Daniel Wroughton Craig is a BAFTA-nominated English actor best known as the sixth actor to portray secret agent James Bond in the official film series from EON Productions since 2006. He made his debut as the character on 14 November 2006, in the 21st official Bond film, Casino Royale, to much critical acclaim.

Craig was born in Chester, England, UK, the son of Timothy John Wroughton Craig, who served as a Midshipman in the Merchant Navy and worked in various occupations when he came ashore; and Olivia Williams Craig, an art teacher.

He was brought up in Frodsham where his father was landlord of the "Ring 'O Bells" and "The Boot" pubs in Willington, near Chester, and then Hoylake on the Wirral (near Liverpool). He attended Hilbre High School and Calday Grange Grammar School. He played for Hoylake Rugby Club. Craig moved to London when he was sixteen to join the National Youth Theatre after a brief stay at Calday.

He trained at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, graduating in 1991, and appeared in some minor roles including Sharpe's Eagle and an episode of Drop The Dead Donkey in 1993, with his first major leading role on screen being as a co-star in the 1996 BBC Television serial Our Friends in the North. He continued his relationship with the BBC by starring in the 1997 Francis Bacon biopic Love Is the Devil: Study for a Portrait of Francis Bacon, portraying Bacon's jilted lover George Dyer. In the latter movie, Craig agreed to be shot in the nude, including full-frontals.

As early as February 2005, Craig had been named in the media as a possible James Bond. On 6 April 2005, Craig was reported to have been signed by EON Productions as part of a three-film contract worth £15 million ($29,696,972), however this news was later debunked by the BBC, who contacted EON for an official report. According to Craig, MGM offered him the role but the Broccoli family never got in touch with him.

Finally, on 23 October 2005, Craig signed a three-film contract, with the first, Casino Royale, released on 14 November 2006. Craig is the first actor to step into the role who was born after the first Bond film, Dr. No, was released. Craig is also the first Bond to be hired after the death of Bond producer Albert R. Broccoli in 1996.

Craig's hiring as James Bond was controversial among some fans and critics, with some vocal fans threatening a boycott of the film and going so far as to set up a website because, unlike all his predecessors, Craig is blond and of average height. Media coverage of the controversy resulted in numerous actors publicly voicing their support of Craig. Most notably, four of the five previous actors who portrayed Bond—Timothy Dalton, Sean Connery, Roger Moore, Pierce Brosnan—called his casting a good decision. Clive Owen, who had been linked to the role, also spoke in defense of Craig, as did co-star Judi Dench.

In an interview with The Globe and Mail, Brosnan was asked, "What do you think of the new James Bond, Daniel Craig, and will you be watching Casino Royale?" He replied, "I'm looking forward to it like we're all looking forward to it. Daniel Craig is a great actor, and he's going to do a fantastic job".

After the film was released, Craig's realistic and more humane portrayal of Bond, as well as his well-regarded acting abilities, received wide praise. Casino Royale received a "Certified Fresh" rating on Rotten Tomatoes and an average score of 7.8/10. Of 193 reviews, 94% were positive. Several critics have said that Craig is the most believable and charismatic Bond since Sean Connery. Craig was nominated for a BAFTA for Best Actor on January 2006, and won the Best Actor award at the Evening Standard British Film Awards on 2 February 2007, both firsts for an actor in the role of James Bond.

A widely circulated report on several news channels and newspapers claimed that Craig had lost two teeth filming a fight scene; Craig later said it was just a crown that had come loose. Producer Barbara Broccoli also denied other rumors in an interview with Variety.

As production of Casino Royale reached its conclusion, producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli announced that pre-production work had already begun on the 22nd Bond film. After several months of speculation as to the release date, Wilson and Broccoli officially announced on 20 July 2006 that the currently un-named follow-up film, known only as Bond 22, will be released on 7 November 2008 and that Craig has been signed to play Bond, with an option for a third film.

As of 2006, Casino Royale became #5 best-selling Bond film of all time; however, with recent DVD and box office sales, Casino Royale has shot up to the #2 best-selling Bond film of all time as of 2007. In 2007, Craig was invited to join the prestigious Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

Craig was previously married to British actress Fiona Loudon. They had one child together, Ella, who was born in 1992.