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EspañolCHRISTOPHER ECCLESTON
'Christopher Eccleston' (born 16 February 1964) is an English stage, television and film actor. He is well-known for his roles in several high-profile films, and in 2005 became the ninth incarnation of the Doctor in ''Doctor Who''.
Biography
Early life
Eccleston was born in Little Hulton, near Salford, Lancashire and raised in a working class family. He considered himself to have been a "poor student" with a love of television and an ambition to play football for his beloved Manchester United. However, at the age of 19, he found himself to be a much better actor than footballer, and was inspired by television dramas such as ''Boys from the Blackstuff''. Eccleston trained at the Central School of Speech and Drama. As an actor, his early influences had been Ken Loach's Kes and Albert Finney's performance in ''Saturday Night and Sunday Morning'', but he soon found himself performing the classics, including the works of Shakespeare, Chekhov and Molière. At age 25, Eccleston made his professional stage debut in the Bristol Old Vic's production of ''A Streetcar Named Desire''. Underemployed as an actor for some years after graduating school, Eccleston took a variety of odd jobs at a supermarket, on building sites, and as an artist's model.
Career: 1991-2005
Eccleston as Jude Fawley in ''Jude''
Eccleston first came to public attention as Derek Bentley in the 1991 film ''Let Him Have It'', based on true events. However, it was a regular role in the television series ''Cracker'' (1993–94) — culminating in his character's dramatic death in the second series — that made him a recognizable figure in the UK.
He appeared in the low-budget Danny Boyle 1994 film ''Shallow Grave'', in which he co-starred up-and-coming actor Ewan McGregor. The same year, he won the part of Nicky Hutchinson in the epic BBC drama serial ''Our Friends in the North'', whose broadcast on BBC Two in 1996 helped make him a household name in the UK. Eccleston would share the screen in the show with Daniel Craig, the sixth and current actor to play James Bond in the movie franchise.
His film career has since taken off with a variety of high-profile but not — except in one or two cases — major roles, including parts in ''Jude'' (1996) (where he shared a scene with David Tennant, his successor as the Doctor in ''Doctor Who''), ''Elizabeth'' (1998), ''eXistenZ'' (1999), ''Gone in Sixty Seconds'' (2000), ''The Others'' (2001), ''24 Hour Party People'' (2002) and another Danny Boyle film, the horror movie ''28 Days Later'' (2002). He played a major role as the protagonist of Alex Cox's 2002 ''Revengers Tragedy'', adapted from Thomas Middleton's play of the same name. He has starred alongside two major Hollywood actresses in smaller independent films, playing opposite Renée Zellweger in ''A Price Above Rubies'' (1998) and Cameron Diaz in ''The Invisible Circus'' (2001). Despite starring in the car-heist movie ''Gone in 60 Seconds'', he did not actually take his driving test until January 2004 and is only licenced to drive automatic transmission cars.
He has appeared in a variety of television roles, racking up credits in British television dramas of recent years. These have included ''Hearts and Minds'' (1995) for Channel 4, ''Clocking Off'' (2000) and ''Flesh and Blood'' (2002) for the BBC and ''Hillsborough'' (1996), a modern version of ''Othello'' (2002), playing 'Ben Jago', (the Iago character) and the religious telefantasy epic ''The Second Coming'' (2003) for ITV, in which he played Steve Baxter, the son of God. He also finds time for the occasional light-hearted role, however, as his guest appearances in episodes of the comedy drama ''Linda Green'' (2001) and macabre sketch show ''The League of Gentlemen'' (2002) have shown. On stage, his highest-profile production has been his starring role in ''Hamlet'' at the West Yorkshire Playhouse in Leeds in 2002. The West Yorkshire Playhouse is a favorite venue of his, and he most recently returned there in the new play ''Electricity'', which ran in March and April 2004.
Eccleston has been twice nominated in the Best Actor category at the British Academy Television Awards, the UK's premier television awards ceremony. His first nomination came in 1997 for ''Our Friends in the North'', when he lost out to Nigel Hawthorne (for ''The Fragile Heart''), and he was nominated again in 2004 for ''The Second Coming'', this time being beaten by Bill Nighy (for ''State of Play''). He did, however, triumph in the Best Actor categories at the 1997 Broadcasting Press Guild Awards and the Royal Television Society Awards, winning for ''Our Friends in the North''. He won the RTS Best Actor award for a second time in 2003, this time for his performance in ''Flesh and Blood''. In 2005 he received the Most Popular Actor award in the National Television Awards for ''Doctor Who''.
In July 2004 a poll of industry experts, conducted by ''Radio Times'' magazine, voted Eccleston the 19th Most Powerful Person in Television Drama.
''Doctor Who'' (2005)
Eccleston as the Ninth Doctor in ''Doctor Who''
On 20 March 2004, it was announced that Eccleston was to play the ninth incarnation of the Doctor in the revival of the legendary BBC science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'', which started airing in March 2005. The series executive producer and writer Russell T. Davies has said that Eccleston was always the first choice for the part. Despite this, the British tabloid press ran reports that Bill Nighy had been offered the role first, but declined (and in the 2005 documentary series ''Doctor Who Confidential'', Davies said that he "wouldn't have thought Chris [Eccleston] would be interested").
Eccleston was the first actor to play the Doctor on television in nine years (since Paul McGann in 1996) and the first actor to play him in an ongoing series in 16 years (since Sylvester McCoy in 1989). He was also the first actor to play the Doctor who was actually born ''after'' the beginning of the original television series. (He was born two weeks after the famous first Dalek story was first broadcast in the UK).
The new ''Doctor Who'' series premiered on 26 March 2005, receiving considerable praise for its opening story and special effects. Given the high ratings which the first episode had enjoyed (over 10 million), the BBC immediately announced that ''Doctor Who'' would be commissioned for another series and a Christmas special. However, on 30 March 2005, the BBC released a statement, ostensibly from Eccleston, saying that he had decided to leave the role after just one season, owing to fears of becoming typecast. On 4 April, the BBC revealed that Eccleston's "statement" was falsely attributed and released without his consent. The BBC admitted that they had broken an agreement made in January not to disclose publicly that he only intended to do one season. The statement had been made after journalists made queries to the press office.[1] Eccleston's three-month tenure makes him either the shortest or second-shortest serving Doctor to date, depending on how one counts Paul McGann's Eighth Doctor. (McGann appeared once, but was not "replaced" for nine years on screen, as no ''Doctor Who'' series was made at that time. Eccleston appeared in the role thirteen times, but his successor, David Tennant, appeared at the end of Eccleston's final episode, "The Parting of the Ways".)
On 11 June 2005, during a BBC radio interview, when asked if he had enjoyed working on ''Doctor Who'', Eccleston responded by saying, "Mixed, but that's a long story." Eccleston's reasons for leaving the role continue to be debated in Britain's newspapers: on 4 October 2005 Alan Davies told ''The Daily Telegraph'' that Eccleston had been "overworked" by the BBC, and had left the role because he was "exhausted".[2] Ten days later, Eccleston told ''The Daily Mirror'' this was not true, and expressed some irritation at Davies for his comments.[3]
Eccleston was voted "Most Popular Actor" at the 2005 National Television Awards for his portrayal of The Doctor. Eccleston was very touched by the response he received from children from his role as the Ninth Doctor. He said "In all the 20 years I've been acting, I've never enjoyed a response so much as the one I've had from children and I'm carrying that in my heart forever."[4]
After the Doctor
In June 2005, it was announced at the Cannes Film Festival that Eccleston had signed to appear in a British-made sci-fi romantic comedy called ''Double Life'', about a man who thinks he loves twin sisters. The film has been billed as "a tale of love and obsession" set in Budapest, and will be directed by Joe Ahearne (who directed Eccleston in ''Doctor Who''). It is being produced by author Lynda La Plante's company Cougar Films. On 30 October 2005, Eccleston appeared on stage at the Old Vic theatre in London in the one-night play ''Night Sky'' alongside Navin Chowdhry, Bruno Langley, David Warner, Saffron Burrows and David Baddiel. Eccleston sat on the 2nd Amazonas International Film Festival Film Jury in November 2005. The director Norman Jewison was chairman of the Jury.[5]
In December 2005, Eccleston traveled to Indonesia's Aceh province for the BBC Breakfast news programme, examining how survivors of the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami were rebuilding their lives.[6] On 20 December 2005, it was announced that Eccleston would lead the cast as playwright, poet and spy Christopher Marlowe in Peter Whelan’s ''The School of Night''. Directed by Bill Alexander, ''The School of Night'' was due to preview from 16 February 2006, but on January 6 the production was cancelled without a full explanation.
In May 2006, Eccleston appeared as the narrator in a production of ''Romeo and Juliet'' at The Lowry theatre in his home city of Salford. The theatre company with which he performed, Celebrity Pig (of which he is patron), is made up of learning disabled actors. Late in 2006 he starred in ''Perfect Parents'', an ITV drama written and directed by Ahearne.[7]
As Claude in Tim Kring's "Heroes".
In May 2006 it was reported that Eccleston was in advanced negotiations to star in a Sky One revival of the seminal 1960s drama series ''The Prisoner'', as Number Six, the character originally played by series creator Patrick McGoohan. Eccleston's agent has since categorically denied these rumours.[8]
In August 2006, Eccleston starred in ''New Orleans, Mon Amour'' with Elisabeth Moss. The film was directed by Michael Almereyda, and shot in post-Hurricane Katrina New Orleans. Eccleston joined the cast of the NBC TV series ''Heroes'', in the episode ''Godsend'' which aired on 22 January 2007. Eccleston plays a character named Claude who can become invisible, and helps Peter Petrelli with his powers.[9] Eccleston will also appear as "The Rider" in a film adaptation of Susan Cooper's novel The Dark is Rising which opens in the U.S. on October 5, 2007.
Personal life
Eccleston is a life long supporter of Manchester United F.C.[10] Eccleston does a lot of charity work and became a Mencap charity ambassador on 28 April 2005.[11]
His height is 187cm, or 6'2". He is unmarried but recently ended a relationship with the actress Siwan Morris.[12] Eccleston has older twin brothers and one (Alan Eccleston) appears in the party scene in ''Heart''.[13] Eccleston is an atheist, though was raised by a devoutly church-going mother.[14]
Eccleston is a keen marathon runner and usually enters a number of competitions each year.[15] He appeared on BBC's ''Top Gear'' on which it was revealed that he only has a licence to drive automatic cars.[16]
Filmography
Eccleston as Major West in ''28 Days Later''.
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | ''Let Him Have It'' | Derek Bentley | Directed by Peter Medak |
| 1992 | ''Death and the Compass'' | Alonso Zunz | Directed by Alex Cox |
| 1993 | ''Anchoress'' | Priest | Directed by Chris Newby |
| 1994 | ''Shallow Grave'' | David | Directed by Danny Boyle |
| 1996 | ''Jude'' | Jude Fawley | Directed by Michael Winterbottom |
| 1998 | ''Elizabeth'' | Duke of Norfolk | Directed by Shekhar Kapur |
| ''A Price Above Rubies'' | Sender Horowitz | Directed by Boaz Yakin | |
| 1999 | ''Heart'' | Gary Ellis | Directed by Charles McDougall |
| ''eXistenZ'' | Seminar Leader | Directed by David Cronenberg | |
| ''With or Without You'' | Vincent Boyd | Directed by Michael Winterbottom | |
| 2000 | ''Gone in Sixty Seconds'' | Raymond Calitri | Directed by Dominic Sena |
| 2001 | ''The Others'' | Charles Stewart | Directed by Alejandro Amenábar |
| ''The Invisible Circus'' | Wolf | Directed by Adam Brooks | |
| 2002 | ''24 Hour Party People'' | Boethius | Directed by Michael Winterbottom |
| ''I Am Dina'' | Leo Zukowskij | Directed by Ole Bornedal | |
| ''Revengers Tragedy'' | Vindici | Directed by Alex Cox | |
| ''28 Days Later'' | Major Henry West | Directed by Danny Boyle | |
| 2007 | ''The Seeker: The Dark Is Rising'' | The Rider | Directed by David L Cunningham |
| 2008 | ''New Orleans, Mon Amour'' | Dr. Jekyll | Directed by Michael Almereyda |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | ''Blood Rights'' | Dick | |
| ''Casualty'' | Stephen Hills | ||
| 1991 | ''Inspector Morse'' | Terrence Mitchell | Written by Danny Boyle |
| ''Chancer'' | Radio | ||
| ''Boon'' | Mark | ||
| 1992 | ''Rachel's Dream'' | Man in Dream | |
| ''Poirot'' | Frank Carter | ||
| ''Friday on my Mind'' | Sean Maddox | ||
| ''Business with Friends'' | Angel Morris | ||
| 1993 | ''Cracker'' | DCI David Bilborough | Written by Jimmy McGovern |
| 1995 | ''Hearts and Minds'' | Drew Mackenzie | Written by Jimmy McGovern |
| 1996 | ''Our Friends in the North'' | Nicky Hutchinson | Written by Peter Flannery |
| ''Hillsborough'' | Trevor Hicks | Written by Jimmy McGovern | |
| 1999 | "Killing Time - The Millennium Poem" | Millennium Man | Poem written by Simon Armitage |
| 2000 | ''The Tyre'' | Salesman | Written by Simon Armitage and Brian Hill |
| ''Wilderness Men'' | Alexander Von Humboldt | ||
| ''Clocking Off'' | Jim Calvert | Written by Paul Abbott | |
| 2001 | ''This Little Piggy'' | Cabbie | Short by Chris McHallem |
| ''Strumpet'' | Stray Man | Written by Jim Cartwright DVD was released in May 2006. | |
| ''Linda Green'' | Tom Sherry/Neil Sherry | Written by Paul Abbott | |
| 2002 | ''The League of Gentlemen'' | Dougal Siepp | Appeared in "How the Elephant Got Its Trunk", Season 3, Episode 6 |
| ''Flesh and Blood'' | Joe Broughton | Written by Peter Bowker | |
| ''Othello'' | Ben Jago | Written by Andrew Davies, based on the play by William Shakespeare | |
| ''Sunday'' | General Ford | Written by Jimmy McGovern | |
| ''The King and Us'' | Anthony | Written by Peter Bowker | |
| 2003 | I Am Kloot - "Proof" | Music video for band | Directed by Krishna Stott |
| ''The Second Coming'' | Stephen Baxter | Written by Russell T. Davies | |
| 2005 | ''Doctor Who'' | The Doctor | Written by Russell T. Davies, Mark Gatiss, Rob Shearman, Paul Cornell and Steven Moffat |
| 2006 | ''Perfect Parents'' | Stuart | Written and directed by Joe Ahearne |
| 2007 | ''Heroes'' | Claude Rains | Written by Tim Kring |
Radio and narration
★ ''Room of Leaves'' (Frank) (1998)
★ ''Pig Paradise'' (Jack) (1998)
★ ''Some Fantastic Place'' (Narrator) (2001)
★ ''Bayeux Tapestry'' (Harold) (2001)
★ ''The Importance of Being Morrissey'' (Narrator) (2002)
★ ''The Iliad'' (Achilles) (2002)
★ ''Cromwell - Warts and All'' (Narrator) (2003)
★ ''Life Half Spent'' (Roger) (2004)
★ ''Crossing the Dark Sea'' (Squaddie) (2005)
★ ''Sacred Nation'' (Narrator) (2005)
★ ''Born to be Different'' (Narrator) (2005)
★ ''A Day in the Death of Joe Egg'' (Brian) (2005)
★ ''E=mc² '' (Narrator) (2005)
★ ''Dubai Dreams '' (Narrator) (2005)
★ ''Wanted: New Mum and Dad '' (Narrator) (2005)
★ ''Children In Need'' (Narrator) (2005)
★ ''This Sceptred Isle'' (Various Characters) (2005)
★ ''The 1970s: That Was The Decade That was'' (Narrator) (2006)
Theatre
★ A Streetcar Named Desire (Pablo Gonzallez) (1988)- Bristol Old Vic
★ Woyzeck (Woyzeck) - Birmingham Rep
★ The Wonder - Gate Theatre
★ Dona Rosita, The Spinster - Bristol Old Vic
★ Bent (1990) - National Theatre
★ Abingdon Square (1990) - National Theatre/Shared Experience
★ Aide-Memoire (1990) - Royal Court Theatre
★ Encounters - National Theatre Studio
★ Waiting At The Water's Edge (Will) (1993) - Bush Theatre
★ Miss Julie (Jean) (2000) - Haymarket Theatre
★ Hamlet (Hamlet) (2002) - West Yorkshire Playhouse
★ Electricity (Jakey) (2004) - West Yorkshire Playhouse
Film & television: awards and nominations
★ 1997 - Nominated - Golden Satellite Award Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama for ''Jude''
★ 1997 - Won Broadcasting Press Guild Award Best Actor for ''Our Friends in the North
★ 1997 - Nominated BAFTA Television Award for Best Actor for ''Our Friends in the North''
★ 2003 - Won Royal Television Society Award for Best Actor for ''Flesh and Blood
★ 2004 - Nominated BAFTA Television Award for Best Actor for ''The Second Coming
★ 2005 - Won TV Quick and TV Choice Award for Best Actor for ''Doctor Who''
★ 2005 - Won National Television Awards Most Popular Actor for ''Doctor Who''
★ 2005 - Nominated Broadcasting Press Guild Award Best Actor for ''Doctor Who''
★ 2006 - Nominated BAFTA Cymru Best Actor Award for ''Doctor Who''
★ 2007 - Nominated twice SyFy Genre Awards Best Special Guest/Television for 'Claude' in ''Heroes''
References
1. BBC admits Dr Who actor blunder
2. Hamlet? Maybe not, but I'm not rubbish Tom Leonard
3. CHRIS'D OFF WITH ALAN Nicola Methven
4. Newsbeat reference, June 26, 2005
5. ''Manchesteronline.co.uk'' article November 05 2005
6. Christopher's Tsunami journey
7. Eccleston swaps time for crime in first post-Doctor drama Liz Thomas
8. Remake for cult show The Prisoner
9. Ask Ausiello Michael Ausiello
10. ''Daily Mirror article, June 13, 2005
11. Mencap newsletter, pdf
12. ''Observer'' article March 20 2005
13. IMDB listing for ''Heart''
14. http://www.celebatheists.com/index.php?title=Christopher_Eccleston
15. ''Guardian'' article January 15 2000
16. BBC ''Top Gear'' site
External links
★ ChristopherEccleston.com
★ Virginia's Christopher Eccleston Website
★ ChristopherEccleston.net
★ Christopher Eccleston Info Fansite
★
★
★ The Guardian Unlimited Interview - Home Truths (January 15, 2000)
★ The Independent Interview - You've got to laugh (November 02, 2002)
★ BBC Drama Faces: Christopher Eccleston
★ Fantastic!: Christopher Eccleston Article at Kasterborous.com
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psst.. try this: add to faves
