Christopher Eccleston

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Birthday:

16 February 1964, Salford, Lancashire, England, UK

Height:

183 cm

Christopher Eccleston trained at the Central School of Speech and Drama and first came to public attention as Derek Bentley in Let Him Have It (1991). However, it was a regular role in the television series Cracker (1993) that made him a recognizable figure in the United Kingdom. He appeared in the low-budget thriller Shallow Grave (1994), and in the same year, won the part of Nicky Hutchinson in the epic BBC drama serial Our Friends in the North (1996). It was the transmission of the latter series on BBC Two that really made him into a household name in the United Kingdom. In his film career, he has starred as a leading man alongside a number of major actresses, such as Renée Zellweger in A Price Above Rubies (1998), Cate Blanchett in Elizabeth (1998), and Cameron Diaz and Jordana Brewster in The Invisible Circus (2001), and Nicole Kidman in The Others (2001).In addition to his successful film career, he has continued to work in his favourite medium, appearing in some of the most challenging and thought-provoking British television dramas of recent years. These have included Clocking Off (2000) and Flesh and Blood (2002) for the BBC and Hillsborough (1996), the Iago character in a modern adaptation of Shakespeare's "Othello", and the religious epic The Second Coming (2003), playing Steve Baxter, the son of God. His stage career, while not as extensive as his screen credits, has nevertheless shown him to be a formidable actor. He has given intense, focused performances in such plays as "Hamlet", "Electricity" and "Miss Julie", for which he received excellent reviews.A very highly regarded actor, Eccleston has twice been nominated in the Best Actor category at the BAFTA Television Awards, the British premiere television awards ceremony. His first nomination came in 1997 for "Our Friends in the North". Although he didn't win those awards, however, he did triumph in the Best Actor categories at the 1997 Broadcasting Press Guild Awards and the Royal Television Society Awards, winning for "Our Friends in the North". He won the RTS Best Actor award for a second time in 2003, this time for his performance in "Flesh and Blood". In 2005, he received the Most Popular Actor award in the National Television Awards for Doctor Who. Show less «

I wasn't always such a great fan of Shakespeare, mind you. I can guess we all at one time had it rammed down our necks at school, which tend...Show more »

I wasn't always such a great fan of Shakespeare, mind you. I can guess we all at one time had it rammed down our necks at school, which tends to take the edge off it. Show less «

A year later, and I'm average again.

Any horror element is as much psychological as special effects.

Culturally, we've always felt it important to express the life of the country, and working class comes into that.

I came out of school in '79 when unemployment was really starting to bite, went back and redid my O-levels, there was a play going on and I ...Show more »

I came out of school in '79 when unemployment was really starting to bite, went back and redid my O-levels, there was a play going on and I was corralled into it. Show less «

I care more about telly because it made me an actor and there's a much more immediate response to TV. You can address the political or cultu...Show more »

I care more about telly because it made me an actor and there's a much more immediate response to TV. You can address the political or cultural fabric of your country. Show less «

[on his accent in Doctor Who (2005) - although he was wrong because Sylvester McCoy clearly had a Scottish accent] I'm different from the ot...Show more »

[on his accent in Doctor Who (2005) - although he was wrong because Sylvester McCoy clearly had a Scottish accent] I'm different from the other Doctors in that I'm northern. All the others spoke with this RP accent [received pronunciation] - maybe it was that that put me off. I think that it's good that we teach kids that people who speak like that can be heroic. Show less «

My bony face is like a car crash. I haven't got good looks, just weird looks, enough to frighten the fiercest monster.

Theatre is an actor's medium. Film and television is primarily a director's medium. When you act in the theatre you get a four to six week r...Show more »

Theatre is an actor's medium. Film and television is primarily a director's medium. When you act in the theatre you get a four to six week rehearsal period, where you can build a character, and of course each evening when you give a performance, you have the final edit. So theatre acting is my great love. But I've had some very interesting and rewarding experiences in front of the camera. Show less «

If I had my choice, I would exclusively do theatre, if I could justify it financially. Theatre in my country is by and large very lowly paid...Show more »

If I had my choice, I would exclusively do theatre, if I could justify it financially. Theatre in my country is by and large very lowly paid, so actors have to supplement it with television and film work, if they're fortunate enough to be able to do that. Show less «

I enjoy American television. I've got three particular favorites: The Larry Sanders Show (1992), Deadwood (2004) and NYPD Blue (1993). I adm...Show more »

I enjoy American television. I've got three particular favorites: The Larry Sanders Show (1992), Deadwood (2004) and NYPD Blue (1993). I admire them all for very different reasons. One's a very broad, naturalistic satiric comedy. Deadwood's a fantastic take on the Western genre, and NYPD Blue, I thought the writing and the acting was extraordinary. Show less «

The best thing about Doctor Who (2005) for me has been the response I've had from children, both in the street and the number of letters and...Show more »

The best thing about Doctor Who (2005) for me has been the response I've had from children, both in the street and the number of letters and drawings of me and Daleks, which are all over my wall at home. In all the 20 years I've been acting, I've never enjoyed a response so much as the one I've had from children and I'm carrying that in my heart forever. Show less «

Did you ever believe that seven o'clock on a Saturday night there'd be a Manc on one side and a Geordie on the other? When I was growing up,...Show more »

Did you ever believe that seven o'clock on a Saturday night there'd be a Manc on one side and a Geordie on the other? When I was growing up, everybody sounded like Tom Baker. Show less «

[on Doctor Who (2005)] I was open-minded but I decided after my experience on the first series that I didn't want to do any more. I didn't e...Show more »

[on Doctor Who (2005)] I was open-minded but I decided after my experience on the first series that I didn't want to do any more. I didn't enjoy the environment and the culture that we, the cast and crew, had to work in. I wasn't comfortable. I thought "If I stay in this job, I'm going to have to blind myself to certain things that I thought were wrong." And I think it's more important to be your own man than be successful, so I left. But the most important thing is that I did it, not that I left. I really feel that, because it kind of broke the mold and it helped to reinvent it. I'm very proud of it. Show less «

I don't really do heroes. Heroes are dangerous because it's very unrealistic to elevate people to heroic status. Lennon (John Lennon) was so...Show more »

I don't really do heroes. Heroes are dangerous because it's very unrealistic to elevate people to heroic status. Lennon (John Lennon) was somebody I admired but I came to him quite late. And there was no doubt he was somebody who could be quite difficult to love. Show less «

[on Accused (2010)] Writing of this quality doesn't come along too often. I have great respect and affection for Jimmy (Jimmy McGovern). We ...Show more »

[on Accused (2010)] Writing of this quality doesn't come along too often. I have great respect and affection for Jimmy (Jimmy McGovern). We go back 17 years now, and this is the sixth time I've worked for him. He's been the spine of my career. Show less «

No matter how big a name you are, how many big series you've been in or how good looking you are, in the end, all actors are secondary to th...Show more »

No matter how big a name you are, how many big series you've been in or how good looking you are, in the end, all actors are secondary to the writer. Show less «

I've kept my word with the audience and not fed them rubbish. I've done some rubbish elsewhere, though, and I've let myself down in that way...Show more »

I've kept my word with the audience and not fed them rubbish. I've done some rubbish elsewhere, though, and I've let myself down in that way. But I think I can hold my head up - I don't think I've ever done it for the money on British telly. I always choose roles with my heart. Show less «

I confess I don't watch much film or television drama but I'm aware of the preponderance of white, male roles. There's not enough writing fo...Show more »

I confess I don't watch much film or television drama but I'm aware of the preponderance of white, male roles. There's not enough writing for women or people of colour. It frustrates me when they insist on doing all-male Shakespearean productions - a wonderful intellectual exercise maybe, but it's outrageous because it's putting a lot of women out of work. Show less «

Culturally we've always felt it important to express the life of the country, and working class comes into that.

I love my accent, I thought it was useful in Gone in Sixty Seconds (2000) because the standard villain is upper class or Cockney. My Norther...Show more »

I love my accent, I thought it was useful in Gone in Sixty Seconds (2000) because the standard villain is upper class or Cockney. My Northern accent would be an odd clash opposite Nic Cage. Show less «

In all the 20 years I've been acting, I've never enjoyed a response so much as the one I've had from children and I'm carrying that in my he...Show more »

In all the 20 years I've been acting, I've never enjoyed a response so much as the one I've had from children and I'm carrying that in my heart forever. Show less «

I think theatre is by far the most rewarding experience for an actor. You get 4 weeks to rehearse your character and then at 7:30 pm you sta...Show more »

I think theatre is by far the most rewarding experience for an actor. You get 4 weeks to rehearse your character and then at 7:30 pm you start acting and nobody stops you, acting with your entire soul. Show less «

I think the themes of belonging and parentage and love are obviously universal.

Often as a child you see someone with a learning disability or Down's Syndrome and my mum and dad were always very quick to explain exactly ...Show more »

Often as a child you see someone with a learning disability or Down's Syndrome and my mum and dad were always very quick to explain exactly what was going on and to be in their own way inclusive and welcoming. Show less «

[a message at a BFI celebration of Doctor Who (1963)'s 50th anniversary] I love the BFI. I love the Doctor and hope you enjoy this presentat...Show more »

[a message at a BFI celebration of Doctor Who (1963)'s 50th anniversary] I love the BFI. I love the Doctor and hope you enjoy this presentation. Joe Ahearne directed five of the 13 episodes of the first series. He understood the tone the show needed completely - strong, bold, pacy visuals coupled with wit, warmth and a twinkle in the performances, missus. If Joe agrees to direct the 100th anniversary special, I will bring my sonic and a stair-lift and - providing the Daleks don't bring theirs - I, the ninth Doctor, vow to save the universe and all you apes in it. Show less «

[on Our Friends in the North (1996)] I was standing on the set of Shallow Grave (1994) and Danny Boyle said, 'I've read something you'd like...Show more »

[on Our Friends in the North (1996)] I was standing on the set of Shallow Grave (1994) and Danny Boyle said, 'I've read something you'd like.' I got hold of the scripts and read them in one sitting. There's a scene in which Nicky's embittered idealist dad, Felix - played by the wonderful 'Peter Vaughan' - is savaged by a dog on a council estate. He is effectively destroyed by everything he felt he'd failed to create as a socialist. I thought it was an absolutely brilliant piece of writing. I knew it was event television from that single scene. Show less «

Many times I've sat with a camera and another actor and seen all their fears and insecurities and struggles. You want to support them and he...Show more »

Many times I've sat with a camera and another actor and seen all their fears and insecurities and struggles. You want to support them and help them as much as you can. Show less «

We all need a firm sense of identity.

I don't see a lot of films. I'm quite choosy, but there's certain films that stick out.

The money is better in films and television. But in terms of acting, theatre is more rewarding.

It can be very difficult to trace your birth parents.

I've never been up with the times, always been slightly out of step.

I had bags of energy as a kid.

Lots of middle class people are running around pretending to be Cockney.

I love Dead Ringers (2002). A democratic set, the work was taken seriously.

I don't like to watch playback. But being on the set, watching the way the camera is being moved and the way the light is being used, you do...Show more »

I don't like to watch playback. But being on the set, watching the way the camera is being moved and the way the light is being used, you do get an idea of it. Show less «

I only ever worked on interiors, and an interior is an interior. I don't know what they did about exteriors.

Television, although It's in steep decline, still occasionally gives voices to people who don't have voices.

I heard the various terms of abuse at school and probably indulged them in the way you do as a kid.

On The Others (2001), very atmospheric and probably mysterious is how I would say it felt to be on the set. It felt just a little uneasy, th...Show more »

On The Others (2001), very atmospheric and probably mysterious is how I would say it felt to be on the set. It felt just a little uneasy, the atmosphere that we were trying to capture. Show less «

I think film and television are really a director's medium, whereas theatre is the actor's medium.

I had to help to coax the performances and I really enjoyed that extra responsibility.

Jacobean plays, before Shakespeare, were particularly visceral.

I got a tiny part in a play, auditioned for another one and got that as well. Not only that, the first finished on the Saturday and the othe...Show more »

I got a tiny part in a play, auditioned for another one and got that as well. Not only that, the first finished on the Saturday and the other started on the Monday which is like an actor's dream! Show less «

I used my instincts. It's very easy to imagine how you'd feel, actually. I just had to tell the narrative.

The person who gives you your first job is so important in any industry.

Twelve years on sets watching directors, I've taken a bit from everybody and rejected a lot.

We like to think that our parents made a decision to bring us into the world.

What goes down on film is different to what you see with the naked eye.

[on Flesh and Blood (2002)] The film is about Joe discovering who his mother and father are and his relationship with them, and the identity...Show more »

[on Flesh and Blood (2002)] The film is about Joe discovering who his mother and father are and his relationship with them, and the identity crisis he goes through once he finds out who his parents are. Show less «

I want to direct but I think I'd be bloody awful and I don't want to produce but I think I'd be a very good producer because if I believed i...Show more »

I want to direct but I think I'd be bloody awful and I don't want to produce but I think I'd be a very good producer because if I believed in something I'd be able to protect it. Show less «

I went being unemployed for three years to being the lead in a British feature in the days when we only made two a year, 1990. It was ridicu...Show more »

I went being unemployed for three years to being the lead in a British feature in the days when we only made two a year, 1990. It was ridiculous really. Show less «

[on acting] My parents always knew I was hopeless at everything else, I was fortunate in that I was backed all the way. I came to it late an...Show more »

[on acting] My parents always knew I was hopeless at everything else, I was fortunate in that I was backed all the way. I came to it late and only because I thought there'd be loads of women and drinking! Show less «

I know exactly where I've come from, I know exactly who my mum and dad are.

Theatre is expensive to go to. I certainly felt when I was growing up that theatre wasn't for us. Theatre still has that stigma to it. A lot...Show more »

Theatre is expensive to go to. I certainly felt when I was growing up that theatre wasn't for us. Theatre still has that stigma to it. A lot of people feel intimidated and underrepresented in theatre. Show less «

Rather than disliking theatre, I've expressed a preference for television because it tends to deal in its small way much more with issues an...Show more »

Rather than disliking theatre, I've expressed a preference for television because it tends to deal in its small way much more with issues and is able to reach a broader church of people than theatre. Show less «

[on Doctor Who (2005)] I don't think it's important that I left - I think it's important that I did it in the first place. I'm still there -...Show more »

[on Doctor Who (2005)] I don't think it's important that I left - I think it's important that I did it in the first place. I'm still there - I was in David Tennant, I was in Matt Smith, I was in Peter Capaldi. I'm always there in spirit. Show less «

[on Hillsborough (1996)] This will show what television is really for.

[why he left Doctor Who (2005)] Myself and three individuals at the very top of the pyramid clashed so off I went. But they're not here to s...Show more »

[why he left Doctor Who (2005)] Myself and three individuals at the very top of the pyramid clashed so off I went. But they're not here to say their side of it so I'm not going into detail." Show less «

[on his portrayal of The Doctor] I think I over-pitched the comedy. If I had my time again, I would do the comedy very different - but I thi...Show more »

[on his portrayal of The Doctor] I think I over-pitched the comedy. If I had my time again, I would do the comedy very different - but I think where I did possibly succeed was in the tortured stuff - surprise surprise! Show less «

[why he left Doctor Who (2005)] I'd had enough. I wanted to do it my way, they wanted something else. We were never going to compromise so i...Show more »

[why he left Doctor Who (2005)] I'd had enough. I wanted to do it my way, they wanted something else. We were never going to compromise so it was best to be straight about it and just go. It's very easy to stay in one job and make that your comfort zone, and I want to resist that temptation. Show less «