Daniel Mays was born on March 31, 1978 in Epping, Essex, England as Daniel Alan Mays. He is an actor, known for The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn (2011), The Bank Job (2008) and Atonement (2007). He has performed five plays at the Royal Court Theatre in London including two in the theatre's 50th Anniversary year in parts that were specifically written for him. He won the Best Actor prize at the Palmare Television Festival 2003 for his performance in the hard hitting improvised BBC film Rehab. He has made two films with the acclaimed British director Mike Leigh. All or Nothing (2002) and the 1950s abortion drama, Vera Drake (2004), which received 3 Academy Award Nominations, the Golden Lion Award for Best Film, 3 Bafta Awards and 6 British Independent Film Awards including Best British Independent Film. Son of Toni Mays.

Filmography

• Believe Me — John Worboys
• Lord of the Flies — Fred
• 2026National Theatre Live: Golden Boy — Moody
• 2026Shelter — Booth
• 2026Wild — Lou
• A Thousand Blows — William 'Punch' Lewis
• Bookish — Eric Wellbeloved
• Lynley — DCI Brian Nies
• Suspect: The Shooting of Jean Charles De Menezes — Cliff Todd
• 2025The Thursday Murder Club — Chris Hudson
• Franklin — Edward Bancroft
• Moonflower Murders — Chubb / Locke
• 2024The Awakening
• 2023Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget — Fetcher (voice)
• The Long Shadow — Sydney Jackson
• 2023Your Christmas or Mine 2 — Geoff
• Magpie Murders — Locke / Chubb
• 2022Maryland — PC Moody
• 2022Your Christmas or Mine? — Geoff
• Code 404 — DI John Major
• Des — DCI Peter Jay
• 2020The Rhythm Section — Dean West
• White Lines — Marcus
• 20191917 — Sergeant Sanders
• 2019Fisherman's Friends — Danny
• Good Omens — Arthur Young
• Temple — Lee
• 2018Mother's Day — Colin Parry
• 2018My Dinner with Hervé — Casey
• 2018Swimming with Men — Colin
• 2018The Interrogation of Tony Martin — DC Peters
• 2018Two for Joy — Lias
• 2017Against the Law — Peter Wildeblood
• Born to Kill — Bill
• Guerrilla — Cullen
• Porters — Anthony De La Mer
• Urban Myths — Mike Housego
• 2016Dad's Army — Private Walker
• 2016Rogue One: A Star Wars Story — Tivik
• 2016The Infiltrator — Frankie
• 2016The Limehouse Golem — George Flood
• 2015Victor Frankenstein — Barnaby
• 2014Common — Tommy Ward
• Inside No. 9 — Shane
• The Great Fire — Samuel Pepys
• The Great War: The People's Story — Reg Evans
• 2013Byzantium — Noel
• 2013Welcome to the Punch — Nathan Bartnick
• Line of Duty — Sgt Danny Waldron
• 2012Mrs Biggs — Ronald Biggs
• Mrs Biggs — Ronald Biggs
• Playhouse Presents — Guv
• Public Enemies — Eddie Mottram
• 2012Treasure Island — Dr. Livesey
• Treasure Island — Dr. David Livesey
• Outcasts — Cass Cromwell
• 2011The Adventures of Tintin — Allan / Pirate Flunky #1 (voice)
• 2010Made in Dagenham — Eddie O'Grady
• 2010Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang — Blenkinsop
• 2009Mr. Nobody — Young Journalist
• Plus One — Rob Black
• Red Riding — Michael Myshkin
• 2009Red Riding: The Year of Our Lord 1974 — Michael Myshkin
• 2009Red Riding: The Year of Our Lord 1983 — Michael Myshikin
• 2009The Firm — Yeti
• Ashes to Ashes — Jim Keats
• 2008Consuming Passion — Charles Boon
• 2008Shifty — Chris
• 2008The Bank Job — Dave Shilling
• 2008White Girl — Stevie
• 2007Atonement — Tommy Nettle
• 2007Consent — Steve
• 2007Half Broken Things — Michael
• 2007Middletown — Jim Hunter
• 2007Saddam's Tribe — Uday
• 2006A Good Year — Bert the Doorman
• 2005Beneath the Skin — Moz Burnside
• 2005Class of '76 — DS Steven Grant
• Class of '76 — DS Steven Grant
• Doctor Who — Alex
• Funland — Carter Krantz
• 2005The Best Man — Pool Guy
• 2005The Secret Life of Words — Martin
• Hustle — Mervyn Lloyd
• Top Buzzer
• 2004Vera Drake — Sid
• Keen Eddie
• 2003Rehab — Adam
• 2002All or Nothing — Jason
• Bodily Harm — Trader
• 2002Dead Casual
• Manchild
• Tipping the Velvet — Jimmy Burns
• In Deep — Dave Street
• 2001Pearl Harbor — Pilot #3
• Do Not Disturb

Appearances as themselves (5)

• 2026Making of Lord of the Flies — Self - Fred
• VE Day 80 — Self
• Rob Beckett's Smart TV — Self - Guest
• Blankety Blank — Self - Panellist
• 2020The Kemps: All True — Self