Dominic Gerard Francis Eagleton West[4] was born on 15 October 1969[5] in Sheffield, West Riding of Yorkshire (now South Yorkshire). He is the sixth of seven siblings (five girls and two boys) born into a family of Irish descent; his maternal grandparents were born in Ireland, while his paternal grandmother was Irish-American.[6][7] His mother, Pauline Mary (née Cleary), was an actress, and his father, Thomas George Eagleton West, owned a plastics factory.[8] He is the first cousin once removed of American politician Thomas Eagleton.[a][9][10] West attended Eton College. He has been unenthusiastic about the career benefits of being an Old Etonian, saying it "is a stigma that is slightly above 'paedophile' in the media in a gallery of infamy",[11] but asked whether he would consider sending his own children there, said "Yes, I would. It's an extraordinary place. [...] It has the facilities and the excellence of teaching and it will find what you're good at and nurture it".[12] Following a gap year during which he spent four months working as a cattle herder in Argentina, he studied English literature at Trinity College Dublin, graduating in 1993, and promoted per tradition to an MA.[8][13] He graduated from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in 1995.[14]
In 2006 West played the Spartan politician Theron in 300 and made a guest appearance as an actor in a sketch in The Catherine Tate Show, alongside "Frankie Howerd impressionist". In 2007 he played Detective Poppil in Hannibal Rising. West played the disfigured supervillain Jigsaw in the 2008 film Marvel'sPunisher: War Zone. In 2010 he had a role as General Virilus in Neil Marshall's adventure thriller Centurion.[19] West starred in the UK ghost film, The Awakening.[20] West has done other work on TV and radio. He appeared in the role of Oliver Cromwell in the Channel 4 series The Devil's Whore. He also performed as "Dr. West", the opening track on Eminem's 2009 album Relapse, as a doctor discharging Eminem from a rehab facility. West played the part over the phone in January 2009 while Eminem was recording it in a Miami studio.[21]
In December 2009, West starred as Hank in a radio adaptation of Eugene O'Neill's play The Hairy Ape for BBC Radio 3,[22] was a guest presenter on the BBC show Have I Got News for You, and ended the year alongside Joan Rivers and Sarah Jessica Parker with an appearance on Graham Norton's New Year's Eve Show.[23] In 2011, West appeared as a news presenter on the BBC period drama series The Hour. He also played serial killer Fred West (no relation) in the ITV two-part series Appropriate Adult, giving a performance that the serial killer's daughter described as capturing the "evil essence of [Fred West] – his character, his mannerisms, even his gait."[24]
In 2012, West was offered the role of Mance Rayder in the HBO fantasy series Game of Thrones, but turned it down due to the amount of time he would have to spend away from his family.[25] He played gay activist Jonathan Blake in the 2014 film Pride about the 1984–1985 UK miners' strike. West starred as Noah Solloway on Showtime's series The Affair, which premiered October 2014. The series was renewed for a fifth season in 2018.[18]
West is a supporter of care charity Helen's Trust in response to their assistance to his mother prior to her death.[44]
He led Team Canada/Australia for Walking With The Wounded, a fundraising event for wounded soldiers. He trekked to the South Pole against Team UK (led by Prince Harry) and Team America (led by Alexander Skarsgård). A few days into the trek, it was decided that the competition part of the race would be cancelled due to hazardous terrain and weather conditions, so the teams combined forces and continued. Alongside Harry, Skarsgård and several wounded soldiers, West successfully made it to the South Pole on 13 December 2013.[45]
Personal life
In 1998, West and his girlfriend, Polly Astor, had a daughter, named Martha. Martha later became an actress.[46] Years later, West rekindled his romance with Catherine FitzGerald,[47] whom he had dated at university. The two married in Glin, County Limerick on 26 June 2010, and have four children: Dora, Senan (who made his screen debut alongside his father in The Crown[48]), Francis, and Christabel.[49][50] The couple have hosted fox hunting at their Glin Castle home.[51]
Political views
In August 2014, West was one of 200 public figures who were signatories to a letter to The Guardian expressing their hope that Scotland would vote to remain part of the United Kingdom in September's referendum on that issue.[52]
Following Donald Trump's criticism of Baltimore, Maryland, in July 2019, West asked "What would a lonely, hysterical neurotic who uses hand cleanser all day understand about a vibrant community like Baltimore?"[53]
West is a supporter of fox hunting, and opposes attempts to ban it in the United Kingdom, stating he doesn't "really get the opposition to fox hunting".[51][54]
^West's paternal grandfather, Sir Harold Ernest Georges West (1894–1968), was an industrialist; by virtue of his marriage to Winifred Mary, daughter of Thomas Eagleton, of St Louis, Missouri, West's first cousin once removed was the American senator and 1972 Democratic vice-presidential nominee Thomas Eagleton. Sir Harold and Winifred West's daughter Gloria married Hugh Clifford Holmes, son of senior Army officer Sir Noel Holmes.