
Acting
David Cann
Born 1956-11-12 · Westminster, London, England, UK
David Cann is an actor with a diverse and successful career in both theatre and television. After training at RADA he served his apprenticeship in the repertory system, appearing at many of Britain's grand old theatres in a wide range of roles. In plays ancient and modern, Shakespearean drama, musicals and pantomime, David developed into a leading man and character actor with a strong vocal technique and a firm grasp of many artistic styles; from the extreme naturalism of Lawrence's 'A Collier's Friday Night' through the high comedy of Sheridan's 'A School for Scandal' to the classical verse (not to mention the athletic sword-fighting) in 'Romeo and Juliet'. Moving into television David appeared in many shows including 'Sapphire and Steel' and 'Grange Hill'. In between these, he worked in small fringe theatres, such as the Gate in Notting Hill and the Croydon Warehouse, where such heart-warming pieces as Barrie Keeffe's 'My Girl' showed his subtlety in the more intimate space of studio theatre. In the mid-90’s David auditioned for a small part in a new type of comedy pioneered by Chris Morris. The resulting series, 'Brass Eye', was hailed as a major breakthrough in TV style; satirising TV itself. Morris subsequently asked David to join a small team to develop the award-winning BBC radio series 'Blue Jam' and, in 1999, some of this material was filmed for television as 'Jam'. It is for his work in this surreal and iconic series that David is best known. Over many years David has developed a strong reputation working with new and emerging talent, helping writers to develop their scripts through workshops and rehearsed readings. This led to David working with young director Tamara Harvey who later asked David to take the leading role in Laura Wade's charming play about the Welsh poet WH Davies in the highly-praised production of 'Young Emma' at the Finborough Theatre in London in 2003. For the BBC David became part of a notable storyline as Dot Cotton's cancer specialist in 'EastEnders' and again as Doctor Casper in the disturbing, futuristic drama-documentary 'If...we could stop the violence David’s film work includes appearances in 'Run, Fat Boy, Run', 'Attack The Block', 'The Iron Lady', 'Greed' and 'Rebecca'. On television David has appeared in 'Spooks' and 'Psychoville', 'Silent Witness' and 'The Javon Prince Show', but more recently 'Sex Education', 'It’s Kevin', 'Sally4Ever', 'Sick Note', 'Killing Eve' and 'The Baby'.
Acting credits
7.3An adaptation of the successful stage musical based on Victor Hugo's classic novel set in 19th-century France. Jean Valjean, a man imprisoned for stealing bread, must flee a relentless policeman named Javert. The pursuit consumes both men's lives, and soon Valjean finds himself in the midst of the student revolutions in France.
Les Misérables
2012
6.7Bridget Jones is an average woman struggling against expectations. As a New Year's resolution, Bridget decides to take control of her life, starting by keeping a diary in which she will always tell the complete truth. Her charming boss takes an interest in her, and she cannot stop running into a rather disagreeable acquaintance whom Bridget cannot help finding quietly attractive.
Bridget Jones's Diary
2001
6.4A look at the life of Margaret Thatcher, the former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, with a focus on the price she paid for power.
The Iron Lady
2011
6.8Winston Smith is a government employee whose job involves the rewriting of history in a manner that casts his fictional country's leaders in a charitable light. His trysts with Julia provide his only measure of enjoyment, but lawmakers frown on the relationship -- and in this closely monitored society, there is no escape from Big Brother.
Nineteen Eighty-Four
1984
6.4A private investigator helps a former flame solve the murder of her wealthy grandfather, who lived in a sprawling estate surrounded by his idiosyncratic family.
Crooked House
2017
5.6A retail billionaire's 60th birthday party is celebrated in an exclusive hotel on the Greek island of Mykonos.
Greed
2019
6.5A South London teen gang must team up with the other residents of their housing estate to protect the neighbourhood from a terrifying alien invasion.
Attack the Block
2011
6.3After a whirlwind romance with a wealthy widower, a naïve bride moves to his family estate but can't escape the haunting shadow of his late wife.
Rebecca
2020
6.2Five years after jilting his pregnant fiancée on their wedding day, out-of-shape Dennis decides to run a marathon to win her back.
Run Fatboy Run
2007
5.2Encouraged by his editor to seek 'sexy stories that sell', a reporter preys upon the private life of an erstwhile friend, with disastrous results.
Chromophobia
2006
6.7An American journalist working for a French newspaper is writing an article on the public reaction to those with AIDS, unaware that he too is infected. Once he finds out, he decides to go into reclusion, leaving his wife and daughter.
On a Moonlit Night
1989
5.2Unassuming catering salesmen Jim Ferguson falls through a time hole to 1917 where he saves the life of dashing Royal Flying Corps pilot James "Biggles" Bigglesworth after his photo recon mission is shot down. Before he can work out what has happened, Jim is zapped back to the 1980s......
Biggles
1986
5.7Fresh wounds are reopened when Jasmeet Bhamra, a cop and a single mother who recently lost her child in a shooting spree, transfers to High Wycombe and is assigned a case of a missing child.
The Buckingham Murders
2024
7.0An outrageous murder-mystery for the 'Me Generation'. Seven young strangers go to a spiritual retreat for a journey of personal growth, taking in jealousy, hatred, sexual perversion and a little murder on the way.
The Truth
2006
5.3A group of twenty-somethings, one of whom is a single father with a precious daughter, have been unsuccessful in getting into a certain club so they can have a chance to DJ there and start a career out of it. A series of events has lumbered them with a dog napping scheme gone badly wrong, ending up with them owning a particular pooch belonging to a dog-loving local drug dealer.
Dog Eat Dog
2001
6.6When a mother is hit by a rare condition that sees her lift off the ground at a slow but ever increasing rate, her husband and daughter are forced to come to terms with losing her.
The Kármán Line
2014
6.0Beth, a bookish teenager, befriends Emilia, an aspiring novelist who has just arrived in town. Emilia soon begins an affair with Beth's father that threatens to have devastating consequences.
Albatross
2011
6.8Stephen Lawrence was a black London teenager murdered by white racists in 1993. His parents fought to have the crime properly investigated, culminating in a judicial enquiry into the event itself and also the inadequacies of the ensuing investigation by the London Metropolitan Police.
The Murder of Stephen Lawrence
1999
7.2Lizzie and Sarah are two fiftysomething suburban housewives, perpetually mistreated and ignored by unloving, selfish husbands. The highlight of their otherwise dull lives is their role in an amateur dramatic society, The Borking Players. In the aftermath of a tragic accident which causes the death of a popular local teenager, emotions run high, and following a dismal birthday lunch for Sarah, the two friends embark on a spur-of-the-moment shopping trip. As the day unfolds, they find a way to wreak their revenge.
Lizzie and Sarah
2010
7.0A man is held captive and threatened and mentally tortured by his captors. An anxious boardroom gathers to watch the resulting hostage tape; the tension mounts as it draws to its inevitable, traumatic conclusion... But events are even more sinister than they initially appear. 2009 Audience Winner at the Portobello Film and Video Festival
Captive
2008
6.3S.I.S. agent David Callan is brought out of retirement for one last assignment.
Wet Job
1981
NRA Kafka-esque nightmare about a screenwriting professor whose life slowly unravels after he learns he may lose his job to a man who appears to him as his doppelgänger. As the Brutalist architecture of Jeremy's world closes in on him, he makes a terrible decision...
Jeremy: A Nightmare
2023
7.5A white boy lives in a racially divided town. The only thing he cares about is playing his drums. A popular black band from school needs a drummer and he joins them, but being colour blind in this town makes life very difficult.
Knights & Emeralds
1986
Surreal sitcom set in an all-night garage, where two misfits on the nightshift live out their whims and fantasies. Peter has a brilliant idea - he will become a film star and leave the garage far behind. He moves the CCTV cameras and records his acting showreel, but when Nigel is robbed of the night's takings, the crime goes unrecorded. With no evidence of a hold-up, Nigel and Peter realise they must fake the CCTV tapes and re-enact the robbery, or lose their jobs.
Moonmonkeys
2007