Born on October 15, 1969 in Sheffield, Yorkshire, England, Dominic West is an English actor. He was educated at Eton College and Trinity College in Dublin. In 1995, he graduated from the Guildhall School of Music & Drama with a three year BA Honours Degree in Acting.
Dominic West made his acting debut in a short film titled 3 Joes in 1991. He next starred in Richard III as Henry, Earl of Richmond in 1995. The next year, he was cast in the sports drama True Blue, where he played the character Donald MacDonald. In 1997, he was given roles in three films, The Gambler, Diana & Me and Spice World. He had a small role in the blockbuster film Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace as well. West landed the role of Jasper in 2000’s 28 Days and became known for his portrayal of heavy-metal guitarist Kirk Cuddy in 2001’s Rock Star. He was also in Chicago, alongside Catherine Zeta-Jones and Ren?e Zellweger. In 2003, he played the role of Bill Dunbar in the drama Mona Lisa Smile. West also gained fame playing the Spartan politician, Theron, in the 2007 film adaptation of the graphic novel 300. He was then seen in the horror Hannibal Rising. That year, West landed the role of police officer Jummy McNulty in the HBO series, a police drama known as The Wire.
West has also made several appearances as a theatre actor. He has been in the Peter Hall-directed The Seagull at the Old Vic Theater. He was then cast as Orlando in a production of Shakespeare’s As You Like It at London’s Wyndham’s Theatre. In 2006, he performed at the Royal National Theatre as Edward in Harley Granville Barker’s The Voysey Inheritance. He was also at London’s West End, playing the lead role of Jan in Rock ‘n’ Roll by Tom Stoppard.