David Robert Dawson (born 7 September 1982) is an English actor. He has had a varied career on television, including roles in The Road to Coronation Street (2010), series 2 of Luther (2011), Ripper Street (2012–2016), The Secret Agent (2016), as King Alfred in The Last Kingdom (2015–2018), and as Joseph Merrick ("The Elephant Man") in Year of the Rabbit (2019).
David Dawson | |
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Born | David Robert Dawson (1982-09-07) 7 September 1982 (age 40) |
Education | Royal Academy of Dramatic Art |
Occupation | Actor |
Years active | 2003–present |
On stage, Dawson received a Laurence Olivier Award nomination for playing Smike in the 2007 production of The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby. Other notable performances have been in the 2009 production of Comedians, the 2010 production of Posh, and the 2011 production of Luise Miller.
Dawson was born in Widnes, England, and attended Fairfield High School and Warrington Collegiate Institute before being accepted to RADA on the acting programme in 2002. Whilst at secondary school he was a member of the Musketeer Theatre Company where he played Dogberry in William Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing amongst other roles. At 17 he wrote a play called Divorced and Desperate which ran at the Queen's Hall Theatre, Widnes, for three nights. A year later he wrote and starred in the play The Boy in the Bed at the Tower Theatre, Islington, with financial backing from Barbara Windsor and Julie Walters to whom he had written for help. Dawson has a younger brother, James.[1]
After leaving RADA in 2005, Dawson's first professional role was as understudy to Kevin Spacey as the eponymous hero of Shakespeare's Richard II for Trevor Nunn.[1]
Dawson has appeared in the television shows Doc Martin, The Thick of It, Secret Diary of a Call Girl and Peaky Blinders. He played Harry Parr-Davies in the BBC drama Gracie! about the life of English singer Gracie Fields. He starred as Coronation Street creator Tony Warren in the BBC drama The Road to Coronation Street.[2] He played Toby Kent in three episodes of the second series of Luther for the BBC.[3]
In 2012, Dawson appeared in two BBC Two literary adaptations, playing Bazzard in The Mystery of Edwin Drood[4] and Poins in The Hollow Crown.[5] He later appeared in the first three BBC-produced series of Ripper Street.[6] In 2016, he appeared in the BBC One's version of The Secret Agent.[7] Dawson portrayed David Collins in the BBC Two series Banished[8] and King Alfred in BBC America and BBC Two's historical drama series The Last Kingdom.[9]
Dawson starred alongside Harry Styles and Emma Corrin in the 2022 film My Policeman, with critics praising his performance.[10]
Dawson is part of the LGBTQ community.[11]
Year | Production | Character | Director | Company |
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2019 | Fairview | Mack | Nadia Latif | Young Vic Theatre |
2018 | Aristocrats (Brian Friel) | Casimir | Lydnsey Turner | Donmar Warehouse |
2015 | The Dazzle | Homer Collyer | Simon Evans | Found111 |
2014 | The Duchess of Malfi | Ferdinand | Dominic Dromgoole | Shakespeare's Globe |
2013 | The People of the Town | Antoine | Lily Bevan | Gielgud Theatre (RADA) |
2013 | The Vortex | Nicky Lancaster | Stephen Unwin | Rose Theatre, Kingston |
2011 | Luise Miller | Hofmarschall von Kalb | Michael Grandage | Donmar Warehouse |
2010 | Posh | Hugo Fraser-Tyrwhitt | Lydnsey Turner | Royal Court |
2009 | Comedians | Gethin Price | Sean Holmes | Lyric Theatre, Hammersmith |
2008 | Romeo and Juliet | Romeo | Neil Bartlett | Royal Shakespeare Company |
2007 | The Entertainer | Frank Rice | Sean Holmes | The Old Vic |
2006 | The Life and Adventures of[12]
Nicholas Nickleby |
Smike | Jonathan Church/Philip Franks | Chichester Fest Theatre/West End/UK tour/Toronto[13] |
2006 | The Long And The Short And The Tall | Whittaker | Josie Rourke | Lyceum Theatre, Sheffield |
2005 | Richard II | The Groom/ Understudy to Richard | Trevor Nunn | The Old Vic |
Year | Title | Role |
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2022 | All the Old Knives | Owen Lassiter |
2022 | My Policeman | Patrick Hazlewood |
2019 | Year of the Rabbit | Joseph Merrick |
2016 | The Secret Agent | Vladimir |
2016 | The Complete Walk: Love's Labour's Lost (Short) | Berowne |
2016 | Maigret | Marcel Moncin |
2015–2018 | The Last Kingdom | King Alfred |
2015 | Banished | David Collins |
2014 | The Smoke | Dom |
2013 | Peaky Blinders | Roberts |
2013 | The Borgias | The French Ambassador |
2013 | Dancing on the Edge | D.I. Horton |
2012–2016 | Ripper Street | Fred Best |
2012 | Parade's End | Aranjuez |
2012 | Henry IV, Parts I and II | Poins |
2012 | The Mystery of Edwin Drood | Bazzard |
2011 | Luther | Toby Kent |
2010 | The Road to Coronation Street | Tony Warren |
2010 | Secret Diary of a Call Girl | Byron Seebohm |
2009 | London Boulevard | Big Issue Seller |
2009 | Gracie! | Harry Parr Davies |
2007 | The Thick of It | Affers |
2007 | Damage | Tom Byrne |
2005 | Doc Martin | Wallace |
Year | Title | Role |
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2013 | To Make the Plough Go Before the Horse | Esmé Stewart |
2013 | Eugene Onegin | Eugene Onegin |
In 2008 Dawson was nominated for Best Newcomer in a Play at the Olivier Awards for his role as Smike in Nicholas Nickleby. He was also nominated in 2010 for Best Supporting Actor in the What's On Stage awards for his role as Gethin Price in Comedians.
Dawson drew critical acclaim for his portrayal of writer Tony Warren in the BBC Four drama The Road to Coronation Street. For the New Statesman Rachel Cooke wrote: "I think he's going to be a huge star. When he is doing his thing, it is hard to take your eyes off him".[14] The Daily Express said "It is David Dawson and some perfectly judged dialogue which brings this drama to light"[15] while The Mirror's Jane Simon called him "absolutely brilliant".[16]
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