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Dan Stevens

Dan Stevens: Born October 10, 1982 (Libra)

Dan Stevens is no stranger to period dramas. He’s worked in BBC versions of both Dracula and Frankenstein and appeared in too many Shakespeare productions to count. In 2008, Stevens also starred in the BBC version of Jane Austin’s Sense and Sensibility. His extensive theatre career spans both Britain and the United States. Dan Stevens’ acting career started at public school in Kent where he auditioned for a role in Macbeth. After finishing school, reading English at a Cambridge college was a natural choice for a literary actor like Stevens.

A younger Dan Stevens

Away from the set of Downton Abbey, in 2012, Dan Stevens completed shooting on the film Vamps and an Edwardian romance set in an artist colony. True to his literary roots, Stevens was a member of the judging panel for the 2012 Man Booker Prize. He also works as an editor for The Junket, an online quarterly. Stevens was adopted at birth and grew up in Croydon. He has a younger brother who was also adopted. Dan Stevens is married to South African singer and teacher, Susie Hariet. The couple met in Sheffield, England in 2006. They have two children: a daughter named Willow and a boy born in 2012.

Downton Abbey costs an average of one million pounds per episode to produce.

As of 2013, Downton Abbey is the highest rated PBS "Masterpiece" drama series of all time, seen by an estimated 120 million viewers in 200 countries and regions.

Gillian Anderson reportedly turned down the part of Lady Cora Grantham.

The real estate that "plays" Downton Abbey, Highclere Castle, has been the home of the Carnarvon family since 1679. In 1922, George Herbert, the 5th Earl of Carnarvon, co-discovered the Tomb of the Egyptian pharaoh Tutankhamun. On the show, the names of the Earl of Grantham's beloved dogs, Isis and Pharaoh, are nods to the real castle's connection to Egyptian history.

According to Julian Fellowes, the parts played by Hugh Bonneville, Brendan Coyle and Maggie Smith were written for the actors.

It was reported that Steven Waddington auditioned for the part of Bates.

When Downton Abbey first aired, Julian Fellowes (creator and producer) was annoyed at the media for pointing out anachronisms like TV aerials and the use of the word 'boyfriend'. (The word 'boyfriend appeared in print in 1889, long before the period setting of Downton). Fellowes said "they think to show how smart they are by picking holes in the program to promote their own poshness and to show that their knowledge is greater than your knowledge". In a later article coinciding with the start of the second season, Fellowes apologised and commented "I behaved rather badly by getting the hump."

Dan Stevens

Downton Abbey Trivia

Hunks of Downton Abbey

Extras

Shirley Maclaine Interview