Peter Capaldi facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Peter Capaldi
Capaldi at the 2019 GalaxyCon Richmond
Born	Peter Dougan Capaldi (1958-04-14) 14 April 1958 (age 67) Glasgow, Scotland
Citizenship	United Kingdom Italy
Education	Glasgow School of Art (BA)
Occupation	Actor director writer musician producer
Years active	1974–present
Known for	Malcolm Tucker in The Thick of It Twelfth Doctor in Doctor Who
Works	Filmography
Spouse(s)	Elaine Collins ​ (m. 1991)​
Children	1
Relatives	Lewis Capaldi (cousin)
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Peter Capaldi is a Scottish actor, director, singer, and guitarist. He is famous for playing the Twelfth Doctor in the science fiction show Doctor Who from 2013 to 2017. He also played Malcolm Tucker in the comedy series The Thick of It (2005–2012). For this role, he won a British Academy Television Award in 2010.

Capaldi also won an Academy Award (Oscar) for his short film Franz Kafka's It's a Wonderful Life in 1993. He wrote and directed the movie Strictly Sinatra (2001). He also directed two seasons of the TV show Getting On. You might also know him as Mr. Curry in the Paddington movies (2014, 2017). He played the Thinker in the superhero movie The Suicide Squad (2021).

He has also acted in plays, like The Ladykillers. He won a BAFTA Scotland award for his amazing work in film and TV. Capaldi has even released a rock album called St. Christopher. He is married to actress Elaine Collins and they have one child.

Early Life and Beginnings

Peter Capaldi was born in Glasgow, Scotland, on April 14, 1958. His parents were Gerald and Nancy Capaldi. His grandfather was Italian, and the rest of his family is Scottish and Irish. His parents ran an ice cream shop.

As a child, Peter was a big fan of Doctor Who. He even met two of the Doctors, Jon Pertwee and Tom Baker, when he was a teenager. He showed a talent for performing early on, putting on puppet shows in primary school.

He went to the Glasgow School of Art. While studying art, he was the lead singer and guitarist in a punk rock band called the Dreamboys. The drummer in his band was future comedian Craig Ferguson. They also performed comedy acts together.

Acting Career

Early Roles (1974–1991)

Capaldi started acting in 1974 in a play called An Inspector Calls. His first movie role was in 1981. From 1983, he got more roles in movies, TV, and theatre. He played Beatles member John Lennon in a play. He also had a big role in the movie Local Hero as Danny Oldsen.

He acted in films like The Lair of the White Worm and Dangerous Liaisons in 1988. On TV, he played George Harrison in a TV movie about John and Yoko. He also acted in plays like Twelfth Night and Dracula.

Moving to Television (1992–2004)

Capaldi got his first main TV role in 1992 in the BBC show Mr Wakefield's Crusade. He also appeared in the drama The Secret Agent. He was a regular cast member in shows like The Crow Road and Neverwhere.

He almost became the Eighth Doctor in the Doctor Who TV movie in 1995. However, he decided not to audition because he loved the show so much. He didn't want to be disappointed if he didn't get the part.

During these years, he also had roles in movies like Bean (1997). He played the French poet Jean Cocteau in the movie Modigliani (2004).

Capaldi also started writing and directing. He wrote and starred in the comedy film Soft Top Hard Shoulder in 1992. He directed the short film Franz Kafka's It's a Wonderful Life, which won an Oscar. He also wrote and directed the movie Strictly Sinatra in 2001.

Rise to Fame (2005–2012)

Before Doctor Who, Capaldi was best known for playing Malcolm Tucker in the BBC comedy The Thick of It. He played this role from 2005 to 2012. Tucker was a very powerful and often angry government spokesperson. A movie based on the show, In the Loop, came out in 2009.

Capaldi in 2009

His role as Tucker was highly praised. He won several awards, including the 2010 BAFTA TV Award for Best Male Comedy Performance. He also won the British Comedy Award twice.

Other important roles during this time included Dr. Pete in The Field of Blood (2011). He also played Randall Brown in the drama The Hour (2012).

Capaldi also wrote and presented a documentary called A Portrait of Scotland in 2009. In 2012, he co-wrote and directed The Cricklewood Greats, a comedy about a fake film studio.

Becoming the Doctor (2013–2017)

Peter Capaldi became famous worldwide when he was cast as the Twelfth Doctor in Doctor Who. He was 56 years old, making him one of the oldest actors to play the Doctor. He had appeared in Doctor Who before, in an episode called "The Fires of Pompeii". He also played a character in the Doctor Who spin-off show Torchwood.

Capaldi in 2014

In August 2013, it was announced that Capaldi would be the next Doctor. He first appeared briefly in the 50th anniversary special, "The Day of the Doctor". He then fully took over the role in the 2013 Christmas special, "The Time of the Doctor". His first full episode as the Doctor was "Deep Breath" in 2014. He starred in three seasons and four specials over four years. He also voiced the Doctor in the video game Lego Dimensions.

Besides Doctor Who, he played Mr. Curry in the family movie Paddington (2015) and its sequel Paddington 2 (2017).

On January 30, 2017, Capaldi announced that the tenth series would be his last. His final episode was the Christmas special, "Twice Upon a Time". He was then replaced by actress Jodie Whittaker. Many people praised his performance as the Doctor. His Doctor started out a bit grumpy but became very kind and loving over time.

Recent Work (2018–Present)

Since leaving Doctor Who, Capaldi has done a lot of voice acting. In 2018, he voiced Rabbit in the Disney movie Christopher Robin. He has also narrated several audiobooks, winning awards for his narration.

His live-action roles include playing Mr. Micawber in The Personal History of David Copperfield (2019). He also played an older version of the writer Siegfried Sassoon in the movie Benediction (2021). In 2021, he starred as the Thinker in the superhero movie The Suicide Squad. While filming this movie, he wrote and recorded his first solo rock album, St. Christopher, which was released in November 2021.

Since 2022, he has starred in the TV series The Devil's Hour. In 2024, he began starring in and producing the Apple TV+ crime thriller series Criminal Record. He also appeared in a Black Mirror episode called "Plaything" in 2025.

Capaldi has also returned to theatre. In 2025, he joined the band Franz Ferdinand on stage at the Glastonbury Festival. He sang with them on their hit song "Take Me Out".

Personal Life

Peter Capaldi married Elaine Collins in 1991. They have one daughter and two grandsons. Capaldi and Collins live in London.

Singer-songwriter Lewis Capaldi is Peter's second cousin once removed. They even worked together on a music video for Lewis's song "Someone You Loved". This video helped raise awareness for organ donation.

Peter Capaldi grew up Catholic but is now an atheist.

In 2015, Capaldi supported the United Nations' refugee agency UNHCR. He helped raise awareness about the global refugee crisis. He appeared in a video where actors read a poem inspired by refugees' stories. This video was part of a campaign to help refugees find shelter and jobs.

In October 2022, he said he supported Scottish independence. He also has dual citizenship, meaning he is a citizen of both the United Kingdom and Italy. He got Italian citizenship through his grandfather after Brexit.

Music Albums

Studio Albums

Singles

Awards and Nominations

Peter Capaldi has won many awards for his work. He won a British Academy Television Award for his role as Malcolm Tucker in The Thick of It. He also won an Academy Award for his short film Franz Kafka's It's a Wonderful Life. He received an award for "Outstanding Contribution to Film & Television" at the Scottish BAFTAs.