Danny Dyer
Dyer atSoccer Aid forUNICEF 2023
Born	Danial John Dyer (1977-07-24)24 July 1977 (age 47) London, England
Occupations	Actor presenter
Years active	1993–present
Spouse	Joanne Mas ​ (m. 2016)​
Children	3, includingDani
Website	dannydyer.com

Danial John Dyer (born 24 July 1977) is an English actor and presenter. Dyer's breakthrough role was as Moff inHuman Traffic (1999), with other notable roles Billy the Limpet inMean Machine (2001) and as Tommy Johnson inThe Football Factory (2004). Following the success ofThe Football Factory, Dyer was often typecast in "hard man" roles, although it was this image that allowed him to presentThe Real Football Factories, its spin-off,The Real Football Factories International andDanny Dyer's Deadliest Men. Dyer has also worked in theatre, having appeared in three plays written byHarold Pinter, with whom he had a close friendship.^[1]

In 2013, Dyer joined the cast of the BBC soap operaEastEnders, in the role ofMick Carter, and remained in the series until 2022. He had previously turned down a role in 2009 and, in his 2010 autobiographyStraight Up, said he would not join the cast until he was "fat, bald and fifty".^[2] He won the Serial Drama Performance award at theNational Television Awards in 2015, 2016, and 2019. From 2019 until 2022, he presented the BBC game showThe Wall.

Danial John Dyer^[a][b][4] was born in theCustom House area ofLondon^[5] on 24 July 1977,^[5] the son of Christine (née Meakin) and Antony Dyer. He has a younger brother, Tony (born 1979), and sister, Kayleigh (born 1986).^[6] His parents split up when he was nine and he was raised by his mother in Custom House.^[5] He began acting when he was a teen, and was bullied at school so badly by his peers that he lied about taking acting classes.^[7]

In 2016, Dyer's family history was the subject of a Series 13 episode of the BBC genealogy seriesWho Do You Think You Are?, where it was revealed that his family hails from thePoplar area of London.^[8] Census records showed many of them working in the manual occupations connected to the docks on theRiver Thames.^[9] Further research found that Dyer is a descendant ofThomas Cromwell^[10] and ofElizabeth Seymour, the sister ofHenry VIII's third wifeJane Seymour. Elizabeth married Cromwell's sonGregory Cromwell and, with the Seymour family's assertion to be descended fromEdward III (Dyer's 25th generation ancestor), the line can be traced back toWilliam the Conqueror andCharlemagne.^[8] In response, geneticistAdam Rutherford argued that an English person being descended from aPlantagenet king was "not remarkable", musing that "almost every Briton" can claim such descent.^[11]

Dyer was discovered at a local school by an agent who auditioned him for the part of Martin Fletcher in theGranada Television seriesPrime Suspect 3 (1993), beginning his acting career at 16. He also appeared on television in episodes ofCadfael (1994),A Touch of Frost (1995),Loved Up (1995),Thief Takers (1996),Highlander andSoldier Soldier (both 1997).^[12] His many other television roles include appearances in the 2003Channel 4 dramaSecond Generation, directed by John Sen;^[12] as Malcolm, main character Michelle's stepfather, inSkins;^[13] as a football player in the second series ofHotel Babylon; and as Matt Costello in what was supposed to be the pilot episode forBreathless,^[12][14] aBBC two-part television series in development fromBBC Northern Ireland, renamed firstBlood Rush and thenKiss of Death, when it premiered onBBC One as a one-part drama on 26 May 2008.^[15]

Beginning in 2007, Dyer became the presenter ofThe Real Football Factories andThe Real Football Factories International, a TV documentary series onBravo, for which he travels, in the former throughout the United Kingdom and in the latter throughout the world, to meet and interview football club fans and hooligans. InDanny Dyer's Deadliest Men, "a gritty and hard-hitting documentary series that sees him venturing into the dark depths of the British underworld and hunting down some of the most notorious and feared men in Britain today", began airing on Bravo in the United Kingdom on 20 October 2008.^[16]

In April 2009, he turned down a role inEastEnders, stating that although he thought the role sounded good, he did not think he could cope with the pressure of additional publicity.^[17]

In February 2012, Dyer appeared as a paramedic in an episode ofCasualty. In March 2013, Dyer appeared as a guest onCelebrity Juice. Dyer appeared in the sixth series ofHollyoaks Later in October 2013, as The White Man. On 1 October 2013, the BBC announced that Dyer had been cast inEastEnders from Christmas 2013, asMick Carter, the new landlord ofThe Queen Victoria pub.^[18] After he began appearing as Carter, Dyer said that he had been offered and had turned down the part ofCarl White, who was eventually played byDaniel Coonan.^[19] In February 2017, it was announced that Dyer would be taking a "short break" fromEastEnders.^[20] In January 2022, it was announced that Dyer had quitEastEnders after over eight years in the role of Mick Carter.^[21]

In June 2018, Dyer appeared as a guest panellist onGood Evening Britain, a one-off spin-off show ofGood Morning Britain, to discussBritain's exit from the European Union. Dyer described it as a "mad riddle that no one knows what it is" and called formerPrime MinisterDavid Cameron a "twat".^[22] In August 2018, Dyer began narratingMTV reality series,True Love or True Lies.^[23] In 2019, Dyer appeared in a history documentary, titledDanny Dyer's Right Royal Family. The two-part series premiered onBBC One on 23 January 2019.^[24] Also that year, Dyer co-presentedTrue Love or True Lies onMTV alongside daughterDani, as well as beginning his presenting role onThe Wall on BBC One.^[25] After he announced his departure fromEastEnders, it was subsequently confirmed that Dyer would also be leavingThe Wall.^{[26][better source needed]}

Dyer is known for his "bad boy" or "hard man" roles in film.^[27] Dyer's first film role was inHuman Traffic (1999).^[28] His subsequent movie work includesMel Smith'sHigh Heels and Low Lifes (2001) and starring roles inBorstal Boy (2000),Mean Machine (2002) and in four films by the British film directorNick Love:Goodbye Charlie Bright (2001);The Football Factory (2004);The Business (2005); andOutlaw (2007).^[28] Among other film roles, he also appeared as the character Steve inChristopher Smith'sSeverance (2006); as Hayden inAdulthood (2008); and as himself in the feature documentaryTattoos: A Scarred History.^[29]

In 2008, he finished filming his roles as Pete and Tom inCity Rats and7 Lives, respectively.^[30] April 2009 saw the straight to DVD release ofCity Rats. Later that year, Dyer completed filming onJack Said, aBrit noir thriller in which he played Nathan alongsideAshlie Walker,Terry Stone,David O'Hara andSimon Phillips, which was released in November 2009. This film is the prequel toJack Says, which was released in 2008, and starredMike Reid.

In 2009, he shot several horror films includingDoghouse under the direction ofJake West, andBasement under the direction of Asham Kamboj.^[31] He played one of the lead roles in the British vampire filmDead Cert.^[32] In June 2010, he was cast for the lead role in the remake of the British horror filmThe Asphyx,^[33] but it failed to secure production finance and was indefinitely shelved. Dyer co-starred with Anna Walton inDeviation, a British dark thriller written and directed by J. K. Amalou.^[34]

In 2012, Dyer played the lead role inRay Cooney'sRun for Your Wife. Upon release in 2013, it was savaged by critics, who described it as one of the worst British films of all time. The film took in a mere £747 during its opening weekend.^[35]

Dyer has performed on stage, most notably in two plays written and directed by 2005Nobel LaureateHarold Pinter: as the Waiter in the London première ofCelebration (2000), at theAlmeida Theatre, which transferred toLincoln Center for the Performing Arts, in New York, as part of the Harold Pinter Festival held there in July and August 2001;^[36] and as Foster in the revival ofNo Man's Land (1975), at theRoyal National Theatre, in London, during 2001 and 2002.^[37][38] In March 2008, he played Joey in a revival of Pinter'sThe Homecoming (1964), directed byMichael Attenborough, at the Almeida Theatre, in London.^[39] He also performed inPeter Gill's playCertain Young Men (1999) in London.^[40] From 9 September 2009 to 3 October 2009, Dyer appeared asSid Vicious in a new play calledKurt and Sid in London'sWest End at theTrafalgar Studios.

Dyer is the voice ofKent Paul in the video gamesGrand Theft Auto: Vice City (2002) andGrand Theft Auto: San Andreas (2004).^[40] He also appears inThe Twang's 2007video for "Two Lovers".^[41]

I Believe in UFOs: Danny Dyer, a documentary that sees Dyer journey to various "UFO hotspots" in the UK and the US in hope of experiencing a UFO sighting, was broadcast onBBC Three on 26 January 2010.^[42] In 2016, he appeared indrag in theLucy Rose music video for "Nebraska".^[43] In 2020, he began co-hostingSorted with the Dyers, apodcast alongside daughter Dani.^[44]

In 2021, along withWill Mellor, Dyer recorded a new version of "Vindaloo" for NHS Charities.^[45] In January 2022, Dyer quitEastEnders so that he could accept an offer to appear on a Sky series.^[46]

In 2010, in his capacity as a celebrityagony uncle, Dyer wrote inZoo that a young male reader could get over his recent breakup with a woman by "going on a rampage with the boys" or to "cut your ex's face, and then no one will want her". The comment was widely criticised by the media and the public, including the chief executive of theFawcett Society, Ceri Goddard. Dyer later claimed that he was misquoted.^[47]

Dyer was quoted in a May 2011 article inNME as wanting to headbutt film criticMark Kermode.^[48] Kermode had mocked and impersonated Dyer on a recent edition of hisBBC Radio 5 Live show withSimon Mayo.^[49]

Dyer has been an outspoken critic of formerConservativePrime MinisterDavid Cameron. In 2018, he referred to Cameron as a "twat" on live television, while also expressing contempt forNigel Farage andBrexit.^[50] He voted for Brexit, but later changed his mind and considered himself to be a "poster boy" for the campaign to stop it.^[50]

Dyer resides inDebden, Essex.^[51] He began dating Joanne Mas in 1992 but they separated after the birth of their first daughter, future television personalityDani Dyer, in 1996. They began dating other people, but soon started an affair with each other and decided to reconcile.^[52] Dyer and Mas eventually married on 3 September 2016,^[53] after she proposed to him in March 2015.^[54] They also have a second daughter and a son.^[52]

Dyer has been open about his drug use. In his autobiography, he stated, "I've always taken drugs and I probably always will, but there's a difference between having the odd craftybump up the snout as a reward for a job well done and letting it rule your life."^[55] He has advocated for thelegalisation of cocaine because he argues that banning it has not worked.^[56]

A lifelong football fan, Dyer supportsWest Ham United. In December 2007, he became the chairman ofKent League sideGreenwich Borough after appointed by club president, fellow actorTamer Hassan. He said, "I just love football and the chance of being involved with a club is like a dream come true."^[57] The appointment was actually a publicity stunt to raise the profile of the club.^{[58][better source needed]}

In 2016, Dyer travelled toSierra Leone to take part inSport Relief. He said, "I don't know what to expect when I go over there, but I'm hoping that it will make some kind of difference. It's an honour to be asked."^[59]

In 2011, Dyer released an autobiography titledStraight Up.^[60] In 2016, he released a second autobiography titledThe World According to Danny Dyer: Life Lessons from the East End.^[61]

This section of abiography of a living persondoes notinclude anyreferences or sources. Please help by addingreliable sources. Contentious material about living people that is unsourced or poorly sourcedmust be removed immediately. Find sources: "Danny Dyer" – news ·newspapers ·books ·scholar ·JSTOR(November 2024) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

This section of abiography of a living persondoes notinclude anyreferences or sources. Please help by addingreliable sources. Contentious material about living people that is unsourced or poorly sourcedmust be removed immediately. Find sources: "Danny Dyer" – news ·newspapers ·books ·scholar ·JSTOR(November 2024) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

• Certain Young Men (1999), byPeter Gill
• Celebration (2000), byHarold Pinter
• No Man's Land (2001–2002 revival), by Harold Pinter
• The Homecoming (2008 revival), by Harold Pinter
• Kurt and Sid (2009), byRoy Smiles

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