Mark Gatiss

Mark Gatiss: biography

Mark Gatiss is an English screenwriter, producer, and actor. He was born on October 17, 1966, in Sedgefield into the family of a psychiatrist. The parents worked in the hospital just opposite their house, and the artist’s childhood memories are about medics and patients.

The boy often went to movie nights at the hospital. At that period, Mark took fancy in horrors and fantasy movies; he loved the series Doctor Who as well as the characters of Arthur Conan Doyle and Herbert Wells. Gatiss liked everything unusual; the young man owned a pretty good stone collection.

Mark was educated at Heighington Church of England Primary School and then went to Woodham Comprehensive School in Newton Aycliffe. After graduation, the young man enrolled at Bretton Hall College to study drama. At that period, Mark was also fond of literature and writing.

Career

Gatiss began with fantastic stories about Doctor Who’s new adventures. The young man was so thrilled with the world that he wrote a sequel to his favorite character’s life. Mark viewed those experiences as a way to improve his screenwriting skills. Although several episodes based on his works were filmed, they were never broadcast: there was no agreement with the BBC. Further on, Mark’s cherished dream came true: he contributed to the series in 2005 as one of the screenwriters.

The first recognition dawned on the man in the late 1990s. Along with his course mates Reece Shearsmith, Jeremy Dyson, and Steve Pemberton, Mark created The League of Gentlemen and showed funny little sketches. The comedians were so successful that they gained several national prizes including BAFTA. This activity encouraged each member of the quartet to develop their careers.

Apart from the TV show, Mark actively participated in episodes of various projects: Birthday Girl, Match Point, Agatha Christie's Poirot, Crooked House, The Worst Journey in the World, The Game of Thrones, and Spaced. He also co-wrote scripts for many of them.

2010 brought the drama The First Men in the Moon. The artist’s contribution was substantial: he wrote the whole script, produced the movie, and played one of the main characters. Besides, Gatiss did not forget about his favorite childhood genre, horror: he created the documentary series A History of Horror for the BBC.

The interest in the Victorian literature inspired Mark to create a project about one of the brightest figures of the epoch, Sherlock Holmes, in the present days. Along with Steven Moffat, Gatiss made the script that was bought by the BBC later.

In 2010, the premiere of the first season of Sherlock took place; the audience was quite impressed. Benedict Cumberbatch, Andrew Scott, Rupert Graves, and other actors earned international fame; the project became iconic and got numerous fans.

At some point, rumors had it that Tom Hiddleston could play Sherlock’s secret brother. However, it was only speculation. Four seasons have been released so far. Today, the series creators are working on the new one.

The 2017 series Taboo is one of the actor’s recent project. He personified Prince Regent, future George IV.

Personal life

Mark Gatiss does not keep secret that he is gay; he even joined the circle of the most influential gays of Great Britain. The man was single until the early 2000s when he met the actor Ian Hallard who was eight years younger.

The couple does not hide their harmonious relationship. They married in 2008, as long as the legal opportunity occurred. Today, Mark and Ian live in a luxurious mansion in West London. They have a Labrador Retriever Bunsen, a Victorian-style scientific laboratory, and a wonderful winter garden.

Mark Gatiss’s net worth is $10 million in 2019.