Paul Rhys
Paul Rhys | |
---|---|
Born | Royal Academy of Dramatic Art | 19 December 1963
Occupation | Actor |
Years active | 1983–present |
Paul Rhys (born 19 December 1963) is a Welsh theatre, television and film actor.
Early life
Rhys was born in Neath to working class Catholic parents, Kathryn Ivory and Richard Charles Rhys, a labourer. From the age of ten, he bred and trained horses, becoming a highly accomplished rider. A committed punk during his youth, Rhys sang in several bands.[1] His first acting job was playing Liverpudlian judo expert Ralph in John Godber's hit play Bouncers, before leaving for London, where he qualified for his Equity card by singing jazz standards at lunchtime for Peter Boizot's Pizza Express and Kettners.[citation needed]
Career
Rhys received a Bernard Shaw Scholarship to study at RADA. In the first term he was spotted by
Film
His next film role was in
Television
Running parallel to Rhys's film work has been a diverse and notable television career, working in leading roles with directors such as
In 2008 Rhys appeared in the series "Agatha Christie's Poirot". In 2014, he played the lead as traitor Aldrich Ames, in The Assets miniseries, then as King George III in Turn: Washington's Spies and as Sir John Conroy in Victoria. He has made a minor industry out of playing vampires: Being Human (as Ivan);[3] as Vlad, the Prince of Wallachia aka Dracula in seasons 1–3 of the 2015 series Da Vinci's Demons; and as Andrew Hubbard in two seasons of the 2020–2021 hit, A Discovery of Witches. In 2023, he appears as Tommy in the BBC film, Men Up.
Theatre
Rhys’ early stage work included performances at Glasgow
Real-life characters played by Rhys have included
On two occasions, Rhys was taken to hospital while working on a stage production, once with pneumonia and the other with exhaustion.[10] In the title role in Howard Brenton's play Paul at the Royal National Theatre, he was unable to continue as he had lost an unhealthy amount of weight, dropping from 76 to 57 kilograms (168 to 126 lb).
Radio
Rhys has acted in over one hundred BBC Radio dramas. His roles include:
Personal life
Rhys was in a relationship with the late Australian actress
Filmography
Film
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1986 | Absolute Beginners |
Dean Swift | |
1987 | Lionheart | Mayor of the Underground City | |
1987 | Little Dorrit | Charles Stiltstalking | |
1989 | Spirit | Douglas Rimmer | |
1990 | Vincent & Theo | Theo van Gogh | |
1991 | Becoming Colette | Chapo | |
1992 | Rebecca's Daughters | Anthony Raine | |
1992 | Chaplin | Sydney Chaplin | |
1995 | Nina Takes a Lover | Photographer | |
1999 | Love Lies Bleeding | Dr. Jonathan Stephens | |
1999 | The Strange Case of Delphina Potocka or The Mystery of Chopin | Frédéric Chopin | |
2001 | From Hell | Dr. Ferral | |
2002 | Food of Love[17] | Richard Kennington | |
2003 | Vacuum | Adam | Short film |
2003 | Y Mabinogi | Lord Pwyll | Voice |
2003 | The Deal | Peter Mandelson | |
2005 | Hellraiser: Deader | Winter | Direct-to-video |
2007 | Unknown Things | Hoogstraten | |
2011 | Eliminate: Archie Cookson | Archie Cookson | BIFFF Thriller Prize - Special Mention
|
2023 | Napoleon | Talleyrand | |
2023 | Saltburn | Duncan | |
2023 | Widow Clicquot | Droite |
Television
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1987 | My Family and Other Animals | George | |
1988 | Tumbledown | Hugh MacKessac | Television film |
1988 | The Heroes |
Ivan Lyon | |
1990 | Screen Two | Amable Massis | Series 7, Episode 5: "102 Boulevard Haussmann" |
1990 | Opium Eaters | Thomas De Quincey | Television film |
1992 | Chillers | Adam Marshall | Series 1, Episode 9: "A Bird Poised to Fly" |
1993 | Gallowglass |
Sandor | |
1994 | The Healer | Dr. John Lassiter | Television film; BAFTA Cymru Award for Best Actor
|
1994 | A Summer's Day Dream | Christopher | Television film |
1995 | Ghosts | Captain Peter Buckle | Series 1, Episode 2: "Blood and Water" |
1995 | The Haunting of Helen Walker | Edward Goffe | Television film |
1996 | Kavanagh QC | Sam Wicks | Series 2, Episode 6: "Job Satisfaction" |
1997 | A Dance to the Music of Time | Charles Stringham | |
1998 | Performance | Edgar | King Lear |
2000 | Randall & Hopkirk (Deceased) | Douglas Milton | Series 1, Episode 4: "Paranoia" |
2000 | I Saw You | Ben Walters | Television film |
2000 | Anna Karenina | Nikolai | |
2001 | The Innocent | David Pastorov | Television film |
2001 | The Cazalets | Rupert Cazalet | |
2002 | I Saw You | Ben Walters | |
2002 | The Lives of Animals | John | Television film |
2003 | Murder in Mind | Matthew Hopkins | Series 3, Episode 1: "Echoes" |
2005 | Timewatch | Cicero | Episode: "Murder in Rome" |
2005 | Beethoven | Ludwig van Beethoven | |
2006 | The Ten Commandments | Ramesses II | |
2008 | Bonekickers | Edward Laygass | Series 1, Episode 1: "Army of God" |
2008 | Agatha Christie's Poirot | Robin Upward | Series 11, Episode 1: "Mrs McGinty's Dead" |
2008 | Spooks | Alexis Meynell | Series 7, Episode 5 |
2009 | The Queen | Prince Charles |
Series 1, Episode 4: "The Enemy Within" |
2010 | Being Human | Ivan | 5 episodes |
2010 | Luther | Lucien Burgess | Series 1, Episode 3 |
2010 | New Tricks | Sebastian Carter | Series 7, Episode 1: "Dead Man Talking" |
2010 | When Harvey Met Bob | Paul McCartney | Television film |
2010 | Agatha Christie's Marple | Lewis Pritchard | Series 5, Episode 3: "The Blue Geranium" |
2011 | Murdoch Mysteries | Dr. Llewellyn Francis | 3 episodes |
2011 | Moving On | Andy | Series 3, Episode 4: "Donor" |
2011 | Great Expectations | Compeyson/Denby | |
2013–14 | Borgia | Leonardo da Vinci | 6 episodes |
2013–15 | Da Vinci's Demons | Vlad the Impaler | 4 episodes |
2014 | The Assets | Aldrich Ames | |
2015–17 | TURN | George III |
3 episodes |
2015 | Casanova | Count of St. Germain | Television film |
2016 | Victoria | Sir John Conroy | 3 episodes |
2017 | Rellik | Patrick Barker | 3 episodes |
2018 | Lore | Philip Smith | Series 2, Episode 5: "Mary Webster: The Witch of Hadley" |
2021 | A Discovery of Witches | Andrew Hubbard | Series 2, 3 |
2023 | Men Up | Tommy Cadogan | Television film |
Theatre
References
- ^ "Wales ~ Land Of My Fathers". Wales ~ Land Of My Fathers. Retrieved 12 July 2021.
- ^ Vanity Fair. Condé Nast Publications. 1986. p. 61.
- ^ Wales Online: "Actor Paul Rhys on the day he mud wrestled Ray Winstone", 12 November 2011. Retrieved 14 March 2013
- ^ "BENT (1990) with Ian McKellen". www.mckellen.com. Retrieved 12 July 2021.
- ^ Gibbons, Fiachra (8 November 1999). "Award victory for play denied West End run". The Guardian. Retrieved 11 September 2016.
- ^ "The Master and Margarita - review". The Guardian. 22 March 2012. Retrieved 30 June 2021.
- ^ "Theatre review: The Master and Margarita at Barbican Theatre". British Theatre Guide. Retrieved 30 June 2021.
- ^ BBC Press Office
- ^ Guardian Reviews, The Deal, Channel 4, 16/9/2003
- ^ "Actor Paul Rhys on the day he mud wrestled Ray Winstone". WalesOnline. 12 November 2011. Retrieved 26 June 2017.
- ^ "Leslie Charteris - The Saint". BBC Radio. Retrieved 26 April 2023.
- ^ "Fyodor Dostoevsky - The Idiot". BBC Radio. Retrieved 26 April 2023.
- ^ "Charles and Mary". BBC Radio. Retrieved 26 April 2023.
- ^ "The Rivals". BBC Radio. Retrieved 26 April 2023.
- ^ "The will to win". Sydney Morning Herald. 14 December 2002. Retrieved 20 June 2021.
- ^ "Shortly after my girlfriend died I felt her shouting for help..." Free Library. 24 January 2003. Retrieved 20 June 2021.
- ISBN 978-1-58065-020-5.
- ISBN 978-0-415-92545-7.
External links
- Paul Rhys at IMDb