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David Dawson

David Dawson

Actor · Born September 7, 1982 (44) · Widnes, Cheshire, England, UK

David Robert Dawson (born 7 September 1982) is an English actor. He has had a varied career on television, including roles in The Road to Coronation Street (2010), series 2 of Luther (2011), Ripper Street (2012–2016), The Secret Agent (2016), as King Alfred in The Last Kingdom (2015–2018) and as Joseph Merrick ("The Elephant Man") in Year of the Rabbit (2019). On stage, Dawson received a Laurence Olivier Award nomination for playing Smike in the 2007 production of The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby. Other notable performances have been in the 2009 production of Comedians, the 2010 production of Posh, and the 2011 production of Luise Miller.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
September 7, 1982 (44)
From
Widnes, Cheshire, England, UK
Works as
Actor
Titles
16 on MovieCove · 29 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 38 days to Oct 27Down 30% in 30 days

What are David Dawson's films like?

Across their 9 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Morality and Bonds.

Themes

share of theme weight
Morality
23%
Bonds
21%
Self
20%
Power
12%
Survival
9%
Society
9%
Ideas
5%
Romantic love3 titles, browse their movies with this themeJustice2 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity2 titles, browse their movies with this themeOppression2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 4 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Dark: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their dark movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 0 · Serious 1 · Dark 3

Grounded: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their grounded movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 3 · Stylized 1 · Heightened 0

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 0 · Charged 2 · Intense 2

Shifting: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their shifting movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 1 · Shifting 3 · Whiplash 0

Straight-faced: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their straight-faced movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 3 · Some laughs 1 · Funny 0

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 2 · Even-paced 2 · Relentless 0

Engaged: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their engaged movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 1 · Engaged 3 · Full focus 0

Heavy: How much it costs you emotionally; whether you need recovery time. Browse their heavy movies.
Demand · Emotional cost
easyheavy

Easy watch 0 · Affecting 1 · Heavy 3

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 3 · Open-ended 1 · Ambiguous 0

Roles they play

2 analyzed roles

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Melancholic
6
Tense
6
Absurd
2
Bittersweet
2
Hopeful
3
Other
6

How their films linger

Bittersweet4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHaunting2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end

  • Happy1
  • Bittersweet7
  • Ambiguous1

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch David Dawson's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 12 of their 16 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Prime Video (5).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for David Dawson's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

29 credits, 16 with a MovieCove page.

  • Elsinore(2026)

    as Derek Jarman

    Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films

  • Falling (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2026)

    Show 4 episodes · as Phil

  • This Town (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2024)

    Show 6 episodes · as Robbie Carmen

  • The Burning Girls (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2023)

    Show 6 episodes · as Aaron Marsh

  • My Policeman(2022)

    as Younger Patrick

    Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all films

  • All the Old Knives(2022)

    as Owen Lassiter

    Midcredits score: 45th percentile of all films

  • Year of the Rabbit(2019)

    Show 6 episodes · as Joseph Merrick, The Elephant Man

    Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all shows

  • The Heroic Quest of the Valiant Prince Ivandoe(2017)

    Show as Prince Svan

    Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all shows

  • The Complete Walk: Love's Labour's Lost (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2016)

    as Berowne

  • The Secret Agent (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2016)

    Show 3 episodes · as Vladimir

  • Maigret (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2016)

    Show 1 episode · as Marcel Moncin

  • The Last Kingdom(2015)

    Show 25 episodes · as Alfred

    Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all shows

  • Banished(2015)

    Show 7 episodes · as Captain Collins

    Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all shows

  • The Duchess of Malfi (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2014)

    as Ferdinand

  • Peaky Blinders(2013)

    Show 3 episodes · as Roberts

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all shows

  • Dancing on the Edge(2013)

    Show 3 episodes · as Horton

    Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all shows

  • Ripper Street(2012)

    Show 18 episodes · as Fred Best

    Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all shows

  • The Hollow Crown(2012)

    Show 2 episodes · as Poins

    Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all shows

  • The Mystery of Edwin Drood (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2012)

    Show 2 episodes · as Bazzard

  • The Borgias(2011)

    Show 1 episode · as The French Ambassador

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all shows

  • London Boulevard(2010)

    as Big Issue Seller

    Midcredits score: 45th percentile of all films

  • The Road to Coronation Street (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2010)

    as Tony Warren

  • Luther(2010)

    Show 3 episodes · as Toby Kent

    Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all shows

  • Gracie!(2009)

    as Harry Parr Davies

    Midcredits score: 57th percentile of all films

  • Secret Diary of a Call Girl(2007)

    Show 7 episodes · as Byron

    Midcredits score: 63rd percentile of all shows

  • Damage (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2007)

    as Tom Byrne

  • The Rise of the Nutters (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2007)

    as Affers

  • The Experiment (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2002)

    Show 5 episodes · Actor

  • The Flaw (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Actor

Career shape

Star power in the 91st percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 28 titles, 26 of them dated from 2002 to 2026.

Highest rated

Elsinore (2026)

Midcredits 92nd

Most popular right now

Ripper Street (2012)

Film career

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting28 of 28: 28 only acting, 0 with another role · typical Midcredits score72nd

By decade

2000s5 · acting2010s16 · acting2020s5 · acting

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.

How do David Dawson's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 57th percentile, the median of all 5; across a limited sample of 4 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 60th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

60thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 4

Approval · how many liked their films

67thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 4

Reach · how many have seen their films

92ndpercentile
Typical film, the median of 4

Midcredits score across 16 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up7
  • 50th to 74th7
  • 25th to 49th2

Shape of the crowd

8 of their 16 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved4
  • Crowd Pleaser8
  • Broadly Agreed2
  • Mixed2

Most divisive · actor

Elsinore (2026)

77th percentile spread · 14% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · actor

Peaky Blinders (2013)

Midcredits 99th · 95% liked

Reviewers score the acting 74/100 in their films, across 3 reviewed titles; fans 79, detractors 45. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Is David Dawson's work okay for kids?

Across a limited sample of up to 4 MovieCove titles with content scores.

Their medianMedian of all films
Violence & Gore3 titlesmedian 38 · moderateMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity4 titlesmedian 64 · intenseMedian of all films: 32
Profanity3 titlesmedian 58 · moderateMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs3 titlesmedian 35 · moderateMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense3 titlesmedian 45 · moderateMedian of all films: 39

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted.

Who does David Dawson work with?

People who share at least 2 of David Dawson's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Billie Piper shares the most, 2.

Actors