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).
David Dawson | |
|---|---|
 Dawson in 2023 | |
| Born | David Robert Dawson 7 September 1982 Widnes, Cheshire, England |
| Education | Royal Academy of Dramatic Art |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 2003–present |
| Spouse | Josh Silver (m. 2023)[1] |
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
editDawson 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.[2]
Roles
editAfter 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.[2]
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.[3] He played Toby Kent in three episodes of the second series of Luther for the BBC.[4]
In 2012, Dawson appeared in two BBC Two literary adaptations, playing Bazzard in The Mystery of Edwin Drood[5] and Poins in The Hollow Crown.[6] He later appeared in the first three BBC-produced series of Ripper Street.[7] In 2016, he appeared in the BBC One's version of The Secret Agent.[8] Dawson portrayed David Collins in the BBC Two series Banished[9] and King Alfred in BBC America and BBC Two's historical drama series The Last Kingdom.[10]
Dawson starred alongside Harry Styles and Emma Corrin in the 2022 film My Policeman, with critics praising his performance.[11]
Personal life
editDawson is gay and married to author Josh Silver.[1]
Filmography
editFilm
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | London Boulevard | Big Issue Seller | |
| 2016 | The Complete Walk: Love's Labour's Lost | Berowne | Short film |
| 2022 | All the Old Knives | Owen Lassiter | |
| 2022 | My Policeman | Young Patrick Hazlewood | |
| 2025 | The Flaw | The Interrogator[12] |
Television
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Doc Martin | Wallace | Episode: "Blood is Thicker" |
| 2007 | Damage | Tom Byrne | Television film |
| 2007 | The Thick of It | Affers | 2 episodes |
| 2009 | Gracie! | Harry Parr Davies | Television film |
| 2010 | Secret Diary of a Call Girl | Byron Seebohm | 7 episodes (series 3) |
| 2010 | The Road to Coronation Street | Tony Warren | Television film |
| 2011 | Luther | Toby Kent | 3 episodes |
| 2012 | The Mystery of Edwin Drood | Bazzard | 1 episode |
| 2012 | Henry IV, Parts I and II | Poins | Television anthology |
| 2012 | Parade's End | Aranjuez | 1 episode |
| 2012–2016 | Ripper Street | Fred Best | 19 episodes (series 1–3; guest, series 5) |
| 2013 | Dancing on the Edge | D.I. Horton | 3 episodes |
| 2013 | The Borgias | The French Ambassador | Episode: "Siblings" |
| 2013 | Peaky Blinders | Roberts | 3 episodes |
| 2014 | The Smoke | Dom | 1 episode |
| 2014 | The Duchess of Malfi | Ferdinand | Television film |
| 2015 | Banished | David Collins | Miniseries |
| 2015–2018 | The Last Kingdom | King Alfred | Main role (series 1–3) |
| 2016 | Maigret | Marcel Moncin | Episode: "Maigret Sets a Trap" |
| 2016 | The Secret Agent | Vladimir | Miniseries |
| 2019 | Year of the Rabbit | Joseph Merrick | 4 episodes |
| 2022 | The Heroic Quest of the Valiant Prince Ivandoe | Prince Svan | Voice role, 5 episodes |
| 2023 | The Burning Girls | Aaron Marsh | Main role |
| 2024 | This Town | Robbie Carmen | [13] |
Stage
editAudio
edit| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 2013 | To Make the Plough Go Before the Horse | Esmé Stewart |
| 2013 | Eugene Onegin | Eugene Onegin |
Awards and nominations
editIn 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, David alongside Harry Styles were also nominated at the 2023 MTV Movie & TV Awards for Best kiss.
Critical acclaim
editDawson 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".[15] The Daily Express said "It is David Dawson and some perfectly judged dialogue which brings this drama to light"[16] while The Mirror's Jane Simon called him "absolutely brilliant".[17]
References
edit- ^ a b "Meet David Dawson Husband Josh Silver - Relationship Timeline". 7 May 2023. Archived from the original on 30 December 2023. Retrieved 27 February 2024.
- ^ a b Atkins, Tom (10 December 2007). "20 Questions With David Dawson". whatsonstage.com. Retrieved 18 August 2010.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "United Artists Profile Page". Retrieved 18 August 2010.
- ^ "United Artists Profile Page". Retrieved 2 March 2011.
- ^ "Cast announced for The Mystery of Edwin Drood on BBC Two", BBC Press Office, 2 September 2011. Retrieved 2 September 2011.
- ^ "Cast confirmed for BBC Two's cycle of Shakespeare films" (Press release). BBC Drama Publicity. 24 November 2011. Archived from the original on 1 January 2012. Retrieved 20 July 2012.
- ^ "Ripper Street characters page". BBC. Retrieved 30 March 2016.
- ^ "Meet the cast of The Secret Agent", Ellie Harrison, Radio Times, London, 17 July 2016'. Retrieved 18 July 2016.
- ^ "Banished cast & characters page". BBC. Retrieved 30 March 2016.
- ^ "The Last Kingdom characters page". BBC. Retrieved 30 March 2016.
- ^ "My Policeman". Metacritic.
- ^ Vourlias, Christopher (21 October 2024). "'The Last Kingdom's' David Dawson Headlines International Cast of Dystopian Drama 'The Flaw,' With Shooting Underway in Greece (EXCLUSIVE)".
- ^ "Pictures provide glimpse of Steven Knight's This Town production". BBC. 5 October 2023. Retrieved 5 October 2023.
- ^ "David Dawson | United Agents". www.unitedagents.co.uk. Retrieved 22 July 2021.
- ^ Rachel Cooke "The Road to Coronation Street" Archived 8 December 2015 at the Wayback Machine, New Statesman, 17 September 2010
- ^ "Television Express". 17 September 2010.
- ^ "Today's TV". Daily Mirror. 16 September 2010.