Born on April 23, 1962 in East Kilbride, Scotland, actor John David Hannah is the youngest of three children. He studied at Claremont High School in his hometown before taking on an apprenticeship as an electrician. Before that though, he became part of the East Kilbride Rep Theatre Club. A colleague of his suggested he attend the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama and he agreed, making it the first step in his acting career.
John Hannah then appeared on several theatre productions, as well as on film and television. In 1994, he made it big with a role in Four Weddings and a Funeral. Other appearances of his include those in Truth or Dare, McCallum, and The James Gang. He was even known for playing the comical Jonathan on The Mummy (1999) and its sequels, The Mummy Returns (2001) and The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor (2008). On television, he has had guest appearances on Alias, Frasier and the HBO series Carnivale. He also became known for his role in the drama New Street Law, as well as his stint on the ITN crime show Cold Blood. Later on, he was cast as Lentulus Batiatus on the Starz Network series Spartacus: Blood and Sand.
In 1996, Hannah was wed to actress Joanna Roth. She gave birth to twins Gabriel and Astrid in February of 2004. Aside from acting, he joined Scottish Films producer Murray Ferguson in founding a production company called Clerkenwell Films. They were the minds behind the Rebus series, which was later taken in-house by STV Productions.