A native of the southern Manchester district of Wythenshawe, Draven is the last of three boys, with two older brothers, John and Jason. Their mother is Kath Donnelly. Early in life he thought of becoming a footballer but turned his attention to acting at 16. He later moved to London to fulfill his acting ambitions, although he had no theatrical training and no CV. Changing his name to Jamie Draven, he was 19 with just a few small parts to his credit when he won a major role in the 1999 Granada Television drama Butterfly Collectors.
