Dan Stevens Biography

Born in Croydon, South London, Dan Stevens was adopted at birth by two teachers. He decided at a young age that he wanted to be an actor and convinced his parents he would make it work. During his undergrad at Emmanuel College in Cambridge, Dan was involved in several student-produced dramas. He was cast in the title role of Marlowe’s Dramatic Society production of William Shakespeare’s Macbeth in 2002 and was nominated in 2004 for an Ian Charleson award for his role as Orlando in As You Like It.

Dan went on to act in several plays produced by the Peter Hall Company, including Much Ado About Nothing and The Romans in Britain. Dan landed guest roles on a number of television shows from 2006 to 2009, which eventually led to his big break in 2010 when he was cast as Matthew Crawley in the critically acclaimed TV show Downton Abbey.

After three years on the series, Dan, whose character was a favorite among fans, decided to leave to try something different. When he told creator Julian Fellowes he didn’t want to renew his contract, Fellowes killed Matthew Crawley off in a car crash. Moving on to the big screen, Dan shed 30 pounds to play drug kingpin Kenny Kristo alongside veteran actor Liam Neeson in A Walk Among the Tombstones (2014).

After reading for The Guest (2014), Dan knew he wanted to challenge himself with a fun and twisted role. He played the devilishly handsome David, who integrates himself into a deceased soldier’s family by claiming to have been his comrade in arms. Everyone is very welcoming except for Anna, played by Maika Monroe, who’s skeptical about the newcomer.

Since then, Dan appeared in the comedy Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb (2014) with Ben Stiller and the late Robin Williams and the drama The Ticket (2016) with Malin Akerman.

He went on to play the lead role in the live-action adaptation Beauty and the Beast (2017) alongside Emma Watson, appeared in the sci-fi thriller Colossal (2017) with Anne Hathaway and Jason Sudeikis, the holiday film The Man Who Invented Christmas (2017) with Christopher Plummer and Permission (2018) with Rebecca Hall.

In 2019, he starred in Lucy in the Sky, playing husband to Natalie Portman's Lucy. In 2020, he was seen alongside Harrison Ford in the drama The Call of the Wild. He reteamed with former castmate Rebecca Hall when he joined the cast of the sequel, Godzilla vs. Kong: The New Empire (2024). Most recently, he played the role of Frank in the horror film Abigail (2024).

In 2009, Dan married South African Jazz singer and teacher Susie Harriet. Together, they have three children – Willow, Aubrey and Eden.

Filmography:

Abigail (2024)
Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire (2024)
Cuckoo (2024)
I'm Your Man (2021)
Blithe Spirit (2020)
Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga (2020)
The Rental (2020)
The Call of the Wild (2020)
Lucy in the Sky (2019)
Apostle (2018)
Her Smell (2018)
Permission (2018)
The Man Who Invented Christmas (2017)
Colossal (2017)
Beauty and the Beast (2017)
Norman (2016)
The Ticket (2016)
Criminal Activities (2015)
Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb (2014)
The Cobbler (2014)
The Guest (2014)
A Walk Among the Tombstones (2014)
Vamps (2012)