David Walliams British Actor Born 1971 in Wimbledon

David Walliams is a British actor, comedian and writer. Born David Edward Williams on 20 August 1971 in Wimbledon, he became widely known through the sketch series Little Britain, made with Matt Lucas, and later through a long run as a talent-show judge and as a children's author.

Early life

Walliams was born in Wimbledon, in the London Borough of Merton, and grew up in Banstead, Surrey, with his parents and his sister. He attended Collingwood Boys' School in Wallington and Reigate Grammar School, then studied drama at the University of Bristol from 1989 to 1992, living at Manor Hall. During a university holiday in 1990 he performed with the National Youth Theatre, where he met Matt Lucas. He took the stage name Walliams on joining Equity because another member was already registered as David Williams.

Career

His first screen credit on record is the Paramount Comedy Channel show Mash and Peas (1996), made with Lucas. A small part in the film Plunkett & Macleane (1999) followed. Little Britain, which began in 2003, brought him to a broad audience. Among his characters were Emily Howard, Ray McCooney and Sebastian Love. The programme moved from BBC Three to BBC One, spawned a live tour in 2006 and an American spin-off, Little Britain USA (2008), and was followed by the airport comedy Come Fly with Me in 2010. He also appeared in Shaun of the Dead (2004), Marie Antoinette (2006), Stardust (2007), The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian (2008), Dinner for Schmucks (2010) and Great Expectations (2012). Missing Link (2019), Twist (2021) and My Happy Ending (2023) are among his later film credits.

Walliams wrote and starred in the BBC One sitcom Big School (2013–2014), played Tommy Beresford in the Agatha Christie adaptation Partners in Crime in 2015, and fronted the sketch show Walliams & Friend. From 2012 to 2022 he sat on the judging panel of Britain's Got Talent. In 2022 he was announced as a judge on Australia's Got Talent, but left that programme in November of the same year.

He signed his first book contract with HarperCollins in 2008 and published his debut children's novel, The Boy in the Dress, that November. Further titles include Mr Stink, Billionaire Boy, Gangsta Granny, Ratburger, Demon Dentist, Awful Auntie and Grandpa's Great Escape. Several have been adapted for television, and he is credited as writer on the screen versions of Mr Stink and Billionaire Boy. His theatre work includes his stage debut in Harold Pinter's No Man's Land at the Gate Theatre in Dublin in 2008 and the role of Bottom in A Midsummer Night's Dream in 2013. He also hosted a classical music podcast for children produced by Classic FM.

Recognition

Walliams was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in the 2017 Birthday Honours for services to charity and the arts. He won the National Television Awards' Best Judge prize in 2015, 2018 and 2019, and received the Landmark Achievement Award at the 2012 ceremony. His books won several readers' prizes, including the Specsavers National Book Awards' Children's Book of the Year for Ratburger, Demon Dentist and Awful Auntie. The People's Book Prize honoured Mr Stink in 2010, and Gangsta Granny and Demon Dentist both won Red House Children's Book Awards. In 2006 he received a Pride of Britain Award for his charity swim.

Public roles

Charity work for Sport Relief and Comic Relief has been a significant part of his public profile. In July 2006 he swam the English Channel in 10 hours and 34 minutes, raising over £1 million. In 2008 he swam the Strait of Gibraltar with James Cracknell, and in September 2011 he swam 140 miles of the River Thames, raising more than £2 million. In 2010 he cycled across the United Kingdom with a group of celebrities, and in 2011 he recorded 19 panel-show episodes in 24 hours. He also became patron of Cardiac Risk in the Young in 2006.

Personal life

Walliams married the Dutch model Lara Stone in May 2010, and the marriage ended in 2015. They have one child.