Hugh Dancy Biography
Born: June 19, 1975
Date of Birth: June 19, 1975
The eldest of three siblings, Hugh Dancy was born in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England. At Winchester College from 13 to 16, he acquired the acting bug after appearing in several school plays. Although he knew he wanted to be an actor, Hugh first studied English Literature and Language at Oxford University. Following graduation, he worked as a bartender while auditioning for roles.
His television debut came in 1998 with guest appearances on the British TV dramas Dangerfield and Kavanagh QC, as well as the role of Roberto Bellini in the mini-series Trial and Retribution. The following year he made three more guest appearances on TV shows as well as taking on a role in the play Billy and the Crab Lady at Soho Theatre.
By the end of 1999, his career had really begun to heat up with the title role in the Hallmark Hall of Fame mini-series David Copperfield; a part in the TV movie Madame Bovary; and a guest appearance on the TV series Relic Hunter. He also had the privilege of being directed by Sam Mendes (American Beauty, Road to Perdition) in the London stage production To the Green Fields and Beyond.
Hugh made his feature film debut in the musketeer movie Young Blades (2001), playing the role of D'Artagnan. The same year, he made his American motion picture debut in the blockbuster Black Hawk Down, which earned more than US$100 million at the domestic box office.
Quickly acquiring leading man status, he briefly returned to television to play the title role in the BBC mini-series Daniel Deronda (2002) before taking on work in two small budget American films: The Sleeping Dictionary and Tempo (both 2003). In the U.S. major motion picture Ella Enchanted (2004), Hugh co-starred opposite Anne Hathaway as Prince Charmont, then played Galahad to Keira Knightley's Guinevere in Touchstone's King Arthur (2004). His star continued to rise with lead roles in motion pictures such as The Jane Austen Book Club (2007), Confessions of a Shopaholic (2009), Martha Marcy May Marlene (2011) and Hysteria (2012).
He lent his voice to the animated film Legends of Oz: Dorothy's Return (2014) and the animated TV series Robot Chicken (2016-2018), while also playing a regular role on the Hulu series The Path from 2016 - 2018. In 2019 he returned to the big screen in the comedy Late Night (2019), playing a TV writer alongside Mindy Kaling, who wrote the screenplay.
Hugh is married to American actress Claire Danes, whom he met on the set of Evening (2007). They have two sons.
Filmography:
Legends of Oz: Dorothy's Return (2014)
Hysteria (2012)
Our Idiot Brother (2011)
Martha Marcy May Marlene (2011)
Coach (2009)
Adam (2009)
Confessions of a Shopaholic (2009)
The Jane Austen Book Club (2007)
Savage Grace (2007)
Evening (2007)
Blood and Chocolate (2007)
Basic Instinct 2 (2006)
Shooting Dogs (2005)
King Arthur (2004)
Ella Enchanted (2004)
Tempo (2003)
The Sleeping Dictionary (2003)
Black Hawk Down (2001)
Young Blades (2001)