# David Caves

David Caves (born 7 August 1978) is a Northern Irish actor who is best known for his role as Jack Hodgson in the BBC drama series Silent Witness. After graduating from London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA) in 2005, Caves has appeared in a variety of stage productions, including The Beggar’s Opera at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre and The Changeling at the Southwark Playhouse.

## Early life

Caves was educated at Campbell College, Belfast. His parents and his uncle were all teachers. Caves studied modern languages, including French and German, at the University of St Andrews from 1997 to 2002.
He originally planned to become a teacher before training at LAMDA. He worked as a teacher in France as part of his university course but when he returned to the UK he found he had "lost the drive for the academic side of things" and found himself getting heavily involved in plays and musicals at the university. He is quoted as saying,
   I found I loved this medium and wanted to look into it more, to see what was out there and what drama school was about. So I did some research and decided to have a go, not really expecting anything to happen. I was naive and did not know how tough it was. I thought I was probably not good enough but something inside me told me I should have a go, so I did.

## Career

Caves was offered places at both LAMDA and Bristol Old Vic, and chose the former. His training focused on theatre and, prior to his addition to the Silent Witness cast, he was known as a stage actor, having impressed as Petruchio in the Royal Shakespeare Company's 2012 touring production of The Taming of the Shrew. He has also starred in Ironclad: Battle for Blood.
Other notable roles in theatre include Deflores in The Changeling, Southwark Playhouse; Macheath in The Beggar’s Opera at Regent's Park Open Theatre and Bosola in The Duchess of Malfi, Northampton.
In 2014, Caves also featured in the television documentary The Crime Thriller Club. Presented by Bradley Walsh, this documentary was a mix of interviews, film clips and a game show about the detective genre in both film and literature.
In 2016, Caves portrayed Clint Hill in the film Jackie.

## Personal life

Caves was an ambassador for Northern Ireland Hospice. He married Verity Caves (née Cunningham) in 2019.

## Filmography

Film :
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2014 | Paddy | Dad | Short film |
| 2014 | Ironclad: Battle for Blood | Berenger | |
| 2016 | The Complete Walk: A Midsummer Night's Dream | Theseus | Short film |
| 2016 | Jackie | Clint Hill | |
| 2019 | Widows Walk | Joe | |
Television :
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2013–Present | Silent Witness | Jack Hodgson | 106 Episodes |
| 2013-2014 | Crime Thriller Club | Himself/ Jack Hodgson | S1Ep5 & S2Ep6 |
| 2019 | 15 Days | Michael | |
| 2019 | Saturday Kitchen | Himself | Series 15 Episode 42 |

## Theatre

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2003 | This is Our Youth | Dennis | The Byre Theatre, St Andrews |
| 2004 | Romeo and Juliet | Capulet | LAMDA |
| 2004 | The Country Wife | Homer | LAMDA |
| 2004 | The Maid's Tragedy | Melantius | LAMDA |
| 2005 | Dublin Carol | Mark | LAMDA |
| 2005 | The Crucible | Marshall Herrick | LAMDA |
| 2005 | Black Hands/ Dead Section | Holger | LAMDA |
| 2005 | Three Birds Alighting on A Field | Auctioneer | LAMDA |
| 2005 | Twelfth Night | Antonio | Love & Madness Productions |
| 2005 | Wuthering Heights | Heathcliff | Love & Madness Productions |
| 2006 | O’Flaherty VC | O'Flaherty | Lost Theatre Festival |
| 2006 | A Life of the Mind | Jake | Battersea Arts Centre |
| 2006 | The Duchess of Malfi | Roderigo | West Yorkshire Playhouse |
| 2007 | Cymbeline | Ensemble | Cheek by Jowl |
| 2007 | Young Directors and Designers Summer School | Actor | Cheek by Jowl |
| 2007 | Carve | Scott Mason | Tristan Bates Theatre |
| 2008 | Troilus and Cressida | Hector | Cheek by Jowl |
| 2009 | Stones in his Pockets | Charlie | Mark Goucher Ltd, UK Tour |
| 2009 | Mad Forest | Doctor/ Anggel, Student | Strike Ensemble |
| 2009 | High School Verse Project | Bully | Company Project |
| 2010 | Macbeth | Macduff | Cheek by Jowl |
| 2010 | Much Ado About Nothing | Borrachio | Chester Performs |
| 2010 | Hercules | Hercules | Chester Performs |
| 2010 | The Duchess of Malfi | Bosola | Royal & Derngate |
| 2011 | Beggar's Opera | Macheath | Regent's Park Open Air Theatre |
| 2011 | The Changeling | Deflores | Southwark Playhouse |
| 2011 | The Taming of the Shrew | Petruchio | Royal Shakespeare Company |