Arthur Darvill

British actor Thomas Arthur Darvill was born in the Birmingham section of West Midlands, England, on June 17, 1982. He grew up in an entertainment-centered family: His father was a musician who played with several rhythm-and-blues performers, including Edwin Starr and UB40; his mother was a member of a puppet theater.

At age 10, Darvill joined the Stage2 Youth Theatre Company, after which he formed his own company, called Fuego's Men. Upon moving to London with friends at age 18, he trained at the prestigious Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. His first professional stage role was as Harrison, a criminal, in Edmund White's "Terre Haute," which was featured at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

When "Terre Haute" transferred to the Trafalgar Studios, Darvill was nominated as Best Newcomer at the 2007 Evening Standard Theatre Awards. He also played in a production of "Swimming with Sharks" with Hollywood actor Christian Slater. Television work too came quickly to the young actor. In 2008 came his television debut in "He Kills Coppers," a crime drama on ITV, and he appeared in the BBC serial "Little Dorrit," playing Edward "Tip" Dorrit, that same year.

In 2010, Darvill was cast as Rory Williams, companion to the Eleventh Doctor, in the massively popular science-fiction television program "Doctor Who." During his two years on the show, which has a global audience, his popularity soared, both in the United Kingdom and in much of the rest of the world. (He was voted Best Supporting Actor by readers of "Doctor Who" magazine for his work on the 2010 season.) Most recently, Darvill was cast to play the role of Rip Hunter in the CW's "Legends of Tomorrow."

Darvill inherited his father's love of music and has provided original music for several stage shows, including Mike Bartlett's "Artefacts" (2007) and Che Walker's (whom he met at RADA) "The Frontline" (2008). He also wrote the 2009 musical "Been So Long." In addition, the talented actor has done a bit of radio and voiceover work, including roles in BBC Radio 4's "Gulliver's Travels" and "Burning Both Ends," and work on "Doctor Who" audiobooks.