Early life and family
Walliams was born David Edward Williams in Merton, London.
He grew up with his father Peter Williams, who was a London Transport engineer, and his mum Kathleen, who was a lab technician, in Surrey.
David studied at the University of Bristol from 1989 to 1992, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts (Drama). During his university holidays in 1990, Walliams performed with the National Youth Theatre, and who else was there but future comedy partner Matt Lucas?!
The actor had to change his stage name when he joined the actors' union Equity as there was already a member named David Williams.
TV career
From 2003 to 2005 Walliams and Lucas co-wrote and co-starred in the BBC sketch show Little Britain. The programme led to a successful live stage show, a number of seasonal specials and a US spin-of.
Post-Little Britain David appeared in show’s such as Doctor Who and Capturing Mary as well as fronting documentaries like David Walliams: My Life with James Bond and David Walliams: The Genius of Dahl. He then reunited with Lucas for a six-part comedy series Come fly With Me.
Then, in 2012, Walliams was announced as a new judge on Britain’s Got Talent. He has sat alongside Alesha Dixon, Amanda Holden and Simon Cowell ever since, entertaining audiences with his hilarious love/hate relationship with Cowell.
Work as an author
In 2008 Walliams signed a contract with Harper Collins to publish two children's books. The debut novel, The Boy in the Dress was released worldwide on 1 November 2008 and was illustrated by Roal Dahl’s collaborator Quentin Blake.
David has since released many more books all over the world including; Mr Stink, Billionaire Boy, Gangsta Granny, Ratburger, Grandpa’s Great Escape and Awful Auntie.
Relationships
Walliams began dating Dutch model Lara Stone in 2009 and the couple announced their engagement in 2010.
The two married at London’s Claridge’s Hotel on 16 May 2010.
They announced in December 2012 that Stone was pregnant with their first child and on 6 May 2013 they welcomed their baby son Alfred.
In March 2015 it was reported that the pair had decided to try a trial separation after five years of marriage.
Walliams filed for divorce from Stone in September 2015,citing "unreasonable behaviour" and the marriage became null and void six weeks later.
David has hinted at being bisexual but says he doesn’t like the label. In an interview with Radio Times in 2013, he stated: "I think it's all about falling in love with the person and that is overlooked, really.
“I hate it when people 'confess' or 'reveal' their sexuality and also things can change for people over the years. So it is about the person but I also think it goes beyond that. You don't just fall in love with someone's body, do you? You fall in love with someone's soul and heart and brain."