Biography

David Tennant was born approximately 900 years ago on the planet Gallifrey, which belongs to the Timelord species (which Mr. Tennant is a member of), and is currently in his tenth regenerative form…

Pardon me, I seem to have mixed up biographies with his well known character role of Doctor Who. Let’s try this again.

On planet Earth, a special human being in subject named David John McDonald (come on now—all superheroes are born with different names) was born on April 18th, 1971. His point of origin was Bathgate, West Lothian. His father was a Presbyterian minister.
After mastering the art of walking at age three or four, young David was utterly fascinated by the people who told stories on the television. There, at that moment in his young life, he made the defining decision of destiny (say that five times in a row) to one day become an actor. Interesting to note, one of the characters who captivated David as a child was the third Doctor Who, Tom Baker. David says he went around proclaiming he himself would be the Doctor one day. Not just an actor, eh? A prophet too.

David’s talent was first discovered at a Saturday youth theatre club by Scottish TV. Equity, the actor’s union he joined at age sixteen, had a rule stating that no two actors could share the same name. Would you believe that David McDonald met a David McDonald? Thus, David (the one we’re talking about) was forced to change his surname (the real question, however, is why didn’t the other David McDonald change his name? Did David Tennant loose at rock, paper, scissors? I’ve always wondered.) Desperately searching for a new name, he resorted to “Smash Hits,” a magazine most sixteen-year-olds would turn to in times like this. After searching, he settled on snagging Neil Tennant’s name.

After graduating from the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Arts with a BA in dramatic studies, David embarked on his childhood dream and became an actor. His first work was touring theatre productions. His career truly kicked into gear when he landed a role in the award winning BBC TV production “Takin’ Over the Asylum,” where he played a depressed and maniacal nineteen-year-old. At age twenty-five or so, David made a very respectable career in theatre acting, having joined the Royal Shakespeare Company and won critics’ acclaim for his performances. Around this time, David hopped onto the TV show bandwagon, and was soon starring in roles like Blackpool and Casanova (amongst many others, of course). David’s name was in lights when he landed the role of his childhood dream: Doctor Who. IRONY!