- "One of the things I was criticized for was that I looked like a bad guy, but I was happy with that because I think true good guys have to step into the dark side to do their job. I wanted people to question Bond's morals and his judgment."
- ― Daniel Craig
Daniel Wroughton Craig (born March 2, 1968) is an English actor. Born the year after the release of You Only Live Twice, Craig is the first James Bond actor to be born after the start of the film series, also making him the first Bond actor to be born after Ian Fleming died. Much media attention has also been given to him for being the "blondest" official Bond actor.
Biography
He was born in Chester, the son of a steel erector and an art teacher. He was brought up in Prescot, near Liverpool. He attended Hilbre High School, West Kirby (near Liverpool) and played rugby at nearby Hoylake Rugby Club. He moved to London when he was 16 to join the National Youth Theatre, later securing a place at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama.
The Role of James Bond
As early as February 2005, Craig had been named in the media as a possible contender to replace Pierce Brosnan as James Bond. On April 6, 2005 Craig was reported to have been signed by EON Productions as part of a three-film contract worth £15 million, however, this news was later debunked by the BBC who contacted EON for an official report. According to Craig, MGM offered him the role but the Broccoli family never got in touch with him.
Finally, on October 14, 2005, Eon Productions named Daniel Craig as the sixth actor to portray 007, taking over from Pierce Brosnan. Craig signed a three-film contract, with the first, Casino Royale, to begin filming in January 2006 with an expected release of November 2006.
The announcement was made at noon in London at HMS President, a Royal Naval Reserve station at St. Katharine Docks, on the banks of the River Thames downstream of Tower Bridge.
Selected Filmography
Year | Title | Role | Other notes |
2020 | Bond 25 | James Bond | James Bond Film |
2019 | Knives Out | The Detective | Pre-production |
2017 | Kings | Obie | Released |
2017 | Logan Lucky | Joe Bang | Released |
2015 | Star Wars: The Force Awakens | First Order Stormtrooper | Released |
2015 | Spectre | James Bond | James Bond Film |
2013 | One Life | Narrator | Voice |
2012 | Skyfall | James Bond | James Bond Film |
2011 | The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo | Mikael Blomkvist | Released |
2011 | The Adventures of Tintin: Secret of the Unicorn | Red Rackham, Ivan Sakharine | Voice |
2011 | Dream House | Will Atenton, Peter Ward | Released |
2011 | Cowboys & Aliens | Jake Lonergan | Released |
2010 | Blood Stone | James Bond | James Bond Video Game |
2008 | Defiance | Tuvia Bielski | Released |
2008 | Quantum of Solace | James Bond | James Bond Film |
2008 | Flashbacks of a Fool | Joe Scot | Released |
2007 | The Golden Compass | Lord Asriel | Released |
2007 | The Invasion | Ben Driscoll | Released |
2006 | Casino Royale | James Bond | James Bond Film |
2006 | Infamous | Perry Smith | Released |
2006 | Renaissance | Barthélémy Karas | Voice |
2005 | Munich | Steve | Released |
2005 | Archangel | Dr. Fluke Kelso | Television Drama |
2005 | Fateless | US Army Sergeant | Released |
2005 | The Jacket | Rudy Mackenzie | Released |
2004 | Layer Cake | XXXX | Released |
2004 | Enduring Love | Joe | Released |
2003 | Sylvia | Ted Hughs | Released |
2003 | The Mother | Darren | Released |
2002 | Ten Minutes Older: The Cello | Cecil | Released |
2002 | Road to Perdition | Connor Rooney | Released |
2001 | Lara Croft: Tomb Raider | Alex West | Released |
2000 | Some Voices | Ray | Released |
2000 | I Dreamed of Africa | Declan Fielding | Released |
1999 | The Trench | Sgt. Telford Winter | Released |
1998 | Love is the Devil: Study for a Portrait of Francis Bacon | George Dyer | Released |
1998 | Elizabeth | John Ballard | Released |
1997 | Obsession | John McHale | Released |
1996 | Our Friends in the North | George "Geordie" Peacock | Television Drama |
1995 | A Kid in King Arthur's Court | Master Kane | Released |
1992 | The Power of One | Sgt. Botha | Released |
Trivia
- Due to being the "blondest" Bond actor, Hollywood has nicknamed him 'James Blonde'.
- Both Craig and Sean Bean have appeared in the ITV series, Sharpe.
Personal life
His first marriage, from 1992–1994, was to actress Fiona Loudon, with whom he has a daughter, Ella. After that marriage ended, he later was in two serious relationships, one with German actress Heike Makatsch that ended in 2001, and with American film producer Satsuki Mitchell, which lasted from 2004 to 2010. He was also rumored to have had an affair with his Layer Cake co-star Sienna Miller in 2005.
Craig and Rachel Weisz, his co-star in the film Dream House, started dating in December 2010 and were married on June 22, 2011 in a small ceremony in New York with only four guests including Craig's daughter Ella and Weisz's son Henry. The couple had been friends for many years before their relationship turned romantic while working on Dream House. Craig and Weisz had their daughter, born on September 1, 2018.