Dan Stevens was born in Croydon in Surrey. His parents are teachers. He was trained in acting at the National Youth Theatre of Great Britain. Shortly after graduating from Cambridge Dan was nominated for an Ian Charleson award for his performance as Orlando in "As You Like It" at the Rose Theatre at Kingston in Surrey. Dan played the part of Edward Ferrars in a television dramatization of Jane Austen's novel, Sense & Sensibility. Dan Steven has primarily worked on shows in Brittain and the BBC, he has grown in popularity for his roles on TV's Downton Abbey, and in the Movie Vamps starring Alicia Silverstone and Krysten Ritter.