Daniel Craig biography, net worth, age, wife, height, children 2025

Daniel Craig's Biography

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, he had more than 40 roles in his filmography, each of them marking a certain milestone in Craig's life and career: "Lara Croft: Tomb Raider", "Munich", "Sylvia", "Knives Out".

Actor Daniel Craig – the sixth James Bond

Childhood and Family

The future actor of James Bond was born on March 2, 1968, in the typical English city of Chester. His mother, Carol, was an artist and taught fine arts at a school. His father, former sailor Timothy, worked as a steelworker at one of the local factories but later left this job to open his own bar, Ring'o'Bells. When business picked up, he opened a second pub, Boot Inn.

Before Daniel turned five, his parents separated. His mother remarried, and the famous British artist Max Blond became the stepfather of James and his older sister Olivia. It's no surprise that the boy grew up in a creative atmosphere. The family (which, besides the stepfather, now included Daniel's older half-brother Philip) moved to Liverpool, where Daniel spent most of his childhood.

In 1973, during one of his infrequent meetings with his father, Daniel went to the cinema to see "Live and Let Die" with Roger Moore – the first Bond movie in his life. As Craig later admitted, this film held a special place in the heart of the boy, who was still coping with his parents' divorce.

Carol always loved theater, so she was incredibly pleased when her 6-year-old son began showing interest in stage art. She took him to the performances of the Liverpool Everyman Theatre, and soon he made his debut in the school musical "Oliver!".

In high school, his passion for theater was complemented by sports – the athletically built teenager joined the school's rugby team and demonstrated certain successes.

However, even now, Craig can boast of a perfect body

In 1984, he auditioned for the National Youth Theatre troupe, which had come on tour to Manchester. The 16-year-old boy impressed everyone with his talent, and they accepted him. Daniel moved to London and soon his parents joyfully applauded at the premiere of "Troilus and Cressida", where their son played King Agamemnon. In his free time from rehearsals and performances, Craig worked as a waiter.

With the theatre, he traveled half of Europe from Madrid to Moscow. At the same time, he was preparing for auditions at the famous Guildhall School of Music and Drama in Barbican. His first two attempts were unsuccessful, but eventually, his perseverance paid off – in 1988, he joined the ranks of Guildhall students. He studied there alongside Ewan McGregor and Alistair McGowan.

Acting Career

In 1991, after three years of training under the mentorship of Royal Shakespeare Theatre star Colin McCormack, he received his long-awaited diploma. In 1992, he made his film debut in "The Power of One". He gained wild popularity with the play "Angels in America", staged in 1993, where Craig played a Mormon homosexual.

In his youth, Daniel Craig had long hair

He periodically appeared on TV in the cast of mediocre series until 1996 when he landed a role in the multi-part 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 - from the 60s to the 90s.

Daniel Craig and Mark Strong (photo shoot for the series 'Our Friends in the North')

The late 90s were marked by many interesting works for the actor. Among them are the series "The Hunger" (an anthology of screen adaptations of authors past and present), which starred David Bowie, 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 Is the Devil" with Derek Jacobi and Tilda Swinton, where Craig had to appear completely naked.

Stills from the movie 'Love Is the Devil'

In 2001, after the premiere of "Lara Croft: Tomb Raider" starring Angelina Jolie, Daniel Craig was recognized by audiences all over the world. The charismatic blonde with icy eyes appeared as Lara Croft's competitor, treasure hunter 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 lead role of drug dealer Four-X in Matthew Vaughn's action film "Layer Cake", for which Craig was awarded the People's Choice Award from the European Film Academy.

New James Bond

A week after finishing filming in "Munich", Steven Spielberg offered Craig 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 turn down such a defining opportunity. On October 14, 2005, he officially became James Bond in the 21st installment of the Bond series, "Casino Royale", and Eva Green was confirmed for the role of the new Bond girl.

Daniel Craig and Eva Green co-starred in 'Casino Royale'

This appointment literally split the fandom in half. Some believed that the talented Englishman would do well in this role. Others called such an appointment "a mockery of a beloved character". The fact that Daniel Craig became the shortest James Bond in film history, as well as the first 007 agent with blonde hair, caused much debate. Another hot topic of discussion was that in the new films of the franchise, the British super-agent became significantly tougher: he was involved in fights more often and paid less attention to women.

Casino Royale, Bond wins the Aston Martin DB5

In any case, the film "Casino Royale" was a great success worldwide. After that, the number of sarcastic arrows aimed at Craig significantly decreased. However, to this day, Daniel Craig remains the most controversial James Bond in the history of the famous franchise.

Over the next few years, several notable films featuring Daniel were released: "The Golden Compass", "Infamous", "Cowboys & Aliens", "Defiance", "Dream House", and the American adaptation of the legendary book "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" with Rooney Mara.

In 2008, the actor once again transformed into James Bond, appearing as the English super-agent in the movie "Quantum of Solace". Craig's fee for this film was almost 2.5 times higher than his earnings from the first part of the revamped franchise and amounted to an impressive $7.2 million, even though the critics' reviews of the film were not so warm. By the way, this time Bond's girl was played by our compatriot Olga Kurylenko.

Daniel Craig Answers Questions About James Bond 007

In 2012, Craig set another record, receiving $20 million for shooting in the film "Skyfall" (with various bonuses), an amount that no other Bond actor had ever earned for a single film. In total, the film grossed over $1.1 billion worldwide.

"Skyfall" rehabilitated the franchise in the eyes of the audience, but, unfortunately, the next film - "SPECTRE" 2015 - was notable only for its soundtrack ("Writing’s On The Wall" by Sam Smith) and an explosion scene, recognized as the largest in film history.

Daniel Craig in 'Spectre'

Despite numerous rumors about the search for a new candidate for the role of Bond, in the summer of 2017, Daniel Craig confirmed that he would star in at least one more part of the Bond series, the premiere of which was originally scheduled for November 8, 2019, but only took place two years later.

In September 2017, he appeared in the comedic action film "Logan Lucky", playing explosives expert Joe Bang, who joined a team of brilliant burglars. He co-starred in the film with Channing Tatum, Adam Driver, and Katie Holmes.

Another noteworthy project featuring Daniel Craig is the comedic detective film in the spirit of Agatha Christie, "Knives Out" (2019). Craig's character is private investigator Benoit Blanc, who was hired by an anonymous person to investigate the murder of a popular detective writer. As Blanc interviews the members of his crazy family, he realizes that each of them had a motive for murder.

Daniel Craig's Personal Life

For a long time, there were rumors about Daniel Craig's non-traditional orientation, which he repeatedly denied.

Daniel Craig vehemently denies rumors that he is gay

In 1992, shortly after graduating from Guildhall, he married Scottish actress Fiona Loudon, 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 raising Ella.

In 1996, news came of Daniel Craig's new love affair. This time his life partner was German actress Heike Makatsch. This relationship lasted eight years and eventually ended as well.

In June 2011, the 'James Bond' actor secretly married actress Rachel Weisz ("The Mummy", "The Bourne Legacy"). It's noteworthy that their romance started after the two celebrities played a married couple in the movie "Dream House". For the actor, Rachel left her first husband, director Darren Aronofsky. The couple is raising two children together - Daniel's daughter Ella and Rachel's son from her first marriage, Henry.

So, Daniel Craig is happily married, but why do the press continue to speculate about his homosexuality? In 2010, the actor was 'caught red-handed' inside the gay club Roosterfish. He came there with a muscular young man, and as witnesses claim, the couple had a good time: they drank cocktails, danced and even kissed. However, no video or photographs were provided by the witnesses.

However, in the spring of 2018, the actor ended these rumors - actress Rachel Weisz became pregnant by him. On September 1, the stars became parents of a charming daughter.

Daniel Craig Now

In the fall of 2021, the 25th part of the Bond series "No Time to Die" finally hit the big screen. The film's premiere was postponed for two years due to a change of director (Danny Boyle had a falling out with the producers, and was replaced by Cary Joji Fukunaga), an injury to Craig's leg, and the sudden outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic. The film faced a series of setbacks, but high ratings from audiences and critics more than made up for it. This is Daniel Craig's last appearance as James Bond.

Shortly before the premiere, Craig was awarded the title of Commander of the British Navy, the same rank as James Bond in the book. The actor is not upset about the end of this chapter in his life - his Bond story, as Daniel had hoped, ended well, and he has many interesting projects ahead.

In 2022, the second part of the detective story "Knives Out" was released, in which his character Benoit Blanc once again demonstrated extraordinary logical thinking while investigating the murder mystery on the island of an eccentric billionaire. For his role in this film, Craig was nominated for a "Golden Globe".

Daniel Craig on the set of the sequel 'Knives Out'

Rumors suggest that he will return to the role of Blomkvist in the new part of Lisbeth Salander's story "The Girl Who Played with Fire", and the third part of "Knives Out" is planned for 2024.

Daniel Craig: latest news and articles

Stella Herrera

Daniel Craig is wonderful - brutal and played the role of Bond perfectly. Five films and all became cult, just think

2021-04-19 16:42:10
Alan Day

Craig was glorified by Bond, now he can live without grieving :)

2021-04-16 22:38:11
Deanna Davis

Did he play anywhere else besides agent 007?

2021-04-09 12:28:03
Bruce Flores

Craig is wonderful! Serious, courageous Bond. It won`t be better

2021-03-11 10:42:42
Joan Ortiz

Craig in my opinion is the best Bond of the whole saga. There is in him something magical.

2021-02-21 13:31:19