David Tennant wanted to be an actor from the age of three, and was inspired to pursue acting as a career by his love of Doctor Who.

During his school days he performed in school plays and attended weekend drama classes, and made two professional acting appearances (in an anti-smoking campaign and an episode of Dramarama) before becoming the youngest person to ever land a place at Glasgow drama school RSAMD. While at drama school he shared a flat with his good friend, actress Louise Delamare. His talent was quickly spotted, and he started working in theatre and TV in Scotland as soon as he graduated.

In 1994 he landed a lead role in Scottish TV series Takin' Over The Asylum, the success of which resulted in him moving to London (where he lodged with his Takin' Over the Asylum co-star Arabella Weir for five years) and landing a London agent. High profile theatre roles followed (including a role in What the Butler Saw at the National Theatre, which required him to appear fully nude on stage), and he was soon invited to become a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company. He played many well-reviewed roles with them and soon developed a reputation as a formidable stage presence. He was in a relationship with actress Anne-Marie Duff for nearly five years.

While an early foray into film (1998's LA Without a Map) was unsuccessful, Tennant started to land roles in a number of critically acclaimed TV series, playing a sleazy vicar in He Knew He Was Right, a lovelorn but amoral policeman in Blackpool, and the legendary lover in Casanova. In 2005, he fulfilled his lifelong dream and won the role of the Doctor on Doctor Who. He quickly became hugely popular in the role, often being voted the Best Doctor of all time, and the role made him a household name.

The role also made him a tabloid target, but his extreme privacy and refusal to talk about his private life, and general clean living lifestyle, meant there was little scandal about him. He was in a relationship with actress Sophia Myles for two years, after she played his love interest on the show. The couple lived together and planned to marry and start a family, but the relationship ended when she accepted a lead role on an American TV series that would involve living in LA permanently.

Tennant played the role of the Doctor for four series and one year of 'specials', his last episode transmitting on New Year's Day 2010. During his years on the show he also acted in a number of TV dramas, most notably the critically acclaimed Recovery, in which he played a man recovering from serious brain injury. In 2008, during a filming break, he returned to the RSC to play Hamlet (also playing Berowne in Love's Labour's Lost), which became a huge critical and commercial success, later reprising the role in a film.

After leaving Doctor Who, Tennant appeared in several British films and in the US horror remake Fright Night. However none were critical or commercial hits. He also starred in a US TV pilot, which was not picked up. In Britain he starred in the BBC1 drama series Single Father, and the critically acclaimed TV drama United.

In June 2010 his girlfriend (who he had dated casually, mainly long-distance, for two years) Georgia Moffett fell pregnant, and the couple became engaged and started living together the following Christmas. In March 2011 she gave birth to a daughter, Olive. The couple wed in a secret ceremony on 30th December 2011. Seven months later she fell pregnant again, giving birth to a son, Wilfred, on 2nd May 2013. They reportedly separated temporarily in 2013/2014. Moffett became pregnant with her fourth child in late 2014.

Several days after his daughter's birth he started work on what would be one of his major successes: the West End play Much Ado About Nothing. The play became a smash hit and was also later filmed. He also continued to excel as a voice actor, recording dozens of radio plays and series, audio books, movie voice-roles (such as a lead role in the Aardman production The Pirates) and documentary voice overs during the day, before performing on stage at night. During 2011 he also filmed a TV series (the improvised series True Love) and a British film (Nativity 2).

In 2012, though several movie deals fell through, he continued to be in high demand as a voice actor, and also filmed the one-off TV drama The Minor Character for Sky Arts. Between April and June he filmed the BBC4 miniseries The Spies of Warsaw' in Poland. In June and July he filmed the BBC drama series 'The Politician's Husband' in London. Between August and December he filmed the ITV detective drama series 'Broadchurch' in Bristol and Dorset, filming the panel show 'Comedy World Cup' simultaneously during his Sundays off from filming Broadchurch.

In 2013, he filmed the BBC1 drama series 'The Escape Artist' in London, then reprised his role as the Doctor in the Doctor Who 50th Anniversary Special, then played Richard II for the RSC.

In 2014, he shot Gracepoint in Canada for five months, then Broadchurch S2 in Dorset.

In 2015, he shot aka Jessica Jones in New York for five months, then will shoot a movie in Glasgow, then reprise Richard II in London.

In 2016, he will play Richard II in New York for two months, then shoot Broadchurch 3 in Dorset for 5 months.