The Biography of Matt Smith
The youngest Doctor Who in history, the best Prince Philip on British TV, a promising English star, and the most stylish actor in London - Matt Smith has been awarded titles many times throughout his career. It's remarkable that he stumbled into the acting profession almost by chance: from childhood, he dreamed of becoming a footballer, but a injury destroyed his sports future.By the twists of fate, he found himself in the theatre world, and from there he made his way to the small screen. In 2009, an invitation to play the lead role in the BBC series "Doctor Who" turned Matt into a superstar. And yet, he had not even intended to accept the role, since he knew nothing about this iconic character.
Childhood
Matt Smith was born on October 28th, 1982, in the English county of Northamptonshire. The boy became the second child in the family - he has an elder sister named Laura. His family was quite well-off and well-known in the city - his parents had a business in plastic recycling.
The decision to end his football career was not an easy one for the 17-year-old young man. "It was very difficult for me to tell my acquaintances that I was finished with football," the actor later admitted. Matt's theatre arts teacher noticed his depressive state. Despite the fact that the young man attended the courses more for entertainment, 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 calculations 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.As the offers for work poured 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." Due to the demanding rehearsal and premiere schedules, Matt made an agreement with the university to complete his last 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 take care of his mother, who suffered from harmful addictions. According to the actor, while preparing for the role, he interviewed people with addictions to alcohol and drugs to better understand their worldview. 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 made a name for himself with ease in the theatrical world, he had to put in some effort to win over movie audiences. His first experience on screen can be considered the small roles he had in the TV series "The Street" and the 2006 film adaptations of Philip Pullman's "The Shadow in the North" and "The Ruby in the Smoke."
Doctor Who
However, his work on the set of "Party Animals" was so memorable to BBC producer Piers Wenger that he immediately cast Matt as the Eleventh Doctor in "Doctor Who." It was a fairly bold decision, as the actor knew nothing about the character's history, and his name was not well-known to audiences. Additionally, Smith had to replace the previous Doctor, David Tennant, and competing with his popularity was not an easy task.
The heyday of his career
In the wake of his Doctor Who role, Matt ventured 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). It was planned that he would have a much larger role in the franchise's next installments, but the movie flopped at the box office and sequels were not made.
Matt Smith's personal life
After starring in "Doctor Who," the press was focused on Matt Smith's personal life, especially since he often had romantic relationships with colleagues. As early as 2005, he was rumored to have a relationship with actress Billie Piper from "Doctor Who." In 2008, he was often seen in the company of Brazilian singer Mayana Moura, but that relationship did not last long either.
Matt Smith now
In 2022, an new opportunity to demonstrate different facets of his talent came to the actor. In March, the Marvel comics-based action film "Morbius" was released, in which Smith played a negative character. According to the plot, the character played by Jared Leto found a way to cure a serious illness, and his friend played by the English actor stole the miraculous serum from him to use his new powers for cruel purposes.Despite the fact that the anticipation rating for the premiere was off the charts, the film flopped 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 play the role of the Eleventh Doctor in the long-running series "Doctor Who" when he was 26 years old.
- In 2012, he participated in the Olympic torch relay ahead of the Summer Olympics in London. He admitted that he was proud of the opportunity, but was very afraid of dropping the torch as he is quite clumsy.
- In 2013, Smith directed a short film called "Cargese," which was shown on the Sky Arts channel.
- In 2021, he appeared in several music videos for Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds. Smith is a big 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. As it turned 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 that the real Prince Philip only snorted when he heard about the show.
