Sixth Bond, Daniel Craig - more than a double Ohhhhhh...

June 19, 5:34 PMActing ExaminerDeborah Smith Ford

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Daniel Craig                                                                                         (Photo/Wikia)

Daniel Wroughton Craig is an English actor and film producer. His early film roles included The Power of One, A Kid in King Arthur's Court and the television episodes Sharpe's Eagle, Zorro and The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles: Daredevils of the Desert.

Craig went on to star in his breakthrough performances The Trench, Layer Cake, The Golden Compass and Lara Croft: Tomb Raider.

As a youngster Craig's interest in acting was encouraged by visits to the Liverpool Everyman Theatre arranged by his mother.

From the age of 6, Craig started acting in school plays, making his debut in the Frodsham Primary School production of Oliver! His mother was the driving force behind his artistic aspirations.

The first Bond movie he ever saw at the cinema was Roger Moore's Live and Let Die (1973); young Daniel Craig saw it with his father, so it took a special place in his heart. He was also a good athlete and was a rugby player at Hoylake Rugby Club.

At the age of 14 Craig particiapted in many school plays. He left Hilbre High at 16 to audition at the National Youth Theatre's troupe on their tour in Manchester in 1984.

He was accepted and moved down to London. There his mother and father watched his stage debut as Agamemnon in Shakespeare's 'Troilus And Cressida'. As a struggling actor with the NYT, he was toiling in restaurant kitchens and as a waiter.

Craig performed with NYT on tours to Valencia, Spain, and to Moscow, Russia, under the leadership of director 'Edward Wilson' . He failed at repeated auditions at the Guildhall, but eventually his persistence paid off, and in 1988, he entered the Guildhall School of Music and Drama at the Barbican.

There he studied alongside Ewan McGregor and Alistair McGowan , then later Damian Lewis and Joseph Fiennes , among others. He graduated in 1991, after a three-year course under the tutelage of Colin McCormack , the actor from the Royal Shakespeare Company.

Daniel Craig made his film debut in The Power of One (1992). His film career continued on television. He shot to international fame after playing supporting roles in Lara Croft: Tomb Raider' (2001) and Road to Perdition (2002).  He even has his own ice pop image and uses an intense training regime.

Craig became the sixth actor to portray the fictional secret agent James Bond in the long-running Eon Productions film series. He made his début as the character in the 2006 film, Casino Royale.  His most recent Bond film, the 22nd James Bond movie, Quantum of Solace.  Sean Connery, and other Bonds, gave their support, and that meant a lot to Craig.

I always wanted to be an actor. I had the arrogance to believe I couldn't be anything else.

[on first hearing he had the role of James Bond) When [Bond producer Barbara Broccoli] rang me to tell me I'd got the part, I was buying dishwashing tablets in Whole Foods. I promptly dropped them and went and bought a bottle of vodka!

I wanted to do as much of the action work as I could, so that the audience can see it's me and it's real. I feel like I became a sportsman of sorts, and that meant acquiring injuries and carrying on and bashing through to the next level of pain. Although the stunt team did fantastic work to make sure that everything was as safe as possible, if you don't get bruised playing Bond, you're not doing it properly. I had black eyes, I had cuts, I was bruised, I had muscle strains, and I took a lot of painkillers. But it was part of the job. As much as I was hurt, the stuntmen were in much more pain.

Sean Connery set and defined the character. He did something extraordinary with that role. He was bad, sexy, animalistic and stylish, and it is because of him I am here today. I wanted Sean Connery's approval and he sent me messages of support, which meant a lot to me."

There have been conflicting reports relating to whether the next Bond movie will be released in 2010 or 2011, the studio favoring the former with producer Michael G. Wilson mentioning the latter.

In the meantime, if one is requiring the services of a Bond, James Bond, and can't wait for the new film to be released, tired of the DVD version, and is not able to hire the real thing - Daniel Craig - here is an idea...Max Ryder is one of a few Daniel Craig tribute artists or lookalikes out there that might fit the bill - apparently many agree!