David Tennant, widely regarded as one of the greatest stage and screen actors of his generation, was born David John McDonald in West Lothian, Scotland, to Essdale Helen (McLeod) and Sandy McDonald, a Presbyterian minister.
He is of Scottish and Ulster-Scots descent, and at the tender age of three or four, he decided to become an actor, inspired by his love for Doctor Who.
Growing up in Bathgate, West Lothian, and Paisley, Renfrewshire, Scotland, David was a huge fan of the band The Proclaimers and attended Paisley Grammar school.
At school, he wrote about his desire to become a professional actor and play the role of the Doctor in Doctor Who, a dream that would eventually come true.
David made his television debut at the age of 16, after his father sent some photos to a casting director at Scottish television, and he also attended a youth theatre group at weekends run by the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama.
At 16, he auditioned for and won a place at the academy, becoming the youngest student to ever do so, and started as a full-time drama student at 17.
After leaving drama school, David worked regularly in theatre and TV, and his first big break came in 1994 when he was cast in a lead role in the Scottish drama Takin' Over the Asylum.
He then moved to London, where his career thrived, and he spent several years as a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company, playing lead roles in TV dramas Blackpool and Casanova.
In 2005, David's childhood dream came true when he was cast to play the role of the Doctor in Doctor Who, alongside Billie Piper, after Christopher Eccleston decided to leave.
Playing the Doctor made him a household name and a sex symbol, being voted "Sexiest Man in the Universe" by readers of The Pink Paper and 16th Sexiest Man in the World by a Cosmopolitan survey.
Since leaving the series in 2010, David's career has continued to rise, with lead roles in films, TV series, and theatre.
