David Morrissey (born June 21, 1964) is an English film, television and stage actor.
Morrissey, the youngest of four children, was born in Knotty Ash, Liverpool, England. He was raised by his mother after his father, a shoe repairman and key cutter, died when Morrissey was fourteen. He made his television debut in 1983, after training with Everyman's Youth Theatre in Liverpool, he went on to train at The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA). At the 2004 BAFTA awards, Morrissey was nominated for Best Television Actor for his performance in the drama serial, State of Play. In the same year, the play The Deal, in which he co-starred as Gordon Brown to Michael Sheen's Tony Blair, won the award for Best Single Drama.
Morrissey's wife is the novelist Esther Freud (great-granddaughter of Sigmund Freud and daughter of Lucian Freud), and they have three children.
David Morrissey started acting at Everyman's Youth Theatre in Liverpool, where he was born and raised. He made an auspicious debut in "One Summer" (1983), a series about two Liverpool runaways. Following completion of RADA studies, he was with the Royal Shakespeare Company for two years, then the National Theatre. He has also worked at Cheek By Jowl, Manchester Royal Exchange and other venues. He is married to novelist Esther Freud, the great-granddaughter of Sigmund Freud and daughter of artist Lucian Freud.
