Matt Smith

1.1. Childhood and Education

Smith attended Northampton School for Boys. From a young age, he had a strong passion for football and dreamed of becoming a professional player. He developed his skills playing for the youth teams of Northampton Town, Nottingham Forest, and Leicester City, even captaining Leicester City's youth team. However, a severe back injury, later diagnosed as spondylolysis, tragically ended his aspirations of a professional football career. The injury was confirmed during an appearance on the British television show Top Gear.

After his football ambitions were curtailed, Smith's drama teacher encouraged him to explore acting. Initially, his teacher signed him up for theatrical productions without his consent. Despite his reluctance, having failed to participate on the first two occasions, his teacher persisted and arranged for him to play the tenth juror in an adaptation of Twelve Angry Men. Smith initially saw himself solely as a football player and believed acting would negatively impact his social life, leading him to refuse participation in a drama festival his teacher had signed him up for. However, his teacher's perseverance eventually convinced him to join the National Youth Theatre in London. Following his secondary education, Smith pursued higher studies at the University of East Anglia, where he majored in Drama and Creative Writing, graduating in 2005.

1.2. Early Career Beginnings

Smith's involvement with the National Youth Theatre marked his formal entry into acting. His early stage performances included playing Thomas Becket in Murder in the Cathedral in 2003 and Bassoon in The Master and Margarita in 2004. His performance in The Master and Margarita notably earned him an agent, which led to his first professional acting jobs: Fresh Kills and On the Shore of the Wide World. These early opportunities prompted him to seek an agreement with his university to allow him to graduate without attending lectures in his final year, demonstrating his early commitment to his burgeoning acting career.

In television, Smith made his debut in 2006 as Jim Taylor in the BBC adaptations of Philip Pullman's The Ruby in the Smoke and The Shadow in the North, which were part of the Sally Lockhart quartet. His first major television role came in 2007, portraying Danny Foster in the BBC drama series Party Animals, which centered on fictional parliamentary advisors and researchers. Smith described Danny as an intelligent but timid "politics geek" with a romantic, yet cynical, view of the political world. He characterized Danny as caring, sensitive, and witty, despite lacking confidence in his romantic pursuits. Intellectually, Danny was portrayed as attentive and possessing a strong work ethic.

During his tenure in On the Shore of the Wide World, the play transferred to the Royal National Theatre in London. Following this, he took on the role of Lockwood, a pupil in the Alan Bennett play The History Boys. Subsequently, Smith appeared in the teen play Burn/Chatroom/Citizenship and made his West End debut alongside Christian Slater in Swimming with Sharks. In 2007, Smith appeared as Henry in Polly Stenham's play That Face at the Royal Court Theatre Upstairs in Chelsea. The play later transferred to the Duke of York's Theatre in the West End in 2008, marking his second West End role. That Face explored themes of alcohol and drug addiction within an upper-middle-class family. As Henry, Smith portrayed an aspiring artist who left school to care for his mother. To prepare for the role, the cast interviewed alcoholics and their families. Smith noted in a May 2008 interview that his character's relationship with his mother was one of co-dependency, where Henry held a belief that he could change his mother, leading to an identity collapse when she was finally sent to rehab. The entire cast of That Face was nominated for the 2008 Laurence Olivier Award for Outstanding Achievement in an Affiliate Theatre, and Smith individually received an Evening Standard Theatre Award nomination for Best Newcomer. Critics from the Evening Standard, Daily Express, The Guardian, and The Times highly praised Smith's performance as Henry upon the play's transfer to the West End.

Smith also auditioned for the role of Will McKenzie in the comedy series The Inbetweeners, but the part was ultimately given to Simon Bird. The show's writer, Iain Morris, commented that Smith was "brilliant" and was among the final two candidates, but was considered "a bit too dashing" for the role. In 2008, Smith was cast as a younger version of Ralph Fiennes' character in Martin McDonagh's black comedy crime film In Bruges, but his scenes were ultimately cut from the final version of the film. He starred in the 2009 short film Together and the 2010 film Womb.

2.1. Stage Performances

Smith's theatrical career began with the National Youth Theatre, where he took on significant roles such as Thomas Becket in Murder in the Cathedral (2003) and Bassoon in The Master and Margarita (2004) at the Lyric Hammersmith. He continued with Fresh Kills (2004) at the Royal Court Theatre Upstairs.

In 2005, he played Paul Danzinger in On the Shore of the Wide World, which premiered at the Royal Exchange before transferring to the Royal National Theatre in London. From 2005 to 2006, he appeared as Lockwood in Alan Bennett's acclaimed play The History Boys, also at the Royal National Theatre. In 2006, he performed in Burn/Chatroom/Citizenship as Tom/William/Gary.

His West End debut came with Swimming with Sharks (2007-2008) at the Vaudeville Theatre, where he co-starred with Christian Slater. This was followed by a critically acclaimed performance as Henry in Polly Stenham's That Face (2007) at the Royal Court Theatre Upstairs, which then transferred to the Duke of York's Theatre in the West End in 2008. The entire cast of That Face was nominated for the 2008 Laurence Olivier Award for Outstanding Achievement in an Affiliate Theatre, and Smith received an Evening Standard Theatre Award nomination for Best Newcomer.

From 2013 to 2014, Smith starred as Patrick Bateman in the musical adaptation of American Psycho at London's Almeida Theatre. He returned to the stage in 2016 for Unreachable at the Royal Court Theatre, playing Maxim. In 2019, he reunited with his The Crown co-star Claire Foy in a production of Duncan Macmillan's play Lungs at The Old Vic. In 2024, Smith starred in a modern retelling of the Henrik Ibsen play An Enemy of the People at the Duke of York's Theatre, portraying Dr. Thomas Stockmann opposite Jessica Brown Findlay as Petra Stockmann. While Time Out noted his "largely charming stage presence" in the production, The Evening Standard gave a mixed review, stating that Smith's "casually charismatic" performance and the strong supporting cast could not prevent the second half from falling apart.

2.2. Television Roles

Matthew Smith has built a significant career in television, with several roles that have garnered widespread critical acclaim and public recognition.

2.2.1. Doctor Who

Smith was revealed as the Eleventh Doctor in the iconic British science-fiction television series Doctor Who in January 2009, following David Tennant's announcement of his departure in October 2008. At 26 years old, Smith became the youngest actor to ever be cast as the Doctor, three years younger than Peter Davison when he took on the role in 1981. This casting was initially met with surprise, as Smith was relatively unknown compared to other actors speculated for the role, leading to headlines like "Doctor Who?".

Smith was one of the first actors to audition for the role, performing on the very first day of auditions. Incoming executive producer Steven Moffat and BBC Wales Head of Drama, Piers Wenger, were immediately impressed by his performance. Interestingly, Smith also auditioned for the role of John Watson in Moffat's series Sherlock around the same time. However, Moffat believed Smith's eccentric acting style was more suited to Holmes, a role already cast with Benedict Cumberbatch. After three weeks of auditions, Moffat and Wenger concluded that Smith was unequivocally "their man."

Smith made his debut as the Doctor in the episode "The Eleventh Hour" in April 2010. The BBC had initially been cautious about casting a 26-year-old in such a pivotal role, but Wenger noted that Smith's performance in Party Animals had showcased his "mercurial qualities," convincing them of his suitability. While some fans initially expressed concern about his youth and inexperience, many others supported him, recognizing his demonstrable acting ability. For his performance in his first series, Smith was nominated in the Outstanding Drama Performance Category at the National Television Awards. He also holds the distinction of being the first actor in the role to receive a nomination for a British Academy Television Award for Best Actor.

Smith described his character, the Doctor, as being "excited and fascinated by the tiniest of things. By everything. By every single thing. That's what's wonderful about him as a character. It's why children like him, I think. Because he doesn't dismiss anything. He's not cynical. He's open to every single facet of the universe." His tenure as the Doctor extended until the end of the 2013 Christmas special, "The Time of the Doctor", after which he was succeeded by Peter Capaldi. In June 2010, Smith performed a version of the Doctor Who theme with the band Orbital at the Glastonbury Festival. He also hosted the Doctor Who Prom at the Royal Albert Hall on July 24-25, 2010. On May 26, 2012, Smith carried the Olympic torch in Cardiff, an act noted by fans for its resemblance to a 2006 episode of the show where the Doctor performed a similar action. Reflecting on his departure in a 2016 interview, Smith expressed regret for not staying longer, stating he wished to continue working with his co-star Jenna Coleman. In 2018, he revealed on Desert Island Discs that he nearly turned down the role of the Doctor. He made a guest appearance as the Eleventh Doctor in the Series 8 episode "Deep Breath" in 2014. After filming "The Time of the Doctor", Smith took home a sonic screwdriver as a keepsake from his four-season run.

2.2.2. The Crown and House of the Dragon

In June 2015, Smith was cast as Prince Philip in the Netflix royal drama The Crown. He portrayed the role for the series' first two seasons, earning a nomination for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series in 2018.

In 2020, Smith was cast as Daemon Targaryen in the HBO fantasy series House of the Dragon, a prequel to Game of Thrones. The series premiered on August 21, 2022. For his performance in House of the Dragon, he received a nomination for the Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series in 2023.

2.3. Film Roles

Smith has appeared in a variety of films, showcasing his range in different genres:

2.4. Other Media (Video Games, Audio, Music Videos)

Smith has also lent his talents to various other media formats:

• Video Games**: He provided voice acting and character appearance for the Eleventh Doctor in several Doctor Who video games:
  • Doctor Who: The Adventure Games (2010)
  • Doctor Who: Return to Earth (2010)
  • Doctor Who: Evacuation Earth (2010)
  • Doctor Who: The Eternity Clock (2012)
  • Lego Dimensions (2015), where archive audio of his Doctor was used.
  • Audio**: Smith has worked on audio dramas, primarily as a narrator for Doctor Who audiobooks:
    • Doctor Who: The Runaway Train (2010)
    • Doctor Who: The Jade Pyramid (2011)
    • Doctor Who: The Hounds of Artemis (2011)
    • Music Videos**: He has appeared in music videos:
      • "We're On Our Way Now" by Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds (2021)
      • "Flying on the Ground" by Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds (2021)
      • Web**:
        • The Doctors Say Thank You (2020): Appeared as himself.

2.5. Directorial Work

Smith made his directorial debut with the short film Cargese. This film was aired on Sky Arts in May 2013, showcasing his capabilities behind the camera.