Daniel Mays

Daniel Mays (born 31 March 1978) before going on to become a student at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA), graduating in 2000 with an Acting Diploma.

Career In 2000, Mays' debut role was a slot in EastEnders. Mays started his big screen career in 2001, as a pilot in the film Pearl Harbor. then in 2008, played the role of Michael Myshkin in Channel 4's adaptation of David Peace's Red Riding trilogy. His appearance in the 2008 independent British crime film Shifty, co-starring Riz Ahmed, earned him a nomination for best supporting actor at the British Independent Film Awards.

In 2010, Mays starred as Eddie O'Grady in the film Made in Dagenham. In the same year, he played DCI Jim Keats in the third series of Ashes to Ashes, in which he portrayed a character that was the antagonist of Philip Glenister's Gene Hunt.

In 2011, Mays appeared in the BBC sci-fi series Outcasts. He had roles in No One Gets Off in This Town and a supporting role in the Steven Spielberg film The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn. He then played a criminal on a curfew after serving a 10-year sentence for the murder of his girlfriend when he was 19 in the programme Public Enemies, which aired on BBC One in early January 2012. He played Ronnie Biggs in a 5-part drama called Mrs Biggs. In 2012, he starred alongside Gemma Arterton and Saoirse Ronan in the vampire film Byzantium.

For much of the latter half of 2013, Mays performed on stage. Performing in Nick Payne's Same Deep Water As Me at the Donmar Warehouse alongside Nigel Lindsay and in the first major revival of Jez Butterworth's debut play Mojo at the Harold Pinter Theatre. He starred alongside Ben Whishaw, Brendan Coyle, Rupert Grint and Colin Morgan.

In 2016, Mays starred in series 3 of BBC drama Line of Duty as Sergeant Danny Waldron, an armed response officer whose troubled and abusive childhood comes under investigation as part of wider investigation of police corruption throughout the serial. He was nominated for a BAFTA Television Award for Supporting Actor for his role. In 2016, Mays played the part of Aston in Harold Pinter's play The Caretaker directed by Matthew Warchus at The Old Vic Theatre in London opposite Timothy Spall and George MacKay. The same year, Mays portrayed Tivik in the film Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.

In 2020, Mays starred as lead investigator Detective Chief Inspector Peter Jay in the ITV three-part television drama miniseries Des, about the 1983 arrest of the serial killer Dennis Nilsen, and as Marcus in the Ibiza based whodunnit series White Lines.

In March 2023, Mays made his musical debut as Nathan Detroit in Guys and Dolls directed by Nicholas Hytner at the Bridge Theatre. He left the production temporarily in July (where the role was taken over by Owain Arthur) due to filming commitments before returning to it in October. For his performance, Mays was nominated for the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Musical in 2024. , he was living in Crouch End, an area in the London Borough of Haringey.

Filmography

Film

Television Year Title Role Notes1996 Fist of Fun Patrick Nuffy 3 episodes (series 2) Grange Hill Adrian / Dancer 5 episodes 2000 EastEnders Kevin 4 episodes2001 In Deep Dave Street 2 episodes: "Ghost Squad: Parts 1 & 2" The Bill Warren Debdale Episode: "Temptation"2002 Manchild Mechanic Episode: "Fiftysomething" NCS: Manhunt Danny Bird 5 episodes Dead Casual (unknown) TV film Bodily Harm Second Trader Mini-series; episode 1 Tipping the Velvet Jimmy Burns Mini-series; 2 episodes 2003 Rehab Adam TV film2004 Keen Eddie Ronnie Wiggensey Jr. Episode: "Sticky Fingers" Top Buzzer Carlton Main cast. 10 episodes2005 Beneath the Skin Moz Burnside TV film Class of '76 DS Steven Grant TV film Funland Carter Krantz Main cast. Mini-series; 11 episodes 2006 Great News Steve Benfield Unknown episodes2007 Consent Steve TV film Saddam's Tribe: Bound by Blood Uday Hussein TV film Half Broken Things Michael TV film 2008 White Girl Steve TV film Consuming Passion: 100 Years of Mills & Boon Charles Boon TV film2009 Plus One Rob Black Main role. 5 episodes Red Riding: The Year of Our Lord 1974Michael Myshkin TV film. Part 1 of the trilogy Red Riding: The Year of Our Lord 1983 TV film. Part 3 of the trilogy The Street Mark Episode: "Meet the Parents"2010 Hustle Mervyn Lloyd Episode: "Conned Out of Luck" Ashes to Ashes DCI Jim Keats Main cast. 8 episodes (series 3)2011 Outcasts Cass Cromwell Main cast. 8 episodes Doctor Who Alex Episode: "Night Terrors"2012 Treasure Island Dr. Livesey Mini-series; 2 episodes Public Enemies Eddie Mottram Main cast. Mini-series; 3 episodes Mrs Biggs Ronnie Biggs Main cast. Mini-series; 5 episodes2014Playhouse Presents Guv Episode: "Nightshift" Common Tommy Ward TV film The Great War: The People's Story Reg Evans Mini-series; 2 episodes The Great Fire Samuel Pepys Mini-series; 4 episodes Knifeman Julian Tattersal TV film 2016 Line of Duty PS Danny Waldron 3 episodes (series 3)2017 Against the Law Peter Wildeblood TV film. Docu-drama Born to Kill Bill Main cast. Mini-series; 4 episodes Guerrilla Cullen Main cast. Mini-series; 6 episodes2018 Urban Myths Mike Housego Episode: "The Sex Pistols Vs. Bill Grundy" Mother's Day Colin TV film My Dinner with Hervé Casey TV film The Interrogation of Tony Martin DC Peters TV film2019 Do Not Disturb (unknown) Episode: "Silent Treatment" Porters Anthony De La Mer Main cast. 6 episodes (series 2) Good Omens Arthur Young Recurring cast. 6 episodes (series 1) 2019, 2021 Temple Lee Simmons 14 episodes (series 1 & 2)2020 White Lines Marcus Main cast. 10 episodes The Kemps: All True Himself TV film Des DCI Peter Jay Main cast. Mini-series; 3 episodes 2020–2022 Code 404 DI John Major Main role. 18 episodes (series 1–3)2022 Magpie Murders Locke / Chubb Main cast. 5 episodes Inside No. 9 Shane Episode: "Kid/Nap" Maryland PC Moody TV film2023 Still Up Rich Episode: "Veggie Veggie Bing Bong" The Long Shadow Sydney Jackson Mini-series; 3 episodes 2024 Franklin Edward Bancroft Main cast. Mini-series; 8 episodes Moonflower Murders Chubb / Locke Main cast. Mini-series; 6 episodes 2024–2026 A Thousand Blows William 'Punch' Lewis Main cast. 8 episodes (series 1 & 2)2025 Suspect: The Shooting of Jean Charles de Menezes Cliff Todd 2 episodes: "The Terror" & "The Hunt" Bookish Eric Wellbeloved 2 episodes: "Slightly Foxed: Parts 1 & 2" Lynley DCI Brian Nies 4 episodes2026 Lord of the Flies Fred Mini-series; episode 4: "Ralph" Believe Me John Worboys 4 episodes Hari Voss Post-production

Video games Year Title Role (voice) Notes 2025 Chicken Run: Eggstraction Fetcher

Awards and nominations Year Award Category Work Result 2004 Reims International Television Days Best Actor Rehab 2008 British Independent Film Awards BIFA TV Award for Best Supporting Actor Shifty