The Biography of Matt Smith
The youngest Doctor Who in history, the definitive Prince Philip on British TV, a rising English star, and London's most stylish actor - Matt Smith has earned these titles throughout his remarkable career. It's remarkable that he stumbled into acting almost by accident: from childhood, he dreamed of becoming a footballer, but an injury ended his sports dreams.Through a twist of fate, he found himself in the theater world, and from there made his way to television. In 2009, landing the lead role in the BBC series "Doctor Who" turned Matt into a superstar. Yet he hadn't even planned to take the role, since he knew nothing about this iconic character.

Childhood
Matt Smith was born on October 28, 1982, in Northamptonshire, England. He was the second child in the family, with an older sister named Laura. His family was well-off and well-known locally - his parents ran a plastic recycling business.

The decision to end his football career wasn't easy for the 17-year-old. "It was very difficult for me to tell people that I was done with football," the actor later admitted. Matt's theatre arts teacher noticed his depressive state. Even though the young man attended the courses more for fun, the teacher - Terry Hardingem - immediately noticed his talent. Without even asking Matt, the teacher cast him in the play Twelve Angry Men.

In the end, the teacher's gamble paid off - the stage eventually captivated Smith. In 2001, he enrolled in the University of East Anglia, choosing a course in acting and literature.
Theatre
Matt quickly became a sought-after actor and landed his first theatre roles even before finishing his studies. In 2002, he played Thomas Becket in "Murder in the Cathedral" and Fagot in "The Master and Margarita," working with the National Youth Theatre.With work offers flooding in, the student hired an agent. In 2003, he landed roles in the Royal Court Theatre productions of "Fresh Kills" and "On the Shore of the Wide World." Then he was offered a stage role at the Royal London Theatre in the production of "The History Boys." With demanding rehearsal and premiere schedules, Matt arranged with the university to complete his final two courses as an external student.

A year later, "That Face" moved to the Duke of York's Theatre in the West End. The show was successful, and critics highly praised Smith's performance. He played Henry, a young artist forced to drop out of school and care for his mother, who struggled with dangerous addictions. The actor revealed that while preparing for the role, he interviewed people struggling with alcohol and drug addictions to better understand their perspective. The cast of the production, including Smith, was nominated for the 2008 Laurence Olivier Award, and Smith received a special mention in the Evening Standard.


First film roles
While Smith easily made his mark in theater, breaking into film proved more challenging. His screen debut came through small roles in the TV series "The Street" and the 2006 Philip Pullman adaptations "The Shadow in the North" and "The Ruby in the Smoke."


Doctor Who
His work on the set of "Party Animals" made such an impression on BBC producer Piers Wenger that he immediately cast Matt as the Eleventh Doctor in "Doctor Who." It was a pretty bold move, since the actor knew nothing about the character's history, and audiences had barely heard of him. Plus, Smith had to follow David Tennant, and living up to his popularity wouldn't be easy.

The heyday of his career
Following his Doctor Who success, Matt expanded beyond British television. He starred in the films "Lost River" (2014) and "Pride and Prejudice and Zombies" (2015), and had a supporting role in the action movie "Terminator: Genisys" (2015). He was set to have a much larger role in future franchise installments, but the movie bombed at the box office and sequels never materialized.





Matt Smith's personal life
After his "Doctor Who" breakout, the press became obsessed with Matt Smith's love life, particularly his pattern of dating co-stars. Dating back to 2005, he was linked to "Doctor Who" actress Billie Piper. In 2008, he was frequently spotted with Brazilian singer Mayana Moura, though that romance fizzled quickly.




Matt Smith now
In 2022, a new opportunity came along for the actor to showcase different sides of his talent. In March, the Marvel comics-based action film "Morbius" was released, in which Smith played a negative character. In the story, Jared Leto's character discovers a cure for a deadly disease, but his friend (played by Smith) steals the miraculous serum to use its powers for evil.Despite sky-high expectations, the film bombed at the box office. The only positive aspect of the film was said to be the performances of Leto and Smith.



Interesting facts
- Matt Smith became the youngest actor to take on the Eleventh Doctor in the long-running series "Doctor Who" at just 26 years old.
- In 2012, he participated in the Olympic torch relay ahead of the Summer Olympics in London. He admitted he was proud of the opportunity but terrified of dropping the torch since he's quite clumsy.
- In 2013, Smith directed a short film called "Cargese" that aired on the Sky Arts channel.
- In 2021, he appeared in several music videos for Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds. Smith's a huge fan of Gallagher's music and treasures their friendship.
- For his role as Daemon Targaryen in the series "House of the Dragon," the actor learned the fictional Valyrian language.
- In September 2022, Smith revealed that he once bumped into Prince Harry at a polo match. Turns out the royal family member enjoyed the actor's performance in "The Crown." He extended his hand to Smith and called him "grandad." Smith's friends also told him the real Prince Philip just snorted when he heard about the show.