As a teenager he was a talented footballer and considered turning professional, but had to give it up, following a back injury, and turned to acting instead.Former member of the National Youth Theatre.Attended Northampton school for boys.Studied Drama and Creative Writing at the University of East Anglia (UEA) in Norwich.At 26 he is the youngest actor to be cast as the Doctor in the British sci-fi series, "Doctor Who" (2005). The youngest had been Peter Davison who was 29 when he was cast in 1981.He can play the guitar.Currently (2011) listed as the eleventh person on IMDB.com with the name "Matt Smith" and playing the Eleventh incarnation of The Doctor.Voted Best Actor by Readers of Doctor Who Magazine for his work on the 2010 Season.Of the eleven actors to play the Doctor in "Doctor Who" (1963), Doctor Who (1996) (TV) and "Doctor Who" (2005), he, Christopher Eccleston and David Tennant are the only ones who never worked with the late Nicholas Courtney , who played Brigadier Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart in the former from 1968 to 1989 as well as in numerous Big Finish audio dramas.