Daniel Wroughton Craig

Craig was born in Chester, England, the son of Timothy James Craig, a steel erector and sometime merchant seaman, and Olivia Craig (née Williams), an art teacher. He was brought up in Frodsham, near Chester, and then Hoylake on the Wirral (near Liverpool). Here, he attended Hilbre High School and played for Hoylake Rugby Club ^[4]. Craig moved to London when he was sixteen to join the National Youth Theatre. He trained at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, graduating in 1991, and his first major leading role on screen was a co-starring part in the 1996 BBC Television serial Our Friends in the North.

Following an introduction to international audiences as Angelina Jolie's rival and love interest in Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (2001), he honed his acting skills in the United States in Sam Mendes' movie Road to Perdition (2002), with Tom Hanks and Paul Newman. Craig played Connor Rooney, the son of an Irish mob boss (played by Newman) and a conniving murderer who hides behind his mobster father's shadow. Other leading film roles have included Layer Cake (2004) with Sienna Miller, Sword of Honour (2001), Sylvia (2003) with Gwyneth Paltrow, Enduring love (2004) with Rhys Ifans and Steven Spielberg's Munich in 2005.

In 2006, after completing work on Casino Royale (see below), Craig moved on to portraying the character of Lord Asriel in the forthcoming film adaptation of Philip Pullman's novel His Dark Materials: Northern Lights.^[5] In a stage version of the book this role had previously been played by Timothy Dalton, one of Craig's predecessors in the role of James Bond.

As early as February 2005, Craig had been named in the media as a possible James Bond. On April 6, 2005, Craig was reported to have been signed by EON Productions as part of a three-film contract worth £15 million,^[6] however this news was later debunked by the BBC,^[7] who contacted EON for an official report. According to Craig, MGM offered him the role but the Broccoli family never got in touch with him.

Finally, on 14 October 2005, Craig signed a three-film contract, with the first, Casino Royale, released on November 16, 2006. Craig is the first actor to step into the role who was born after the first Bond film, Dr. No, was released and after the death of Bond producer Albert Broccoli.

Craig's hiring as James Bond was controversial among some fans and critics, with some vocal fans threatening a boycott of the film,^[8] going so far as to set up a website,^[9] which has been accused of distributing misinformation.^[10] Those who oppose Craig as Bond cite a number of factors, ranging from his height (at 5'11", he is shorter than all the previous Bond actors by at least two inches), to the fact he is blond while Ian Fleming's Bond is dark, which led to some media outlets referring to him as "James Blond". A widely circulated report on several news channels and newspapers asserted that Craig lost two teeth filming a fight scene; Craig later said it was just a crown that had come loose. Producer Barbara Broccoli also denied other rumours in an interview with Variety.

media coverage of the controversy resulted in numerous actors publicly voicing their support of Craig. Most notably, four of the five previous actors who portrayed Bond—Timothy Dalton, Sean Connery, Roger Moore, Pierce Brosnan—called his casting a good decision. Clive Owen, who had been linked to the role, has also spoken in defence of Craig.^[11] In a recent interview with The Globe and Mail, Brosnan was asked "What do you think of the new James Bond, Daniel Craig, and will you be watching Casino Royale?", he replied "I'm looking forward to it like we're all looking forward to it. Daniel Craig is a great actor and he's going to do a fantastic job".^[12]

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 film, currently known only as Bond 22, will be released on 7 November 2008 and that Craig has been signed to play Bond, with an option for a third film.^[13]

Despite the controversy at the time of the announcement of Craig's appointment, the film and Craig's performance in it has been widely critically praised. It received a "Certified Fresh" rating on Rotten Tomatoes and an average score of 7.9/10. Of 174 reviews, 94% were positive. Several critics have said that Craig is the most believable and charismatic Bond since Sean Connery.^[14] CNN reporter Jeanne Moos apologised on air for criticising Craig before the film was released, and proclaimed that she was now a fan.^[15]

Craig was previously married to British actress Fiona Loudon. They had one child together, Ella, who was born in 1992. ^[16] He is currently dating twenty-nine year old film producer, Satsuki Mitchell. ^[17]

Daniel Craig is Chairman of the Honorary Board Of Directors of the NGO "STOP", Stop Trafficking Of People. [2])