Born:
October 10, 1982
in
Croydon, London
Best Known For:
Playing Matthew Crawley in Downton Abbey.
Early-life:
Daniel Jonathan Stevens was born on October 10, 1982 in Croydon, London. He was adopted at birth by two teachers and grew up in Wales and southeast England. Dan discovered his love of acting while studying at Tonbridge School and began training over the summer holidays at the National Youth Theatre. He studied English Literate at Emmanuel College, Cambridge University, where he was part of the Marlowe Society and Footlights. He played the titular role in a Marlowe Society production of Macbeth, where he caught the attention of director Peter Hall.
Career:
Stevens' professional acting career started in 2004, when he played Orlando in Peter Hall's touring production of As You Like It. Following a number of theatre roles, Stevens landed the lead part in the BBC adaptation of The Line of Beauty. His biggest break came when he was cast as Matthew Crawley in Downton Abbey. He left the show after its third season so that he could star in The Guest (2014). Since then, he has played the lead role in the TV series Legion and played the Beast in the live action adaptation of Beauty and the Beast (2017).
Quote:
"I don't see money or a particular status as an actor as a goal, but I want to do the best work I can in as interesting a range of roles as I can."
Trivia:
He was a judge for the Man Booker Prize for Literature in 2012 and had to read 148 novels in eight months.