David Tennant Facts: Doctor Who Actor's Age, Wife, Children, Films and Career Revealed
24 November 2023, 15:24 by Tom Owen David Tennant Is One of the Most Celebrated Actors of His Generation, Known for His Versatile and Charismatic Performances...
24 November 2023, 15:24
David Tennant is one of the most celebrated actors of his generation, known for his versatile and charismatic performances on stage, screen and voice.
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He has achieved fame and acclaim for his roles as the Doctor in Doctor Who, DI Alec Hardy in Broadchurch, Kilgrave in Jessica Jones, and Crowley in Good Omens, among many others.
But who is the man behind these iconic characters? How did he become an actor and what inspired him to pursue his dream?
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How old is David Tennant and where is he from?
David Tennant is Scottish, and was born on April 18, 1971 in Bathgate, West Lothian.
He is 52 years old as of 2023.
His parents are Helen (née McLeod) and Alexander 'Sandy' McDonald.
His mother was a homemaker and his father was a minister who served as the Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland.
His siblings are Blair and Karen. Blair is a journalist and Karen is a teacher.
David's birth name was David John McDonald, but he had to change it when he joined the actors’ union Equity, because there was already another David McDonald registered.
He chose the surname Tennant from Neil Tennant, the lead singer of the Pet Shop Boys, a pop duo that he admired. He found the name in Smash Hits and decided to use it as his stage name. He later made the name change official in the 2000s.
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How did he get his start in acting?
David Tennant got his start in acting when he was still in secondary school.
He made his professional acting debut at the age of 16, after his father sent some photos of him to a casting director at Scottish TV. He appeared in an anti-smoking film that aired on TV and was also shown in schools.
He also joined a youth theatre group at weekends run by the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, where he later enrolled as a full-time drama student at the age of 17.
David worked regularly in theatre and TV after graduating, and his first big break came in 1994 when he was cast in a lead role in the Scottish drama Takin’ Over the Asylum.
He also made an early TV appearance in the sitcom Rab C Nesbitt as a transgender barmaid called Davina.
Robert Thorne covers electric vehicle innovations, autonomous driving systems, global mobility trends, and automotive engineering developments.
