| Daniel Craig |
Craig at the 81st Academy Awards, February 2009 |
| Born |
Daniel Wroughton Craig
2 March 1968 (1968-03-02) (age 41)
Chester, Cheshire, England |
| Occupation |
Actor, film producer |
| Years active |
1992–present |
| Spouse(s) |
Fiona Loudon (1992–94) (divorced) |
Daniel Wroughton Craig1 (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, 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.2
Early life
Craig was born at 41 Liverpool Road, Chester,3 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"4 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.4 He and his older sister, Lea, attended Hilbre High School and Calday Grange Grammar School in West Kirby. He played for Hoylake Rugby Club.5 He attended the Guildhall School of Music and Drama at the Barbican and graduated in 1991 after three years of study under Colin McCormack.
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.
James Bond (2005–present)
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.6 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,7 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.8
The first film, Casino Royale, premièred on 14 November 2006, and grossed a total of US$594,239,066, which makes the film the 2nd highest grossing Bond film.9
After the film was released, Craig's performance was highly acclaimed. Critic Paul Arendt of BBC Films,10 Kim Newman of Empire11 and Todd Carty of Variety12 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.13 Producer Barbara Broccoli also denied other rumours in an interview with Variety.14
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,15 was to be released on 7 November 2008 and that Craig plays Bond with an option for a third film.16 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 25.17
In 2006, Craig was invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.18
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.”19 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".20
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.21 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."22 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.23
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,24 and in 2009 Del Monte Foods launched an ice pop molded to resemble Craig emerging from the sea.25
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, 2009.26
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 1994.27 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.
Craig is an avid video game player and was excited to have a Quantum of Solace video game released.
He had to quit smoking and hire a personal trainer to prepare for the role of James Bond.28
In October 2008, Craig paid £4 million for an apartment close to Regent's Park, London.29
Craig supported Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama in the 2008 presidential election.30
He is a supporter of Liverpool FC and has been seen at Liverpool's home ground Anfield.
Filmography
References
- ^ "GRO Birth Registration Index". Ancestry.co.uk. http://search.ancestry.co.uk/cgi-bin/sse.dll?gl=ROOT_CATEGORY&rank=1&new=1&so=3&MSAV=1&msT=1&gss=ms_f-2&gsfn=daniel&gsfn_x=1&gsln=craig&gsln_x=1&rg_81004010__date=1968&81004010__date_x=1&msbpn=82420&msbpn__ftp=Chester%2C+Cheshire%2C+England%2C+United+Kingdom&msbpn_x=1&msbpn__ftp_x=1&sbo=0&ne=21. Retrieved 2009-02-17.
- ^ Hoyle, Ben (2006-11-15). "'Best Bond ever' vanquishes his greatest foe — the critics". The Times. http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/film/article637090.ece. Retrieved 2006-11-15.
- ^ Marshall, Sarah (2008). Daneil Craig: The Biography. John Blake Publishing Ltd. ISBN 1844546047. http://www.amazon.co.uk/Daniel-Craig-Biography-Sarah-Marshall/dp/1844546047.
- ^ a b The Boot Inn (Tarporley, Cheshire). – Old World Pubs.
- ^ Slater, Matt (17 July 2006). "A-Hoylake!". BBC Sport Online. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/golf/5181708.stm. Retrieved 2007-12-29.
- ^ "Daniel Craig: Our Friend in MI6". BBC News Online. 14 October 2005. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/film/4335052.stm. Retrieved 2007-12-27.
- ^ Medley, Mark. "Pierce Brosnan answers." globeandmail.com.
- ^ "Owen backs 'proper actor' as Bond". BBC News Online. 2006-09-19. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/5360554.stm. Retrieved 2006-09-19.
- ^ "Casino Royale box office results". boxofficemojo. http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=jamesbond21.htm. Retrieved 2008-01-04.
- ^ Arendt, Paul (17 November 2006). "Casino Royale (2006)". BBC Films. http://www.bbc.co.uk/films/2006/11/06/casino_royale_2006_review.shtml. Retrieved 2006-11-21.
- ^ Newman, Kim. "Casino Royale". Empire. http://www.empireonline.com/reviews/reviewcomplete.asp?FID=10199. Retrieved 2006-11-21.
- ^ McCarthy, Todd (9 November 2006). "Casino Royale". Variety. http://www.variety.com/VE1117932077.html. Retrieved 2006-11-21.
- ^ Stuart Jeffries (17 November 2006). "Seven's deadly sins". The Guardian. http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2006/nov/17/jamesbond.
- ^ Nicole Laporte (5 March 2006). "Bond ambition: 007 gets face lift". Variety. http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117939233.html?categoryid=13&cs=1&query=barbara+broccoli+teeth.
- ^ "New Bond film title is confirmed". BBC News Online. 2008-01-24. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/7206997.stm. Retrieved 2008-01-24.
- ^ "Campbell and Broccoli explain the shift from Brosnan to Craig, hints for Bond 22 plotlines". MI6 News. 2006-11-18. http://www.mi6.co.uk/news/index.php?itemid=4418.
- ^ Bond, Paul (2007-10-26). "Sloan sees hope in talks". The Hollywood Reporter. http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/news/e3i11356e5762144f434339ff37e128990b. Retrieved 2007-11-03.
- ^ "Academy Invites 115 to Become Members". Press release. 2007-06-18. http://www.oscars.org/press/pressreleases/2007/07.06.18.html.
- ^ Kevin Sessums (2008-10-26). "The Man Who Loves Being Bad". Parade. http://www.parade.com/celebrity/2008/10/daniel-craig. Retrieved 2008-10-27.
- ^ "Daniel Craig: Quantum of Solace". SuicideGirls.com. 14 November 2008. http://suicidegirls.com/interviews/Daniel+Craig%3A+Quantum+of+Solace+/. Retrieved 2008-11-14.
- ^ "Craig lands role in Pullman film". BBC News Online. 2006-08-18. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/5263658.stm. Retrieved 2006-08-19.
- ^ Michael Hinman (2007-01-06). "Forget Matt Damon, Daniel Craig Wants To Be Kirk". Airlock Alpha. http://www.airlockalpha.com/news423118.html?. Retrieved 2009-05-09.
- ^ "Michael to be in Tate sketch show". BBC News Online. 2007-07-17. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/6903105.stm. Retrieved 2007-09-09.
- ^ "Daniel Craig voted sexiest man", The Sun Online, 01/06/2009
- ^ "Daniel Craig in 007 Lolly", The Daily Telegraph Online, 01/06/2009
- ^ Gans, Andrew."A Steady Rain, with Craig and Jackman, to Play Broadway's Schoenfeld"playbill.com, July 9, 2009
- ^ Fulton, Rick (2006-11-07). "Royale Family". Daily Record. http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/entertainment/tm_headline=royale-family&method=full&objectid=18056247&siteid=66633-name_page.html. Retrieved 2006-11-09.
- ^ Clayton, William (2008-04-18). "Drink, drugs, faded looks? Craig admits he could suffer same downfall as the film star in his new movie". The Daily Mail. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-560360/Drink-drugs-faded-looks-Craig-admits-suffer-downfall-film-star-new-movie.html. Retrieved 2008-12-28.
- ^ "James Bond actor Daniel Craig buys £4 million home in area fit for a spy". The Daily Telegraph. 2008-10-12. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/celebritynews/3183654/James-Bond-actor-Daniel-Craig-buys-4-million-home-in-area-fit-for-a-spy.html. Retrieved 2008-10-25.
- ^ "Daniel James Bond Craig Speaks Out For Obama". The Huffington Post. 2008-10-17. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/10/17/daniel-james-bond-craig-s_n_135503.html. Retrieved 2008-10-17.
- ^ Jay A. Fernandez, Borys Kit (2009-01-27). "Daniel Craig to star in "Tintin"". The Hollywood Reporter. http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/news/e3ic323ae8a6486e91c8f3aab35cbff3722. Retrieved 2009-01-27.
External links
| Persondata |
| NAME |
Daniel Craig |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES |
Daniel Wroughton Craig |
| SHORT DESCRIPTION |
English actor |
| DATE OF BIRTH |
2 March 1968 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH |
Chester, England |
| DATE OF DEATH |
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| PLACE OF DEATH |
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![video Hugh Jackman and Daniel Craig greet fans after a November 5 performance of "A Steady Rain" at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre 09 Picture](../viewVideo.html?title=Hugh Jackman and Daniel Craig after "A Steady Rain" performanceYouTube=YouTube&summary=Hugh Jackman and Daniel Craig greet fans after a November 5 performance of "A Steady Rain" at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre 09&link=http://www.youtube.com/v/E-bZs463Oc8&fs=1&source=uds&autoplay=1&thumb=http://3.gvt0.com/vi/E-bZs463Oc8/default.jpg&celebrity=Daniel Craig&videoType=YouTube)
![Casino Royale (Two-Disc Collector's Edition + BD Live) [Blu-ray]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51P8DGLM%2BJL._SL160_.jpg)
