Daniel Craig biography

Synopsis

Early Career

Actor. Born Daniel Wroughton Craig on March 2, 1968, in Chester, England. Craig grew up near Liverpool, and enjoyed going to the theater with his mother and sisters. Many of his mother's friends were actors, and he felt drawn to the profession. "I kind of fell in love with the idea of acting... I liked the idea of it—you know, shouting a lot and dressing up and all that," Craig told Interview magazine.

Craig moved to London when he was 16 to join the National Youth Theatre, and then studied at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. After graduating, Craig made his film debut in The Power of One (1992), a 1950s drama set in South Africa. His career then received a substantial boost with his role in the 1996 BBC miniseries Our Friends in the North. The serial drama experienced great critical reception, and won several major awards in the year following its broadcast, including two British Academy Television Awards, four Royal Television Society Awards and two Broadcasting Press Guild Awards.

Another important role came in 1998 with the film Love Is The Devil a biopic about the artist Francis Bacon (played by Derek Jacobi). Craig co-starred as Bacon's lover George Dyer, a small-time thief. Craig later described the project as "the first film I did that 'made me.'" That same year, Craig had a small role in the historical drama Elizabeth starring Cate Blanchett.

In 2001, Craig appeared as the romantic interest to Angelina Jolie's character in the action film Lara Croft: Tomb Raider based on the popular video game. Although the film was panned by reviewers, the movie was a hit with viewers—Tomb Raider debuted at No.1 at the box office, and became the highest-grossing video game adaptation to date. Craig then gave an impressive performance in 2002's Road to Perdition, a film adapted from the popular graphic novel of the same name. In the film, Craig played Connor Rooney, the murderous son of a mob boss (played by Paul Newman). The actor's stand-out performance was lauded by critics and fans alike. He then demonstrated his range as an actor when he starred as poet Ted Hughes in the drama Sylvia (2003), which also starred Gwyneth Paltrow. The film explored the life of Hughes's wife, poet Sylvia Plath, and the couple's troubled relationship.

Craig's made his debut as a leading man playing an unnamed character—called XXXX in