Jack Arthur Davenport (born 1 March 1973) is an English actor. He is best known for his roles in the television series This Life and Coupling, and as James Norrington in the Pirates of the Caribbean film series. He has also appeared in other Hollywood films, such as The Talented Mr. Ripley and Kingsman: The Secret Service. On television, Davenport is known for his roles in the ensemble drama series FlashForward, Smash, and The Morning Show as well as his leading role in the 2013 ITV drama series Breathless.
Early life and education Davenport, the son of actor Nigel Davenport and actress Maria Aitken, was born in Wimbledon, London, and lived in Ibiza, Spain, for the first seven years of his life. Davenport was privately educated at the Dragon School in Oxford and Cheltenham College in Gloucestershire, before studying English Literature and Film at the University of East Anglia.
Career After Davenport's graduation, his mother advised him to write to John Cleese requesting work on the set of his upcoming film, Fierce Creatures, so that he could gain experience behind the camera. Cleese instead sent Davenport's letter to the casting department, and he was subsequently cast in his first onscreen role as a trainee zookeeper. After the production of Fierce Creatures was completed, Davenport found an agent who secured him an audition for the role of Miles Stewart in the BBC television drama series This Life.
Since then Davenport has played roles in many successful films and TV series, including The Talented Mr. Ripley, Coupling and Ultraviolet, as well as the box office hit Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, and its sequels, Dead Man's Chest and At World's End.
During his career Davenport has also performed voice-overs, having narrated the audio versions of John Buchan's The Thirty-Nine Steps and recorded parts in Anthony Burgess's A Clockwork Orange. He also provides the voice over for the British MasterCard advertisements (the American being done by Billy Crudup).
In 2006, he featured in the ITV1 drama The Incredible Journey of Mary Bryant and in 2009 starred in the film The Boat That Rocked.
In 2007 Davenport was cast in Swingtown, a period and relationship drama for CBS about the impact of sexual and social liberation in 1970s American suburban households, with story arcs involving open marriages and key parties. The series was cancelled after one season.
In 2008, Davenport was cast in the ABC pilot FlashForward, which was based on a Robert J. Sawyer novel. In the series, Davenport played the character of Lloyd Simcoe, a physicist allegedly responsible for a worldwide blackout, which causes the whole world to see the future. The show was cancelled after a single season.
In February 2011, Davenport was cast in the NBC musical drama pilot Smash. It ran for two seasons and became a cult favorite on streaming services. The first season of the series follows a group of people putting on a Marilyn Monroe musical on Broadway. Davenport plays the musical's director. The second season expands as the various cast members branch out into other productions; Davenport's character, Derek Wills, quits the Broadway production of Bombshell to pursue a small off-Broadway musical and take it to Broadway with his protégé, Karen Cartwright (Katharine McPhee). The season ends with the two shows competing at the Tonys.
Davenport starred as the replacement singer in the video for Snow Patrol's single "Called Out in the Dark", released on YouTube on 17 August 2011, alongside Tara Summers and Gary Lightbody.
2018 saw Davenport's Broadway debut playing the Earl of Warwick in a revival of George Bernard Shaw's Saint Joan starring Condola Rashad.
Filmography Film
Year Title Role Notes1997 Fierce Creatures Student Zoo Keeper The Moth Robert Bradley TV film1998 Macbeth Malcolm TV film Tale of the Mummy Detective Bartone The Wisdom of Crocodiles Sergeant Roche1999 The Cookie Thief A Man Short film The Talented Mr. Ripley Peter Smith-Kingsley2000 The Wyvern Mystery Harry Fairfield TV film Offending Angels Rory2001 Gypsy Woman Leon The Bunker LCpl. Ebert Subterrain Businessman Not Afraid, Not Afraid Michael Look Stanley Short film 2002 The Real Jane Austen Henry Austen TV documentary film2003 Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl Commodore James Norrington Eroica Prince Lobkowitz TV film The Welsh Great Escape Narrator TV film2004 The Boy Who Would Be King Narrator TV documentary film Terrible Kisses Man Short film The Libertine Harris2005 The Wedding Date Edward Fletcher-Wooten A Higher Agency John Short film 2006 Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest James Norrington Teen Choice Award for Choice Rumble2007 This Life + 10 Miles Stewart TV film Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End Admiral James Norrington2009 That Deadwood Feeling Jack The Boat That Rocked Twatt2011The Key Man Bobby Mother's Milk Patrick Melrose 2013 Haven't We Met Before? Man Short film2014 Death Knight Love Story Zeliek Kingsman: The Secret Service James Spencer / Lancelot Sea of Fire Marty Kesowich TV film2016 Guernica Vasyl Americana Calib A United Kingdom Alistair Canning Untitled Sarah Silverman Project Blake TV film Prototype Edward Conway TV film2017 The Tank Will Sacks The Wilde Wedding Rory Darling The Stolen Joshua McCullen Doomsday Warren TV film 2021 Dagger Will Short film, voice role TBA Post-production Laurence Olivier Post-production
Television Year Title Role Notes 1996–1997 This Life Miles Stewart Series regular 1998 Ultraviolet Detective Sergeant Michael Colefield Series regular1999 Boiling Point Narrator Mini-series Omnibus Narrator Episode: "Our Julie" 2000–2004 Coupling Steve Taylor Series regular 2001 Scribbling Narrator Episode: "Part Two" 2002 Dickens Charley Dickens 2 episodes 2004 Agatha Christie's Marple Superintendent Harper Episode: "The Body in the Library" 2005–2007 The Incredible Journey of Mary Bryant Lieutenant Ralph Clarke Mini-series 2008 Swingtown Bruce Miller Series regular 2009–2010 FlashForward Lloyd Simcoe Series regular 2012–2013 Smash Derek Wills Series regular 2013 Breathless Otto Powell Series regular 2014 The Good Wife Frank Asher Episode: "Parallel Construction, Bitches" 2015 Life in Squares Older David Garnett 1 episode 2016 The Mindy Project Leland Breakfast Episode: "Leland Breakfast Is the Miracle Worker" 2017 White Famous Peter King Series regular2018 Next of Kin Guy Harcourt Mini-series Deception Alistair Black 3 episodes2019 Why Women Kill Karl Grove Series regular The Morning Show Jason Craig Series regular 2021 Why Women Kill The Narrator Series regular 2022 Ten Percent Jonathan Nightingale Series regular2023 Accused John 1 episode Dr. Death Nils Headley 6 episodes, Season 22025 The Assassin SeanThe Forsytes James ForsyteMain cast All's Fair Oliver Draycott Episode: "When We Were Young"
Theatre Year Play Role Venue Notes 1991 Hamlet Theatr Clwyd, Mold, Flintshire 1999 The Tempest Various with Holders Season Barbados 2001 The Servant Tony Lyric Theatre, London 2002 Lady Windermere's Fan Lord Darlington Theatre Royal Haymarket, London 2003 How to Lose Friends & Alienate People Toby Young Soho Theatre, London 2006 Enemies Yakov Bardin Almeida Theatre, London 2018 Saint Joan Earl of Warwick Samuel J. Friedman Theatre, New York City 2024 The Human Body George Blythe The Donmar Warehouse, London
Radio Alistair Cooke's American Journey (2006) (BBC Radio 4) Jack Davenport reads The Raw Shark Texts by Steven Hall
Awards and nominations
Year Award Category Work Result 2002 Laurence Olivier Awards Most Promising Performer The Servant 2006 Teen Choice Awards Choice Movie: Rumble (with Orlando Bloom) Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest
Personal life Davenport's uncle is writer and former Conservative Party MP Jonathan Aitken, his maternal grandmother was socialite Penelope Aitken, his maternal grandfather was politician William Aitken, and one of his maternal great-grandfathers was John Maffey, 1st Baron Rugby.
Davenport has been married to actress Michelle Gomez since 2000. On 28 February 2023, Gomez announced on Instagram that she, Davenport, and their son had become naturalized citizens of the United States of America.
References