David Matthew Macfadyen was born in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, to Meinir Owen, a drama teacher and actress, and Martin Macfadyen, an oil executive, who is of Scottish and Welsh descent. Due to his father's career, Macfadyen spent part of his childhood in Indonesia, before returning to England to complete his education.
He subsequently won a place at RADA in 1992 and went on to gain critical acclaim in the UK with his work for the stage company Cheek By Jowl in the 1990s. As a result, he was well-established as a stage actor by the time he made his first television appearance in Wuthering Heights in 1998.
Following this, he secured a few more television roles, but it was his portrayal of Tom Quinn, head of Section D, in the hit BBC series MI-5 in 2002 that truly catapulted him to fame at home. Moreover, it was during his time on this show that he met his future wife, Keeley Hawes.
Subsequently, Macfadyen has maintained a steady stream of television and film work, with his iconic performance as Mr. Darcy in Pride & Prejudice in 2005 firmly cementing his status as a global household name.
