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The
Tales of Para Handy
(1994) |
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 David Tennant was born in 1971, as David John McDonald, in Bathgate, West Lothian, Scotland, to a father who was a Presbyterian minister. When he was about 3 or 4 years old, he decided to become an actor because of the BBC show Doctor Who. He was brought up in Ralston, Renfrewshire and attended Ralston Primary and then Paisley Grammar schools. While there he wrote about how he wanted to become a professional actor and play the role of The Doctor.
He was first noticed by Scottish television at a Saturday youth club he attended. He then trained at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama. His first professional role upon graduating from drama school was in a staging of The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui - one of several plays in which he performed as part of the agitprop 7:84 Theatre Company.
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The
Last September
(1999) |
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He then moved to London in the early 1990s where he frequently performed with the Royal Shakespeare Company for whom he specialised in comic roles such as Touchstone in As You Like It, Antipholus of Syracuse in The Comedy of Errors and Captain Jack Absolute in The Rivals, although he also played the tragic role of Romeo in Romeo and Juliet.
As well as theatre he appeared in several high-profile dramas for the BBC, including Takin' Over the Asylum (1994), The Tales of Para Handy (1994), Duck Patrol (1998), The Last September (1999), an episode of Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased) (2000), an episode of Foyle's War (2002), two episodes of Posh Nosh (2003), Blackpool (2004), the title role in Casanova (2005), The Quatermass Experiment (2005) and the ITV drama Secret Smile (2005).
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Randall & Hopkirk
(Deceased)
(2000) |
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In film, he has appeared in Jude (1996), in which he shared a scene with his Doctor Who predecessor Christopher Eccleston and in Stephen Fry's Bright Young Things (2003). But it is Barty Crouch Jr. in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005) that he is mostly remembered for.
Before becoming the Tenth Doctor he also appeared in a number of the Big Finish Productions Doctor Who audio dramas. These include playing various parts (but not as The Doctor): "Colditz" (2001), "Medicinal
Purposes" (2004) and the lead role in the "Dalek
Empire III" series (2004). He also had a small role in the BBC's animated Doctor Who webcast "Scream of the Shalka".
In
2005, his wish came true when David Tennant was cast
to play the role of the Tenth Doctor, alongside Billie
Piper. He made his first, brief appearance at the
very end of "Bad
Wolf/The Parting of the Ways", after
the regeneration scene. He also appeared in a special
seven minute mini-episode shown as part of the 2005 Children
in Need appeal, broadcast on 18 November 2005.
His first full story was the 2005 Christmas special "The
Christmas Invasion" broadcast on the 25th December
2005.
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Foyle's
War
(2002) |
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During his time as the Tenth Doctor he also starred in two animated adventures The
Infinite Quest (2007) and Dreamland (2009) as well as reading a number of audio adaptations of the BBC Tenth Doctor series of books and original audio Doctor Who stories. He has also appeared in numerous Doctor Who themed or related programmes – including: Doctor
Who Confidential and a special Doctor Who edition of The Weakest Link.
David Tennant has also appeared in other shows including: The Romantics (2006), The Chatterley Affair (2006), Who Do You Think You Are? (2006), tracing his family tree in an episode of BBC One's popular genealogy series, Recovery (2007) and Learners (2007). While in 2008 he took a break from Doctor Who to play Hamlet in Stratford and the West End to sold out audiences.
As well as becoming a house-hold name David Tennant won the 2006 National Television Award for Best Actor for his role in Doctor Who.
Since leaving Doctor Who he has landed a major role, playing the part of the House Master, in the 2009 film St Trinian's II: The Legend of Fritton's Gold.
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Blackpool
(2004) |
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Casanova
(2005) |
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The
Quatermass Experiment
(2005) |
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Harry
Potter and the Goblet of Fire
(2005) |
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Recovery
(2007) |
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Learners
(2007) |
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Hamlet (Theatre)
(2008) |
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Trinian's II: The Legend of Fritton's Gold (2009) |
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