon Productions film series. He made his début as the character in the 2006 film, Casino Royale, to critical acclaim, and was nominated for a BAFTA award.

Daniel Craig: Early life

Craig was born at 41 Liverpool Road, Chester, the son of Olivia (née Williams), an art teacher, and Timothy John Wroughton Craig, who was the landlord of the pubs "Ring 'O Bells" and "The Boot Inn" and served as a midshipman in the Merchant Navy. Craig was brought up in Liverpool and on the Wirral, Merseyside. He began acting in school plays at age six. Craig moved to London when he was sixteen to join the National Youth Theatre after a brief stay at Caldy. He and his older sister, Lea, attended Hilbre High School and Calday Grange Grammar School in West Kirby. He played for Hoylake Rugby Club. He attended the Guildhall School of Music and Drama at the Barbican and graduated in 1991 after three years of study under Colin McCormack.

Daniel Craig: Breakthrough

An early television role was as 'Geordie' in the BBC's 1996 drama 'Our Friends in the North', with early film roles being as Angelina Jolie's rival and love interest in Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (2001), before appearing in Sam Mendes's movie Road to Perdition (2002), with Tom Hanks and Paul Newman. Other leading film roles include Sword of Honour (2001), The Mother (2003) with Anne Reid, Sylvia (2003) with Gwyneth Paltrow, Layer Cake (2004) with Sienna Miller, Enduring Love (2004) with Rhys Ifans, Steven Spielberg's Munich (2005) with Eric Bana, Infamous (2006), and The Golden Compass (2007). He recently starred in Defiance.

Daniel Craig - James Bond (2005-present)
Craig at the US Quantum of Solace premiere in New York

On 23 October 2005, Craig signed a five-film contract with EON Productions to portray James Bond. He stated that he "was aware of the challenges" of the James Bond franchise which he considers "a big machine" that "makes a lot of money". He aimed at bringing more "emotional depth" to the character. Being born in 1968, Craig is the first actor to portray James Bond to be born after the Bond series already started, and Ian Fleming, the novels' writer, had died.

Although the choice of Craig was controversial, numerous actors publicly voiced their support. Most notably, four of the five actors who had previously portrayed Bond - Pierce Brosnan, Timothy Dalton, Sean Connery, and Roger Moore - called his casting a good decision. Clive Owen, who had been linked to the role, also spoke in defence of Craig.

The first film, Casino Royale, premií¨red on 14 November 2006, and grossed a total of US$594,239,066, which makes the film the 2nd highest grossing Bond film.

After the film was released, Craig's performance was highly acclaimed. Critic Paul Arendt of BBC Films, Kim Newman of Empire and Todd Carty of Variety all described Craig as the first actor to truly embody the original James Bond from Ian Fleming's novels: "ironic, brutal, and cold". He was nominated for a BAFTA Award for Best Actor on January 2006, and won the Best Actor award at the Evening Standard British Film Awards on 2 February 2007, both firsts for an actor in the role of James Bond.

A widely circulated report on several news channels and newspapers claimed that Craig had lost two teeth filming a fight scene; Craig later said it was just a crown that had come loose. Producer Barbara Broccoli also denied other rumours in an interview with Variety.

Daniel Craig at Madame Tussauds, London

As production of Casino Royale reached its conclusion, producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli announced that pre-production work had already begun on the 22nd Bond film. After several months of speculation as to the release date, Wilson and Broccoli officially announced on 20 July 2006 that the follow-up film, Quantum of Solace, was to be released on 7 November 2008 and that Craig plays Bond with an option for a third film. On 25 October 2007, MGM CEO Harry Sloan revealed at the Forbes Meet II Conference that Craig had signed on for four more Bond films, through to Bond 25.

In 2006, Craig was invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

On 12 June 2008, Craig sliced the top of one of his fingers off while filming Quantum of Solace. The accident was the latest in a string of incidents surrounding the shoot, including a fire at one of the sets in Pinewood Studios, UK; a car crash that left the stunt driver in a serious condition; and an Aston Martin skidding off the roads in heavy rains while being transported to the set in northern Italy and plunging into Lake Garda.

Craig describes his portrayal of Bond as an antihero: "The question I keep asking myself while playing the role is, 'Am I the good guy or just a bad guy who works for the good side?' Bond's role, after all, is that of an assassin when you come down to it. I have never played a role in which someone's dark side shouldn't be explored. I don't think it should be confusing by the end of the movie, but during the movie you should be questioning who he is." Craig also states that his favourite previous Bond actor was Sean Connery, but says, "I'd never copy somebody else. I would never do an impression of anybody else or try and improve on what they did. That would be a pointless exercise for me".

Daniel Craig: Other projects

In 1999 Daniel starred as Richard in a TV drama called Shockers: The Visitor. In 2007, Craig moved on to portraying the character of Lord Asriel in The Golden Compass, the film adaptation of Philip Pullman's novel. Eva Green, who played Bond girl Vesper Lynd in Casino Royale, also starred in the film, although she did not appear in any scenes with Craig. In a stage version of the book, Asriel had previously been played by Timothy Dalton, one of Craig's predecessors in the role of James Bond.

In early 2001, Craig expressed an interest in being a part of the Star Trek franchise, professing his love of the series to the World Entertainment News Network and a desire to have a "stint in the TV show or a film. It's been a secret ambition of mine for years." On 16 March 2007, Craig made a cameo appearance as himself in a sketch with Catherine Tate who appeared in the guise of her character Elaine Figgis from The Catherine Tate Show. The sketch was made for the BBC Red Nose Day 2007 fundraising program.

In 2008's Defiance, he played Tuvia Bielski, a Jewish resistance fighter in the woods of Belarus during World War II who saved 1,200 people.

The shot in Casino Royale of Craig sporting swimming trunks, has often topped many sexiest male celebrity polls, and in 2009 Del Monte Foods launched an ice pop molded to resemble Craig emerging from the sea.

Craig is co-starring with Hugh Jackman on Broadway at the Schoenfeld Theatre in a limited engagement of the play A Steady Rain, opening in previews on September 10, 2009 and closing on December 6, 2009.

Daniel Craig: Personal life

In 1992, Craig married Scottish actress Fiona Loudon, with whom he has a daughter, Ella. However, the marriage ended in a divorce in 1994. After his divorce he was in a seven-year relationship with German actress Heike Makatsch and is currently in a relationship with film producer Satsuki Mitchell.

In October 2008, Craig paid £4 million for an apartment close to Regent's Park, London.

Craig supported Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama in the 2008 presidential election.

Daniel Craig: Filmography

Daniel Craig: References

Daniel Craig: External links

  • Daniel Craig at the Internet Movie Database
  • Voices on Antisemitism Interview with Daniel Craig from the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
  • Daniel Craig biography and credits at the British Film Institute's Screenonline
  • A very detailed biography from Tiscali Film & TV
  • Personal interview on "being Bond", Parade Magazine Oct 26, 2008