Daniel Craig
Daniel Wroughton Craig (born 2 March 1968) is an English actor. Cast as the fictional British secret agent James Bond 007 in October 2005, his first film in the role, Casino Royale, was released in theatres worldwide in November 2006. Craig is an alumnus of the National Youth Theatre and graduated from London's Guildhall School of Music and Drama in 1991 beginning his career on stage. His film debut was in the drama The Power of One (1992). Other early appearances were in the biographical film Elizabeth (1998), opposite Cate Blanchett; and the Disney family film A Kid in King Arthur's Court (1995) as well as in the historical war drama television series Sharpe's Eagle (1993), alongside Sean Bean and the action-adventure drama series Zorro. Craig's appearances in the British made-for-TV film Love Is the Devil (1998), the indie war film The Trench (1999) and the drama Some Voices (2000), in which he played a man with schizophrenia, attracted the film industry's attention. This led to roles in bigger productions such as the action film Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (2001), opposite Angelina Jolie; the crime thriller Road to Perdition (2002), alongside stars Tom Hanks and Paul Newman; the crime thriller Layer Cake (2002) and the Steven Spielberg-directed historical drama and political thriller Munich (2005). Craig achieved international fame when chosen as the sixth actor to play the role of James Bond 007 in the official series, taking over from Pierce Brosnan. Though he was initially greeted with scepticism, his debut in Casino Royale (2006) was highly acclaimed and earned him a BAFTA award nomination, with the film becoming the highest-grossing in the series at the time. Quantum of Solace followed two years later. Craig's third Bond film, Skyfall, premiered in 2012 and is now the highest-grossing film in the series, as well as the ninth highest-grossing film of all time. Craig's fourth Bond film, Spectre, will premiere in 2015. In 2006, Craig joined the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Since taking the role of Bond, he has continued to appear in other films, most recently starring in the English language adaptation of the mystery thriller The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011). Craig made a guest appearance as Bond in the opening ceremony of the London 2012 Olympic Games, alongside Queen Elizabeth II.