What has Daniel Laurie starred in and who is his famous parent?

Daniel has an extremely famous parent (Picture: BBC/Neal Street Productions)

Since 2017, Daniel Laurie has appeared in Call the Midwife, playing a kind-hearted character who by nature is very trusting of others.

However, it turns out that the actor is related to an EastEnders legend who played a character with an extremely villainous demeanour.

While it’s not necessarily rare for actors to boast relatives in the same industry, this relation may have come as a surprise to Call the Midwife and EastEnders fans who didn’t realise the familial connection between the pair.

So who is Daniel Laurie, what has he starred in and who is his famous parent?

Who is Daniel Laurie?

Daniel, who is in his mid twenties, has two older siblings, Spike Laurie and Jake Laurie.

They’ve all taken the surname of their mother, Jane Laurie, who is from Australia and attended stage-school in London in the 1970s.

When he was in his late teens, Daniel attended a drama school in south-west London, near where he lived.

During a 2014 interview, Daniel spoke about having Down’s syndrome, saying: ‘Basically having Down’s syndrome is kinda cool. To me it’s absolutely cool. I so yeah, that’s how I’ve got Down’s syndrome… and you absolutely crack me up.’

What has Daniel Laurie starred in?

Seven years ago, the then-19-year-old appeared in the radio adaptation of Charles Dickens’ Barnaby Rudge, playing the titular character opposite Game of Thrones star Iain Glen as the author.

He went on to star in Vera as Adam Beecher, before portraying Zack in the Keeley Hawes-led comedy-drama Finding Alice.

Daniel also starred in the TV movie The Dark Tower, but he is perhaps most recognised for his role in Call the Midwife, playing Reggie Jackson since series six.

Who is Daniel Laurie’s famous parent?

Daniel’s father is none other than EastEnders icon Leslie Grantham, who played Den Watts in EastEnders.

Daniel’s father is an EastEnders legend (Picture: BBC)

Leslie, who died in 2018 at the age of 71, was known as Dirty Den in the soap, with Den and his wife Angie (Anita Dobson) being introduced as the original landlords of The Queen Vic.

More: Call The Midwife

While the actor left EastEnders in 1989 after four years, he made a shock return in 2003, before the character was killed off in 2005 by his latest wife, Chrissie (Tracy Ann Oberman).

Leslie and his ex-wife Jane divorced in 2013 after 31 years of marriage.

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