Matt Smith
. Statements by Smith have also confirmed that he will be returning in the role for the seventh series of the show. [1]
Biography
Early life
Smith grew up in Northampton and attended Northampton School for Boys, mocked for having a face "with elbows".[2]. He originally wanted to be a footballer but had to give up this ambition after a back injury. He excelled at sports in school. Matt supports Blackburn Rovers.[3] [2] After encouragement from his drama teacher, he joined the National Youth Theatre. He studied at University of East Anglia, reading Drama and Creative Writing. He never went to a Drama University.
Career
Smith appeared opposite Billie Piper (who played former companion Rose Tyler) in The Ruby In The Smoke, The Shadow In The North, and Secret Diary Of A Call Girl. On stage, he was nominated for a Laurence Olivier Award for That Face in 2008. At twenty-six years of age, Smith is the youngest actor ever to have played the Doctor on television (a record held for more than a quarter-century by Peter Davison) and the first to be born after the death of the First Doctor, William Hartnell. Following the conclusion of contract negotiations around Christmas 2008, Smith's casting was formally announced during a special broadcast of Doctor Who Confidential on BBC1 on 3 January 2009. Smith began filming his first full episodes as the Doctor in late July 2009.
The exact date of when Smith was cast is uncertain. It is known that Russell T Davies was informed on or just before 10 December 2008[4], but during interviews conducted in March and April 2010 to promote Series 5, Smith repeatedly stated that he had to keep quiet about being cast for three months before the announcement, suggesting he may have been cast as early as October 2008.
As noted above, Smith has begun to expand his portrayal of the Doctor beyond the main series. Besides appearing in The Sarah Jane Adventures, he also voiced the character for Doctor Who: The Adventure Games, and has also recorded narration on at least two audio books for BBC Audio. On .
External links
- Matt Smith at the Internet Movie Database
- Official London Theatre Guide, The Big Interview with Matt Smith
- (Fresh Face: Matt Smith) London.Broadway.com A 2007 interview with Matt Smith while in Swimming With Sharks
