David Harewood
Encyclopedia
David Harewood is a British actor.
area of Birmingham
, England
, where he attended St. Benedict's Junior School and Washwood Heath Comprehensive School
. As a schoolboy, he excelled at all sports—from sprinting to basketball to rugby and especially football (Soccer in the U.S.). He was the goal-keeper for the Washwood Heath side that won the Under-16 All-England Championship. If it were not for acting, it is likely he would have followed a career as a professional goal-keeper. In his youth, he worked in a wine bar, Alberts in Dale End, in Birmingham City Centre
.
In 2007, David visited Harewood House
and spoke with Viscount Lascelles
(cousin of The Queen). David's surname "Harewood" comes from the time his anscestors were captured in Africa, transported to the Caribbean, and "owned" by the Lascelles family (the Earls of Harewood
). Lord Lascelles explained that his wish was for the Harewood name to stand for positive things in the future as nothing could be done about what happened 250 years ago.
. Harewood began a career in 1990 and appeared in The Hawk, Great Moments in Aviation
, Harnessing Peacocks, Mad Dogs and Englishmen
, Macbeth on the Estate, Strings and Ballykissangel
. He is very well known for his television appearances on The Vice
and Fat Friends
and his movie roles in Blood Diamond
and The Merchant of Venice
. He played Major Simon Brooks in The Palace
(2008).
He appeared on Celebrity Mastermind
in December 2008 specialising in Philip Pullman
's His Dark Materials
.
He appeared in the BBC film adaptation of the Philip Pullman novels, The Ruby in the Smoke
, and The Shadow in the North
, both of which are part of the Sally Lockhart Mysteries.
In 2009, he appeared in the BBC single drama Mrs Mandela, playing Nelson Mandela
. He also portrayed Brother Tuck in the third series of Robin Hood.
Harewood appeared in the Doctor Who
story The End of Time
.
He played Martin Luther King in the premiere of the play The Mountaintop
, by the American playwright Katori Hall
, directed by James Dacre
, which opened at Theatre503
in London on 9 June 2009.
He appeared in two episodes of Chris Ryan
's Strike Back
as Colonel Tshuma.
He played Theseus
in the premiere of Moira Buffini
's play Welcome to Thebes
at the National Theatre
in London, from June 15 to September 2010.
He played the character Martin Viner in one episode of "New Tricks".
He narrates Welcome to Lagos, a BBC documentary about Lagos.
In October 2010, Harewood commenced filming for a new British independent film, The Hot Potato. The film will also star Ray Winstone
, Colm Meaney
and Jack Huston
.
He played Frankenstein's monster in the TV live event Frankenstein's Wedding
.
In 2011 he became a cast member of the Showtime show Homeland
. He played David Estes, the Director of the CIA's Counterterrorism Center.
Biography
David Harewood was born and grew up in the Small HeathSmall Heath, Birmingham
Small Heath is an inner-city area within the city of Birmingham, West Midlands, England. It is situated on and around the A45 ....
area of Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, where he attended St. Benedict's Junior School and Washwood Heath Comprehensive School
Washwood Heath Technology College
Washwood Heath Technology College is a secondary school located in the Washwood Heath ward of Birmingham, England. Originally known as Washwood Heath Comprehensive School, it opened in September 1967. It was extended in 1996 to make way for the Post-16 centre. It has the first year group in the...
. As a schoolboy, he excelled at all sports—from sprinting to basketball to rugby and especially football (Soccer in the U.S.). He was the goal-keeper for the Washwood Heath side that won the Under-16 All-England Championship. If it were not for acting, it is likely he would have followed a career as a professional goal-keeper. In his youth, he worked in a wine bar, Alberts in Dale End, in Birmingham City Centre
Birmingham City Centre
Birmingham city centre is the business, retail and leisure hub of Birmingham, England. Following the removal of the Inner Ring Road, the city centre is newly defined as being the area within the Middle Ring Road. Birmingham city centre is undergoing massive redevelopment with the Big City Plan...
.
In 2007, David visited Harewood House
Harewood House
Harewood House is a country house located in Harewood , near Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It is a member of Treasure Houses of England, a marketing consortium for nine of the foremost stately homes in England...
and spoke with Viscount Lascelles
David Lascelles, Viscount Lascelles
David Henry George Lascelles, 8th Earl of Harewood is a British hereditary peer and film and television producer. He is in line to the British throne....
(cousin of The Queen). David's surname "Harewood" comes from the time his anscestors were captured in Africa, transported to the Caribbean, and "owned" by the Lascelles family (the Earls of Harewood
Earl of Harewood
Earl of Harewood, in the County of York, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1812 for Edward Lascelles, 1st Baron Harewood, a wealthy sugar plantation owner and former Member of Parliament for Northallerton...
). Lord Lascelles explained that his wish was for the Harewood name to stand for positive things in the future as nothing could be done about what happened 250 years ago.
Career
At 18, Harewood gained a place at the Royal Academy of Dramatic ArtRoyal Academy of Dramatic Art
The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art is a drama school located in London, United Kingdom. It is generally regarded as one of the most renowned drama schools in the world, and is one of the oldest drama schools in the United Kingdom, having been founded in 1904.RADA is an affiliate school of the...
. Harewood began a career in 1990 and appeared in The Hawk, Great Moments in Aviation
Great Moments in Aviation
Great Moments in Aviation is a 1994 romantic drama film, set on a 1950s passenger liner. The film follows Gabriel Angel , a young Caribbean aviator who falls in love with the forger Duncan Stewart on her journey to England...
, Harnessing Peacocks, Mad Dogs and Englishmen
Mad Dogs and Englishmen (1995 film)
Mad Dogs and Englishmen is a 1995 British thriller film directed by Henry Cole and starring Elizabeth Hurley, C. Thomas Howell and Joss Ackland. An upper-class drug addict is pursued by the criminal underworld.-Cast:* Elizabeth Hurley ... Antonia Dyer...
, Macbeth on the Estate, Strings and Ballykissangel
Ballykissangel
Ballykissangel is a BBC television drama set in Ireland, produced in-house by BBC Northern Ireland. The original story revolved around a young English Roman Catholic priest as he became part of a rural community. It ran for six series, which were first broadcast on BBC One in the UK from 1996 to 2001...
. He is very well known for his television appearances on The Vice
The Vice (TV series)
The Vice is an ITV police drama about the Metropolitan Police Vice Squad. It ran for five short series between 1999 and 2003. It tells the story of the London Metropolitan police forces vice squad, where prostitution, underage sex, and other such organized crime are regular occurrences...
and Fat Friends
Fat Friends
Fat Friends is an ITV drama , following a group of overweight people, their laughter and pain and addresses the absurdities of dieting in our modern age. The drama looks at people and how they relate to one another and use body weight as an excuse for all sorts of failings in their relationships,...
and his movie roles in Blood Diamond
Blood Diamond (film)
Blood Diamond is a 2006 political thriller film co-produced and directed by Edward Zwick and starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Connelly and Djimon Hounsou...
and The Merchant of Venice
The Merchant of Venice (2004 film)
The Merchant of Venice is a 2004 romantic drama film based on Shakespeare's play of the same name. It is the first full-length sound film version in English of Shakespeare's play; most other versions are videotaped productions made for television...
. He played Major Simon Brooks in The Palace
The Palace
The Palace is a British drama television series that aired on ITV in 2008. Produced by Company Pictures for the ITV network, it was created by Tom Grieves and follows a fictional British Royal Family in the aftermath of the death of King James III and the succession of his 24-year-old son, Richard...
(2008).
He appeared on Celebrity Mastermind
Celebrity Mastermind
Celebrity Mastermind is a British television quiz show broadcast by BBC television. The show is a spin-off of the long running quiz show Mastermind, with the exception that all the contestants are celebrities. As with the main show, John Humphrys is the host and question-master...
in December 2008 specialising in Philip Pullman
Philip Pullman
Philip Pullman CBE, FRSL is an English writer from Norwich. He is the best-selling author of several books, most notably his trilogy of fantasy novels, His Dark Materials, and his fictionalised biography of Jesus, The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ...
's His Dark Materials
His Dark Materials
His Dark Materials is a trilogy of fantasy novels by Philip Pullman comprising Northern Lights , The Subtle Knife , and The Amber Spyglass...
.
He appeared in the BBC film adaptation of the Philip Pullman novels, The Ruby in the Smoke
The Ruby in the Smoke
The Ruby in the Smoke is a novel by the English author Philip Pullman. It was also adapted for television in 2006.-Plot summary:This book takes place in 1872. A sixteen year old girl named Veronica Beatrice “Sally” Lockhart goes to visit where her father used to work, a shipping company named...
, and The Shadow in the North
The Shadow in the North
The Shadow in the North is a book by the English author Philip Pullman. It was originally published as The Shadow in the Plate.-Plot:...
, both of which are part of the Sally Lockhart Mysteries.
In 2009, he appeared in the BBC single drama Mrs Mandela, playing Nelson Mandela
Nelson Mandela
Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela served as President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999, and was the first South African president to be elected in a fully representative democratic election. Before his presidency, Mandela was an anti-apartheid activist, and the leader of Umkhonto we Sizwe, the armed wing...
. He also portrayed Brother Tuck in the third series of Robin Hood.
Harewood appeared in the Doctor Who
Doctor Who
Doctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior...
story The End of Time
The End of Time
The End of Time: The Next Revolution in Our Understanding of the Universe, also sold with the alternate subtitle The Next Revolution in Physics, is a 1999 science book in which the author Julian Barbour argues that time exists merely as an illusion.-Auto-biography:The book begins by describing how...
.
He played Martin Luther King in the premiere of the play The Mountaintop
The Mountaintop
The Mountaintop is a play by American playwright Katori Hall. It is a fictional depiction of the Reverend Martin Luther King's last night on earth set entirely in Room 306 of the Lorraine Motel on the eve of his assassination on April 4, 1968.-Productions:...
, by the American playwright Katori Hall
Katori Hall
Katori Hall is an American playwright, journalist and actress from Memphis, Tennessee.Her play The Mountaintop, about Martin Luther King's last night before his assassination, premiered in London in 2009 to great critical acclaim. After a sell-out run at Theatre 503, the play transferred to the...
, directed by James Dacre
James Dacre
-Selected work:*As You Like It by William Shakespeare * World Premiere of The Mountaintop by Katori Hall , 2010 Olivier Award for Best New Play, nominated for a further five Olivier, Whatsonstage and Evening Standard Awards*King James Bible *Judgement Day by Mike Poulton, after When We...
, which opened at Theatre503
Theatre 503
Theatre503 is located at 503 Battersea Park Road in Battersea in the London Borough of Wandsworth, above the Latchmere pub. It is a performing arts venue which specialises in new work.-History:...
in London on 9 June 2009.
He appeared in two episodes of Chris Ryan
Chris Ryan
Sergeant ‘Chris Ryan’ MM is the pseudonym of a former British Special Forces operative and soldier turned novelist...
's Strike Back
Strike Back (TV series)
Chris Ryan's Strike Back is a six-part British television series based on the novel of the same name written by best-selling author and former soldier of the Special Air Service, Chris Ryan. It was produced by Left Bank Pictures for Sky1...
as Colonel Tshuma.
He played Theseus
Theseus
For other uses, see Theseus Theseus was the mythical founder-king of Athens, son of Aethra, and fathered by Aegeus and Poseidon, both of whom Aethra had slept with in one night. Theseus was a founder-hero, like Perseus, Cadmus, or Heracles, all of whom battled and overcame foes that were...
in the premiere of Moira Buffini
Moira Buffini
Moira Buffini is an English dramatist, director and actor.-Career:Buffini was born in Cheshire to Irish parents, and trained as an actor at the Welsh College of Music and Drama. For Jordan, co-written with Anna Reynolds in 1992, she won a Time Out Award for her performance and Writers' Guild Award...
's play Welcome to Thebes
Welcome to Thebes
Welcome to Thebes is a 2010 play by Moira Buffini. It premiered on 15 June 2010 in a production at the Olivier auditorium of the Royal National Theatre in London directed by Richard Eyre.-Plot:...
at the National Theatre
Royal National Theatre
The Royal National Theatre in London is one of the United Kingdom's two most prominent publicly funded theatre companies, alongside the Royal Shakespeare Company...
in London, from June 15 to September 2010.
He played the character Martin Viner in one episode of "New Tricks".
He narrates Welcome to Lagos, a BBC documentary about Lagos.
In October 2010, Harewood commenced filming for a new British independent film, The Hot Potato. The film will also star Ray Winstone
Ray Winstone
Raymond Andrew "Ray" Winstone is an English film and television actor. He is mostly known for his "tough guy" roles, beginning with that of Carlin in the 1979 film Scum and as Will Scarlet in the cult television adventure series Robin of Sherwood. He has also become well known as a voice over...
, Colm Meaney
Colm Meaney
Colm J. Meaney is an Irish actor widely known for playing Miles O'Brien in Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. He is second only to Michael Dorn in most appearances in Star Trek episodes. He has guest-starred on many TV shows from Law & Order to The Simpsons...
and Jack Huston
Jack Huston
Jack Alexander Huston is an English actor. Huston had a starring role in Neighborhood Watch and filmed Outlander with James Caviezel and Sophia Myles...
.
He played Frankenstein's monster in the TV live event Frankenstein's Wedding
Frankenstein's Wedding
Frankenstein's Wedding is a live musical drama based on Mary Shelley's novel Frankenstein. The show was broadcast live on BBC Three on the 19 March 2011 from Kirkstall Abbey. -Summary:...
.
In 2011 he became a cast member of the Showtime show Homeland
Homeland (TV series)
Homeland is an American psychological thriller television series developed by Howard Gordon and Alex Gansa, based on the Israeli series Hatufim, also known as Prisoners of War, which was created by Gideon Raff...
. He played David Estes, the Director of the CIA's Counterterrorism Center.
Philanthropy
In 2007, Harewood donated his bonemarrow and as a result saved the life of a very sick patient.Selected filmography
- Harnessing PeacocksHarnessing Peacocks (film)Harnessing Peacocks is a 1992 British television film directed by James Cellan Jones and starring Serena Scott Thomas, Peter Davison and John Mills...
(1992, TV film) - Blood DiamondBlood Diamond (film)Blood Diamond is a 2006 political thriller film co-produced and directed by Edward Zwick and starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Connelly and Djimon Hounsou...
(2006 film)