Biography of Daniel Craig
Daniel Craig is a British actor who joined the ranks of those who played the role of special agent James Bond in 2006 (“Casino Royale”). By that time, his filmography included more than 40 roles, and each of them became a certain milestone in Craig’s life and career: “Lara Croft. Tomb Raider, Munich, Sylvia, Road to Perdition.
Actor Daniel Craig is the sixth James Bond
James Bond, second film
In 2008, producer Michael J. Wilson launched the film project Quantum of Solace, which was a direct continuation of the film Casino Royale. The film about agent 007 with Daniel Craig in the title role received serial number 22 and was released on November 7, 2008. The plot this time centered on the events that unfolded around the extremist organization “Quantum,” whose plans included seizing the state of Bolivia with the aim of undivided ownership of its water resources. The main extremist, Dominic Greene, who calls himself an environmental scientist, enters into a confrontation with James Bond. The director of the film made it a priority to adhere to the classic Bond features that distinguished all previous films with agent 007. Old piston aircraft were used in the filming, the scenery exactly repeated the setting of previous episodes, even Bond’s weapons were the same. Daniel Craig, whose filmography included another film from the Bond series, was full of creative plans, and the continuation of the film adaptation of Ian Fleming’s immortal creations was not long in coming.
Childhood and family
The future performer of the role of James Bond was born on March 2, 1968 in the typical English city of Chester. His mother Carol was an artist who taught art at school. His father, a former sailor Timothy, worked as a steel worker at one of the local factories, but some time later he left this occupation and opened his own bar, Ring'o'Bells. When business took off, he opened a second pub, the Boot Inn.
Daniel Craig as a child
When Daniel was not even five years old, his parents separated. Mom got married a second time. The stepfather of James and his older sister Olivia was the famous British artist Max Blond. It is not surprising that the boy grew up in a creative atmosphere. With the new composition (in addition to his stepfather, Danny had an older half-brother, Philip), the family moved to Liverpool, where Daniel spent most of his childhood.
In 1973, on one of his infrequent meetings with his father, Daniel went with him to the cinema to see “Live and Let Die” with Roger Moore - the first Bond film in his life. As Craig later admitted, this film took a special place in the heart of the boy who had not yet recovered from the divorce.
Daniel Craig's school photo
Carol has always loved the theater, so she was thrilled when her 6-year-old began to show an interest in performing arts. She took him to productions at the Everyman Theater in Liverpool, and soon he made his debut in the school musical Oliver!
In high school, sports were added to his passion for theater - an athletic young man joined the school rugby team and demonstrated some success.
However, even now Craig can boast of an ideal body
In 1984, he auditioned for the National Youth Theater troupe, which came on tour to Manchester. The 16-year-old boy amazed everyone with his talent, and he was accepted. Daniel moved to London and soon his parents applauded joyfully at the premiere of Troilus and Cressida, where their son played King Agamemnon. In his free time from rehearsals and performances, Craig worked part-time as a waiter.
Young Daniel Craig
Together with the theater, he traveled half of Europe from Madrid to Moscow. At the same time, he was preparing to audition for the famous Guildhall, the art school at the Barbican. His first two attempts were unsuccessful, but his persistence eventually paid off and he joined the ranks of Guildhall students in 1988. Ewan McGregor and Alistair McGowan studied in the same course with him.
Actor career
In 1991, after three years of studying under the mentorship of Royal Shakespeare Theater star Colin McCormack, he received his long-awaited diploma. In 1992, he made his film debut (the film “The Power of Personality”). The play “Angels of America,” staged in 1993, in which Craig played a homosexual Mormon, achieved wild popularity.
Daniel Craig had long hair when he was young
He periodically appeared on TV in the cast of mediocre TV series, until in 1996 he received a role in the serial drama Our Friends in the North, where he, along with Christopher Eccleston, Mark Strong and Gina McKee, lived the life of a typical Englishman for 30 years. years - from 60s to 90s.
In the photo: Daniel Craig and Mark Strong (photo shoot for the series “Our Friends in the North”)
The actor remembered the late 90s for many more interesting works. Among them are the series “Hunger” (an anthology of film adaptations of writers of the past and present), in which David Bowie starred, the detective thriller “The Ice House”, where Craig’s character had to closely interact with three lesbians, as well as the biographical drama about the artist Francis Bacon “Love - this is the devil" with Derek Jacobi and Tilda Swinton, where Craig had to appear completely naked.
Stills from the film “Love is the Devil”
In 2001, after the premiere of Lara Croft. Tomb Raiders” starring Angelina Jolie, Daniel Craig was recognized by viewers all over the world. The charismatic blond with icy eyes appeared in the role of Larf Croft's rival, the robber Alex West.
"Lara Croft": Daniel Craig as Alex West
In 2002, the actor appeared in the Oscar-winning thriller Road to Perdition alongside Tom Hanks, Paul Newman and Jude Law. In 2004, he played the main role of drug dealer Four X in Matthew Vaughn's action film Layer Cake, for which Craig was awarded the Audience Award at the European Film Academy.
Star Trek actor
His first film work was in the 1992 film “The Power of Personality.” Craig begins to actively star in TV series, while simultaneously playing in the theater. His role in the play “Angels in America” brought him success in the theatrical environment. His early works are not very familiar to the general public, but among them there are several particularly noteworthy: one of the conspirators in “Elizabeth”, the young and cynical lover of the artist Francis Bacon in the film “Love is the Devil”, the mentally ill Ray in “Voices”, who is trying to find a place in a world where people like him are in the minority. Wider fame came with the role of Alex West in the blockbuster “Lara Croft: Tomb Raider” (2001).
Then comes work in the drama about gangsters during the Great Depression, Road to Perdition. Here Craig was lucky enough to share the set with Hollywood stars - Paul Newman, Tom Hanks, Jude Law.
Together with Gwyneth Paltrow, she starred in the drama “Sylvia” (2003), a film about the difficult relationship between two creative people who devoted themselves to poetry - Sylvia Platt (Paltrow) and her husband Ted Hughes (Craig). In 2004, he played a drug dealer nicknamed Four X's in the driving crime thriller Layer Cake. In Munich (2005), Steven Spielberg plays one of the Israeli intelligence agents taking revenge on Palestinian terrorists. All these wonderful roles did not bring Daniel even half the fame that fell on his head after the next episode of the James Bond saga “Casino Royale”. Here it is worth mentioning the difficult casting for this role (about 200 applicants) and the hostility that Craig aroused among some Bond fans. The main complaints related to the fact that Craig was too blue-eyed, fair-haired, and generally not tall (the actor’s height, by the way, is 1.78 m). Compared to Pierce Brosnan's refined Bond, Craig's character indeed looks overly masculine, rough and tough, but this can also be seen as a plus for the actor. He wanted to add his own colors to the role, for which he prepared very responsibly: he re-read all the books of Ian Fleming, watched all the episodes of the film, and conducted active physical training.
Perhaps it was precisely because of his dissimilarity that he fell passionately in love with many. In 2008, Quantum of Solace was released, also starring Craig. Filming in Bond made Craig into the eyes of critics and movie lovers as a serious and independent actor, so offers to play the main role continued to come. So, in 2011, he played one of the central characters in the film “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.”
Daniel Craig - the new James Bond
A week after filming ended on Steven Spielberg's Munich, Craig was offered the opportunity to become the sixth James Bond, joining the ranks of such film legends as Sean Connery, Pierce Brosnan, Roger Moore and Timothy Dalton. The actor could not refuse the fateful opportunity. On October 14, 2005, he officially became James Bond from the 21st part of the Bond movie “Casino Royale”, and the creators approved Eva Green for the role of the new James Bond girl.
Daniel Craig and Eva Green starred together in Casino Royale
Such an appointment literally split the cinematic community in half. Some believed that the talented Englishman would cope well with this role. Others called this appointment “a mockery of a beloved character.” The thing is that Daniel Craig became the shortest James Bond in film history, as well as the first 007 with blond hair. A new reason for heated discussions was the fact that it was in the new films of the franchise that the British superspy became much more brutal: he participated in fights more often and paid less attention to the fairer sex. Daniel Craig's interview with Renata Litvinova on Muz-TV One way or another, the film “Casino Royale” was a great success at the worldwide box office. After this, the number of stinging arrows fired at Craig decreased significantly. However, to this day, Daniel Craig retains the status of the most controversial James Bond in the history of the famous franchise.
A worthy replacement for Timothy Dalton
Over the following years, several notable films with Daniel’s participation were released: “The Golden Compass”, “Notorious”, “Cowboys & Aliens”, “Challenge”, “House of Dreams”, as well as the American film adaptation of the legendary book “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” with the beautiful Swede Noomi Rapace. "Casino Royale". Excerpt In 2008, the actor again played James Bond, appearing as an English superspy in the film Quantum of Solace. Craig's fee for this film was almost 2.5 times higher than his profit from the first part of the updated franchise and amounted to an impressive 7.2 million dollars, despite the fact that critics' reviews of the film were no longer so warm. By the way, our compatriot Olga Kurylenko played the Bond girl this time.
In 2012, Craig again set a kind of record, receiving an amount of $20 million (including various bonuses) for filming “007: Skyfall”, which had never been received by any Bond actor before for one film. In total, the film collected more than 1.1 billion (!) dollars at the global box office.
Still from the film “Skyfall”
"Skyfall" rehabilitated the franchise in the eyes of the audience, but, unfortunately, the next film - "SPECTRE" in 2020 - was distinguished only by the soundtrack ("Writing's On The Wall" by Sam Smith) and the explosion scene, recognized as the largest in cinema history.
James Bond, first film
The cult film Casino Royale, in which Daniel Craig played his first starring role as James Bond, was filmed in 2006 by director Martin Campbell. The action-packed action film, the 21st in the Bond series by writer Ian Fleming, tells the story of James Bond’s collaboration with British intelligence MI6. Bond is a real threat to the entire British criminal world. This time, James is faced with the task of luring a large sum of money from the banker Le Chiffre, who finances terrorist operations of African groups. The only way to get $120 million in cash is to win it at roulette. The tournament is scheduled on a certain day and time, and should take place on the second floor of the Royale casino. The operation begins on time, but unforeseen circumstances arise and skirmishes occur that end in the death of many participants. Daniel Craig, whose filmography received the first film from the “Agent 007” series, is ready to continue the “Bond” film.
Personal life of Daniel Craig
For a long time there were rumors about Daniel Craig's gay orientation, which he denied over and over again. Was there a reason?
Daniel Craig vehemently denies rumors that he is gay
In 1992, having barely graduated from Guildhall, he tied the knot with Scottish actress Fiona Laundon, who gave him a daughter, Ella. In 1994, the couple separated, but maintained a warm relationship for the sake of their daughter. Daniel always took an equal part in Ella's upbringing.
Daniel Craig with his daughter
In 1996, it became known about a new novel by Daniel Craig. This time his life partner was the German actress Heike Makatch. This romance lasted for eight whole years, but in the end it also fell apart.
Daniel Craig and German Heike Makatch
In June 2011, “agent 007” secretly married actress Rachel Weisz (“The Mummy”, “The Bourne Evolution”). It is quite noteworthy that this romance began after the two celebrities played a married couple in the film “House of Dreams.” For the sake of the actor, Rachel left her first husband, director Darren Aronofsky. The couple has two children together - Daniel's daughter Ella and Rachel's son from her first marriage Henry.
Daniel Craig is now married to Rachel Weisz
So, Daniel Craig is happily married, but why do the press continue to circulate rumors about his homosexuality? In 2010, the actor was “caught red-handed” inside the gay club Roosterfish. He came there with a muscular young handsome man, and, according to eyewitnesses, the couple had a fun time: they drank cocktails, danced and even kissed. However, eyewitnesses did not provide any video or photographs.
However, in the spring of 2020, the actor put an end to these rumors - actress Rachel Weisz became pregnant from him. On September 1, the stars became the parents of a charming daughter.
Movies / Daniel Craig
Biography and career
Daniel Craig was born on March 2, 1968 in the family of a steel worker and an artist in Chester, England. After his parents' divorce, Daniel and his older sister Lea stayed with their mother, moving first to Liverpool and then to Hoylake, where Max Blond, a famous artist, became his stepfather. Thus, Daniel plunged into the bohemian environment early; from the age of six he studied music. He also played on the Hoylake Rugby Club during his high school years.
At the age of 16 he moved to London, where he joined the National Youth Theater. Daniel began his acting career only in 1992 with small films and TV series for British television, and a number of roles brought the actor some fame. Internationally, the public met the future James Bond actor in the film Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (2001), where Craig played the role of Angelina Jolie's rival, Alex West. Later, Craig starred in a number of quite notable films, including the gangster drama of Oscar winner Sam Mendes “Road to Perdition”, the biography of poet Sylvia Plath “Sylvia” with Gwyneth Paltrow, as well as the acclaimed political thriller Steven Spielberg “Munich” where the actor played a Mossad agent.
The role that catapulted Craig to worldwide fame was the role of agent 007 James Bond in the film “Casino Royale”: after a very long casting for this genre-defining role, the producers of the series chose Daniel Craig. This decision caused a very mixed response in a number of mass media and among fans of the series about a super spy: a lot of voices were heard against Craig’s candidacy, citing his inconsistency with the image of Bond (blond hair, blue eyes, height below 185 cm, “excessive” muscularity), but so or otherwise, on November 17, 2006, the premiere of “Casino Royale” took place; He also starred in the subsequent Bond film Quantum of Solace, released in 2008, and in the 23rd film, 007: Skyfall, which premiered in October 2012. Craig originally had a contract for four James Bond films, but in 2012 he extended it to five. In 2011, he starred in the detective thriller “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo,” based on the book of the same name by Swedish writer Stieg Larsson; Craig’s partner in the film was American film actress Rooney Mara. The film was a major success with audiences and critics, and Craig signed on to star in two sequels based on the remaining books in the Millennium trilogy.
Other notable projects with the actor’s participation include “Invasion”: a fantastic horror film by the famous German director Oliver Hirschbiegel with the participation of Nicole Kidman, as well as “Notorious”, where, along with Craig, you can see such actresses as Sandra Bullock, Sigourney Weaver, Gwyneth Paltrow, Isabella Rossellini.
For the seven-minute premiere of the second-generation Range Rover Sport SUV, Daniel Craig received $1 million.
Personal life
In 1992, Daniel married Fiona Loudon, and a year later their daughter Ella was born. But already in 1994 they separated. However, they remained friends and continued to raise their daughter together.
From 1996 to 2004, Daniel dated German actress Heike Makatsch.
On June 22, 2011, in New York, Daniel secretly married actress Rachel Weisz, whom he began dating in December 2010 after working together on the thriller “House of Dreams,” where they played a married couple. Only 4 guests were present at the wedding, including the already adult Ella Craig and Rachel's four-year-old son Henry.
Daniel Craig is a professional rugby player. He is a fan of the English football club Liverpool.
Daniel Craig now
Despite numerous rumors about the search for a new candidate for the role of Bond, in the summer of 2020, Daniel Craig confirmed that he would star in at least one more part of the Bond film, which is scheduled to premiere on November 8, 2020. The film's budget is already known - $25 million.
Daniel Craig in the film Logan Lucky In September 2020, he appeared in the action comedy film Logan Lucky, playing explosion specialist Joe Bang, who joined a team of brilliant burglars. Channing Tatum, Adam Driver and Katie Holmes starred alongside him in the film.
Another spy role
Not long ago it became known that Daniel Craig is again going to star in the image of an English agent. He will appear in the 25th James Bond film. This will be the fifth film for the actor himself. Daniel has previously said more than once that he no longer intends to act as a spy. However, over time he changed his mind. According to journalists, the reason for this was the record fee. For his participation in the film, Daniel should receive more than $80 million. The actor himself did not confirm this news for a long time. However, over time, he nevertheless announced his participation in the anniversary film about Bond.
Critics also spoke out about Daniel's new role. According to them, to get the role of Bond, the actor will have to actively work out in the gym. Otherwise, his excess weight will prevent him from starring in the role of a spy.
