Christopher Eccleston | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Eccleston in November 2019 | |
| Born | (1964-02-16)16 February 1964 (age 61) Salford,Lancashire, England |
| Education | University of Salford Royal Central School of Speech and Drama |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1989–present |
| Known for | Let Him Have It,Cracker,Gone In 60 Seconds, Ninth incarnation of the Doctor inDoctor Who |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2 |
| Signature | |
 | |
Christopher Eccleston (/ˈɛkəlstən/; born 16 February 1964) is an English actor whose work has encompassed Hollywood blockbusters and arthouse films, television dramas, Shakespearean stage performances and science fiction, most notably theninth incarnation of the Doctor in the BBC seriesDoctor Who (2005). He starred as Matt Jamison inThe Leftovers (2014–2017), and has frequently collaborated with filmmakersDanny Boyle andMichael Winterbottom.
Eccleston first rose to prominence for his portrayal ofDerek Bentley in the filmLet Him Have It (1991). His television performance inOur Friends in the North (1996) resulted in his firstBAFTA Award nomination. He received a second nomination forThe Second Coming (2003). Eccleston won anInternational Emmy Award for his performance inAccused (2010). On stage, he has played the title roles in Shakespeare'sHamlet andMacbeth, and starred inStrindberg'sMiss Julie,Ibsen'sA Doll's House, as well as the Greek tragedyAntigone. Since 2017, he has narrated the documentary seriesAmbulance.
Eccleston was born on 16 February 1964 into a working-class family in theLangworthy area ofSalford, then part ofLancashire. He is the son of Elsie and Ronnie Eccleston.[1] He has twin brothers, Alan and Keith, who were born eight years before he was.[2][3][4] On his religious upbringing, he said, "My dad's family wereCatholic. My mum was veryChurch of England – still is – but it doesn't work for me."
The family lived in a small terraced house on Blodwell Street before moving toLittle Hulton when Eccleston was seven months old.[5][6][7] He attendedJoseph Eastham High School, where he becamehead boy.[8]
At the age of 19, Eccleston was inspired to pursue acting by such television dramas asBoys from the Blackstuff. He completed a two-year Performance Foundation Course atSalford Tech,[9] then went on to train at theCentral School of Speech and Drama.[10] He was influenced in his early years byKen Loach's filmKes andAlbert Finney's performance in the filmSaturday Night and Sunday Morning. He soon found himself performing the classics as well, including the works ofWilliam Shakespeare,Anton Chekhov, andMolière.
At the age of 25, he made his professional stage debut in theBristol Old Vic's production ofA Streetcar Named Desire. Underemployed as an actor for some years after graduating from college, he took a variety of odd jobs: at a supermarket, on building sites, and as an artist's model.[11]
Eccleston first came to public attention as Derek Bentley in the filmLet Him Have It, and for a guest appearance in theInspector Morse episode "Second Time Around", both 1991. The following year he portrayed Sean Maddox in the BBC miniseriesFriday on my Mind.[12] A regular role in the hit crime dramaCracker (1993–94) brought him widespread recognition in the UK. After he decided to leave the series, his character was killed off in October 1994. At around the same time, Eccleston appeared in thePoirot episode "One, Two, Buckle My Shoe".
In 1994, he co-starred withEwan McGregor in the low-budget Danny Boyle filmShallow Grave, and also landed the part of Nicky Hutchinson inOur Friends in the North, as part of an ensemble cast which featuredMark Strong,Gina McKee andDaniel Craig. The broadcast of the epic serial in 1996 onBBC Two helped to make Eccleston a household name in the UK. Also in 1996, he starred in the television filmHillsborough, written byJimmy McGovern, portraying Trevor Hicks, who lost both of his daughters in the 1989Hillsborough disaster. When Hicks got married in March 2009, Eccleston was his best man.[13]
During this period Eccleston built on his early successes, appearing in a wide variety of films and working with high profile directors includingDavid Cronenberg ineXistenZ (1999), Michael Winterbottom inJude (1996) and24 Hour Party People (2002), and collaborated again with Danny Boyle on28 Days Later (2002). He played theDuke of Norfolk inElizabeth (1998), appeared inGone in 60 Seconds (2000) - years before taking his driving test in January 2004[14] - andThe Others (2001). Eccleston took the lead role inRevengers Tragedy (2002), adapted fromThomas Middleton's play ofthe same name.[15] He starred in the independent filmsA Price Above Rubies (1998) andThe Invisible Circus (2001).
He also appeared in a variety of television roles, mostly British dramas, includingHearts and Minds (1995) for Channel 4,Clocking Off (2000) andFlesh and Blood (2002) for the BBC, a modern version ofOthello (2001), and the religious fantasy epicThe Second Coming (2003) forITV, in which he played Steve Baxter, the son of God. He made guest appearances in the comedy-dramaLinda Green (2001) and the macabre sketch showThe League of Gentlemen (2002). Eccleston appeared inHamlet in the 2002 production atLeeds'sWest Yorkshire Playhouse. From March to April 2004, he returned to the venue in a play calledElectricity.[16]
Eccleston has been twice nominated in the Best Actor category at the British Academy Television Awards, both during this period, the first in 1997 when he lost toNigel Hawthorne inThe Fragile Heart. He was nominated again in 2004, losing toBill Nighy who took the award for his performance inState of Play. Eccleston won the Best Actor category at the 1997Broadcasting Press Guild Awards forOur Friends in the North. In 2003, he won the Royal Television Society Best Actor award for his performance inFlesh and Blood.[17]
On 2 April, 2004, the BBC revealed that Eccleston was to play the ninth incarnation of the Doctor in the revival ofDoctor Who. Eccleston was the first actor born after the inception of the original series to play the role. It debuted on 26 March, 2005, and a few days later, on 30 March, the BBC released a statement, ostensibly from Eccleston, saying that he had decided to leave the role after just one series to avoid becomingtypecast. On 4 April, the BBC revealed that the statement had been falsely attributed and released without Eccleston's consent. The broadcaster admitted that it had broken an agreement made in January not to disclose publicly that the actor had only intended to do one series. The statement had been issued following inquiries from journalists to the press office.[18] Following his departure, Eccleston was replaced byDavid Tennant, who played theTenth Doctor from 2005 to 2010.[19]
For his performance, Eccleston won aNational Television Award and was nominated for aBroadcasting Press Guild Award andBAFTA Cymru Award
On 11 June, 2005, when asked about his feelings about working onDoctor Who, Eccleston told a BBC interviewer: "Mixed, but that's a long story". Eccleston's reasons for leaving the role continued to be debated in Britain's newspapers: On 4 October, 2005 Alan Davies toldThe Daily Telegraph that Eccleston had been "overworked" by the BBC and had left the role because he was "exhausted".[20] Eccleston later stated that he had left the show because he "didn't enjoy the environment or the culture that the cast and crew had to work in", but that he was proud of having played the role.[21] He subsequently said: "My relationship with my three immediate superiors – the showrunner, the producer and co-producer – broke down irreparably during the first block of filming, and it never recovered."[22] Eccleston said thatThe Daily Telegraph's quote was partially falsified, stating that he "didn't find [the job], physically, too tiring. WhenThe Telegraph said that, any other producer reading that would go 'Oh, no, we can't employ Chris Eccleston because he gets tired.' So, it was a lie."[23]
Eccleston was voted "Most Popular Actor" at the 2005National Television Awards for his portrayal of the Doctor.[24] In July 2012, Eccleston spoke positively of his time onDoctor Who during a talk at the National Theatre.[25] This led to speculation he was considering making a return appearance as the Doctor for the show's 50th anniversary special, "The Day of the Doctor", in 2013.Matt Smith, who portrayed theEleventh Doctor, stated that he would have loved Eccleston to return.[26] After discussions with executive producerSteven Moffat, Eccleston declined to return.[27] In a 2018 interview Eccleston said that the BBC had "put [him] on ablacklist" when he left.[28]
Eccleston began appearing as a guest atDoctor Who conventions for the first time in 2018.[29] He had previously expressed his reluctance to appear at conventions, saying in 2017 that he preferred to "just earn [his] living by acting".[30] He has since said that his experience of meeting fans at conventions "healed something in [him]" and made him re-evaluate his relationship to the series.[31]
On 9 August, 2020, it was announced that Eccleston would reprise his role of the Ninth Doctor in audio dramas forBig Finish Productions,[32] across four boxsets to be released between May 2021 and February 2022. This would be the first time he had portrayed the role in 16 years.[33] Eccleston was later confirmed to appear in a further four boxsets, releasing in 2022 and 2023,[34] as well as an episode of the 60th anniversary audio seriesOnce and Future.[35] He has said that it is unlikely that he will reprise the role on television as his relationship with the BBC "has not healed".[23] When asked in 2023 what it would take for him to return to the character on television, Eccleston replied, "sackRussell T Davies, sackJane Tranter, sackPhil Collinson, sackJulie Gardner and I'll come back."[36]
On 30 October 2005, Eccleston appeared on stage atThe Old Vic theatre in London in the one-night playNight Sky alongsideNavin Chowdhry,Bruno Langley,David Warner,Saffron Burrows andDavid Baddiel. Eccleston sat on the 2nd Amazonas International Film Festival Film Jury in November 2005. The Canadian born directorNorman Jewison was chairman of the Jury.[37] In December 2005, Eccleston travelled toIndonesia'sAceh province for theBBC Breakfast news programme, examining how survivors of the2004 Boxing Day tsunami were rebuilding their lives.[38]
Late in 2006 he starred inPerfect Parents, an ITV drama written and directed byJoe Ahearne, who had directed him inDoctor Who.[39] Eccleston joined the cast of theNBC TV seriesHeroes in the episode "Godsend", which was broadcast on 22 January 2007. Eccleston played a character namedClaude who has the power ofinvisibility, and helps Peter Petrelli with his powers.[40] Eccleston appeared as the Rider in afilm adaptation ofSusan Cooper's novelThe Dark Is Rising.[41]
Eccleston appeared on the BBC Four World Cinema Award show in February 2008, arguing the merits of five international hits such asThe Lives of Others andPan's Labyrinth withJonathan Ross andArchie Panjabi. In 2009, Eccleston starred opposite Archie Panjabi in a short film calledThe Happiness Salesman. Eccleston agreed to do the film because of Panjabi and the fact that it was a winner of the British Short Screenplay Competition.[citation needed] He also appeared as the villainousDestro in theG.I. Joe film,G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra.[42] In 2018 he described his experience working on the film as "horrendous".[43] He did not return for the2013 sequel.[44]
Eccleston was cast asJohn Lennon in a BBC production calledLennon Naked which aired in the UK on 23 June 2010,[45][46] with Eccleston playing the title role, andNaoko Mori, who had previously appeared with him inDoctor Who, asYoko Ono. In November 2010, Eccleston starred in the first episode ofBBC One anthology dramaAccused. He won an International Emmy Award for his role. In May 2011, he starred as Joseph Bede inThe Shadow Line, a seven-part television drama serial for BBC Two.[47]
On 31 December 2011, Eccleston played the role of Pod Clock in an adaptation ofMary Norton's children's novelThe Borrowers on BBC One. In July 2012, he starred in the political thrillerBlackout on BBC One. In the same month, he starred asCreon in an adaptation ofAntigone at theRoyal National Theatre; his performance in the play was called "charismatic" and "intense".[48] In September 2012, Eccleston starred in the filmSong for Marion, also known asUnfinished Song withTerence Stamp.[49]
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In 2013, Eccleston portrayed the villainousMalekith inThor: The Dark World, the sequel toThor and the eighth instalment in theMarvel Cinematic Universe. In 2018 he compared working on the film to having a "gun in your mouth".[43][50] Later that year, he playedJohn Aspinall inLucan, a mini-series about the disappearance ofLord Lucan.[51] From 2014 to 2017, Eccleston starred as Reverend Matt Jamison on theHBO drama seriesThe Leftovers and earned consistent acclaim for his performance across all three seasons.[52] In 2015, Eccleston starred in the television seriesFortitude as a scientist based inArctic Norway alongsideStanley Tucci andMichael Gambon[53] before he andMarsha Thomason played a married couple who own aguest house in theLake District in the seriesSafe House.[54] Later in 2015, Eccleston starred asLeonard "Nipper" Read inLegend, a film about theKray twins, oppositeTom Hardy.[55]
In 2016, Eccleston began appearing as Maurice Scott in theBBC dramaThe A Word. Maurice is the eccentric but lovable dad to his daughter who, with her husband, has an autistic son. The second series began airing in November 2017 both in the UK and the US, whereThe A Word airs onSundance TV. A third series was confirmed and aired in the spring of 2020.[56][57]
Eccleston played the lead role in theRoyal Shakespeare Company's production ofMacbeth in 2018. The production was streamed onBBC Four.[58] Also in 2018, Eccleston starred in two films; oppositeTom Wilkinson ascrime boss Harvey inDead in a Week or Your Money Back[59] and as aNazi officer Heinz inWhere Hands Touch.[60] That same year he appeared inKing Lear as Oswald and in the television mini-seriesCome Home, the latter of which he was nominated for anEmmy Award forBest Actor.[61] In 2021, Eccleston starred in the six-part television mini-seriesClose to Me.[62]
Further projects include playingFagin in the seriesDodger[63] and in a television adaptation of the award-winning novelMy Name is Leon.[64]
Eccleston married Mischka, a copywriter, in November 2011.[65] Their first child, a son named Albert, was born in February 2012.[66][67] Their second child, a daughter named Esme, was born in 2013.[5][68] They were divorced in December 2015.[69]
Eccleston is a lifelong supporter ofManchester United,[70] and was a regular marathon runner until 2000.[4][71]
In September 2007, as part of a £9.5 million building project, Salford'sPendleton College named its new 260-seat auditorium the Eccleston Theatre.[72]
Eccleston became aMencap charity ambassador on 28 April 2005,[73] and is a supporter of theBritish Red Cross.[74] He also supports research forAlzheimer's disease and other forms ofdementia; his father, Ronnie, hadvascular dementia in his later years, from 1998 until his death in 2012.[75][76]
In his autobiography, Eccleston described chronicanorexia,body dysmorphia and depression, and said that he had considered suicide. Speaking about his poor mental health, he wrote that he was "a lifelong body hater".[77] He was hospitalised in 2016 with severe clinical depression.[78]
Eccleston has criticised theConservative Party and expressed concern at opportunities for actors from his background to achieve his level of success in the future. He said in July 2017, "It's always been a policy of the Conservative government and party to destroy working class identity. If you prevent them from having a cultural voice, which is what's happening, they achieve that. They hate us, they want to destroy us, so we're being ruled out of having a voice."[80]
Eccleston endorsedLabour Party incumbentAndy Burnham in the2021 Greater Manchester mayoral election.[81]
Eccleston is aBritish republican who supports the abolition of theBritish monarchy.[82][83]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Refs. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | Let Him Have It | Derek Bentley | ||
| 1992 | Death and the Compass | Alonso Zunz | ||
| 1993 | Anchoress | Priest | ||
| 1994 | Shallow Grave | David Stevens | ||
| 1996 | Jude | Jude Fawley | ||
| 1998 | A Price Above Rubies | Sender Horowitz | ||
| Elizabeth | Duke of Norfolk | |||
| 1999 | Heart | Gary Ellis | ||
| Existenz | Seminar Leader | |||
| With or Without You | Vincent Boyd | |||
| 2000 | Gone in 60 Seconds | Raymond Calitri | ||
| 2001 | The Others | Charles Stewart | ||
| The Invisible Circus | Wolf | |||
| 2002 | 24 Hour Party People | Boethius | ||
| I Am Dina | Leo Zhukovsky | |||
| Revengers Tragedy | Vindici | |||
| 28 Days Later | Major Henry West | |||
| 2007 | The Seeker | The Rider | [41] | |
| 2008 | New Orleans, Mon Amour | Dr. Henry | ||
| 2009 | G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra | James McCullen / Destro | [43] | |
| Amelia | Fred Noonan | |||
| 2012 | Song for Marion | James Harris | ||
| 2013 | Thor: The Dark World | Malekith | [84] | |
| 2015 | Legend | Leonard "Nipper" Read | ||
| 2018 | Dead in a Week or Your Money Back | Harvey | ||
| Where Hands Touch | Heinz | |||
| 2024 | Young Woman and the Sea | Jabez Wolffe | ||
| TBA | Chasing Millions | Crayford |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Refs. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | Blood Rights | Dick | Episode: #1.1 | |
| Casualty | Stephen Hills | Episode: " A Reasonable Man" | ||
| 1991 | Inspector Morse | Terrence Mitchell | Episode: "Second Time Around" | |
| Chancer | Radio | Episode: "Jo" | ||
| Boon | Mark | Episode: "Cover Up" | ||
| 1992 | Rachel's Dream | Man in Dream | TV film | |
| Poirot | Frank Carter | Episode: "One, Two, Buckle My Shoe" | ||
| Friday on my Mind | Sean Maddox | 3 episodes | ||
| Business with Friends | Angel Morris | TV film | ||
| 1993–1994 | Cracker | DCI David Bilborough | 10 episodes | |
| 1995 | Hearts and Minds | Drew Mackenzie | 4 episodes | |
| 1996 | Our Friends in the North | Nicky Hutchinson | 9 episodes | |
| Hillsborough | Trevor Hicks | TV film | ||
| 2000 | Wilderness Men | Alexander Von Humboldt | 3 episodes | |
| Clocking Off | Jim Calvert | 2 episodes | ||
| 2001 | Strumpet | Strayman | TV film | |
| Linda Green | Tom Sherry / Neil Sherry | Episode: "Twins" | ||
| Othello | Ben Jago | TV film | ||
| 2002 | The League of Gentlemen | Dougal Siepp | Episode: "How the Elephant Got Its Trunk" | |
| Flesh and Blood | Joe Broughton | TV film | ||
| The King and Us | Anthony | |||
| Sunday | General Ford | |||
| 2003 | The Second Coming | Stephen Baxter | 2 episodes | |
| 2005 | Doctor Who | Ninth Doctor | Series 1; 13 episodes | [32] |
| 2006 | Perfect Parents | Stuart | TV film | |
| 2007 | Heroes | Claude | 5 episodes | |
| 2008 | The Sarah Silverman Program | Dr. Lazer Rage | Episode: "I Thought My Dad Was Dead, But It Turns Out He's Not" | |
| 2010 | Lennon Naked | John Lennon | TV film | |
| Accused | Willy Houlihan | Episode: "Willy's Story" | ||
| 2011 | The Shadow Line | Joseph Bede | All 7 episodes | |
| The Borrowers | Pod Clock | TV film | ||
| 2012 | Blackout | Daniel Demoys | All 3 episodes | |
| 2013 | Lucan | John Aspinall | Both 2 episodes | |
| 2014–2017 | The Leftovers | Matt Jamison | 23 episodes | |
| 2015 | Fortitude | Professor Stoddart | 3 episodes | |
| Safe House | Robert | 4 episodes | ||
| 2016 | The Life of Rock with Brian Pern | Luke Dunmore | 2 episodes | |
| 2016–2020 | The A Word | Maurice Scott | All 18 episodes | |
| 2017 | Brian Pern: A Tribute | Luke Dunmore | TV film | |
| 2018 | Come Home | Greg | All 3 episodes | |
| King Lear | Oswald | TV film | ||
| Danger Mouse | J. Woolington Sham | Voice; Episode: "No More Mr Ice Guy" | ||
| 2020 | 2019: A Year in the Life of a Year | Himself | TV film | |
| The Kemps: All True | ||||
| 2021 | Close to Me | Rob Harding | All 6 episodes | |
| 2022 | My Name is Leon | Mr. Devlin | TV film | |
| Would I Lie to You? | Himself | Series 16 Xmas Special | ||
| 2022–2023 | Dodger | Fagin | Main role; 14 episodes | |
| 2024 | True Detective | Captain Ted Connelly | Season 4 Main Cast | |
| The Guilty Innocent with Christopher Eccleston | Himself | All 2 episodes | ||
| TBA | Out of the Dust | Mr Phillips | Main Cast | [85] |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Refs. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | A Streetcar Named Desire | Pablo Gonzalez | Bristol Old Vic | |
| 1989 | Dona Rosita the Spinster | Phyllida Lloyd | ||
| 1990 | Bent | Lieutenant | Royal National Theatre | |
| Abingdon Square | ||||
| Aide-Memoire | Royal Court Theatre | |||
| 1993 | Waiting at the Water's Edge | Will | Bush Theatre | |
| 2000 | Miss Julie | Jean | Haymarket Theatre | |
| 2002 | Hamlet | Hamlet | West Yorkshire Playhouse | |
| 2004 | Electricity | Jakey | ||
| 2009 | A Doll's House | Neil Kelman | Donmar Warehouse | |
| 2012 | Antigone | Creon | Royal National Theatre | |
| 2018 | Macbeth | Macbeth | Royal Shakespeare Theatre | |
| Barbican Theatre, London | ||||
| 2023 | NASSIM | Traverse Theatre | ||
| A Christmas Carol | Ebenezer Scrooge | The Old Vic |
| Year | Artist | Title | Refs. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | The Tyre | Salesman | |
| 2001 | This Little Piggy | Cabbie | |
| 2010 | The Happiness Salesman | Salesman | |
| 2025 | Whispers of Freedom | Herbert Köfer |
| Year | Artist | Title | Refs. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | I Am Kloot | "Proof" | |
| 2010 | "Northern Skies" |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Refs. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Room of Leaves | Frank | ||
| Pig Paradise | Jack | |||
| 2001 | Some Fantastic Place | Narrator | ||
| Bayeux Tapestry | Harold | |||
| 2002 | The Importance of Being Morrissey | Narrator | ||
| Iliad | Achilles | |||
| 2003 | Cromwell – Warts and All | Narrator | ||
| 2004 | Life Half Spent | Roger | ||
| 2005 | Crossing the Dark Sea | Squaddie | ||
| Sacred Nation | Narrator | |||
| Born to be Different | Narrator | |||
| A Day in the Death of Joe Egg | Brian | |||
| E=mc² (Einstein's Big Idea) | Narrator | |||
| Dubai Dreams | Narrator | |||
| Wanted: New Mum and Dad | Narrator | |||
| Children in Need | Narrator | |||
| This Sceptred Isle | Various Characters | |||
| 2005–2006 | The Dark Side of Porn | Narrator | Season 1–2; 9 Episodes | |
| 2006 | The 1970s: That Was The Decade That Was | Narrator | ||
| 2008 | The Devil's Christmas | Narrator | ||
| 2009 | Wounded | Narrator | ||
| 2011 | The Bomb Squad | Narrator | ||
| 2012 | Timeshift: Wrestling's Golden Age: Grapplers, Grunts & Grannies | Narrator | ||
| 2013 | Nineteen Eighty-Four | Protagonist | ||
| 2016 | The Last Miners | Narrator | 2 episodes | |
| 2017–present | Ambulance | Narrator | 44 episodes | |
| 2017 | Manchester: 100 Days After the Attack | Narrator | Television special | |
| 2019 | Cold Bath Street, a Lancashire ghost story byA.J. Hartley | Narrator | ||
| I Love the Bones of You: My Father And The Making Of Me | Narrator |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Refs. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021–present | Doctor Who: The Ninth Doctor Adventures | Ninth Doctor | Series 1–3; 34 episodes | [32] |
| 2023 | Doctor Who: Once and Future | Episode: "Time Lord Immemorial" | [35] |
| 2019 | The Whisper Man | Audiobook (Narrator) |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | I Love the Bones of You: My Father And The Making Of Me | Autobiography |
| Year | Category | Nominated work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | Best Actor | Our Friends in the North | Nominated | [86] |
| 2004 | The Second Coming | Nominated |
| Year | Category | Nominated work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Best Actor | Doctor Who | Nominated | [86] |
| Year | Category | Nominated work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Best Actor | Accused | Won | |
| 2019 | Come Home | Nominated |
| Year | Work | Award | Category | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | Jude | Golden Satellite Award | Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama | Nominated |
| Our Friends in the North | Broadcasting Press Guild Award | Best Actor | Won | |
| 2003 | Flesh and Blood | Royal Television Society Award | Best Actor | Won |
| 2005 | Doctor Who | TV Choice Award | Best Actor | Won |
| National Television Awards | Most Popular Actor | Won | ||
| Broadcasting Press Guild Award | Best Actor | Nominated | ||
| 2007 | Heroes | SyFy Genre Awards | Best Special Guest | Nominated |
| 2015 | The Leftovers | Satellite Award | Best Supporting Actor – Series, Miniseries, or Television Film | Nominated |
| Critics' Choice Television Award | Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series | Nominated | ||
| 2016 | Critics' Choice Television Award | Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series | Nominated |
I was blacklisted… I was told by my agent at the time: 'The BBC regime is against you. You're going to have to get out of the country'.
Question: Who had the most profound effect on your life, and what advice would you give to your son Albert? Eccleston: My mother and father, definitely, I had an incredibly happy childhood and loving and supportive parents, everything I've achieved in life is down to – getting a bit emotional here! – the start they gave me in life, without a doubt. My advice to Albert would be to try and get himself parents like I had. He's done it, he's got a mum like my mum.
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