Who is David Tennant?

More and more Americans are tuning in to BBC America. There is a British Invasion of TV happening as hit British shows are being translated for American audiences on American channels. Recently, this has been shown to be going both ways as BBC adapted the 20 year run show "Law & Order" for British audiences, resulting in "Law & Order: UK". I must say they did an excellant job of the translation. As more American audiences tune in to British shows, some of Britian's most beloved actors that have been rather unknown across the Water are finding fans in America as well. David Tennant is one of these. But who is David Tennant?

David Tennant was born David John McDonald on April 18, 1971 in Bathgate, West Lothian, Scotland. It is located roughly halfway between Glasgow and Edinburgh. His father was a Church of Scotland minister. He has one brother and one sister. There is Irish blood in his veins as well. His maternal great-grandparents were Protestants from Derry in Northern Ireland, among the signatories of the Ulster Covenant, and members of the Grand Orange Lodge of Ireland. (Apparently, Tennant is uncomfortable with his ancestors' involvement in the Orange Order.) He was educated at Ralston Primary and Paisley Grammar School where he was very active in school plays and displayed rare talent at a very early age. On Saturdays, he attended the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama. At the age of 16, he was admitted to the school as a full-time student, thus having the distinction of being one of their youngest students. Rules of the British Actors' Equity Association require that only one actor can have a given name on the books. Since there already existed a David McDonald on the lists, he adopted the professional name of "Tennant" after Neil Tennant of The Pet Shop Boys. This was a second choice stage name. He first wanted to be David Brandon, but that did not work out.

Tennant started out professionally in an anti-smoking commercial and soon was on stage in "The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui" with the 7:84 Theatre Company. His first major TV role was as the manic-depressive Campbell in "Takin' Over The Asylum" (1994). He also enjoyed a role on the big screen in "Jude" (1996). But Tennant's heart belongs to two areas above all: theatre and Britian's Sci-Fi masterpiece "Doctor Who" (similar in popularity to "Star Trek" or "Star Wars"). This can be clearly seen in the trajectory of his career. From his earliest days as a professional actor, he took on voice roles in audio-dramas of "Doctor Who" and he frequently performed with the Royal Shakespeare Company. Some of his most well known roles with the RSC include Touchstone in "As You Like It", Romeo in "Romeo and Juliet", and more recently the title role in "Hamlet". In 1995, he also worked with the Royal National Theatre as Nicholas Beckett in "What The Butler Saw". In 2004 and 2005, he enjoyed roles in four TV dramas.

In the meantime, "Doctor Who" returned to British television after 15 years in 2004 with Christopher Eccleston as the Ninth Doctor. On April 16, 2005, BBC confirmed that Tennant would replace him as the Tenth Doctor for the upcoming season (or "series", as the British call it). This was the role that would make David Tennant a household name and would fulfill a dream he had expressed since the age of 3: to be The Doctor (not an unusual ambition for a boy growing up in Britian in the 1970s). Tennant had wanted to bring his native brogue to the character and become the first "kilted doctor" but the writers did not think a change of accent would be advisable for the character. Thus, he used the Doctor's standard "estuary" English instead. Many fans, therefore- particularly American fans who were introduced to him through "Doctor Who" on BBC America- are unaware that he is Scottish. On October 29, 2008, after three full series as the Doctor, he announced he would be leaving it. He played the Doctor in four special episodes in 2009, before his final episode aired on January 1, 2010. He has possibly the longest regeneration scene of any previous Doctor to date. He remains a fan favorite among the list of 11 Doctors now to take the role.

He has since conquered British TV, starring in many roles. In America, he hosted "Masterpiece", a contemporary version of the "Masterpiece Theatre", on PBS starting in October 2009. In December 2009, he filmed the lead in an NBC pilot, "Rex Is Not Your Lawyer", playing Rex, a Chicago lawyer who coaches clients to represent themselves when he starts suffering panic attacks. The pilot was not picked up and no more episodes were filmed. He then returned to British television.

He has since voiced several advertisements. Currently airing are those for Tesco Mobile and Nintendo Wii. He has also enjoyed various stints with and cameo appearences throughout British television, sometimes reprising his incarnation of the Doctor and sometimes not. His voice can be heard with his Lothian accent briefly in "How To Train Your Dragon".
Tennant has recently become engaged to actress Georgia Moffett, who starred alongside him in one episode of "Doctor Who" entitled "The Doctor's Daughter". It is also rumored online that he is expecting his first child. It will be Moffett's second.

Tennant fans are eagerly awaiting his return to Shakespeare at London's Wyndham's Theatre from May 16 to September 3, 2011. Former "Doctor Who" co-star Catherine Tate will be joining him there for a run of "Much Ado About Nothing". Personally, I can't wait to see this good-looking Scot in a full-length movie for British and American audiences alike. Some say he may be branded by his stellar "Doctor Who" performances, but it seems to me he has the talent to be so much more.

Source:

David Tennant, Wikipedia.