Born in Elderslie, at the age of eleven Madden joined Paisley Arts Centre’s youth theatre programme. He went on to study acting at the Royal Scottish Academy for Music and Dance (now the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland). In his final year of study he was cast as Romeo in a production of ‘Romeo and Juliet’ at the Globe Theatre, London. Following his graduation in 2007 he established himself as a successful actor on stage, film and television. In 2009 he landed the lead role in the BBC series ‘Hope Springs’. Since 2011 he has starred in the American HBO series ‘Game of Thrones’. He has also appeared in the Channel 4 series ‘Sirens’ and the BBC series ‘Birdsong’. He has been tipped as an upcoming talent and in 2011 was named one of Screen International’s Stars of Tomorrow.