David Robert Dawson (born 7 September 1982) is an English actor. On television, he is known for his roles in the

BBC Four BBC Four is a British free-to-air Public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It was launched on 2 March 2002

film '' The Road to Coronation Street'' (2010), the

BBC One BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's oldest and flagship channel, and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television b ...

series '' Luther'' (2011), '' Ripper Street'' (2012–2016), '' The Last Kingdom'' (2015–2018) and ''

The Secret Agent ''The Secret Agent: A Simple Tale'' is an anarchist spy fiction novel by Polish-British author Joseph Conrad, first published on 12 September 1907.. The story is set in Soho, London in 1886 and deals with Mr. Adolf Verloc and his work as a sp ...

'' (2016), and the

Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by Channel Four Television Corporation. It is state-owned enterprise, publicly owned but, unlike the BBC, it receives no public funding and is funded en ...

sitcom '' Year of the Rabbit'' (2019). His films include '' My Policeman'' (2022). On stage, Dawson received a

Laurence Olivier Award The Laurence Olivier Awards, or simply The Olivier Awards, are presented annually by the Society of London Theatre to recognize excellence in West End theatre, professional theatre in London. The awards were originally known as the Society of We ...

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 A comedian (feminine comedienne) or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience by making them laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing situations, or acting foolishly (as in slapstick), or employing prop comedy. A comedian who ...

'', the 2010 production of ''

Posh Posh is today an informal adjective for "upper class". It may also refer to: Entertainment * ''Posh'' (album), a 1980 album by Patrice Rushen *" Posh!", a 1968 song from the musical ''Chitty Chitty Bang Bang'' * ''Posh'' (2006 TV series), a 2006 ...

'', and the 2011 production of '' Luise Miller''.

Early life

Dawson was born in

Widnes Widnes ( ) is an Industrial city, industrial town in the Borough of Halton, Cheshire, England, which at the 2021–2022 United Kingdom censuses, 2021 census had a population of 62,400. Historic counties of England, Historically in Lancashire, ...

, England, and attended Fairfield High School and Warrington Collegiate Institute before being accepted to

RADA The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, also known by its abbreviation RADA (), is a drama school in London, England, which provides vocational conservatoire training for theatre, film, television, and radio. It is based in Bloomsbury, Central Lond ...

on the acting programme in 2002. While at secondary school he was a member of the Musketeer Theatre Company where he played Dogberry in

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

's ''

Much Ado About Nothing ''Much Ado About Nothing'' is a Shakespearean comedy, comedy by William Shakespeare thought to have been written in 1598 and 1599.See textual notes to ''Much Ado About Nothing'' in ''The Norton Shakespeare'' (W. W. Norton & Company, 1997 ) p. ...

'' among 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 Dame Barbara Windsor (born Barbara Ann Deeks; 6 August 193710 December 2020) was an English actress, known for her roles in the Carry On (franchise), ''Carry On'' films and for playing Peggy Mitchell in the BBC One soap opera ''EastEnders''.

and

Julie Walters Dame Julia Mary Walters (born 22 February 1950), known professionally as Julie Walters, is an English actress. She is the recipient of four British Academy Television Awards, two British Academy Film Awards, two International Emmy Awards, a Go ...

to whom he had written for help. Dawson has a younger brother, James.

Roles

After leaving

in 2005, Dawson's first professional role was as understudy to

Kevin Spacey Kevin Spacey Fowler (born July 26, 1959) is an American actor. Known for Kevin Spacey on screen and stage, his work on stage and screen, he List of awards and nominations received by Kevin Spacey, has received numerous accolades, including two ...

as the eponymous hero of Shakespeare's ''

Richard II Richard II (6 January 1367 – ), also known as Richard of Bordeaux, was King of England from 1377 until he was deposed in 1399. He was the son of Edward, Prince of Wales (later known as the Black Prince), and Joan, Countess of Kent. R ...

'' for

Trevor Nunn Sir Trevor Robert Nunn (born 14 January 1940) is an English theatre director and lyricist. He has been the artistic director for the Royal Shakespeare Company, the Royal National Theatre, and, currently, the Theatre Royal Haymarket. He has dir ...

. Dawson has appeared in the television shows ''

Doc Martin ''Doc Martin'' is a British medical comedy-drama television series starring Martin Clunes as Doctor Martin Ellingham. It was created by Dominic Minghella developing the character of Dr Martin Bamford from the Nigel Cole comedy film '' Saving ...

'', ''

The Thick of It ''The Thick of It'' is a British comedy television series created, written and directed by Armando Iannucci that satirises the inner workings of British government. It was first broadcast for two short series on BBC Four in 2005, initially ...

'', ''

Secret Diary of a Call Girl ''Secret Diary of a Call Girl'' is a British drama television series that aired from 27 September 2007 to 22 March 2011 on ITV2, based on the blog and books by the pseudonymous Belle de Jour. It stars Billie Piper as Belle, a high-end call ...

'' and ''

Peaky Blinders The Peaky Blinders were a street gang based in Birmingham, England, which operated from the 1880s until the 1920s. The group consisted largely of young criminals from lower- to working-class backgrounds. They engaged in robbery, violence, racke ...

''. He played

Harry Parr-Davies Harry Parr-Davies (24 May 1914 – 14 October 1955) was a Welsh composer and songwriter. He was born Harry Parr Davies in Briton Ferry, Neath, South Wales, and was educated at Neath Grammar School. He was considered a musical prodigy, hav ...

in the

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

drama ''

Gracie! ''Gracie!'' is a biopic television film on the life of Gracie Fields, with Jane Horrocks playing Fields and Tom Hollander her husband Monty Banks. It covers her career before the Second World War and the decline in her popularity during the war. ...

'' about the life of English singer

Gracie Fields Dame Gracie Fields (born Grace Stansfield; 9 January 189827 September 1979) was a British actress, singer and comedian. A star of cinema and music hall, she was one of the top ten film stars in Britain during the 1930s and was considered the h ...

. He starred as ''

Coronation Street ''Coronation Street'' (colloquially referred to as ''Corrie'') is a British television soap opera created by ITV Granada, Granada Television and shown on ITV (TV network), ITV since 9 December 1960. The programme centres on a cobbled, terraced ...

'' creator Tony Warren in the BBC drama ''The Road to Coronation Street''. He played Toby Kent in three episodes of the second series of '' Luther'' for the BBC. In 2012, Dawson appeared in two

BBC Two BBC Two is a British free-to-air Public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's second flagship channel, and it covers a wide range of subject matte ...

literary adaptations, playing Bazzard in '' The Mystery of Edwin Drood'' and Poins in '' The Hollow Crown''. He later appeared in the first three BBC-produced series of '' Ripper Street''. In 2016, he appeared in the

's version of ''

''. Dawson portrayed David Collins in the BBC Two series '' Banished'' and

King Alfred Alfred the Great ( ; – 26 October 899) was King of the West Saxons from 871 to 886, and King of the Anglo-Saxons from 886 until his death in 899. He was the youngest son of King Æthelwulf and his first wife Osburh, who both died when ...

in BBC America and BBC Two's historical drama series '' The Last Kingdom''. Dawson starred alongside

Harry Styles Harry Edward Styles (born 1 February 1994) is an English singer, songwriter, and actor. His showmanship, artistry, and flamboyant fashion have had a Cultural impact of Harry Styles, significant impact on popular culture. Styles's musical ca ...

and Emma Corrin in the 2022 film '' My Policeman'', with critics praising his performance.

Personal life

Dawson is married to author Josh Silver.

Filmography

Film

Television

Stage

Audio

Awards and nominations

In 2008, Dawson was nominated for Best Newcomer in a Play at the

Olivier Awards The Laurence Olivier Awards, or simply The Olivier Awards, are presented annually by the Society of London Theatre to recognize excellence in West End theatre, professional theatre in London. The awards were originally known as the Society of We ...

for his role as Smike in ''

Nicholas Nickleby ''Nicholas Nickleby'', or ''The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby'', is the third novel by English author Charles Dickens, originally published as a serial from 1838 to 1839. The character of Nickleby is a young man who must support his ...

''. He was also nominated in 2010 for Best Supporting Actor in the What's On Stage awards for his role as Gethin Price in ''

''. In 2022, he and the cast of '' My Policeman'' won the

TIFF Tag Image File Format or Tagged Image File Format, commonly known by the abbreviations TIFF or TIF, is an image file format for storing raster graphics images, popular among graphic artists, the publishing industry, and photographers. TIFF is w ...

tribute Award for Performance, Dawson alongside

were also nominated at the 2023 MTV Movie & TV Awards for Best Kiss.

Critical acclaim

Dawson drew critical acclaim for his portrayal of writer Tony Warren in the

BBC Four BBC Four is a British free-to-air Public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It was launched on 2 March 2002

drama '' The Road to Coronation Street''. For the ''

New Statesman ''The New Statesman'' (known from 1931 to 1964 as the ''New Statesman and Nation'') is a British political and cultural news magazine published in London. Founded as a weekly review of politics and literature on 12 April 1913, it was at first c ...

Rachel Cooke Rachel Cooke (born 1969) is a British journalist and writer. Early life Cooke was born in Sheffield, England, and is the daughter of a university lecturer in botany and a biology teacher. She went to school in Jaffa, Israel, until she was 11 ...

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". ''

The Daily Express The ''Daily Express'' is a national daily United Kingdom middle-market newspaper printed in tabloid format. Published in London, it is the flagship of Express Newspapers, owned by publisher Reach plc. It was first published as a broadsheet i ...

'' said "It is David Dawson and some perfectly judged dialogue which brings this drama to light" while '' The Mirrors Jane Simon called him "absolutely brilliant".

References

External links

* *
Dawson's CV at United Agents
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dawson, David 1982 births 21st-century English LGBTQ people 21st-century English male actors Actors from the Borough of Halton Alumni of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art Articles containing video clips English gay actors English LGBTQ actors English male film actors English male radio actors English male Shakespearean actors English male stage actors English male television actors Living people Male actors from Cheshire People from Widnes