
David Cann
David Cann is an actor with a diverse and successful career in both theatre and television. After training at RADA he served his apprenticeship in the repertory system, appearing at many of Britain's grand old theatres in a wide range of roles. In plays ancient and modern, Shakespearean drama, musicals and pantomime, David developed into a leading man and character actor with a strong vocal technique and a firm grasp of many artistic styles; from the extreme naturalism of Lawrence's 'A Collier's Friday Night' through the high comedy of Sheridan's 'A School for Scandal' to the classical verse (not to mention the athletic sword-fighting) in 'Romeo and Juliet'. Moving into television David appeared in many shows including 'Sapphire and Steel' and 'Grange Hill'. In between these, he worked in small fringe theatres, such as the Gate in Notting Hill and the Croydon Warehouse, where such heart-warming pieces as Barrie Keeffe's 'My Girl' showed his subtlety in the more intimate space of studio theatre. In the mid-90’s David auditioned for a small part in a new type of comedy pioneered by Chris Morris. The resulting series, 'Brass Eye', was hailed as a major breakthrough in TV style; satirising TV itself. Morris subsequently asked David to join a small team to develop the award-winning BBC radio series 'Blue Jam' and, in 1999, some of this material was filmed for television as 'Jam'. It is for his work in this surreal and iconic series that David is best known. Over many years David has developed a strong reputation working with new and emerging talent, helping writers to develop their scripts through workshops and rehearsed readings. This led to David working with young director Tamara Harvey who later asked David to take the leading role in Laura Wade's charming play about the Welsh poet WH Davies in the highly-praised production of 'Young Emma' at the Finborough Theatre in London in 2003. For the BBC David became part of a notable storyline as Dot Cotton's cancer specialist in 'EastEnders' and again as Doctor Casper in the disturbing, futuristic drama-documentary 'If...we could stop the violence David’s film work includes appearances in 'Run, Fat Boy, Run', 'Attack The Block', 'The Iron Lady', 'Greed' and 'Rebecca'. On television David has appeared in 'Spooks' and 'Psychoville', 'Silent Witness' and 'The Javon Prince Show', but more recently 'Sex Education', 'It’s Kevin', 'Sally4Ever', 'Sick Note', 'Killing Eve' and 'The Baby'.
80 acting credits
Acting · 80

House of the Dragon
2022

EastEnders
1985

Silent Witness
1996

Sex Education
2019

Spooks
2002

Grange Hill
1978

Killing Eve
2018

Doctors
2000

The Bill
1984

Bad Girls
1999

Benidorm
2007

Not Going Out
2006

Pie in the Sky
1994

Blake's 7
1978

Between the Lines
1992

Les Misérables
2012

Black Books
2000

Shine on Harvey Moon
1982

Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps
2001

Campion
1989

Four Weddings and a Funeral
2019

Bad Education
2012

Psychoville
2009

Brass Eye
1997

Bridget Jones's Diary
2001

Sapphire & Steel
1979

Sick Note
2017

The Commander
2003

Still Open All Hours
2014

Sally4Ever
2018

Saxondale
2006

Rebecca
2020

The Green Green Grass
2005

Jam
2000

The Iron Lady
2011

Lead Balloon
2006

People Like Us
1999

Crooked House
2017

Beast
2000

The Tomorrow People
1973

Nineteen Eighty-Four
1984
If...
2004

Attack the Block
2011

Uncle
2014

The Baby
2022

Hold the Sunset
2018

15 Storeys High
2002

It's Kevin
2013

tlc
2002

Armchair Thriller
1978

Greed
2019

Berkeley Square
1998

Run Fatboy Run
2007

A Dark Adapted Eye
1994

No Bananas
1996

Chromophobia
2006
One by One
1984
Frontiers
1996
Hard Cases
1988

Biggles
1986

Albatross
2011
Mr Charity
2001

The Murder of Stephen Lawrence
1999

High Stakes
2001

The Buckingham Murders
2024

Dog Eat Dog
2001

Lizzie and Sarah
2010

On a Moonlit Night
1989

The Truth
2006
London Belongs To Me
1977

Lee Evans: So What Now?
2001

The Javone Prince Show
2015

The Kármán Line
2014
Moonmonkeys
2007

True Crimes
1992

Knights & Emeralds
1986

Captive
2008

Wet Job
1981

Jeremy: A Nightmare
2023

The Eagleman Stag
2010