ACTOR · BORN 1982
Matthew Smith
- Born
- 28 October 1982
- Known for
- The Crown (2016), Project Hail Mary (2026), Morbius (2022), Official Secrets (2019)
19 archived facts 5 topics 1 source Last reviewed Nov 2026
Matthew Smith (born 28 October 1982) is a director best known for The Crown, Project Hail Mary and Morbius.
19 Interesting Facts About Matthew Smith
Interesting Facts (10)
- #001
Matthew Smith was known among his castmates for being extremely clumsy. Producers even made bets on how long it would take him to break props.
- #002
It was Smith who insisted that the Doctor wear his signature bow tie.
- #003
In his youth he was a talented footballer and considered going professional, but after a back injury he had to give it up and turned to acting.
- #004
Unlike his predecessor David Tennant, he was not a fan of Doctor Who (1963) while growing up. The original series was cancelled shortly after his seventh birthday due to poor viewing figures.
- #005
He was discovered by agent Wendy Padbury. Before becoming an agent, Padbury was an actress; one of her best-known roles was Zoe Heriot, companion of the Second Doctor in Doctor Who (1963).
- #006
He is the first actor since Sylvester McCoy to have his face featured in the opening sequence of Doctor Who (2005).
- #007
He is the first actor to play the Doctor who was born after the death of William Hartnell (who died in 1975), the first (and earliest-born) actor to play the Doctor. Had Hartnell lived long enough, he would have been almost 75 when Smith was born.
- #008
Like many of his predecessors in the role of the Doctor, he was a great fan of Patrick Troughton's portrayal of the Second Doctor as part of his preparation. He incorporated many aspects of Troughton's portrayal into his own approach.
- #009
On 7 October 2013, it was announced that Smith would play Patrick Bateman in the musical adaptation of American Psycho at London's Almeida Theatre. The run began in December 2013. He was cast despite having no previous singing experience.
- #010
He has not watched all of the Star Wars films.
Behind the Scenes (3)
- #011
As of 2015, he and Christopher Eccleston are the only actors to have played the Doctor who never faced the Doctor's arch-enemy, the Master, in an episode.
- #012
Like many of his predecessors in the role of the Doctor, he became a great admirer of Patrick Troughton's portrayal of the Second Doctor as part of his preparation. He incorporated many aspects of Troughton's portrayal into his own approach.
- #013
On 7 October 2013, it was announced at London's Almeida Theatre that Smith would play Patrick Bateman in the musical adaptation of American Psycho. The run began in December 2013. He was cast despite having no previous singing experience.
Characters & Cast (4)
- #014
Before being cast as the Doctor, Smith auditioned for the role of John Watson in Sherlock (2010) but was rejected for being too eccentric. Steven Moffat claimed that Smith would have made a good Sherlock if Benedict Cumberbatch had not yet been cast.
- #015
At 26, he was the youngest actor to take on the role of the Doctor in the long-running science fiction series Doctor Who (2005). The youngest person before him was Peter Davison, who was 29 when he was cast in Doctor Who (1963) in 1981.
- #016
He auditioned for the role of Will Chandler in The Inbetweeners (2008), but was deemed "too dashing" for the role of the loser.
- #017
Both he and former Doctor Who (2005) lead Jenna Coleman have played Pride and Prejudice characters and royal figures. Matt plays Parson Collins in Pride and Prejudice and Zombies (2016) and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, in Netflix's The Crown (2016). Jenna plays Lydia Wickham in the BBC's Death Comes to Pemberley (2013) and Queen Victoria in ITV's Victoria (2016).
Deeper Meaning (1)
- #018
When he learned that Jodie Whittaker had been cast as the first female Doctor, he called her and sang the entire Doctor Who (2005) theme tune on her voicemail.
Life & Family (1)
- #019
He owns the tweed jacket his Eleventh Doctor usually wore.
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Sources & editorial notes
Reference databases
- IMDb
Information from external sources is independently selected, consolidated and edited by Arka Evren. Sources are listed for verification and further reading. Encyclopedia text is used under its licence (CC BY-SA). How we work