Peter Capaldi

Infobox actor

---

name = Peter Capaldi
caption = Peter Capaldi in conversation with the Cheeky Girls.
birthdate = 1958
location = Glasgow
occupation = Actor, film director

Peter Capaldi (born 1958, Glasgow) is a Scottish BAFTA-nominated actor and Academy Award-winning director.

Career

Capaldi is currently best known for his performance playing the political spin doctor, Malcolm Tucker, in the BBC sitcom "The Thick of It", written by fellow Scottish-Italian, Armando Iannucci. This character is reportedly based on the New Labour spin doctor Alastair Campbell. Capaldi was nominated for the BAFTA and RTS best comedy actor award in 2006.

As an actor he has appeared in over forty films and television programmes since his breakthrough role as Danny Oldsen in "Local Hero" (1983), including the lead role in Ken Russell's "The Lair of the White Worm" (1988) and Stephen Frears' "Dangerous Liaisons" (also 1988). He is also known as an audio book narrator having read many books including several of the works of Iain Banks. He also starred as Rory in the TV version of Banks' "The Crow Road".

In 1995 he won an Oscar Best Live Action Short Film and a BAFTA for "Franz Kafka's It's a Wonderful Life". He also wrote "Soft Top, Hard Shoulder" (winner of the audience award at the London Film Festival) and wrote and directed "Strictly Sinatra".

He also played Chief Petty Officer Grieves in the BBC Radio Ministry of Defence Comedy "Our Brave Boys".

He has appeared as fictional "Songs of Praise" producer Tristan Campbell in two episodes of the sitcom "Vicar of Dibley" and as a transvestite in ITV's "Prime Suspect 3". He has also made an appearance in the hit sitcom "Peep Show" as a university professor, starred in "Aftersun" with Sarah Parish, and as a primary character suspect in the 2007 series of "Waking the Dead". In the Neil Gaiman gothic fantasy "Neverwhere" he portrayed the Angel Islington.

In 2007 Capaldi appeared as Mark Jenkins (Sid Jenkins' dad) in the E4 teen comedy/drama "Skins" where he returned for a second series in 2008 only to be killed off in the 3rd episode, and as characters in the "Midsomer Murders" episode "Death in Chorus" and ITV1's "Fallen Angel". He played a fictional version of Caecilius in "The Fires of Pompeii", a 2008 episode of the science-fiction series "Doctor Who". [cite news|title=Doctor Who sets the controls for Rome, AD 79|url=http://www.whatsontv.co.uk/primetime/doctor_who/news/1994|work=What's on TV|date=2007-09-25|accessdate=2008-04-09] He will return to the "Doctor Who" franchise in 2009 when he plays civil servant Mr Frobisher in the third series of "Torchwood". [cite press release|publisher= BBC Press Office|title= Filming under way for new series of Torchwood|url= http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2008/08_august/26/torchwood.shtml|date= 2008-08-26|accessdate= 2008-08-26]

He provided a voice for the animated feature for "Haunted Hogmanay" by Kolik Films in 2006.

Personal life

Educated at St Teresa's R C Primary School, Possilpark, Glasgow and the Glasgow School of Art; he is currently a celebrity patron of the Association for International Cancer Research. He currently lives in Crouch End with his wife, Elaine Collins, and their daughter.

References

External links

*imdb name|id=0134922
* [http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/peter-capaldi-from-oscar-winner-to-hollywood-reject-509795.html Independent article, dated 6 October 2005]
* [http://film.guardian.co.uk/Player/Player_Page/0,,45444,00.html Guardian Film Profile]
* [http://www.aicr.org.uk/PeterCapaldi.stm Article on Capaldi's support of Cancer Charities]

Persondata
NAME= Capaldi, Peter
ALTERNATIVE NAMES=
SHORT DESCRIPTION= Actor, film director
DATE OF BIRTH= 1958
PLACE OF BIRTH= Glasgow
DATE OF DEATH=
PLACE OF DEATH=