David Dawson (actor)
{{Short description|English actor (born 1982)}}
{{For|other people with the same name|David Dawson (disambiguation){{!}}David Dawson}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2025}}
{{Use British English|date=January 2025}}
{{Infobox person
| name = David Dawson
| image = David_Dawson_2023.png
| caption = Dawson in 2023
| birth_name = David Robert Dawson
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|df=y|1982|09|07}}
| birth_place = Widnes, Cheshire, England
| education = Royal Academy of Dramatic Art
| occupation = Actor
| years_active = 2003–present
| spouse = Josh Silver (m. 2023)
}}
David Robert Dawson (born 7 September 1982) is an English actor. On television, he is known for his roles in the BBC Four film The Road to Coronation Street (2010), the BBC One series Luther (2011), Ripper Street (2012–2016), The Last Kingdom (2015–2018) and The Secret Agent (2016), and the Channel 4 sitcom Year of the Rabbit (2019). His films include My Policeman (2022).
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.
Early life
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. While at secondary school he was a member of the Musketeer Theatre Company where he played Dogberry in William Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing 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 and Julie Walters to whom he had written for help. Dawson has a younger brother, James.{{Cite web |url=http://www.whatsonstage.com/interviews/theatre/london/E8821197310863/20+Questions+With+%85+David+Dawson.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100401062052/http://www.whatsonstage.com/interviews/theatre/london/E8821197310863/20+Questions+With+%85+David+Dawson.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=1 April 2010 |title=20 Questions With David Dawson |date=10 December 2007 |first=Tom |last=Atkins |work=What's On Stage |access-date=18 August 2010}}
Roles
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.
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.{{Cite web |url=http://unitedagents.co.uk/david-dawson |title=United Artists Profile Page |access-date=18 August 2010}} He played Toby Kent in three episodes of the second series of Luther for the BBC.{{Cite web |url=http://unitedagents.co.uk/david-dawson |title=United Artists Profile Page |access-date=2 March 2011}}
In 2012, Dawson appeared in two BBC Two literary adaptations, playing Bazzard in The Mystery of Edwin Drood[https://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2011/09_september/02/drood.shtml "Cast announced for The Mystery of Edwin Drood on BBC Two"], BBC Press Office, 2 September 2011. Retrieved 2 September 2011. and Poins in The Hollow Crown.{{cite press release |title=Cast confirmed for BBC Two's cycle of Shakespeare films |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/latestnews/shakespeare-cast.html |publisher=BBC Drama Publicity |date=24 November 2011 |access-date=20 July 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120101060938/http://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/latestnews/shakespeare-cast.html |archive-date=1 January 2012 |url-status=dead}} He later appeared in the first three BBC-produced series of Ripper Street.{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/profiles/3mzn8H3BN8y35GXXGR9FW7y/characters |title=Ripper Street characters page |publisher=BBC |access-date=30 March 2016}} In 2016, he appeared in the BBC One's version of The Secret Agent.[http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2016-07-17/meet-the-cast-of-the-secret-agent-3 "Meet the cast of The Secret Agent"], Ellie Harrison, Radio Times, London, 17 July 2016'. Retrieved 18 July 2016. Dawson portrayed David Collins in the BBC Two series Banished{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/profiles/4N5S7T2rtkgHfDsSzDgcm0t/cast-characters |title=Banished cast & characters page |publisher=BBC |access-date=30 March 2016}}
and King Alfred in BBC America and BBC Two's historical drama series The Last Kingdom.{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/profiles/2HQMrjJ0vrr83VKNc7hhGCL/characters |title=The Last Kingdom characters page |publisher=BBC |access-date=30 March 2016}}
File:Can I Offer You A Scotch, Officer- - My Policeman - Prime Video edited 0.webm featuring Harry Styles as Tom Burgess and Dawson as Patrick Hazlewood.]]
Dawson starred alongside Harry Styles and Emma Corrin in the 2022 film My Policeman, with critics praising his performance.{{cite web |url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/my-policeman |title=My Policeman |publisher=Metacritic}}
Personal life
Dawson is married to author Josh Silver. name="married">{{Cite web |date=7 May 2023 |title=Meet David Dawson Husband Josh Silver - Relationship Timeline |url=https://tvshowstars.com/meet-david-dawson-husband-josh-silver-relationship/ |access-date=27 February 2024 |language=en-US |archive-date=30 December 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231230030425/https://tvshowstars.com/meet-david-dawson-husband-josh-silver-relationship/ |url-status=live}}
Filmography
=Film=
| class="wikitable" |
| Year
! Title ! Role ! Notes |
|---|
| 2010
| Big Issue Seller | Uncredited |
| rowspan="2"|2022
| Owen Lassiter | |
| My Policeman
| Young Patrick Hazlewood | |
| {{TableTBA}}
| The Flaw | The Interrogator |
=Television=
| class="wikitable sortable" |
| Year
! Title ! Role ! class="unsortable"|Notes |
|---|
| 2005
| Wallace | Episode: "Blood is Thicker" |
| rowspan="2"|2007
| Damage | Tom Byrne | Television film |
| The Thick of It
| Affers | 2 episodes |
| 2009
| Gracie! | Television film |
| rowspan="2"|2010
| Byron Seebohm | 7 episodes (series 3) |
| The Road to Coronation Street
| Television film |
| 2011
| Luther | Toby Kent | 3 episodes |
| rowspan="3"|2012
| Bazzard | 1 episode |
| Henry IV, Parts I and II
| Poins | Television anthology |
| Parade's End
| Aranjuez | 1 episode |
| 2012–2016
| Fred Best | 19 episodes (series 1–3; guest, series 5) |
| rowspan="3"|2013
| D.I. Horton | 3 episodes |
| The Borgias
| The French Ambassador | Episode: "Siblings" |
| Peaky Blinders
| Roberts | 3 episodes |
| rowspan="2"|2014
| Dom | 1 episode |
| The Duchess of Malfi
| Ferdinand | Television film |
| 2015
| Banished | Miniseries |
| 2015–2018
| Main role (series 1–3) |
| rowspan="2"|2016
| Maigret | Marcel Moncin | Episode: "Maigret Sets a Trap" |
| The Secret Agent
| Vladimir | Miniseries |
| 2019
| 4 episodes |
| 2022
| The Heroic Quest of the Valiant Prince Ivandoe | Prince Svan | Voice role, 5 episodes |
| 2023
| Aaron Marsh | Main role |
| 2024
| Robbie Carmen |
| 2025
| Vega |
Stage
| class="wikitable sortable" |
| Year
! Production ! Character ! Director(s) ! Company |
|---|
| 2005
| The Groom / Understudy to Richard |
| rowspan="2"|2006
| The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby | Smike | Jonathan Church / | Chichester Fest Theatre / West End / UK tour / Toronto{{Cite web |title=David Dawson {{!}} United Agents |url=https://www.unitedagents.co.uk/david-dawson |access-date=22 July 2021 |website=United Agents}} |
| The Long and the Short and the Tall
| Whittaker |
| 2007
| Frank Rice | The Old Vic |
| 2008
| Romeo |
| 2009
| Gethin Price |
| 2010
| Posh | Hugo Fraser-Tyrwhitt | Lydnsey Turner |
| 2011
| Hofmarschall von Kalb |
| rowspan="2"|2013
| The People of the Town | Antoine | Lily Bevan | Gielgud Theatre (RADA) |
| The Vortex
| Nicky Lancaster |
| 2014
| Ferdinand |
| 2015
| Found111 |
| 2018
| Aristocrats (Brian Friel) | Casimir | Lydnsey Turner | Donmar Warehouse |
| 2019
| Fairview | Mack | Nadia Latif |
Audio
| class="wikitable" |
| Year
! Title ! Role |
|---|
| rowspan="2"|2013
| To Make the Plough Go Before the Horse |
| Eugene Onegin
| Eugene Onegin |
Awards and nominations
{{BLP unreferenced section|date=January 2025}}
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.
In 2022, he and the cast of My Policeman won the TIFF tribute Award for Performance, Dawson alongside Harry Styles 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 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".Rachel Cooke [http://www.newstatesman.com/television/2010/09/coronation-street-road-soap "The Road to Coronation Street"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151208075807/http://www.newstatesman.com/television/2010/09/coronation-street-road-soap |date=8 December 2015 }}, New Statesman, 17 September 2010 The Daily Express said "It is David Dawson and some perfectly judged dialogue which brings this drama to light"{{Cite web |url=http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/199991/Last-night-s-TV-The-Road-to-Coronation-Street |title=Television Express |date=17 September 2010}} while The Mirror's Jane Simon called him "absolutely brilliant".{{Cite web |url=https://www.mirror.co.uk/tv-entertainment/tv/todays-tv/2010/09/16/the-road-to-coronation-street-bbc4-9pm-115875-22563638/ |title=Today's TV |website=Daily Mirror |date=16 September 2010}}
References
{{Reflist|30em}}
External links
{{Commons category}}
- {{Instagram|mrdrdawson}}
- {{IMDb name|nm3541497}}
- [http://unitedagents.co.uk/david-dawson Dawson's CV at United Agents]
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dawson, David}}
Category:21st-century English LGBTQ people
Category:21st-century English male actors
Category:Actors from the Borough of Halton
Category:Alumni of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art
Category:Articles containing video clips
Category:English male film actors
Category:English male radio actors
Category:English male Shakespearean actors
Category:English male stage actors
Category:English male television actors