Signed a three-film deal to be the sixth James Bond, beginning with 2006's Casino Royale
First blond Bond
First Bond to have been born since the film series began
Afraid of flying
Hadn't learned to drive a stick shift, and was unable to drive Bond's Aston Martin
Had a crown on a tooth knocked out while filming the first James Bond fight scene
Deliberated for many months before accepting the Bond role; was afraid of being typecast
His selection as Bond met with protests and a planned boycott of the movie by fans of former Bond star Pierce Brosnan; website craignotbond.com hosts a petition that has already garnered more than 15,000 signatures calling for Craig's replacement
Breakthrough role was as Geordie Peacock in the British TV series Our Friends in the North
Won London Film Critics Circle Awards 2005: British Actor of the Year (Enduring Love); British Independent Film Awards 2000: Best Actor (Some Voices); Edinburgh International Film Festival 1998: Pathe British Performance Award (Love is the Devil)
Best Known As: James Bond in the 2006 movie Casino Royale
Daniel Craig succeeded Pierce Brosnan as filmdom's new James Bond in the 2006 film Casino Royale. Craig's icy blue eyes and loutish good looks are reminiscent of Richard Burton, and he is known for a similar intensity on the screen. Craig's popularity as a leading man spread beyond his native England with the modest success of the the 2004 film Layer Cake (also with Sienna Miller). Prior to that he was known to TV audiences as the star of the BBC miniseries Our Friends in the North (1996), and to movie audiences as Paul Newman's son in the 2002 film Road to Perdition (with Tom Hanks and Jude Law) and as poet Ted Hughes in Sylvia (2003, starring Gwyneth Paltrow as author Sylvia Plath). Craig's other films include Some Voices (2000), Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (2001, starring Angelina Jolie), Enduring Love (2004, with Samantha Morton), The Jacket (2005, with Adrien Brody) and Munich (2005, with Craig as a Mossad assassin). He played James Bond again in Quantum of Solace in 2008.
Career Highlights: Love is the Devil: Study for a Portrait of Francis Bacon, Casino Royale, Munich
First Major Screen Credit: Kiss and Tell (1996)
Biography
British actor Daniel Craig became known to audiences the world over when he was revealed as the new James Bond, slated to cement his role as the suave spy in 2006's Casino Royale. His status as an action star was quite sudden, and many were surprised at the announcement, thinking of him as an unknown. Ironically, the classically trained actor had put nearly 50 roles under his belt over the previous 15 years, from star-studded Hollywood features to highly respected independent ventures.
Before Craig was a working actor, much less a famous one, he didn't just want to be an actor, he wanted to be a good one. At the age of six he was appearing in school plays in Liverpool, at 14 he was acting on his high school stage in West Kirby, and by 16 he auditioned for and joined the National Youth Theater's troupe for their tours of Manchester, Spain, and Russia. He went on to toil through low-paying jobs as he repeatedly auditioned for the prestigious Guildhall School of Music and Drama, determined to get in and undergo the classical training that would help him excel at his craft. Finally in 1988 at the age of 20, he was accepted and proceeded to study there for the next three years under the tutelage of Royal Shakespeare Company veteran Colin McCormack. After graduating in 1991, Craig had a whirlwind of activity to keep up with. In 1992 he began his career on screen, appearing in the film The Power of One. He also married Scottish actress Fiona Loudon, who gave birth to their daughter Ella that same year. He would appear in over ten films, TV movies, television shows, and failed pilots over the next two years, until his marriage to Louden came to an end in 1994. He got back in the game in 1995 with a role in the Disney film A Kid in King Arthur's Court, returning to England soon afterward to star in the acclaimed BBC2 miniseries Our Friends in the North and the four-part series Moll Flanders.
It seemed that the actor couldn't stay busy enough, working on several projects a year that ranged from highly respectable drama to trash TV horror. In 1997 he worked with German director Peter Sehr on Obsession where he met his future girlfriend, German actress Heike Makatsch. His first leading role in the U.K. came in 1998 with his portrayal of George Dyer, the intimate friend of painter Francis Bacon (played by Derek Jacobi) in John Maybury's Love Is the Devil. He was developing an impressive resumé and a great skill at taking on an entirely new persona with each new role. He would play a 19th century Irish refuge in Love & Rage, a young soldier in the WWI film The Trench, a framed Jesuit priest in the royal biopic Elizabeth (Starring Cate Blanchett), a Kenyan gamekeeper in the Kim Basinger film I Dreamed of Africa, and the manager of a run-down hotel and health-spa in the satirical comedy Hotel Splendide.
American audiences finally got a real taste of Craig's acting when he took a part in an action-packed summer blockbuster, 2001's Lara Croft: Tomb Raider. Playing Angelina Jolie's present rival and former lover, Craig was so effective at his trademark immersion into his role that audiences hardly recognized him when he appeared the next year in The Road to Perdition as the spoiled son of an Al Capone-era mob boss, complete with a perfect American accent. His skill for blending so adeptly into his character and environment gave him the odd combination of being wildly praised but seldom recognized. He would appear in many more challenging and thought-provoking roles over the next few years, most notably as Ted Hughes, poet and husband to Sylvia Plath (Played by Gwyneth Paltrow) in the biopic Sylvia (2003). In 2004, he took British audiences on a thrill ride as a coke dealer without a name in Layer Cake, which became a sleeper hit in the U.S. as well. The following year found him playing significant roles in American films like The Jacket and Steven Spielberg's Munich.
The script that would mark his debut in the franchise would be Casino Royale, the only of author Ian Flemming's original James Bond books to have never been adapted into a screenplay for the film franchise, as its rights were purchased in 1967 to make a spoof of the film series rather than a real Bond movie. The choice of Craig for such a famous and well-loved character had some audiences scratching their heads, but those who'd taken a look at the actor's long and impressive filmography were ready to see him take on the job. To say his debut as Bond was a success is an understatment: Released in late 2006, Casino Royale quickly rung up the highest box-office tally of any Bond film, and it garnered the best reviews the franchise had seen in years. Audiences and critics alike became Craig loyalists.
While Craig downed martinis as the silver screen's most enduring super spy, the hype sadly overshadowed the fact that the veteran actor continued to take risks on the big screen with such efforts as Renaissance, a visually stunning sci fi thriller that was somewhat remniscent of director Robert Rodriguez's acclaimed 2005 action entry Sin City. Also, before Casino Royale's release, Craig would appear as the killer Perry Smith in the "other Capote movie," Infamous. It wasn't until 2007 that the actor started seeing his newfound stock reflected in giant Hollywood productions, including The Invasion and The Golden Compass. ~ Cammila Albertson, All Movie Guide
Craig became a household name when he was cast as the sixth actor to portray the fictional secret agentJames Bond in the long-running Eon Productionsfilm series. He made his début as the character in the 2006 film, Casino Royale, to critical acclaim, and was nominated for a BAFTA award.[2]
Craig was born at 41 Liverpool Road, Chester,[3] the son of Olivia (née Williams), an art teacher, and Timothy John Wroughton Craig, who was the landlord of the pubs "Ring o' Bells" and "The Boot Inn"[4] and served as a midshipman in the Merchant Navy. Craig was brought up in Liverpool and on the Wirral, Merseyside. He began acting in school plays at age six. Craig went to a primary school in Hoylake called Holy Trinity Primary School[citation needed]. Craig moved to London when he was sixteen to join the National Youth Theatre after a brief stay at Caldy.[4] He and his older sister, Lea, attended Hilbre High School and Calday Grange Grammar School in West Kirby. He played for Hoylake Rugby Club.[5] He attended the Guildhall School of Music and Drama at the Barbican and graduated in 1991 after three years of study under Colin McCormack.
On 23 October 2005, Craig signed a five-film contract with EON Productions to portray James Bond. He stated that he "was aware of the challenges" of the James Bond franchise which he considers "a big machine" that "makes a lot of money". He aimed at bringing more "emotional depth" to the character.[6] Being born in 1968, Craig is the first actor to portray James Bond to be born after the Bond series already started, and Ian Fleming, the novels' writer, had died.
Although the choice of Craig was controversial, numerous actors publicly voiced their support. Most notably, four of the five actors who had previously portrayed Bond — Pierce Brosnan,[7]Timothy Dalton, Sean Connery, and Roger Moore — called his casting a good decision. Clive Owen, who had been linked to the role, also spoke in defence of Craig.[8]
The first film, Casino Royale, premièred on 14 November 2006, and grossed a total of US$594,239,066, which makes the film the 2nd highest grossing Bond film.[9]
After the film was released, Craig's performance was highly acclaimed. Critic Paul Arendt of BBC Films,[10]Kim Newman of Empire[11] and Todd Carty of Variety[12] all described Craig as the first actor to truly embody the original James Bond from Ian Fleming's novels: "ironic, brutal, and cold". He was nominated for a BAFTA Award for Best Actor on January 2006, and won the Best Actor award at the Evening Standard British Film Awards on 2 February 2007, both firsts for an actor in the role of James Bond.
A widely circulated report on several news channels and newspapers claimed that Craig had lost two teeth filming a fight scene; Craig later said it was just a crown that had come loose.[13] Producer Barbara Broccoli also denied other rumours in an interview with Variety.[14]
As production of Casino Royale reached its conclusion, producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli announced that pre-production work had already begun on the 22nd Bond film. After several months of speculation as to the release date, Wilson and Broccoli officially announced on 20 July 2006 that the follow-up film, Quantum of Solace,[15] was to be released on 7 November 2008 and that Craig plays Bond with an option for a third film.[16] On 25 October 2007, MGM CEO Harry Sloan revealed at the Forbes Meet II Conference that Craig had signed on for four more Bond films, through to Bond 25.[17]
On 12 June 2008, Craig sliced the top of one of his fingers off while filming Quantum of Solace. The accident was the latest in a string of incidents surrounding the shoot, including a fire at one of the sets in Pinewood Studios, UK; a car crash that left the stunt driver in a serious condition; and an Aston Martin skidding off the roads in heavy rains while being transported to the set in northern Italy and plunging into Lake Garda.
Craig describes his portrayal of Bond as an antihero: “The question I keep asking myself while playing the role is, ‘Am I the good guy or just a bad guy who works for the good side?’ Bond’s role, after all, is that of an assassin when you come down to it. I have never played a role in which someone’s dark side shouldn’t be explored. I don’t think it should be confusing by the end of the movie, but during the movie you should be questioning who he is.”[19] Craig also states that his favourite previous Bond actor was Sean Connery, but says, "I'd never copy somebody else. I would never do an impression of anybody else or try and improve on what they did. That would be a pointless exercise for me".[20]
Other projects
In 1999 Daniel starred as Richard in a TV drama called Shockers: The Visitor. In 2007, Craig moved on to portraying the character of Lord Asriel in The Golden Compass, the film adaptation of Philip Pullman's novel.[21]Eva Green, who played Bond girlVesper Lynd in Casino Royale, also starred in the film, although she did not appear in any scenes with Craig. In a stage version of the book, Asriel had previously been played by Timothy Dalton, one of Craig's predecessors in the role of James Bond.
In early 2001, Craig expressed an interest in being a part of the Star Trek franchise, professing his love of the series to the World Entertainment News Network and a desire to have a "stint in the TV show or a film. It's been a secret ambition of mine for years."[22] On 16 March 2007, Craig made a cameo appearance as himself in a sketch with Catherine Tate who appeared in the guise of her character Elaine Figgis from The Catherine Tate Show. The sketch was made for the BBCRed Nose Day 2007 fundraising program.[23]
In 2008's Defiance, he played Tuvia Bielski, a Jewish resistance fighter in the woods of Belarus during World War II who saved 1,200 people.
In 1992, Craig married Scottish actress Fiona Loudon, with whom he has a daughter, Ella. However, the marriage ended in a divorce in 1994.[27] After his divorce he was in a seven-year relationship with German actress Heike Makatsch and is currently in a relationship with film producer Satsuki Mitchell.
Craig had to quit smoking and hire a personal trainer to prepare for the role of James Bond.[28] He is an avid video game player and was excited to have a Quantum of Solace video game released.
In October 2008, Craig paid £4 million for an apartment close to Regent's Park, London.[29]
Craig supported Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama in the 2008 presidential election.[30]
- Daniel Craig 
