Paul McGann

Paul John McGann is an English actor. He came to prominence for portraying Percy Toplis in the 1986 television serial The Monocled Mutineer. He later starred in the 1987 dark comedy Withnail and I, and as the eighth incarnation of the Doctor in the 1996 Doctor Who television film, a role he reprised in more than 70 audio dramas and the 2013 miniepisode The Night of the Doctor. McGann is also known for playing Lieutenant William Bush, Horatio Hornblowers best friend, in the television adaptation based on C.S. Forresters books.

McGann was born in 1959 in Liverpool, into a Roman Catholic family. His mother, Claire, was a teacher, and his father was a metallurgist. His parents encouraged him and his siblings to develop their talents from an early age. McGanns talents were further developed when he attended Cardinal Allen Grammar School in West Derby, Liverpool. Acting on the advice of one of his teachers, McGann successfully auditioned for a place on the acting course at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art.

Source: Wikipedia