| David Dawson | |
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David Dawson. |
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| Born | David Robert Dawson September 7, 1982 Widnes, Cheshire, U.K. |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 2003–present |
David Dawson (born September 7, 1982) is a British actor. He has appeared on television in The Road to Coronation Street and Luther and on stage in Comedians, Posh and Luise Miller.
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Dawson was born in Widnes, Cheshire and attended Fairfield High School and Warrington Community College before being accepted to RADA on the acting programme in 2002. Whilst in high school he was a member of the Musketeer Theatre Company where he played Dogberry in William Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing amongst other roles. At just 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 who he had written to for help.[1]
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, Damage and Up Close and Personal. He also 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] He was cast as Bazzard in the 2012 television adaptation of The Mystery of Edwin Drood on BBC Two and PBS.[5]
| Year | Title | Venue | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Luise Miller | Donmar Warehouse | Hofmarschall von Kalb |
| 2010 | Posh | Royal Court | Hugo Fraser-Tyrwhitt |
| 2009 | Comedians | Lyric Theatre, Hammersmith | Gethin Price |
| 2009 | Romeo and Juliet | Royal Shakespeare Company | Romeo |
| 2009 | The Entertainer | The Old Vic | Frank Rice |
| 2008 | Nicholas Nickleby | UK Tour | Smike |
| 2008 | The Long, The Short, The Tall | Sheffield Crucible | Whittaker |
| 2007 | Richard II | The Old Vic | The Groom/ Understudy to Richard |
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 2012 | The Mystery of Edwin Drood | Bazzard |
| 2011 | Luther | Toby Kent |
| 2010 | The Road to Coronation Street | Tony Warren |
| 2009 | London Boulevard | Big Issue Seller |
| 2009 | The Secret Diary of a Call Girl | Byron |
| 2009 | Gracie! | Harry Parr Davies |
| 2007 | The Thick of It | Affers |
| 2007 | Damage | Tom Byrne |
| 2005 | Doc Martin | Wallace |
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.
Dawson drew critical acclaim for his portrayal of writer Tony Warren in the BBC Four drama The Road to Coronation Street. For The Independent Rachel Cooke said "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".[6] The Daily Express said "It is David Dawson and some perfectly judged dialogue which brings this drama to light"[7] while The Mirror's Jane Simon called him "absolutely brilliant".[8]