David Mitchell (born 14 July 1974)
is a
British actor,
comedian and
writer. He is one half of the
comedy duo Mitchell and Webb, alongside
Robert Webb, whom he met at
Cambridge University. There they were both part of the
Cambridge Footlights, of which Mitchell became President. Together the duo starred in the
Channel 4 sitcom
Peep Show in which Mitchell plays
Mark Corrigan. The show received a
BAFTA and won three
British Comedy Awards, while Mitchell won the award for
Best Comedy Performance in 2009. The duo have written and starred in several sketch shows including
The Mitchell and Webb Situation,
That Mitchell and Webb Sound and most recently
That Mitchell and Webb Look. Mitchell and Webb also star in the UK version of
Apple's
Get a Mac advertisement campaign. Their first film,
Magicians, in which Mitchell plays traditional magician Harry, was released on 18 May 2007.
On his own, Mitchell has played Dr James Vine in the
BBC1 sitcom
Jam & Jerusalem and Tim in the one-off
ShakespeaRe-Told adaptation of
The Taming of the Shrew. He also is a frequent participant on British panel shows, including
QI,
Mock the Week and
Have I Got News for You, as well as
Best of the Worst and
Would I Lie to You? on each of which he is a team captain, and
The Unbelievable Truth which he hosts. Regarding his personal life, Mitchell considers himself a "worrier" and lives in a flat in
Kilburn.
Early life
Mitchell was born in
Salisbury, Wiltshire,
England to Ian and Kathy Mitchell, who were then hotel managers. In 1977 his parents gave up their jobs in order to look after a then two year old Mitchell.
[ He was effectively brought up as an only child until he was seven and a half years old when his parents had another son.][ The family moved to Oxford where Mitchell's parents became lecturers on hotel management at Oxford Brookes University.]
