Peter Capaldi


1958 -

Film and television actor and director. Born in Glasgow, Capaldi was educated at St. Theresa's Primary in Possilpark, St. Matthew's Primary in Bishopbriggs and St. Ninian's High School in Kirkintilloch, before being accepted into Glasgow School of Art.

He first showed his aptitude for drama while at school, but Capaldi first came to prominence in Bill Forsyth's Local Hero (1983). His subsequent work includes the film Dangerous Liaisons (1988), December Bride (1991), Mrs Caldicot's Cabbage War (2000), Modigliani (2004) and In the Loop (2009). His television work has included The Thick of It (2007), Skins (2007-08) and Torchwood (2009), together with a mini-series based on Ian Bank's novel The Crow Road (1996). He has also narrated several of Banks' works as audio books. Capaldi wrote and directed Franz Kafka's It's a Wonderful Life (1993), which brought him an Oscar and a BAFTA award and Cocozza's Way (2001). He nominated for a BAFTA for best comedy performance in 2005 and 2007. In 2009, he wrote and presented the well-received A Portrait of Scotland - a 90 minute documentary on the portraiture of Scotland and the artists who painted them. Between 2013 and 2017 he played Dr Who in the long-running cult BBC television science fiction series.

Capaldi now lives in London.


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