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David Tennant

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David Tennant is a Scottish-born actor best known for his portrayal of the 10th Doctor in the long-running science fiction series, Doctor Who. A noted theatre actor, he is also known for playing the title character in the TV series Casanova. He also had a small role in the movie adaptation of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.

David Tennant

Photo of David Tennant

  • Born: 18 April 1971 in Bathgate, West Lothian, Scotland -

Family

  • Alexander "Sandy" McDonald (Father)
  • Helen McDonald (Mother)
  • Blair McDonald (Brother)
  • Karen McDonald (Sister)

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Born David John McDonald on 18 April 1971, he chose the professional name of Tennant because the actor's union, Equity already had a David McDonald on their books. He chose the surname Tennant in tribute to the Pet Shop Boys singer, Neil Tennant.

Tennant grew up in the Ralston area of Renfreshire and attended Ralston Primary and Paisley Grammar School. He later attended the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama.

Professional Career

David acted for a while with the Scottish 7:84 Theatre Company. His theatre work is well respected and he played the lead role in a Royal Shakespeare Company production of Hamlet in 2007.

Tennant's forays into film work have led to roles as Barty Crouch Jr in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, and he had a role in Jude, a 1996 adaptation of Thomas Hardy's classic, Jude The Obscure. Interestingly, the lead role in that movie was played by Tennant's Doctor Who predecessor, Christopher Eccleston alongside Kate Winslet.

He became well-known for a number of roles played in BBC drama series such as Takin' Over the Asylum (1994), He Knew He Was Right (2004), Blackpool (2004), Casanova (2005) and The Quatermass Experiment (2005). He was originally considered for the part of The Doctor which Eccleston eventually took, and was considered again to play The Doctor when Eccleston revealed he wouldn't be returning for a second series.

Doctor Who

Tennant made his first appearance in the regeneration sequence at the end of the first series, The Parting Of The Ways. There was an appearance in a mini-episode during Children In Need on 18 November 2005, but Tennant's first full episode as The Doctor was in the 2005 Christmas special, The Christmas Invasion.

Throughout his tenure as The Doctor, Tennant has been repeatedly voted the best Doctor Who actor. He has held the role for three series, and his role as The Doctor will end after four special episodes which will air in 2009. His replacement was named on 3 February 2009 as the actor Matt Smith

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