Childhood & Early Life
Dominic West was on born October 15, 1969, in Sheffield, UK. His mother, Pauline, was an actress, and his father, Thomas, owned a plastic factory. Dominic belonged to a wealthy Irish-British family and had five sisters and a brother.
He did his schooling at the prestigious ‘Eton College’, where he fell in love with acting when he was cast as ‘Hamlet’ in the eponymous Shakespeare play.
He graduated with a degree in English from Trinity College, Dublin. In 1995, he studied drama and graduated from the ‘Guildhall School of Music and Drama’.
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Career
In 1991, while still in college, he made his film debut with a role in the short film ‘3 Joes.’
From 1995 to 1997, he did small roles in various British and Hollywood films like ‘Richard III’, ‘Surviving Picasso’, ‘True Blue’, ‘Spice World’, etc.
In 1998, he made his television debut with the British television series ‘Out of Hours’.
In 1999, he played minor roles in ‘A Midsummer Night's Dream’ and ‘Star Wars: Episode 1 - The Phantom Menace’.
In 2000, he joined the Argentinian circus ‘De La Guarda’ in London for five months. The same year, he got his big Hollywood break in the rom-com film ‘28 Days’.
In 2002, he played a noteworthy role as ‘Fred Casely’ in the multiple award-winning movie ‘Chicago’.
In 2002, he portrayed the award-winning role of ‘Detective Jimmy McNulty’ in the American crime drama series ‘The Wire’. His brilliant portrayal of the character, especially the authentic Baltimore accent, won him a lot of praise.
From 2003 to 2007, while continuing to work on ‘The Wire’, he also did memorable character roles in movies like ‘Mona Lisa Smile’, ‘300’, ‘Hannibal Rising’, etc.
In 2008, he made his directorial debut with an episode of ‘The Wire’ before the end of the series. In the same year, he portrayed the role of ‘Oliver Cromwell’ in the British series ‘The Devil's Whore’ and was a part of the ‘Marvel Comics’ action film ‘Punisher: War Zone’.
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In 2009, he featured in the rapper Eminem’s album ‘Relapse’ and gave a smashing performance in the play ‘Life Is A Dream’. He then appeared in a string of promotional films ‘The Carte Noire Readers’, starred in a ‘BBC Radio 3’ play and guest-presented on ‘BBC’s’ ‘Graham Norton's New Year's Eve Show’.
In 2011, he was part of the British supernatural film ‘The Awakening’ and gave award-winning performances in the British television drama series ‘The Hour’ and ‘Appropriate Adult’. He also performed in plays like ‘Butley’ and ‘Othello’ that year.
In 2012, he did more theatre in the form of parts in ‘The River’ and ‘My Fair Lady’.
In 2014, he bagged the award-winning role of ‘Noah Solloway’ in the American television series ‘The Affair’ and continues to play the part to this day.
In 2016-17, he lent his voice to the character ‘Rudder’ in the film ‘Finding Dory’, a few characters in the animated TV films ‘Revolting Rhymes’ and narrated an episode of the British documentary programme ‘Panorama’.
In 2018, he was seen in the film ‘Colette’ and the remake of the movie ‘Tomb Raider’. He also essayed the role of ‘Jean Valjean’ in the ‘BBC’ miniseries ‘Les Misérables’ that year.
In 2019, he was seen on the British television series ‘Brassic’.
He is a part of the upcoming television series ‘Stateless’ and film ‘I Feel Fine’.
Awards & Achievements
In 2010, ‘Sheffield Hallam University’ conferred upon him an ‘Honorary Doctorate’ degree.
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In 2011, he was given the ‘Honorary Patronage of the Philosophical Society of Trinity College Dublin.’
In 2013, he successfully reached the South Pole alongside Prince Harry and actor Alexander Skarsgård, as part of a fundraising event ‘Walking With The Wounded’.
In 2018, he was awarded the ‘Honorary Doctorate of Letters’ from the ‘University of Sheffield’.
Family & Personal Life
In 1998, Dominic West’s then-girlfriend, Polly Astor gave birth to his first child, a daughter.
After splitting from his girlfriend, he started dating his college sweetheart, landscape designer Catherine FitzGerald, who is an Anglo-Irish aristocrat. They tied the knot in 2010 in Glin, Ireland. The couple have four children together: Dora, Senan, Francis, and Christabel.
He actively supports charities like ‘Free Tibet’, ‘Prince’s Trust’, ‘Helen’s Trust’, etc.
He currently splits his time between his homes in London and Glin Castle in Ireland.
