Craig Gallivan was born on February 9, 1984, in Swansea, South Wales, where he spent his early years engaging in the quintessential Welsh pastime of playing rugby. As a young player, he developed exceptional skills, earning selection to play for his hometown's City of Swansea and later representing West Wales at the tender age of 12. However, his life took an unexpected turn later that year, when his younger sister Hayley, who had been attending drama, dance, and singing lessons, convinced him to join her on an audition for Cameron Macintosh's musical "Oliver" at the London Palladium.
Initially hesitant, Craig was eventually coerced into participating, and several recalls later, he was offered a part in the Sam Mendes production. In a matter of weeks, he found himself performing on the prestigious West End stage in front of 2000 people alongside Barry Humphries and Jim Dale. This experience had a profound impact on Craig, and he decided to pursue a career in acting.
After studying performing arts at Gorseinon College in Swansea, Craig was accepted into the renowned Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) at the age of 18. During his three-year training at RADA, he made several stage and TV appearances, including the BAFTA award-winning BBC drama "Care" in 2000. Upon graduating, Craig was launched into millions of UK homes playing Callum Watson in ITV's hit TV show "Footballers Wives" in 2006, which was later shown internationally through BBC Worldwide.
Craig has since gone on to star in numerous theatrical, TV, and film productions, including leading roles for The Royal Shakespeare Company and National Theatre in London, BBC's Dr Who spin-off "Torchwood" in 2009, and as Tony Elliot in the multi-Olivier and Tony award-winning "Billy Elliot" in 2010, directed by Stephen Daldry, for which he was nominated for Best Supporting Actor.
More recently, Craig has been starring as Luke Morris in the hit SKY1 comedy-drama "Stella," created by Ruth Jones. The show ran for five seasons, winning numerous awards and has been hailed as SKY1's most-watched show ever, with its debut in 2012 being the second-biggest UK comedy launch in multichannel history.
