Craig Parkinson

Craig Parkinson (born 11 March 1976) is an English actor and podcaster. He is perhaps best known for his roles as Shaun in the E4 series Misfits, twins Jimmy and Johnny Kray in the ITV series Whitechapel, and DI Matthew "Dot" Cottan in Line of Duty. He has also acted in several independent films, including Control, Soulboy, The Unloved and Four Lions. Early life Parkinson was born on 11 March 1976 in Blackpool, Lancashire. He began acting at an early age in school plays. He studied at Blackpool and The Fylde College before moving to London aged 17 to attend the Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts. Acting career Parkinson's early roles were small parts in long-running British television series such as Dalziel and Pascoe, The Bill, and Holby City. He made his film debut in Control (2007), a biopic of Joy Division singer Ian Curtis in which he played the role of Tony Wilson. He starred in the 2008 independent film The Taxidermist, playing The Taxidermist. The film won several awards, including Palm Springs International Short Film Festival 'Best Live Action Film over 15 minutes' and Rhode Island International Horror Film Festival 'Best Short Film'. In 2009 he played the abusive care worker Ben in the television drama The Unloved, the directorial debut of Samantha Morton. Parkinson had previously starred alongside her in Control. The Unloved also featured Lauren Socha, with whom Parkinson would later star alongside in Misfits, as well as his wife, Susan Lynch.