'Daniel Wroughton Craig'
[1] (born
2 March 1968[2]) is a
BAFTA-nominated
English actor best known as the sixth actor to portray secret agent
James Bond in the official film series from
EON Productions. He made his debut as the character on
14 November 2006, in the 21st official Bond film, ''
Casino Royale'', to much critical acclaim.
[3]
Biography
Early life
Craig was born in
Chester,
England, the son of Timothy John Wroughton Craig, who served as a Midshipman in the Merchant Navy and worked in various occupations when he came ashore; and Olivia Williams Craig, an art
teacher.
He was brought up in
Frodsham where his father was landlord of the "Ring 'O Bells" and "The Boot" pubs in
Willington, near Chester, and then
Hoylake on the
Wirral (near
Liverpool). He attended Hilbre High School and
Calday Grange Grammar School. He played for Hoylake Rugby Club.
[4] Craig moved to
London when he was sixteen to join the
National Youth Theatre after a brief stay at Calday.
He trained at the
Guildhall School of Music and Drama, graduating in
1991, and appeared in some minor roles including
''
Sharpe's Eagle'' and an episode of ''
Drop The Dead Donkey'' in
1993, with his first major leading role on screen being as a co-star in the 1996
BBC Television serial ''
Our Friends in the North''. He continued his relationship with the
BBC by starring in the 1997
Francis Bacon biopic '', portraying Bacon's jilted lover
George Dyer. In the latter movie, Craig agreed to be shot in the nude, including full-frontals.
Career
Following an introduction to international audiences as
Angelina Jolie's rival and love interest in '' (2001), he continued his career in the
United States in
Sam Mendes's movie ''
Road to Perdition'' (2002), with
Tom Hanks and
Paul Newman. Craig played Connor Rooney, the son of an Irish mob boss (played by Newman) and a conniving murderer who hides behind his mobster father's shadow. Other leading film roles include ''
The Mother'' (2003) with
Anne Reid, ''
Layer Cake'' (2004) with
Sienna Miller, ''
Sword of Honour'' (2001), ''
Sylvia'' (2003) with
Gwyneth Paltrow, ''
Enduring Love'' (2004) with
Rhys Ifans, and
Steven Spielberg's ''
Munich'' (2005).
In 2006, after playing James Bond in ''
Casino Royale'' (see below), Craig moved on to portraying the character of
Lord Asriel in the forthcoming film adaptation of
Philip Pullman's novel ''.
[5] Eva Green, who played
Bond girl Vesper Lynd in ''Casino Royale'' will also star in the film. 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 2007, 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."
[6] 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 programme.
[7]
James Bond (2005–present)
As early as
February 2005, Craig had been named in the media as a possible James Bond. On
6 April 2005, Craig was reported to have been signed by
EON Productions as part of a three-film contract worth £15 million ($29,696,972),
[8] however this news was later debunked by the
BBC,
[9] 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
23 October 2005, Craig signed a three-film contract, with the first, ''
Casino Royale'', released on
14 November 2006. Craig is the first actor to step into the role who was born after the first Bond film, ''
Dr. No'', was released. Craig is also the first Bond to be hired after the death of Bond producer
Albert R. Broccoli in
1996.
Craig's hiring as James Bond was controversial among some fans and critics, with some vocal fans threatening a boycott of the film
[10] and going so far as to set up a website
[11][12] because, unlike all his predecessors, Craig is blond and of average height. Media coverage of the controversy resulted in numerous actors publicly voicing their support of Craig. Most notably, four of the five previous actors who portrayed Bond—
Timothy Dalton,
Sean Connery,
Roger Moore,
Pierce Brosnan—called his casting a good decision.
Clive Owen, who had been linked to the role, also spoke in defence of Craig, as did co-star
Judi Dench.
[13]
In an interview with ''
The Globe and Mail'', Brosnan was asked, "What do you think of the new James Bond, Daniel Craig, and will you be watching ''Casino Royale''?" He replied, "I'm looking forward to it like we're all looking forward to it. Daniel Craig is a great actor, and he's going to do a fantastic job".
[14]
After the film was released, Craig's realistic and more humane portrayal of Bond, as well as his well-regarded acting abilities, received wide praise. ''Casino Royale'' received a "Certified Fresh" rating on
Rotten Tomatoes and an average score of 7.8/10. Of 193 reviews, 94% were positive. Several critics have said that Craig is the most believable and charismatic Bond since
Sean Connery.
[15] Craig was nominated for a
BAFTA 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 rumors in an interview with ''
Variety''.
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 currently un-named follow-up film, known only as ''
Bond 22,'' will be released on
7 November 2008 and that Craig has been signed to play Bond, with an option for a third film.
[16]
As of 2006, ''Casino Royale'' became #5 best-selling Bond film of all time; however, with recent DVD and box office sales, ''Casino Royale'' has shot up to the #2 best-selling Bond film of all time as of
2007. In
2007, Craig was invited to join the prestigious
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
[17][18]
Personal life
Craig was previously married to British actress
Fiona Loudon. They had one child together, Ella, who was born in
1992.
[19] He is currently dating
Satsuki Mitchell.
Filmography
References
1. GRO Birth Registration Index
2. "Daniel Craig: Our Friend in MI6"
3. 'Best Bond ever' vanquishes his greatest foe - the critics
4. "A-Hoylake!"
5. Craig lands role in Pullman film
6. Forget Matt Damon, Daniel Craig Wants To Be Kirk
7. Michael to be in Tate sketch show. BBC News Online (2007-07-17). Retrieved 2007-09-09.
8. Daniel Craig picked for Bond
9. Bond bosses silent on actor Craig
10. Boycott Casino Royale!
11. DanielCraigIsNotBond.com home of the casino royale boycott
12. Phil Gerrard Talks CraigNotBondNotCom
13. Owen backs 'proper actor' as Bond
14. Pierce Brosnan answers
15. Casino Royale (2006). Rotten Tomatoes. Accessed on 29 November 2006
16. "Campbell and Broccoli explain the shift from Brosnan to Craig, hints for Bond 22 plotlines"
17. http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/story?section=entertainment&id=5400194
18. http://www.oscars.org/press/pressreleases/2007/07.06.18.html
19. Royale Family
External links
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