David Mark Morrissey (born 21 June 1964) is an English actor and filmmaker. Described by the British Film Institute as "one of the most versatile English actors of his generation", he is noted for the meticulous preparation and research he undertakes for his roles.
At the age of 18, he was cast in the television series One Summer (1983), and subsequently attended the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art before acting with the Royal Shakespeare Company and National Theatre for four years. Throughout the 1990s, he often portrayed policemen and soldiers, though he also played Bradley Headstone in Our Mutual Friend (1998) and Christopher Finzi in Hilary and Jackie (1998). He then had roles in Some Voices (2000) and Captain Corelli's Mandolin (2001), before he played the critically acclaimed roles of Stephen Collins in State of Play (2003) and Gordon Brown in The Deal (2003). The former earned him a Best Actor nomination at the British Academy Television Awards and the latter won him a Best Actor award from the Royal Television Society.