Even though some of us may only recognize Scottish actor David Tennant from a few roles that successfully gained notoriety overseas, the 48-year old is universally known in UK as one of the country’s most hardworking and prolific actors. At the age of three, Tennant told his parents that he wanted to become an actor because he was a fan of Doctor Who, a massively popular science-fiction program airing since 1963. In 2005, he was cast as the 10th Doctor, eventually becoming one of the most popular incarnations of the titular character, playing him for five years. His presence is just as magnetic on stage as on screen; Tennant has appeared in countless roles ranging from Hamlet to Richard II, and has described theater work as “his default way of being”. As such, David Tennant’s charming personality and charisma is only one of the many reasons why I’ll watch him in almost any role (also, he’s a very loveable dork). If you’d like to join me, I picked some of David Tennant’s best/most popular acting roles from over 30 years of acting (and 128 acting credits!).
Number 1 – Saving the world from the Apocalypse (multiple times)
Notable roles: The Doctor (Doctor Who), Crowley (Good Omens)
David Tennant’s seen the end of the world more than most actors. As the Tenth Doctor – a 903-year old alien who can travel through time and space – Tennant seemed to face imminent universal destruction almost every week, whether it be from the Master, Daleks, or humanity itself. As a huge fan of the show, Tennant played the Doctor with an enthusiastic, quirky energy, but also with a steely darkness hidden underneath the surface.
Meanwhile, Crowley, a literal demon, couldn’t be more different. Having grown accustomed to life on Earth, the sadistic, sarcastic Crowley teams up with the angel Aziraphale (played by Michael Sheen) to prevent the end times following the birth of the antichrist. Tennant gives the character both wit and swagger, fully committing to the absurdist quality of the source material.
Number 2 – Becoming a megalomaniacal villain
Notable roles: Kilgrave (Jessica Jones), Barty Crouch Jr. (Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire)
Honestly, I prefer to dissociate Tennant from the role of Kilgrave, otherwise known as the Purple Man from the Marvel comics. Tennant’s Kilgrave from the Marvel Netflix show Jessica Jones is menacing, creepy, and downright cruel, as he plays a man who has the ability to control people’s actions and minds just by using his voice (and his name is Kilgrave). And even though his character has almost no redeemable qualities, Tennant gives Kilgrave a charismatic charm that is undeniable even to viewers.
If you didn’t discover David Tennant from his time on Doctor Who, chances are you remember him as the creepy tongue-flicking guy from the fourth Harry Potter film, otherwise known as Barty Crouch Junior. Tennant injects a nervous energy that makes him memorable despite his small amount of screen time, and his presence leaves an indelible mark on both the characters in the film and the audience. Tennant’s character also successfully distracts us from Harry’s dreadful hairstyle in that movie, so that’s also a plus.
Number 3 – The detective
Notable roles: D.I. Alec Hardy (Broadchurch)
For three seasons, Tennant portrayed a character with his own set of problems – a beaten-down detective with a mysterious past (it’s less cliché than it sounds). Despite his personal troubles, Detective Alec Hardy is determined to solve the murder of an 11-year-old boy from the sleepy, seaside town of Broadchurch. Together with his colleague played by Olivia Colman (Oscar winner, plays the Queen, basically she’s fantastic), the pair unravel the secrets of the small town. Tennant does a great job of giving Hardy an unyielding morality that grabs the audience’s attention and trust. You can catch Broadchurch on Netflix (it’s been on my list forever).
Number 4 – The voice sounds familiar
Notable roles: Huyang (Star Wars: The Clone Wars), Scrooge McDuck (DuckTales), Dr. Rufus Weller (Gen:Lock)
Not only is Tennant masterful on stage, in film, and in television, he has also lent his vocals to numerous animated shows and movies. Most notably, Tennant turns up his natural Scottish accent as the hilarious, acerbic Scrooge McDuck in the 2017 reboot of DuckTales (woo-oo!). As if he couldn’t diversify his talents further, Tennant also voiced the role of Huyang in Star Wars: The Clone Wars, a droid with a familiar, English-accented voice teaching Jedi younglings how to build a lightsaber. Finally, you may have heard his voice in the Rooster Teeth-produced show Gen:Lock as the eccentric, yet brilliant creator of gen:LOCK, a militarized program used to provide an advantage in a global culture war in the year 2068.
Number 5 – But wait – there’s more!
Notable roles: Walt Jodell (Camping), Tom Kendrick (Deadwater Fell)
David Tennant has much more in his acting arsenal; we’ve barely covered a fraction of his acting roles in this article. Other smaller roles include Tennant’s spot-on American accent in the remake of Camping, the historical hater John Knox in the film Mary Queen of Scots (starring Saoirse Ronan and Margot Robbie), and the titular character Casanova in the 2005 mini-series. He most recently appeared on screen as Tom Kendrick, a – ahem – doctor whose wife and three children who are murdered in a fire. You should also check out his podcast David Tennant Does a Podcast With… (starring everyone from Tina Fey to Ian McKellen). And just when I thought I got over Jessica Jones, I just read that Tennant is set to play Scottish serial killer Dennis Nilsen, who murdered numerous young men in the late 1970s, in a show called Des. Maybe I should rethink the whole watch-everything-David-Tennant-is-in promise.