CHRISTOPHER ECCLESTON
Date of Birth: February 16, 1964
Born and raised in Salford, Manchester, England, Eccleston was trained in the classics at
London's Central School of Speech and Drama. His theater work includes A Streetcar Named
Desire, at the Bristol Old Vic, Abingdon, Square and Bent at the National Theatre,
and Miss Julie in the West End.
A late bloomer in acting, Eccleston decided at 19 to pursue a career in the art, and only made
his professional debut at 25 after several years of formal training.
"What I wanted to do was become a footballer," says the long, lanky Eccleston, "or a
soccer player, as you call it. I wasn't good enough." He played for a Salford County team.
"I wasn't that close. We were watched by scouts but nobody picked me out."
Most widely recognized for his role as the Duke of Norfolk in the Academy Award-winning
Elizabeth (1998) opposite Cate Blanchett, Eccleston made his feature film debut in Peter
Medack's Let Him Have It. Among his other credits are eXistenz, A Price Above Rubies, Jude,
Shallow Grave, and Heart.
Eccleston has also appeared on several British television series and movies. He was honored
with two Press Guild Awards for best actor for his performance on Hillsborough, and Our
Friends in the North. The Latter also garnered him a BAFTA Best Actor nomination. Other
British television work includes Cracker, Friday on My Mind, Death and the Compass, Clocking
Off, Poirot, and Inspector Morse.
After all his experience, one thing still bugs him about the acting industry. "I've been
stuck firmly in my class—which is working class," the actor says, "I find that
infuriating and patronizing and humiliating. I want out of that!"
He plays the recurring role of Claude on the hit TV series Heroes, but continues to make films such as The Seeker: The Dark is Rising (2007) and G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra (2009).
Filmography:
Amelia(2009)
G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra(2009)
New Orleans, Mon Amour (2008)
The Seeker: The Dark Is Rising (2007)
28 Days Later(2002)
A Revenger's Tragedy (2002)
I Am Dina(2002)
24 Hour Party People(2002)
This Little Piggy (2001)
Strumpet (2001)
The Others(2001)
The Man Who Killed Don Quixote (2001)
Invisible Circus (2000)
Gone in Sixty Seconds (2000)
Killing Time: The Millennium Poem (1999)
With or Without
You (1999)
Heart (1999)
eXistenZ (1999)
Elizabeth (1998)
A Price Above Rubies (1998)
Death and the Compass (1996)
Jude (1996)
Shallow Grave (1994)
Anchoress (1993)
Friday on My Mind (1992)
Let Him Have It (1991)