David Harewood is a talented and versatile actor who has received huge critical acclaim across theatre, television and cinema.
A RADA graduate, David trained as a Shakespearean actor and has played many of the great Shakespearean protagonists on stage including Romeo, the charismatic rebel Hotspur in Henry IV Parts 1 & 2, and a strong yet conflicted Anthony to Vanessa Redgrave's Cleopatra, amongst others.
Already a respected actor, he exploded onto the headlines when he was cast by Sam Mendes as the first black actor to play Othello in the Royal National Theatre's 1997 production, hailed by critics as "gripping, intelligent and emotionally overwhelming". He also appeared as Lord Asriel in the epic and innovative production of Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials in 2004-2005.
In addition to his theatrical performances, David also boasts an extensive and impressive film and television career. On the small screen he again challenged racial stereotypes in the BBC's Babyfather, hailed as a black, male, British version of Sex and The City. He also played Freddie Graham in the BBC's compelling five-part thriller Criminal Justice alongside British institution Pete Postlethwaite and Ben Whishaw.
David compounds this impressive range of roles with his stunningly chilling performance as Captain Poison in Ed Zwick's Oscar-nominated and raptorously received film Blood Diamond. Both dramatically powerful and politically significant, David starred alongside Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Connelly and Djimon Hounsou to create one of the most terrifying and truly monstrous villains in modern cinema.
David has two exciting projects currently in production. From April 2009 he joins Dominic Minghella's brilliantly revamped Robin Hood as Friar Tuck. He is also set to fire up the screen alongside Timothy Spall in the hotly anticipated Gunrush, a one-off thriller for ITV which takes us to the heart of Britain's gun crime crisis.
