Christopher Eccleston: biography, filmography and personal life

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

Today Christopher Eccleston is one of the most famous and popular actors of theater and cinema. He has admirers both at home and in dozens of other countries of the world. By the way, he owes his popularity primarily to his work in the Doctor Who series. And many fans, of course, are interested in his biographical data and personal life.

Biography and general information

Christopher Eccleston (photo above) was born on February 16, 1964 in the northern part of England, in the city of Salford. His parents were simple workers, and the boy was not the only child in the family (the actor has two brothers).

After leaving school, the guy entered the Salford Technical College. Since childhood, Christopher loved football and most of all dreamed of a career as a professional athlete - in the future he saw himself as a member of the Manchester United team. But at the age of nineteen, he realized that he had a much better chance of succeeding on stage - the guy entered the School of Drama and Speech in London. During his studies, as well as after graduation, he often worked onvarious theatrical performances, in particular, he played in classical plays by Chekhov, Shakespeare, Moliere, etc.

Unfortunately, after completing his studies for several years, the actor could not get an invitation to shoot. To live, he worked as a salesman and consultant in supermarkets and often posed for artists.

First career steps

Christopher Eccleston first appeared on television in 1990 in the TV series Catastrophe, where he played Stephen Hills. And his debut on the big screen was the biographical film Let Him Get His Own, where the actor got the main role - he played the epileptic and psychopath Derek Bentley.

Already in 1992, he played Alonzo Zunza in the film "Death and the Compass". In the same year, he got episodic roles in such series as Inspector Morse, Boone, Lawyer, Poirot. And from 1993 to 1994, the actor worked on the TV series The Cracker Method, where he played detective David Bilborough. In 1993, Christopher Eccleston also appeared as a priest in the drama The Recluse. Nevertheless, the year 1994 became decisive in his career.

Christopher Eccleston: filmography

For several years, the actor actively participated in various projects and attended auditions. And in 1994 he was lucky - he received an offer to play one of the main roles in the thriller "Shallow Grave". Here, Christopher masterfully coped with the role of David, who begins to go crazy after getting rid of the corpse of one of the roommates.

After such a difficult role, the actorbegins to receive invitations to larger projects. For example, in 1996 he played Jude Foley in the movie Jude. In 1998, he got the role of the Duke of Norfolk in the film "Elizabeth". In the same year, he worked with Renee Zellweger on the drama The Price of Rubies, where he played Sender Horowitz.

In 2000, he got the role of Raymond Calitri in the movie Gone in 60 Seconds. A year later, he appeared on the screens as Charles Stewart in the mystical film The Others, where he worked with Nicole Kidman. In 2002, Christopher Eccleston played Major Henry West in the fantasy horror film 28 Days Later. In 2007, the actor accepted an offer to play the Rider in the fantasy film Dark Rising.

In 2009, the actor appeared on screen as Fred Noonan in the biographical drama Amelie. And already in 2013, he reincarnated as Malekith, one of the characters in the movie Thor 2: The Kingdom of Darkness.

Famous TV shows featuring the actor

Christopher Eccleston often starred in various television series. In particular, he got small episodic roles in the projects Lind Green, Othello, The King and Us, The Second Coming, The League of Gentlemen.

Success came to the actor in 2005, after the premiere of the Doctor Who series. Christopher Eccleston played the Doctor himself here, which, in fact, owes such a sharp jump in popularity among TV viewers.

In 2007, the actor appeared in the equally popular TV series "Heroes" - for five episodes he played Claude Raines. In 2010, he was approved for the role of John Lennon.in the TV movie Lennon Unvarnished. In the same year, Christopher could be seen in one of the episodes of the Accused project. And in 2012, the actor was offered the lead role in the three-episode psychological thriller Blackout, where he skillfully played a corrupt mayor trying to drown his dissatisfaction with his own life in huge doses of alcohol.

Private life

It is worth noting that Christopher Eccleston is a rather secretive person who does not like to talk too much about his personal life. For a long time, the actor met with British actress Sivan Maurice. Today Christopher is happily married. And in February 2012, he became a dad - the actor had a boy, who was named Albert.

It is widely known that Christopher's mother is a rather religious woman. And although the future artist received the appropriate education, today he is an atheist. In addition, the actor loves football and is a fan of the Manchester United football club. He is also active in several charities including Mencap and the British Red Cross. Every year, Ecclestone participates in charity marathons.