Biography for
David Tennant (I) More at IMDbPro »

Date of Birth

18 April 1971, Bathgate, West Lothian, Scotland, UK

Birth Name

David John McDonald

Height

6' 1" (1.85 m)

Mini Biography

David Tennant was born David John McDonald in 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, inspired by his love of the BBC show "Doctor Who."

He was brought up in Bathgate, West Lothian and Paisley, Renfrewshire, Scotland and was a huge fan of the band The Proclaimers. He attended Paisley Grammar school and while there he wrote about how he wanted to become a professional actor and play the role of the Doctor in "Doctor Who."

He made his first television appearance (which was also his first professional acting job) when he was 16, after his father sent some photos of him to a casting director at Scottish television. He also attended a youth theatre group at weekends run by the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama (RSAMD - now renamed the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland [RCS]). When he was 16 he auditioned for and won a place at the RSAMD; the youngest student to ever do so, and started as a full time drama student when he was 17.

He worked regularly in theatre and TV after leaving drama school, and his first big break came in 1994 when he was cast in a lead role in the Scottish drama "Takin' Over the Asylum." He then moved to London where his career thrived. Amongst other things, he spent several years as a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company, and became famous from his lead roles in TV dramas "Blackpool" and "Casanova."

In 2005, his childhood wish came true. David was cast to play the role of the Doctor in the BBC'S new series of "Doctor Who" alongside Billie Piper, after Christopher Eccleston decided to leave. Playing the Doctor made him a household name. Since leaving Doctor Who in 2010 his career has continued to rise, with lead roles in films, TV series and theatre.

IMDb Mini Biography By: Samtroy

Spouse

Georgia Moffett

(30 December 2011 - present) 2 children

Trade Mark

Sideburns

Very thin

Raising his eyebrows a lot

Trivia

David Tennant is a respected classical actor who has performed numerous starring roles for the Royal Shakespeare Company, including Touchstone in "As You Like It," Romeo in "Romeo and Juliet," Antipholus of Syracuse in "The Comedy of Errors," and Captain Jack Absolute in "The Rivals.".

He was nominated for a 2003 Laurence Olivier Theatre Award for Best Actor of 2002 for his performance in "Lobby Hero" performed at the Donmar Warehouse and the New Ambassador's Theatres.

Attended Paisley Grammar.

Graduated from the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama.

Acted with the 7:84 Theatre Company, a genre-bending, ground-breaking, political Scottish Theatre Group.

Decided to be an actor at the age of three.

Cast as "Tenth Doctor" for BBC "Doctor Who" (2005) series to star alongside Billie Piper (April 2005).

While attending Paisley Grammar School, he wrote an essay on how his greatest desire was to play Doctor Who on TV.

Best friends with Louise Delamere ("No Angels" (2004)). They went to Glasgow's Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama together and shared a flat.

Chose his acting surname from Neil Tennant, singer with Pet Shop Boys. This came after reading an interview with Tennant in "Smash Hits" shortly after learning that he would have to change his professional name in order to join the actors' union, Equity, as there was already a registered member with his real name, David McDonald.

Nominated for Best Classical Actor Under 30, Ian Charleson Award for his theater role in "Comedy of Errors" as Antipholus of Syracuse. [2000]

Won Best Male Performance, Critics Award for Theatre in Scotland, for his role in "Look Back in Anger" as Jimmy Porter. [2005]

Won Best Actor, Theatre Management Association, for his role in "The Glass Menagerie" as Tom.

Is a big fan of film director Alfred Hitchcock.

Is the second Scots actor to be cast as "The Doctor" (and got a chance to use his actual accent, once, when the Doctor poses as a Scottish physician in episode "Doctor Who: Tooth and Claw (#2.2)" (2006)). The first was Sylvester McCoy, who was cast as the seventh Doctor in the original series. McCoy's time in the TARDIS was from 1987 to 1989.

On August 31, 2007, he turned on the illumination lights for Blackpool.

His heroes are John Cleese and Derek Jacobi.

Says that his favorite Doctor from the original "Doctor Who" (1963) was Tom Baker.

Considers Paisley as his hometown.

Father is Alexander (Sandy), a retired minister; mother Helen died of cancer in July 2007.

Has a brother, Blair, and a sister, Karen.

Favorite actress is Audrey Hepburn.

Favorite book is "The Catcher in the Rye" by J.D. Salinger.

Along with Matt Smith, Elisabeth Sladen, John Leeson, Tommy Knight, Alexander Armstrong and Lachele Carl, he is one of only seven actors to play the same character in both "Doctor Who" (2005) and "The Sarah Jane Adventures" (2007).

So many people wanted to see him in the 2009 RSC Production of Hamlet; the London run at the Novello Theater sold out in three hours.

Missed out for a nomination for the 2009 Laurence Olivier Award for his "Hamlet" because he did not perform enough shows in London after the show transfered from Stratford-Upon-Avon, due to a back injury and surgery during the London run.

Nominated 2009 Evening Standard Theater Award for Best Actor for his Hamlet for the Royal Shakespeare Company.

Won 2009 Critics Choice Award for Best Shakespearean Performance for his Hamlet for the Royal Shakespeare Company.

Nominated for the 2008 Royal Television Society Award-Best Actor for Recovery and Doctor Who.

Nominated for the 2009 Broadcasting Guild Awards-Best Actor for his portrayal of "Sir Arthur Eddington" in Einstein and Eddington (2008) (TV) and "The Doctor" in "Doctor Who" (2005).

Winner 2009 Theatregoers' Choice Award Best Regional Production was RSC Production of Hamlet with David Tennant and 2009 Theatregoers' Choice Award for Theatre Event of the Year was David Tennant's return to the stage in the RSC Production of Hamlet.

From taking the role of The Doctor in 2005 to when he gave the role up in 2010, he became the second longest actor to play the title role on television and the third longest overall.

Engaged to Georgia Moffett whom he met on the set of "Doctor Who" (2005) in December 2007. She is the daughter of former "Doctor Who" actor Peter Davison. They have been together since May 2008. In January 2011, UK tabloids reported that they had moved in together and become engaged. Moffett gave birth to the couple's first child two months later. Neither Moffett nor Tennant have ever spoken about or confirmed their relationship to the media.

Tennant revealed on "The Paul O'Grady Show" (2004) that he had auditioned for the role of "the Blue Meanie" in the remake of Yellow Submarine (1968).

His fiancée, actress Georgia Moffett, gave birth to his first child, a daughter named Olive, on 29 March 2011.

He is the second of two non-English actors to portray the "Doctor Who" character. The other was Sylvester McCoy, who portrayed "The Doctor" from 1988-1996.

Married Georgia Moffett on the 30th December 2011.

He adopted his wife's son, Tyler, in 2011.

He started acting with the hope that he would one day get to play the title role on "Doctor Who".

Is a big fan of the TV series, "Firefly" (2002).

Stepson-in-law of Elizabeth Heery.

Son-in-law of Peter Davison and Sandra Dickinson.

His all-time favourite Doctor Who character is the Zygons who appeared in Terror if the Zygons, a Fourth Doctor adventure.

Auditioned for the lead role in the American NBC TV series Hannibal. Tennant was unsuccessful, but show-runner Bryan Fuller said in a magazine interview that Tennant's audition was so impressive, he wanted to write him a guest spot as a deranged serial killer.

His wife became pregnant for the third time seven months after their wedding, and gave birth on 3rd May 2013.

Personal Quotes

Drama school is a pretty intense experience and I think it changes who you are. I think I grew up at drama school (which was fairly useful personally as much as professionally) and I certainly got exposed to a huge range of ideas, techniques, and practices that I had no previous experience of. I wouldn't have known what I was doing as an actor if I hadn't gone.

On his early decision to become an actor: "I was very small, about 3 or 4 I think, and just wanted to be the people on telly telling these wonderful stories. Obviously the idea grew and matured with me but I can't ever remember wanting to do anything else. I've just sort of taken it for granted all my life that that was what I would do."

I do thrive on hard work.

Unlike other enduring characters such as Sherlock Holmes or Tarzan, being the Doctor allows you a certain freedom that is both very demanding and very thrilling. It allows you to make the character using elements of yourself.

I was sent good luck cards from Tom Baker and Peter Davison. They were the Doctors I grew up watching, while eating toast and drinking Tizer at home, so I was very honoured.

Where Are They Now

(April 2005) As of April 16, 2005, officially announced as the tenth actor to play the classic television character "Doctor Who," taking over from Christopher Eccleston for the second series of the BBC's Sci-Fi show revival.

(July 2007) Filming the 2007 Christmas episode of "Doctor Who" (2005), "Doctor Who: Voyage of the Damned (#4.0)" (2007), with Kylie Minogue in Cardiff.

(August 2008) Playing "Hamlet" in RSC Stratford-upon-Avon, alongside Patrick Stewart.

(October 2008) Announced he is leaving "Doctor Who" (2005) after he films four "Bank Holiday" specials and a Christmas special for 2009. Has already finished work on the 2008 "Doctor Who" (2005) Christmas special.

(May 2010) Filming "Single Father" (2010) in Edinburgh.

(April 2010) Filming mini-series drama, "Single Father" (2010), for BBC Scotland in Glasgow, Scotland.

(June 2010) Filming for the film, The Decoy Bride (2011), in Scotland and Isle of Man.

(September 2010) Filming for Fright Night (2011), in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

(October 2010) Guest starring in the comedy stage show 'Celebrity Autobiography' at the Leicester Square Theatre in London. Tennant made his first performance two days after he returned to England from New Mexico, where he'd been shooting the film Fright Night.

(November 2010) In Uganda filming for Comic Relief.

(November 2010) Newcastle: shooting the BBC2 film, United (2011/I).

(December 2010) In Carlisle and Newcastle filming United (2011/I).

(January 2011) Recording the radio play Kafka, the Musical in London.

(April 2011) In London rehearsing for the play 'Much Ado About Nothing.' Rehearsals started on 4 April in Shepherd's Bush.

(June 2012) London and Watford, Hertfordshire, filming "The Politician's Husband" (2013) (between mid-June and the end of July). Tennant started work on the series two days after he returned from Poland.

(April 2012) Poland: shooting "Spies of Warsaw" (2013) (between early April and mid-June).

(October 2011) Coventry, Wales and Warwickshire: filming Nativity 2: Danger in the Manger! (2012) (filming took place during October and November).

(September 2011) Margate, Kent: filming "True Love" (2012). Tennant started work on "True Love" two days after his play, "Much Ado About Nothing", ended.

(June 2012) London: Filming the TV series, "The Politician's Husband" (2013). (In June and July).

(August 2012) Bristol: Filming the TV series, "Broadchurch" (2013) (from early August to December).

(August 2012) Los Angeles, attending the TCAs. Tennant was in LA for three days only as he was in the middle of shooting different projects.

(November 2012) London: recording the comedy panel game show ''Comedy World Cup'' (as presenter). Tennant filmed Broadchurch Mon-Fri in Bristol and returned to London on the weekends to record Comedy World Cup.

(December 2012) Los Angeles: Auditioning for acting work and doing publicity for Spies of Warsaw.

(January 2013) London: Recording the audiobook 'How to Steal a Dragon's Heart.'

(December 2012) London, shooting a TV commercial for Virgin.

(April 2013) Cardiff, Wales: Filming Doctor Who 50th Anniversary Special

(January 2013) London, filming the BBC1 drama series The Escape Artist. During this month Tennant also recorded numerous audio books and radio plays.

(February 2013) Hertfordshire and London, filming The Escape Artist.

(March 2013) Scotland, filming The Escape Artist

(April 2013) Wales, filming the Doctor Who 50th Anniversary Special.