Daniel Craig

Early life and education

Daniel Wroughton Craig was born on 2 March 1968 in Chester, Cheshire, to an art teacher, Carol Olivia (née Williams), and Timothy John Wroughton Craig, a midshipman in the Merchant Navy and steel erector. His father later became the landlord of two Cheshire pubs: The Ring o' Bells in Frodsham and The Boot Inn in Tarporley. Craig has an older sister named Lea (born 1965), and a younger half-brother named Harry (1991). He is of part Welsh and distant French descent, counting the French Huguenot minister Daniel Chamier and Sir William Burnaby, 1st Baronet, among his ancestors. His middle name, Wroughton, comes from his great-great-grandmother, Grace Matilda Wroughton.

When Craig's parents divorced in 1972, he and his sister moved to the Wirral Peninsula with their mother, where he attended primary school in Hoylake as well as school in Frodsham. He attended Hilbre High School in West Kirby. Upon leaving at the age of 16, he attended Calday Grange Grammar School as a sixth form student. He played rugby union for Hoylake RFC.

Craig began acting in school plays at the age of six, making his debut in the Frodsham Primary School production of Oliver! He became interested in serious acting by attending Liverpool's Everyman Theatre with his mother. At the age of 14 in 1982, he played roles in Romeo and Juliet and Cinderella at Hilbre High School. In 1984, he was accepted into the National Youth Theatre and moved to London, where he worked part-time in restaurants to finance his education. His parents watched his stage debut as Agamemnon in Troilus And Cressida. He performed with the National Youth Theatre on tours to Valencia and Moscow under the leadership of director Edward Wilson. He entered the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in 1988, and graduated in 1991 after a three-year course under the tutelage of Colin McCormack, an actor from the Royal Shakespeare Company.

Career

1992–2005: Early roles and breakthrough

Craig appeared in his first screen role in 1992, playing an Afrikaner in The Power of One. Having played minor roles in the miniseries Anglo-Saxon Attitudes and the shows Covington Cross and Boon, he appeared in November 1993 as Joe in the Royal National Theatre's production of Tony Kushner's Angels in America. Also in 1993, Craig was featured in two episodes of the American television shows Zorro and George Lucas's The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles, and British shows Heartbeat, in which he played Peter Begg; Between the Lines; Drop the Dead Donkey and Sharpe's Eagle. In 1994, Craig appeared in The Rover, a filmed stage production and Les Grandes Horizontales, a stage production at the National Theatre Studio, where he first met Rachel Weisz, who would become his second wife. Craig was featured in the poorly received Disney film A Kid in King Arthur's Court (1995). In 1996, Craig starred in the BBC drama serial Our Friends in the North as the troubled George 'Geordie' Peacock. Appearing alongside Christopher Eccleston, Gina McKee and Mark Strong, Craig's part in the series is considered his breakthrough role.

In the same year, Craig guest-starred in an episode of the HBO horror anthology series Tales from the Crypt and was featured in the BBC television film Saint-Ex. Craig gave a lead performance in the Franco-German drama Obsession in 1997, about a love triangle between Craig's character and a couple. The same year, he played a leading role in Hurlyburly, a play performed in the West End at the Old Vic.

Craig appeared in three films in 1998: the independent drama Love and Rage, the biographical drama Elizabeth, in which he played Jesuit priest John Ballard, who was executed for being involved in the Babington Plot, an attempt to assassinate Queen Elizabeth I of England, and the BBC television film Love Is the Devil: Study for a Portrait of Francis Bacon (1998), in which Craig played small-time thief George Dyer who becomes the lover and muse of painter Francis Bacon, who was portrayed by Derek Jacobi. The following year, Craig starred in a television drama called Shockers: The Visitor and as Sergeant Telford Winter in the independent war film The Trench, which takes place in the confines of the trenches in the First World War during the 48 hours leading up to the Battle of the Somme.

Craig played a schizophrenic man who falls in love with a woman (played by Kelly Macdonald) after being discharged from psychiatric hospital in the drama Some Voices (2000). Also in 2000, Craig co-starred alongside Toni Collette in the dark comedy Hotel Splendide and was featured in I Dreamed of Africa, based on the life of Kuki Gallmann (played by Kim Basinger). Craig played the love interest of Angelina Jolie's character Lara Croft in Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (2001), based on the video game series Tomb Raider. He later admitted to having taken on the role in the poorly-reviewed yet commercially successful film only for the money. In 2001, Craig also starred in the four-part Channel 4 drama Sword of Honour, based on the trilogy of novels of the same. Craig appeared in the anthology film Ten Minutes Older: The Cello (2002), starring in the segment "Addicted to the Stars", directed by Michael Radford.

2006–2021: James Bond and worldwide recognition

According to various sources, EON Productions had become aware of Craig and begun to consider him as a future Bond candidate because of Our Friends in the North in 1996 or Elizabeth in 1998.

In 2004, Craig first met longtime Bond co-producer Barbara Broccoli at the funeral of casting director Mary Selway, who had cast Craig in Love Is the Devil. Broccoli asked Craig to join her for "a cup of tea" at EON's Piccadilly office, and offered him the role of James Bond. Initially, he was unsure about the role and was resistant to the producers' overtures. "There was a period of trying to woo him", Broccoli later commented in 2012. During this period, Craig sought advice from colleagues and friends, of whom "most of us said to him ... 'there is life after Bond'". He asked Pierce Brosnan at an event for advice and Brosnan told him, "Go for it. Just go for it." He stated he "was aware of the challenges" of the Bond franchise, which he considered "a big machine that makes a lot of money". He aimed at bringing more "emotional depth" to the character. Born in 1968, Craig is the first actor to portray James Bond to have been born after the Bond series started and after the death of Ian Fleming, the novels' writer.

Craig's casting as Bond was controversial, due to his physical appearance. Some fans considered the blond-haired, 5-foot-10-inch-tall (1.78 m) Craig to not fit the image of the taller, dark-haired Bond portrayed by the previous actors. Throughout the entire production period, Internet campaigns expressed their dissatisfaction and threatened to boycott the film in protest. 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 – Sean Connery, Roger Moore, Pierce Brosnan and Timothy Dalton – believed his casting to be a good decision. Connery notably shared his thoughts on Craig's casting as Bond in 2008, describing him as "fantastic, marvelous in the part". The other actor to have previously played Bond, George Lazenby, has also since voiced his approval of Craig. Clive Owen, who had been linked to the role, also spoke in defence of Craig.

Craig's debut as James Bond came with Casino Royale, premiering on 14 November 2006 and grossing US$594,239,066 worldwide, making it the highest-grossing Bond film until the release of Skyfall in 2012. Upon the film's release, Craig's performance received critical acclaim. Additionally, he lent his voice and likeness as James Bond to both the Wii game GoldenEye 007, an enhanced remake of the 1997 game for the Nintendo 64, and James Bond 007: Blood Stone. Craig appeared in two further films in 2006: the drama Infamous as mass murderer Perry Edward Smith and as the voice of the lead character in the English-language version of the French animated film Renaissance. In 2006, Craig was invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

2022–present: Post-Bond work

In 2022, Craig starred in a contemporary revival of Macbeth opposite Ruth Negga on Broadway. Variety described his performance writing "Craig has some strong moments but does not capture the transformation of Macbeth into a power-hungry tyrant." The Guardian's Alexis Soloski rated the production 3/5, stating, "... Craig's burly Macbeth, clad handsomely in Suttirat Larlab's modern dress costumes, is every inch a man of action and a soldier, even in a silky bathrobe, entirely convincing in motion, less persuasive when zipping through Macbeth's equivocations." Craig also starred in Glass Onion, a sequel to Knives Out directed by Johnson.

In 2024, he starred as William Lee in Luca Guadagnino's adaptation of William S. Burroughs novel Queer. The film premiered at the 81st Venice International Film Festival. Craig's performance was praised by critics. Craig stated "The reason I wanted to get into cinema was because of movies like this. ... Scripts don't come around like this very often, directors don't come around like this very often. I didn't know what the end result would be, but I knew the journey was going to be something else. And that's really what appealed to me, to be working with such a wonderful person, the most creative and exciting people."

Craig next starred in a third Benoit Blanc film titled Wake Up Dead Man, with Johnson directing again.

Charity and humanitarian work

In 2007, Craig and British Prime Minister Tony Blair took part in the United Kingdom's Comic Relief charity fundraiser, ultimately raising more than US$90 million. 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, for the BBC Red Nose Day 2007 fundraising programme. Craig participated in the Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS fundraising 8 December 2009, raising US$1,549,953 in the 21st annual Gypsy of the Year competition, from six weeks of curtain appeals at their hit Broadway drama, A Steady Rain. Craig starred in 2011 in a short film narrated by Judi Dench, which was produced for International Women's Day. The next year, Craig worked with Orbis International in Mongolia to raise support and awareness of the Orbis medical team and their Flying Eye Hospital.

He is involved with multiple charities including S.A.F.E. Kenya, which uses street theatre to address social issues. He is also involved with the Opportunity Network, which provides access to education for low-income students in New York. In 2011, he collaborated with Dame Judi Dench to highlight gender inequality for International Women's Day. In August 2014, he added his name to a letter to British broadcasters calling for better representation of ethnic minorities. In 2015, Craig appeared in the film Comic Relief: Behind the Bond for the BBC Red Nose Day 2015 fundraising programme.

In April 2015, the United Nations appointed Craig the first global advocate for the elimination of mines and explosive hazards. The role involves raising awareness for the UN Mine Action Service (UNMAS), and political and financial support for the cause. Former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told Craig: "You have been given a licence to kill, I'm now giving you a licence to save." In 2019, Craig appeared in a video with the Secretary-General of the United Nations, António Guterres, and launched the UNMAS Safe Ground campaign to turn minefields into playing fields.

Political views

In 2012, Craig expressed a dislike and distrust for politics and politicians in general, being quoted as saying, "Politicians are shitheads. That's how they become politicians, even the good ones. We're actors, we're artists, we're very nice to each other. They'll turn around and stab you in the fucking back". He was particularly scathing about former Labour Party prime minister Tony Blair, comparing the friends of Blair with the Faustian protagonist of Klaus Mann's novel Mephisto. Craig has also expressed a reluctance to involve himself with politicians, arguing that by doing so "you immediately are aligning yourself with a political party."

Despite this, Craig supported Barack Obama in the 2008 and 2012 US presidential elections. He was outspoken about his opposition to Brexit before the 2016 EU membership referendum. In 2016, he was pictured wearing a "Vote Remain" t-shirt which was adorned with the words, "No man is an island. No country by itself."

Craig came out against the concept of inheritance in 2021, calling it "distasteful". He claims his philosophy is "get rid of it or give it away before you go".

Personal life

In 1992, Craig married actress Fiona Loudon; they had a daughter, Ella, before divorcing in 1994. Ella Loudon is an actress and model who has publicly expressed pride in Craig's work.

Craig later began a relationship with German actress Heike Makatsch that lasted for seven years until 2004. He subsequently dated film producer Satsuki Mitchell. They were engaged from 2007 till November 2010.

Craig's friend Mark Strong speaks fluent German, and in 1997 provided the German dubbing for Craig's voice in Obsession when "German with an English accent" was required. Strong and Craig previously lived together, became friends, and co-starred in the BBC drama Our Friends in the North. Craig is also the godfather of Strong's son Roman.

Craig and actress Rachel Weisz had known each other since working together on Les Grandes Horizontales (1994). They began dating in December 2010, and were married in a private ceremony in New York City on 22 June 2011 with only four guests in attendance, including Craig's daughter and Weisz's son. It was reported on 1 September 2018 that their first child together, a daughter, had been born.

In January 2018, Craig purchased a house in Brooklyn for an amount in excess of US$6 million. He is a lifelong fan of Liverpool F.C., and is also a fan of rugby, having travelled to Australia in 2013 to watch the British and Irish Lions tour. In 2019, Craig announced he had obtained American citizenship. He was made an honorary Commander in the Royal Navy in September 2021, matching the on-screen rank of James Bond. Craig was appointed Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George (CMG) in the 2022 New Year Honours for services to film and theatre, matching the CMG of James Bond.

Filmography