For other people named David Tennant, see David Tennant (disambiguation).

David Tennant

Tennant in 2023

Born David John McDonald

18 April 1971 (age 52)

Bathgate, West Lothian, Scotland

Alma mater Royal Conservatoire of Scotland

Occupation Actor

Years active 1987–present

Known for Tenth incarnation of the Doctor in Doctor Who

Spouse Georgia Moffett (m. 2011)

Children 5, including Ty

Relatives

Sandy McDonald (father)

Archie McLeod (grandfather)

Peter Davison (father-in-law)

Sandra Dickinson (mother-in-law)

David Tennant's voice

Duration: 1 minute and 4 seconds.1:04

Tennant pledges his support for DiEM25's Your NHS Needs You campaign

Recorded 8 November 2021

Signature

David John Tennant (né McDonald; born 18 April 1971) is a Scottish actor. He is best known for
portraying the tenth incarnation of the Doctor in the sci-fi series Doctor Who (2005–2010; 2013). He
returned to the show as the fourteenth incarnation of the character from 2022 to 2023.[1] His other
notable screen roles include DI Alec Hardy in the crime drama series Broadchurch (2013–2017) and its
2014 remake, Kilgrave in the superhero series Jessica Jones (2015–2019), Crowley in the fantasy series
Good Omens (2019–present) and various fictionalised versions of himself in the comedy series Staged
(2020–2022).
Tennant has worked extensively on stage, including a portrayal of the title character in a 2008 Royal
Shakespeare Company production of Hamlet that was later adapted for television. He is also a voice
actor, featuring in the animated series DuckTales (2017–2021). In 2015, he received the National
Television Award for Special Recognition.

Early life

Tennant was born David John McDonald in Bathgate on 18 April 1971, the son of Helen (née McLeod;
1940–2007) and Alexander "Sandy" McDonald (1937–2016).[2] His father was a minister who served as
the Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland.[3][4] He grew up with his brother
Blair and sister Karen in Ralston,[5] where his father was the local minister.[6][7] Two of his maternal
great-grandparents, William and Agnes Blair, were Northern Irish Protestants from County Londonderry
who were among the signatories of the Ulster Covenant in 1912; William was also a member of the
Orange Order. Tennant's maternal grandfather, footballer Archie McLeod, met William and Agnes'
daughter Nellie while playing for Derry City FC. McLeod was descended from tenant farmers from the
Isle of Mull.[8][9]

At the age of three, Tennant told his parents that he wanted to become an actor because he was a fan
of Doctor Who,[10] but they encouraged him to aim for more conventional work.[5] He later said that
he was "absurdly single-minded" in pursuing an acting career. He watched almost every Doctor Who
episode for years and once spoke to Fourth Doctor actor Tom Baker at a book-signing event in
Glasgow.[5] He was educated at Ralston Primary School and Paisley Grammar School; he acted in
various school productions.[11] His talent was noticed by actress Edith MacArthur, who told his parents
that she believed he would become a successful theatre actor after she saw him perform when he was
10 years old.[12]

Tennant attended Saturday classes at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland before passing an official
audition at the age of 16, becoming one of their youngest students and studying there between the ages
of 17 and 20.[11] After discovering that there was another David McDonald already represented by the
actor's union Equity, he created his stage name by adopting the surname of Pet Shop Boys frontman
Neil Tennant, whom he had seen in Smash Hits.[13][14] He later legally changed his surname to comply
with rules set by the American Screen Actors Guild (which was later merged into SAG-AFTRA).[15] The
topic of his name change subsequently became part of a running joke in the first season of Staged.[16]