Born in Glasgow in 1958, Peter Capaldi attended St Teresa's Primary School in Possilpark, St Matthew's Primary School in Bishopbriggs, and St Ninian's High School in Kirkintilloch, before winning a place at the Glasgow School of Art.
He performed from an early age as part of the Antonine Players theatre group in Bishopbriggs, and was in a student punk band called The Dreamboys with future American chatshow host Craig Ferguson – who he also performed comedy with as ‘Bing & Dean Hitler’.
Capaldi’s big screen break came when he was cast as Danny Oldsen in Bill Forsyth’s classic Scottish film Local Hero in 1983 and he has had a successful career ever since – appearing in more than 40 films and television programmes. It’s on the small screen where he is perhaps most familiar, playing the sweary and terrifying spin doctor Malcolm Tucker in ‘The Thick of It’ (returning to the role for the feature film ‘In The Loop’) and as the twelfth incarnation of Doctor Who.
Notable films appearances have included Dangerous Liaisons, Paddington 1 and 2, Christopher Robin, and The Suicide Squad, while in 1993 he won both the Oscar for Best Live Action Short Film and the BAFTA for Best Short Film for his short film ‘Franz Kafka's It's a Wonderful Life’.
Here are 13 interesting, amusing and insightful quotes from the Scottish actor.
9. Peter Capaldi on...books
"I'm not terribly well read. My wife forces books into my hands and insists I read them, which I'm grateful to her for. She made me read 'War and Peace.' The whole thing. It was amazing, but I had to hide it. You can't walk round reading 'War and Peace' - it's like you're in a comedy sketch and you think you're smart." Photo: Dia Dipasupil
10. Peter Capaldi on...politicians
"I'm not saying that all politicians are awful. I don't know any of them well enough to say whether they're awful or not. But almost every day, you find out something about them that's appalling. Maybe we shouldn't be surprised any longer." Photo: Tim P. Whitby
11. Peter Capaldi on...being in a band
"I got into music, I was in a band, I was at art school. I was quite trendy, although I'd hate to meet myself. The over-preening, the pretentiousness, the arrogance of youth! I think, 'Oh, that guy was so full of himself.'" Photo: Kevin Winter
12. Peter Capaldi on...the British film industry
"The Hollywood image of the movie business is all about ambition and high achievers like James Cameron. But the British film industry is much more about men who wear cravats and work with model trains and hope another series of 'Thomas the Tank Engine' will be commissioned." Photo: Anthony Harvey