Christopher Eccleston

At 60 years old, Christopher Eccleston has this physical status:

Christopher Eccleston (born 16 February 1964) is an English actor.

Eccleston, the recipient of an Emmy Award and two BAFTA Award nominations, is best known for his television and film work, particularly for his collaborations with writers Danny Boyle and Michael Winterbottom and writers Peter Flannery, Jimmy McGovern and Russell T. Davies. Eccleston attended the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama in London, where he made his professional debut onstage in a Bristol Old Vic production of A Streetcar Named Desire.

Derek Bentley's film roles in Let Him Have It and David Stevens in Shallow Grave and his television appearances in Cracker and Hillsborough attracted notice.

Nicky Hutchinson, a BAFTA-nominated character, established Eccleston as a household name in the United Kingdom in 1996; he stayed on film roles in Jude, A Price Above Rubies, Elizabeth, EXistenZ, Gone, and 28 Days Later, including the drama series Clocking Down and a second BAFTA-nominated role as Messianic figure Stephen Baxter in the ITV drama serial The Second Coming. In 2005, Eccleston appeared in the ninth incarnation of the Doctor in the BBC science fiction series Doctor Who's revival, becoming the first to appear in the role since 1996.

He left the role after a single series, winning a National Television Award and receiving a Broadcasting Press Guild Award and a BAFTA Cymru Award nomination for his work.

Eccleston has since appeared in Heroes, The Shadow Line, Blackout, Lucan, The Leftovers, The Safe House, Fortitude, and G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra: Thor, the Dark World and Legend.

He received the International Emmy Award for his role in an episode of the anthology series Accused.

Eccleston has appeared in productions of Hamlet and Macbeth, as well as appearances in Miss Julie, A Doll's House, and Antigone onstage.

Eccleston has been narrator of Ambulance's documentary film since 2017.

Early life

Eccleston was born in 1964 into a working-class family in Salford, Lancashire, the son of Elsie and Ronnie Eccleston. Alan and Keith, twins who are eight years older than him, are his two brothers. "My dad's relatives were Catholic," he said of his religious upbringing. My mother was a member of the Church of England, and it still is, but not for me." The family lived on Blodwell Street before deciding to Little Hulton when Eccleston was seven months old. He attended Joseph Eastham High School, where he became the head boy.

Eccleston, 19, was inspired to pursue acting by such television dramas as Boys from the Blackstuff. He completed a two-year Performance Foundation Course at Salford Tech and then went on to study at the Central School of Speech and Drama. He was inspired in his youth by Ken Loach's film Kes and Albert Finney's appearance in Saturday Night and Sunday Morning, but he soon discovered himself performing Shakespeare, Chekhov, and Molière. He made his professional debut in A Streetcar Named Desire, a Bristol Old Vic's production at the age of 25. After graduating from college, he worked at a supermarket, on construction sites, and as an artist's model.

Personal life

In November 2011, Eccleston married Mischka, a copywriter. Albert, the family's first child, was born in February 2012. Esme, the couple's second child, was born in 2013. They were divorced in December 2015.

Eccleston has been a lifelong fan of Manchester United FC and has been a regular marathon runner since 2000.

Salford's Pendleton College installed the Eccleston Theatre in September 2007, as part of a £9.5 million building program.

Eccleston became a Mencap charity ambassador on April 28, 2005, and he continues to support the British Red Cross. He also supports Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia; Ronnie, his father, suffered with vascular dementia in his later years, from 1998 to his death in 2012.

Eccleston's autobiography described persistent eating disorders and depression, as well as suicide, and he said he had considered suicide. He wrote about his poor mental stability that he said that he was "a lifelong body hater."

Eccleston is an atheist.

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Career

Eccleston was first caught on film as Derek Bentley in the 1991 film "Let Him Have It" (1991) and Inspector Morse's "Second Time Around" (1991). In 1992, he appeared in Sean Maddox's BBC drama miniseries on Friday on my Mind. His role in Cracker (1993–94) earned him a following in the United Kingdom; and after he informed TV executives of his intention to leave the show, they killed off his character in October 1994, making him the victim of serial murderer Albie Kinsella. (Robert Carlyle) Eccleston appeared in the Poirot series "One, Two, Buckle My Shoe," which was based on Agatha Christie's mystery.

In the low-budget Danny Boyle film Shallow Grave (1994), in which he co-starred actor Ewan McGregor, he appeared in Los Angeles. He appeared in Nicky Hutchinson's epic BBC drama serial Our Friends in the North in 1996, making him a household name in the United Kingdom. Mark Strong and Gina McKee, as well as Daniel Craig, appeared in an ensemble cast. In the 1996 film Hillsborough, written by Jimmy McGovern, Trevor Hicks, a man who lost both of his children in the 1989 Hillsborough disaster, appeared in Trevor Hicks. In real life, he was the best man to Trevor Hicks at his wedding in March 2009.

Jude (1996, Elizabeth (1998), eXistenZ (1999), The Others (1999), The Others (1999), and 28 Days Later (2002). He was central to the 2002 Revengers Tragedy, which was based on Thomas Middleton's play of the same name. He appeared in the independent films A Price Above Rubies (1998) and The Invisible Circus (2001). He appeared in the car-heist film Gone in 60 seconds but did not take his driving exam until January 2004. He said on BBC's Top Gear that his driver licence restricts him to vehicles with automatic transmission.

He has appeared in a variety of television roles, including in British dramas. These include Hearts and Minds (1995), Clocking Off (2000) and Flesh and Blood (2004) for Channel 4, a modern interpretation of Othello (2001), a 'Ben Jago' (the Iago character), and the religious telefantasy epic The Second Coming (2003) for ITV, in which he played Steve Baxter, God's son. He has appeared in episodes of Linda Green (2001) and macabre sketch show The League of Gentlemen (2004). In the 2002 production at Leeds' West Yorkshire Playhouse, Eccleston appeared in a stage role in Hamlet. He appeared in a new play, Electricity, from March to April 2004.

In the Best Actor category of the British Academy Television Awards, Eccleston has been twice nominated. His first nomination for Our Friends in the North came in 1997, but he lost to Nigel Hawthorne (for The Fragile Heart). Bill Nighy was nominated for The Second Coming in 2004; he was voted for State of Play by the late George O'Connor. At the 1997 Broadcasting Press Guild Awards for Our Friends in the North, Eccleston was named in the Best Actor category. For his role in Flesh and Blood, he received the RTS Best Actor award for the second time in 2003. According to a survey by Radio Times magazine, Eccleston was named the "19th Most Influential Person in Television Drama" in July 2004.

Eccleston would appear in the ninth iteration of the BBC science fiction television series Doctor Who, on April 2, 2004. On March 26, 2005, the first series was released. Eccleston is the first actor to play the role who was born after the series began. The BBC released a statement on March 30th, ostensibly from Eccleston, claiming that he had decided to leave the role after just one series because he was afraid of becoming typecast. The BBC announced on April 4th that the statement had been incorrectly attributed and released without Eccleston's permission. The BBC confirmed that they had breached an agreement not to reveal explicitly that he did not intend to do one series. Since journalists reported questions to the press office, the statement had been made.

Following his depression, Eccleston was replaced by David Tennant, who played the Tenth Doctor from 2005 to 2010.

When asked if he liked being on Doctor Who during a BBC radio interview, Eccleston replied, "Mixed, but that's a long story." Eccleston's reasons for leaving the position are still debated in Britain's newspapers: by the end of September, Alan Davies told The Daily Telegraph that Eccleston had been "overworked" by the BBC and had left the position because he was "exhausted." Eccleston later said he left the program because he "didn't like the environment and the culture that the cast and crew had to work in," but that he was proud of having played the role. "My relationship with my three immediate relatives – the showrunner, producer, and co-producer – fell irreparably during the first block of filming, and it never recovered," Eccleston said in a subsequent interview.

Russell T Davies, a doctor who writes books, said that Eccleston's contract was for a single year because it was uncertain if the show would continue beyond a single revival series, as on the National Theatre to promote his book The Writer's Tale on Monday. It has been a huge success in retrospect, according to him, but at the time there were questions about the BBC. Eccleston was voted "Most Popular Actor" at the 2005 National Television Awards for his portrayal of the Doctor.

During a talk at the National Theatre in July 2012, Eccleston spoke positively about his time on Doctor Who. This led to rumors that he was considering appearing as the Doctor for the show's 50th anniversary special, "The Day of the Doctor." Matt Smith, who played Eleventh Doctor, said he would have loved Eccleston to return. However, Eccleston resigned after discussions with executive producer Steven Moffat, but he eventually dropped his position. However, in a 2018 interview, Eccleston said that the BBC had "put [him] on a blacklist" before he left.

Eccleston first appeared at Doctor Who conventions for the first time in 2018. He had previously stated his refusal to attend conventions, claiming in 2017 that he preferred to "just earn [his] living by acting." Since being introduced to the series, he has said that his experience with conventions "healed something in [him]" and made him reevaluate his relationship with the film.

Eccleston's role as the Ninth Doctor in audio dramas for Big Finish Productions was confirmed on August 9, 2020, with four boxsets releasing between May 2021 and February 2022. This will be the first time he had played the part in 16 years. Eccleston was later discovered to appear in two additional boxsets, which were released in 2022 and 2023. However, he has stated that it is unlikely that he will reprise his television appearance for the 60th anniversary as his relationship with the BBC "has not healed."

Eccleston appeared on stage at the Old Vic Theatre in London on October 30th, 2005, with Navin Chowdhry, Bruno Langley, David Warner, Saffron Burrows, and David Baddiel. In November 2005, Eccleston appeared on the 2nd Amazonas International Film Festival Film Jury. Norman Jewison, a Canadian born director, served as chairman of the Jury. Eccleston travelled to Aceh, Indonesia, for the BBC Breakfast news show, discovering how survivors of the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami are rebuilding their lives.

Eccleston appeared in the ITV documentary special Best Ever Muppet Moments as a commentator in March 2006. He appeared in a production of Romeo and Juliet at the Lowry Theatre in Salford, England, in May 2006. The theatre company with which he appeared, Celebrity Pig (of which he is patron), is made up of learning disabled actors. Eccleston filmed New Orleans, Mon Amour, with Elisabeth Moss in August 2006. Michael Almereyda produced the film in Katrina, New Orleans, and was shot by a post-Hurricane Katrina. In 2008, it was introduced in America and Italy to film festivals.

In 2006, he appeared in Perfect Parents, an ITV drama written and directed by Joe Ahearne, who had directed him in Doctor Who. In the episode "Godsend," which was broadcast on January 22, 2007, Eccleston joined the cast of the NBC television series Heroes. Eccleston played Claude, a character with the power of invisibility, who assists Peter Petrelli with his powers. In a film version of Susan Cooper's book The Dark Is Rising, which opened in the United States on October 5, 2007, Eccleston appeared as the Rider.

Eccleston appeared on the BBC Four World Cinema Award show in February 2008, arguing for five international hits, including The Lives of Others and Pan's Labyrinth with Jonathan Ross and Archie Panjabi, including Jonathan Ross and Archie Panjabi. In a short film called The Happiness Salesman, Eccleston starred opposite Archie Panjabi in 2009. Because of Panjabi's death and the fact that it was a winner of the British Short Screenplay Competition, Eccleston decided to film it. In the G.I., he appeared as the villainous Destro in the G.I. G.I.'s film, a Joe. Joe: The Rise of Cobra. Eccleston appeared in an episode of The Sarah Silverman Program and starred in the film Amelia as Fred Noonan, as both Richard Gere, Hilary Swank, and Ewan McGregor.

Eccleston appeared in Lennon Naked, a BBC production that aired in the United Kingdom on June 23, 2010, with Eccleston playing the role and Naoko Mori, who had previously appeared with him in Doctor Who as Yoko Ono. Eccleston appeared in the first episode of BBC One anthology drama Accused in November 2010. He received an International Emmy Award for his work. Joseph Bede appeared in The Shadow Line, a seven-part television drama series for BBC Two, in May 2011.

Eccleston appeared as Pod Clock in a BBC One adaptation of Mary Norton's Children's book The Borrowers on December 31, 2011. He appeared in the political thriller Blackout on BBC One in July 2012. He appeared in an adaptation of Antigone at the Royal National Theatre in the same month; his role in the play was described as "charismatic" and "intense." Eccleston appeared in the film Song for Marion, also known as Unfinished Song with Terence Stamp in September 2012.

In Thor: The Dark World, the sequel to Thor and the eighth instalment in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Eccleston portrayed the villainous Malekith in 2013. In Lucan, he appeared as John Aspinall in a mini-series about Lord Lucan's disappearance. Eccleston appeared on HBO's The Leftovers from 2014 to 2017 and received acclaim for his role on both three seasons. In the series Safe House, Eccleston appeared as a scientist based in Arctic Norway alongside Stanley Tucci and Michael Gambon before he and Marsha Thomason played a married couple with a guest house in the Lake District. Leonard "Nipper" Read in Legend, a film about the Kray twins that appeared opposite Tom Hardy later in 2015.

In 2016, Eccleston began to appear as Maurice Scott in the BBC drama The A Word. Maurice is the eccentric yet loving father to his daughter, who also has an autistic son. Both in the United Kingdom and the United States, where The A Word airs on SundanceTV. In the spring of 2020, a new series was announced and premiered.

Eccleston appeared in the Royal Shakespeare Company's production of Macbeth in 2018. On BBC Four, the programme was streamed. Eccleston appeared in two films in 2018; opposite Tom Wilkinson in Dead in a Week of Your Money Back; and as a Nazi officer in Where Hands Touch. He appeared in King Lear as Oswald and in the television mini-series Come Home, the latter of which was nominated for an Emmy Award for Best Actor. Eccleston appeared in the six-part television mini-series Close to Me in 2021.

In addition to performing Fagin in the series Dodger and in a television version of My Name Is Leon's award-winning book My Name is Leon, there are also forthcoming projects.

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