Childhood & Early Life
Craig was born on January 15, 1964, at the 'Mile End Hospital' in East London, to Jack and Maureen Fairbrass. He has a younger sister named Lindsey. He was educated at the 'Eaglesfield Boys Secondary Comprehensive’ in Woolwich.
Craig was not academically sound. Moreover, his increasing passion for films and acting prevented him from doing well in school, and he was expelled at 15. He was clueless about what to do until he found that acting was the only thing he loved.
However, he faced a lot of struggle to make a living. Craig worked as an asphalt roofer's laborer. He had returned to the job time and again later, while he was searching for an agent and acting jobs.
Craig successfully secured a place at the 'National Theatre' youth company. Simultaneously, he worked as a bouncer at some South East London nightspots for the next 5 years, until he saved enough money to start his entrepreneurial venture, a sandwich bar in Woolwich market.
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Career
Craig made his film and TV debut simultaneously. However, his first film role was uncredited (a 1979 crime drama named 'Scum'). He then made an appearance as ‘Darth’ in an episode of the British sitcom 'Shelley.'
His first recurring role, although brief (eight episodes), was as a gypsy man in the British soap opera 'Emmerdale' (1986). Craig played ‘Delmar,’ a sadistic soccer player-turned-henchman, in the 1993 action–adventure 'Cliffhanger.' He also had bit parts in 'For Queen and Country' (1988) and 'Tank Malling' (1989).
In 1990, Craig was seen as ‘Gary “Technique” Pagnall’ in seven episodes of the British drama 'London's Burning.' He had a brief recurring role (eight episodes) in the short-lived British drama 'Duck Patrol.'
He was cast as ‘Detective Frank Burkin,’ opposite Helen Mirren, in both parts of the 'BAFTA'- and 'Emmy'-winning original British police-procedural miniseries 'Prime Suspect' (1991 and 1992). Craig played the protagonist, journalist ‘Frazer Truick,’ shown investigating a murder, in the award-winning British horror 'Darklands.'
From 1999 to 2001, Craig essayed his career's breakthrough role. He was cast as the fictional character ‘Dan Sullivan’ in the 'BBC' soap opera 'EastEnders.' Meanwhile, he made brief appearances in 'An Unsuitable Job for a Woman' and 'Children in Need.' However, ‘Dan Sullivan’ has been Craig’s last long recurring character to date.
Craig was seen as ‘Arkad’ in the final season of the military science-fiction series 'Stargate SG-1.' He appeared as ‘Devon Burke,’ a rogue ‘MI5’ agent, in the 'CBS' action–drama 'The Unit.' He also appeared as ‘Fake Sarkissian’ in the 'Fox' science-fiction drama 'Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles.' His last TV role to date has been that of ‘Timarek’ in an episode (2012) of the English-language Franco–Belgian science-fiction anthology 'Métal Hurlant Chronicles.'
'Cliffhanger,' which was one of the biggest action movies of the 1990s, paved Craig’s way to Hollywood. He was cast as a corrupt detective named ‘Robert Bryant’ in the 1998 crime drama 'Killing Time.’ It was his first starring role in a film
Following this, Craig portrayed Raymond Betson, the real-life gang member who had pulled off the infamous 2002 ‘Millennium Dome’ raid robbery, in the crime drama 'The Great Dome Robbery,' released in 2002. He had a starring role as ‘Henry Caine’ in the 2007 supernatural horror–thriller 'White Noise: The Light.'
Since 2007, Craig has ventured into voice-acting, too. He has voiced characters of the game 'Call of Duty.' The game’s 'Modern Warfare 2' version saw him voice one of the most iconic characters in gaming history, ‘Lt. Simon "Ghost" Riley.’ He has also voiced characters in 'Infex,' 'Star Citizen,' 'Squadron 42,' and 'Battlefield V.'
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Craig played real-life gangster Pat Tate in the 2007 British crime film 'Rise of the Footsoldier,' based on the 1995 “Rettendon Murders.” He reprised the role again in a few flashback sequences in the film’s second and third installments (2015 and 2017), both of which also featured him as an executive producer. The role is considered Craig’s most powerful performance to date and has earned him the ‘Best Actor’ award at the 2018 'National Film Awards' in London. He starred as ‘Det. Con. Nick Barton’ in the 2008 thriller 'The Bank Job.'
Craig had starring roles in 'Far Cry' (2008), '31 North 62 East' (2009), 'House of the Rising Sun' (2011), and 'Bula Quo!' (2013). He also had prominent roles in a few independent films. Craig was the lead character, ‘Jed,’ in 'Freight.' He also appeared as ‘Cole’ in the horror flick 'Devil’s Playground.' Both the films released in 2010. He played the titular role in the supernatural thriller 'Dead Cert.'
Craig’s gangster roles include the fictional ‘Ray Collishaw’ in 'St George's Day' (2012). He appeared as a military contractor named ‘Lex Walker’ in the 2014 action–drama 'The Outsider,' which marked his debut as a writer. He played ‘Alfie Jennings’ in the 2016 British thriller 'Breakdown.' He also worked as an executive producer for the movie.
His worked as a writer and executive producer for the 2017 film 'London Heist,' in which he starred as ‘Jack Cregan.’ He played ‘Lincoln Burgess’ in the 2019 independent action film 'Avengement.'
Craig has been cast in a lead role in award-winning director Gerard Johnson's next film, a dark thriller titled 'Muscle.' He will also be seen as Pat Tate again, in 'Rise of the Footsoldier 4.'
Family & Personal Life
Craig’s father, Jack, was one of nine children of his parents and worked as a stevedore. His mother, Maureen, was a machinist dressmaker of Petticoat Lane. The family lived in Stepney, where Craig grew up.
On October 2011, Craig’s mother went missing. She was later found safe in a garden shed. Reportedly, she suffers from dementia.
Craig is married to former “page 3” model Elke Kellick. They have two sons, Jack and Luke.
Craig’s all-time favorite horror film is 'Jeepers Creepers.'
