Prince Charming/David Nolan | |
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Once Upon a Time character | |
Promotional photograph of Josh Dallas as Prince Charming/David.
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First appearance | "Pilot" |
Created by |
Adam Horowitz Eddy Kitsis |
Portrayed by |
Josh Dallas Luke Roessler (child) |
Information | |
Nickname(s) |
Prince Charming Dave |
Aliases | Prince James King David (alternate reality) |
Occupation |
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Title | The Prince Knight of the Round Table |
Family |
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Spouse(s) | Snow White/Mary Margaret Blanchard (wife) |
Significant other(s) | Princess Abigail/Kathryn Nolan (ex-fiancée) |
Children |
Emma Swan (daughter) Neal Nolan (son) |
Relatives |
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Abilities | Swordsman |
Born | 1956 (estimate) The Enchanted Forest |
Status | Cursed (briefly deceased) |
Type | Enchanted Forest character |
Centric episodes | |
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David Nolan, also known as Prince Charming is a fictional character in ABC's television series Once Upon a Time. He is portrayed by Josh Dallas, who also happens to be married to series co-star Ginnifer Goodwin, who plays David's wife Snow White/Mary Margaret Blanchard.
The leader of the Enchanted Forest's War Council who is comatose in Storybrooke. While initially he is known simply as "John Doe" in Storybrooke because of his comatose state, he is eventually revealed to be called David Nolan, after waking up. The creators also mixed Charming's history with that of The Prince and the Pauper, with Dallas portraying both the original Prince and the Pauper who replaced his brother after he was killed. Because of this history, Dallas tried to bring a "rural" feel to the character to make him more accessible to viewers. On what makes his portrayal of Prince Charming different to those before, Dallas explained that "Prince Charming just happens to be a name. He's still a man with the same emotions as any other man. He's a Prince, but he's a Prince of the people. He gets his hands dirty. He's got a kingdom to run. He has a family to protect. He has an epic, epic love for Snow White. He's like everybody else. He's human."
In the Enchanted Forest, David was originally a poor shepherd whose twin brother James was given to King George as an heir in a deal with Rumplestiltskin. From an internal story chronology we first encounter him when he meets Anna of Arendelle, whom he tells he is a friend of Kristof, and we find him being terrorized by the evil Little Bo Peep.
When James, his twin brother, is killed in battle, David takes his brother's name in exchange for the prosperity of his mother's farm. King Midas declares David fit to marry his daughter Abigail and unite the kingdoms. However, David wants to marry for love, but George vows to kill his mother if he declines. He falls in love with Snow White, who nicknames him Charming, later inviting her to run away. After continuous interceptions by George, the Evil Queen Regina captures him to convince Snow to willingly eat an apple containing a sleeping curse. He later awakens her and the pair marry, before Regina announces that she will cast a curse to destroy their happiness. Rumplestiltskin informs them that their child will break the curse in 28 years. Emma is born before the curse takes hold, and Charming places her in a magical wardrobe to protect her from the curse, before being wounded by the Queen's knights.