David Walliams

For other people named David Williams, see David Williams.

David Walliams
OBE
Walliams at the premiere for Pudsey the Dog: The Movie in 2014
Born
David Edward Williams

(1971-08-20) 20 August 1971 (age 53)
Wimbledon, London, England
Alma materUniversity of Bristol
Occupations
  • Comedian
  • actor
  • writer
  • television personality
Years active1995–present
Notable work
Spouse
​
​
(m. 2010; div. 2015)​
Children1
Websiteworldofdavidwalliams.com
Signature

David Edward Williams[1] OBE (born 20 August 1971), known professionally as David Walliams (/ˈwæljəmz/), is an English comedian, actor, writer, and television personality. He is best known for his work with Matt Lucas on the BBC sketch comedy series Little Britain (2003–2006) and Come Fly With Me (2010–2011). From 2012 to 2022, Walliams was a judge on the television talent show competition Britain's Got Talent on ITV.[2] He is also a writer of children's books, having sold more than 37 million copies worldwide.

Walliams played the role of Greville White in the 2007 television drama film Capturing Mary. From 2013 to 2014, he wrote and starred in the BBC One sitcom Big School. In 2015, he starred as Tommy Beresford in the BBC drama series Partners in Crime, and wrote and starred in the sketch comedy series Walliams & Friend. Walliams has won the award for Best TV Judge for his work on Britain's Got Talent at the 2015, 2018, 2019 and 2020 National Television Awards.[3] In 2022, he was a judge on the tenth season of Australia's Got Talent.

Walliams began writing children's novels in 2008 after securing a contract with the publisher HarperCollins. His books have been translated into 53 languages,[4] and he has been described as "the fastest-growing children's author in the UK", with a literary style compared to that of Roald Dahl.[5][6][7] Some of his books have been adapted into television films, which he has also appeared in, including Mr Stink (2012), Gangsta Granny (2013) and Billionaire Boy (2016).[8] As of 2023, Walliams book sales stand at over 50 million copies sold worldwide.[9][10]

Walliams was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2017 Birthday Honours for services to charity and the arts. His charity work includes swimming the English Channel, Strait of Gibraltar and River Thames, raising millions of pounds for the BBC charity Sport Relief.

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference LG was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ "Walliams' future on BGT up in the air, show says". 25 November 2022.
  3. ^ "National Television Awards 2015: full list of winners". The Telegraph. 22 January 2015. Retrieved 21 October 2020.
  4. ^ "David Walliams supports Peter Pan Moat Brae Trust – The Peter Pan Moat Brae Trust". The Peter Pan Moat Brae Trust. 25 February 2016. Archived from the original on 25 March 2016. Retrieved 6 December 2018.
  5. ^ "Walliams, David | BookTrust". www.booktrust.org.uk.
  6. ^ Philip Ardagh, Awful Auntie review – David Walliams's best book yet, The Guardian, 25 September 2014.
  7. ^ Beverley Turner (6 September 2013). "Why David Walliams really is the new Roald Dahl". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 11 January 2022. Retrieved 6 September 2014.
  8. ^ "David Walliams invites you to journey to the Isle of Mulch in SLIME HarperCollins Children's Books presents the gooiest adventure yet from the UK's biggest-selling author" (Press release). HarperCollins. 13 March 2020.
  9. ^ Gatti, Tom (27 September 2023). "The dismal world of David Walliams". New Statesman. Retrieved 24 May 2024.
  10. ^ Bayley, Sian (27 June 2022). "Walliams marks 50 million sales worldwide". The Bookseller. Retrieved 24 May 2024.