Daniel Mays
| Daniel Mays | |
|---|---|
| Born | Daniel Alan Mays[1] 31 March 1978 [2] Epping, Essex, United Kingdom |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 2000–present |
Daniel Alan Mays (born 31 March 1978) is a British actor.
Contents |
[edit] Early life
One of four boys, Mays was raised in Buckhurst Hill, Essex, by his electrician father and bank cashier mother.[3] He attended the Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts before going on to win a place at The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art.
[edit] Career
After graduating from RADA in 2000,[4] Mays soon started appearing in a number of supporting roles ranging from a bit part in the BBC soap opera EastEnders in 2000 to playing a pilot in Jerry Bruckheimer's big-budget Pearl Harbor (2001). He was cast in the Mike Leigh film All or Nothing (2002) as Jason, a thug who abused his girlfriend, and also appeared in Leigh's next project, Vera Drake (2004), in which he played Sid, the protagonist's son. His performances for Leigh resulted in further offers of work.
One of Mays's most notable early roles was in the improvised BBC drama Rehab. Directed by acclaimed film maker Antonia Bird, Rehab was a drama about life inside a drug rehabilitation facility. He starred as Adam, a young heroin addict released from prison and sent directly to rehab. For his performance Mays was awarded the Best Actor award at the Palmare-Reims Television Festival in 2003.[5]
Mays has continued to work regularly, and has appeared in a variety of productions, which have included a part in Johnny Vaughan's sitcom, Top Buzzer (2004); the lead role of Carter Krantz in BBC Three's Funland (2005); as well as film appearances in Atonement (2007), White Girl (2008) and The Bank Job (2008).
Mays starred in Channel 4's Friday-night comedy-of-errors sitcom Plus One, in which he played Rob Black, the perennial victim of Sod's law whose girlfriend has dumped him to marry "Duncan from Blue". He played the role of Michael Myshkin in Channel 4's adaptation of David Peace's Red Riding trilogy.[6] He also appears in the third and final series of Ashes to Ashes on BBC1 as Discipline and Complaints Officer, DCI Jim Keats.
In addition to his TV and film work, Mays has also starred in six stage plays at London's Royal Court Theatre. The productions have included Ladybird, Motortown, The Winterling and Scarborough. Simon Stephens wrote the lead role of Danny in Motortown with Mays in mind. He went on to win critical acclaim for his performance, but the hard-hitting play was too much for some audience members and walkouts were not uncommon.[2]
Projects in 2009 included Hippie Hippie Shake (as '60s alternative figurehead David Widgery, alongside Cillian Murphy and Sienna Miller); a role opposite Anna Friel in the third series of Jimmy McGovern's The Street; a "mark" in the BBC drama serial Hustle; as well as an appearance in the independent British movie Shifty, co-starring Riz Ahmed, for which he received a nomination for best supporting actor at the British Independent Film Awards.[7]
Mays starred as Eddie O'Grady in the 2010 film Made in Dagenham.
Mays appears in the BBC sci-fi series Outcasts,[8] which started on 7 February 2011, as PAS Officer Cass Cromwell, and in the ninth episode of the 6th series of Doctor Who, entitled "Night Terrors," broadcast on BBC One on 3 September 2011.
He had roles in No One Gets Off in This Town and a supporting role in the Steven Spielberg film The Adventures of Tintin. However the latest part he has played was a criminal on a curfew after serving a 10 year sentence for the murder of his girlfriend when he was 19 in the programme Public Enemies, which aired on BBC One in early January 2012. He is soon to play Ronnie Biggs in a new 5 part drama called 'Mrs Biggs'.
[edit] Personal life
Mays has a young son, Mylo Burton-Mays, and lives in Crouch End, North London.[5] A keen football fan, he is a supporter of Leyton Orient Football Club.[9]
[edit] Filmography
[edit] Films
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Skin Deep | Flashback youth | Short film |
| Pearl Harbor | Pilot #3 | ||
| 2002 | All or Nothing | Jason | |
| 2004 | Vera Drake | Sid | |
| 2005 | The Secret Life of Words | Martin | |
| The Best Man | Pool Guy | ||
| 2006 | Middletown | Jim Hunter | |
| A Good Year | Bert the Doorman | ||
| 2007 | Atonement | Tommy Nettle | |
| 2008 | The Bank Job | Dave Shilling | |
| Shifty | Chris | ||
| Bitter | Unknown | Short film | |
| 2009 | Mr. Nobody | Young journalist | |
| The Firm | Yeti | ||
| 2010 | Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang | Blenkinsop | |
| Hippie Hippie Shake | Widgery | Awaiting release | |
| Made in Dagenham | Eddie | ||
| No One Gets Off in This Town | |||
| 2011 | The Adventures of Tintin | Allan |
[edit] Television
| Year | Show | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | Fist of Fun | Patrick Murphy | Episode 2.5-2.6 |
| 2000 | EastEnders | Kevin | Two episodes |
| 2001 | In Deep | Dave Street | Episode 1.5: "Ghost Squad: Part 1" |
| The Bill | Warren Debdale | Episode 17.46: "Temptation" | |
| 2002 | Manchild | Mechanic | Episode 1.1: "Fiftysomething" |
| NCS Manhunt | Danny Bird | Episodes 1.1 and 1.6 | |
| Dead Casual | Unknown | TV film | |
| Tipping the Velvet | Jimmy Burns | TV serial | |
| 2003 | Rehab | Adam | TV film |
| 2004 | Top Buzzer | Carlton | Appeared in ten episodes |
| Keen Eddie | Ronnie Wiggensey Jr. | Episode 1.8: "Sticky Fingers" | |
| 2005 | Beneath the Skin | Moz Burnside | TV film |
| Class of '76 | DS Steven Grant | ||
| Funland | Carter Krantz | Appeared in all 11 episodes | |
| 2007 | Consent | Steve | |
| Saddam's Tribe | Uday | TV film | |
| Half Broken Things | Michael | TV film | |
| 2008 | White Girl | Steve | TV film |
| Consuming Passion | Charles Boon | TV film | |
| 2009 | Plus One | Rob Black | Appeared in all five episodes |
| Red Riding: In the Year of Our Lord 1983 | Michael Myshkin | ||
| The Street | Mark | Episode 3.2 | |
| 2010 | Hustle | Mervyn Lloyd | Episode 6.5: "Conned Out of Luck" |
| Ashes to Ashes | Jim Keats | Appeared in eight episodes | |
| 2011 | Outcasts | Cass Cromwell | |
| Doctor Who[10] | Alex | Series 6 Episode 9: "Night Terrors" | |
| 2012 | Treasure Island | Doctor Livesey | 2x 120 min Drama |
| Public Enemies | Eddie Mottram |
[edit] References
- ^ http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0990547/bio
- ^ a b Paddock, Terri; "20 Questions With… Daniel Mays" WhatsOnStage.com, (Retrieved: 23 August 2009)
- ^ Wolf, Matt; "Happy At The Cutting Edge" TimesOnline.co.uk, 26 February 2006 (Retrieved: 23 August 2009)
- ^ "Alumni: Who Trained at RADA — Graduate Directory" RADA.org (Retrieved: 23 August 2009)
- ^ a b "Funland Starts this autumn on BBC THREE" BBC.co.uk (Press Office), 27 September 2005 (Retrieved: 23 August 2009)
- ^ Barnett, David; "Bradford: City gives a backdrop to new drama" TheTelegraphAndArgus.co.uk, 9 September 2008 (Retrieved: 23 August 2009)
- ^ "BIFA Nominations — 2008: Best Supporting Actor for Shifty" BIFA.org.uk, (Retrieved: 23 August 2009)
- ^ Outcasts
- ^ "On Soccer AM… This Saturday Gazza joins Max and Helen" SkySports.com, 17 April 2009 (Retrieved: 23 August 2009)
- ^ http://www.alphabetkidz.co.uk/newsitem.php?news_id=129
[edit] External links
- Daniel Mays: Curtis Brown, profile at Mays's agency
- Daniel Mays Online, an unofficial fansite
- Daniel Mays at the Internet Movie Database
