Matt Smith, the 39-year-old British actor, has become well-known worldwide for his charismatic role as Daemon Targaryen in the series “The House of the Dragon”, where he plays together with Milly Alcock (Rhaenyra Targaryen) in one scene. as well as for his role in “Game of Thrones”.
But before he became a famous actor, thanks to his portrayal of Prince Philip of Edinburgh in “The Croën”, or as Dokori in “Doctor Who”, Matt Smith was a promising footballer, who even signed a contract with Leicester City.
Matt Smith trained at the academies of Northampton Toën, Nottingham Forest and Leicester City, until at the age of 16 a rare chronic back condition forced him to “hang up his boots” and retire from football.
“It was a difficult moment, because I felt unhappy. To be honest, I felt I was so sure that this (being a professional footballer) was what I was going to do… I couldn’t tell people what had happened. My ego told me: “I am a football player. At school I was everyone’s footballer and then, suddenly, nothing,” Matt Smith explained to Kirsty Young on “Radio 4’s Desert Island Discs”.
The actor has now explained that it was his acting teacher, Terry Hardingham, who pulled him out of depression with a single sentence: “You should never have been a footballer. You’re much better at acting.”
The rare disease that took Matt Smith away from football was Spondiliarthrosis, which causes problems in the spine and significantly reduces performance for a sport like football.
