Hugh Dancy Biography

Hugh Michael Horace Dancy is an English actor and model. He was born in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England, to Sarah Ann (Birley), who works in academic publishing, and Jonathan Peter Dancy, a Philosophy professor and writer, on 19th June 1975. He has a brother, Jack (b. 1977), and a sister, Kate (b. 1980). He was raised in Newcastle-under-Lyme.

He is best known for his roles as Will Graham in the critically acclaimed TV seriesHannibal for which he was nominated for two Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Actor in a Drama Series and as Prince Charmont in Ella Enchanted. In 2006, he was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for his portrayal of the Earl of Essex in the Channel 4 miniseries Elizabeth I.

Early life

Dancy was born in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, and raised in Newcastle-under-Lyme. His mother, Sarah Ann Dancy (ne Birley), works in academic publishing. His father is philosophy professor Jonathan Dancy, who teaches at the University of Reading and at the University of Texas at Austin.

Hugh is the oldest of three children, followed by brother Jack Dancy (born 25 May 1977), who is co-director of the travel company Trufflepig Travel, and sister Katharine Sarah Redman (ne Dancy, born 5 March 1980). From the age of 5 to the age of 10, Dancy was educated at Edenhurst Preparatory School in Newcastle-under-Lyme. At age 10, Dancy attended boarding school at the Dragon School in Oxford, then, at 13 at Winchester College. At age 18, he acted in the Winchester College Players production of Twelfth Night, which was performed in both Winchester and at the Minack Theatre in Cornwall. He went on to study English under poet and playwright Francis Warner at St Peter's College, Oxford.

Career

After graduation, Dancy moved to London, where a chance conversation in a cafe led to his meeting casting director Ros Hubbard and agent Dallas Smith, who signed him. In 1999, Dancy played the role of Danny, who had a fleeting romance with Rachel, one of the show's main characters, in the second series of Cold Feet. In 2002, Dancy played Daniel Deronda in the BBC's adaptation of George Eliot's novel Daniel Deronda.

Notable roles from film include Dancy's Prince Charmont from the 2004 Disney film Ella Enchanted alongside Anne Hathaway and, from the same year, Galahad in King Arthur alongside later Hannibal co-star Mads Mikkelsen. In 2005, he starred as Adam Raki in Adam, an independent film which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2009 and follows the story of a young man with Asperger syndrome. He went on to appear in various other films.

In theatre, Dancy has appeared in MCC Theater's The Pride, written by Alexi Kaye Campbell, at the Lucille Lortel Theatre in New York City. The off-Broadway production was directed by Joe Mantello and co-starred Ben Whishaw and Andrea Riseborough. In 2007, Dancy had a starring role on Broadway as Captain Dennis Stanhope in Journey's End (Belasco Theatre). From 2010 until 2011, he starred in Manhattan Theatre Club's Broadway production of Venus in Fur alongside Nina Arianda. His performance was praised by The New York Times theatre critic Charles Isherwood.

In March 2012, NBC announced that Dancy had been cast as Will Graham in Hannibal, the television adaptation based on the main character of Thomas Harris' 1981 novel Red Dragon. The show received critical acclaim and was nominated for numerous awards. It was cancelled after three seasons and concluded in 2015, though there are hopes for its revival. He currently appears as a lead character in Hulu's The Path, alongside Aaron Paul and Michelle Monaghan.

Personal life

Dancy met American actress Claire Danes on the set of Evening in Newport, Rhode Island, and they began dating. In February 2009, they announced their engagement. The couple married in France in 2009, privately. In 2012, the actress gave birth to their son named Cyrus.

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2001	Black Hawk Down	Sfc. Kurt Schmid
	Young Blades	D'Artagnan
2003	Tempo	Jack
	The Sleeping Dictionary	John Truscott
2004	King Arthur	Galahad
	Ella Enchanted	Prince Charmont
2005	Shooting Dogs	Joe Connor
2006	Basic Instinct 2: Risk Addiction	Adam Towers
2007	The Jane Austen Book Club	Grigg Harris
	Evening	Buddy Wittenborn
	Savage Grace	Sam Green
	Blood & Chocolate	Aiden
2009	Confessions of a Shopaholic	Luke Brandon
	Adam	Adam	Nominated"?Satellite Award for Best Actor - Motion Picture
2010	Coach	Nick
	The Wildest Dream	Andrew Irvine	Voice
2011	Our Idiot Brother	Christian
	Martha Marcy May Marlene	Ted	Nominated"?Gotham Award for Best Ensemble Cast
	Hysteria	Dr. Mortimer Granville
2013	Legends of Oz: Dorothy's Return	Marshal Mallow	Voice
2000	David Copperfield (2000)	David Copperfield

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1998	Trial & Retribution	Robert Belini	2 episodes
	The New Adventures of Robin Hood	Kyle	Episode: "Orphans"
1998-1999	Dangerfield	Charlie Paige	2 episodes
1999	Cold Feet	Danny	2 episodes
	Kavanagh QC	Michael Woodley	Episode: "The More Loving One"
2000	Relic Hunter	Michael Previn	Episode: "The Last Night"
	David Copperfield	David Copperfield	Television film
	Madame Bovary	Leon	Television film
2002	Daniel Deronda	Daniel Deronda	3 episodes
2006	Elizabeth I	Earl of Essex	2 episodes Nominated"?Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie Nominated"?Satellite Award for Best Actor - Miniseries or Television Film
2011	The Big C	Lee Fallon	8 episodes
2013-2015	Hannibal	Will Graham	38 episodes Won"?Golden Europe TV Award for Outstanding Lead Actor(2013) Won"?Saturn Award for Best Actor on Television (2015) Won"?Poppy Award for Best Actor in Drama Series(2016) Nominated"?IGN Award for Best TV Actor (2013) Nominated"?Saturn Award for Best Actor on Television(2013, 2014) Nominated"?Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Actor in a Drama Series (2014, 2016) Nominated"?Fangoria Chainsaw Award for Best TV Actor(2015, 2016)
2015	Deadline Gallipoli	Ellis Ashmead Bartlett	2 episodes Nominated"?Logie Award for Most Outstanding Actor (2016)
2016-present	The Path	Cal Roberts	22 episodes

Theatre

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1999	Billy and the Crab Lady	Fred	Soho Theatre
2000	To the Green Fields Beyond	Mo	Donmar Warehouse
2007	Journey's End	Captain Dennis Stanhope	Belasco Theatre
2010	The Pride	Philip	Lucille Lortel Theatre
2011-12	Venus in Fur	Thomas	Lyceum Theatre