Jack Davenport Biography

Fast Facts

• Nominated for a Laurence Olivier Theatre Award in 2002 for his work in the production of "The Servant․"
• Studied literature and film at the University of East Anglia
• Born into the acting world, his parents are former actors Maria Aitken and Nigel Davenport
• Related to politician William Aitken and Baron Rugby John Maffey
• Quote: "Actors are brilliant to hang out with because their job is to play․ I wanted to be in their group - that's why I decided to become an actor․"
• Quote: "I was a confident, outgoing little boy․ If you're an only child, you're living in a very linguistically adult world and you've got to keep up․ So I did․ Maybe I was slightly annoying․"
• Got his big break after writing personal letters to John Cleese asking the actor to place him as an extra in 1997's "Fierce Creatures" where he would eventually make his on-screen debut as a zoo keeper
• Met actor Rhys Ifans while performing at the Clwyd Theatr Cymru as a teenager
• Voices the British version of the Mastercard commercials
• Initially landed the role of Arthur Dent in 2005's "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy," but executives eventually deemed him too good looking for the part
• Appeared in the music video "Called Out in the Dark" by Snow Patrol in 2011
• Lived in Ibiza off the coast of Spain for seven years as a child