Paul Rhys

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Paul Rhys
Born (1963-12-19) 19 December 1963 (age 60)
Neath, Glamorgan, Wales, UK
Alma materRoyal Academy of Dramatic Art
OccupationActor
Years active1983–present

Paul Rhys (born 19 December 1963) is a Welsh theatre, television and film actor.

Early life[edit]

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[edit]

Rhys received a Bernard Shaw Scholarship to study at RADA. In the first term he was spotted by Philip Prowse and was invited to perform in Oscar Wilde's A Woman of No Importance at the Glasgow Citizens Theatre, playing the illegitimate son, Gerald. He also appeared as Dean Swift in Julian Temple's film Absolute Beginners.[2] Rhys completed his education at RADA by winning the William Pole prize and the Bancroft Gold Medal.

Film[edit]

His next film role was in Franklin J. Schaffner's Lionheart. After a brief spell at the Royal Shakespeare Company he played opposite Colin Firth in Richard Eyre's award-winning film Tumbledown. Soon after this, he appeared in Vincent & Theo, directed by the legendary American film director Robert Altman, as Vincent van Gogh's younger brother Theo van Gogh. Continuing the theme of famous brothers, Paul then played Sydney Chaplin opposite Robert Downey, Jr.'s Charlie Chaplin in Richard Attenborough's Chaplin. He went on to play Massis in Alan Bennett's 102 Boulevard Haussmann. He then appeared opposite Peter O'Toole in Rebecca's Daughters. A series of films then followed including From Hell, Food of Love, Love Lies Bleeding, Becoming Colette and Hellraiser: Deader. He appears as Talleyrand in Ridley Scott's 2023 epic Napoleon and as Duncan in Emerald Fennell's Saltburn.

Television[edit]

Running parallel to Rhys's film work has been a diverse and notable television career, working in leading roles with directors such as Mike Hodges, Stephen Frears, Sir Richard Eyre, Philip Martin, Christopher Morahan, Tom Vaughan, Edward Hall, Harry Bradbeer in productions including Tumbledown, A Dance to the Music of Time, The Heroes, Ghosts, Gallowglass, The Healer, Anna Karenina, The Deal, Beethoven, The Ten Commandments, Borgia, Luther, and Spooks.

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[edit]

Rhys’ early stage work included performances at Glasgow Citizen’s Theatre, Royal Shakespeare Company, Riverside Studios, Compass Theatre, and Young Vic. His first appearance at the Royal National Theatre was opposite Ian McKellen in Bent,[4] subsequently playing Angelo in Simon McBurney's Measure for Measure for which he won the Critics' Circle Theatre Award; Housman in The Invention of Love; and Edgar in King Lear, for which he was nominated for an Olivier Award. He appeared as Edmund in Long Day's Journey into Night and as Leo in Design for Living at The Donmar Warehouse, performing opposite Rachel Weisz and Clive Owen. In 2000 he played the title role in Hamlet at the Young Vic and later in Tokyo and Osaka. He received several awards for this performance.[5] Rhys continued his collaboration with Simon McBurney in Vanishing Points, The Dark is Rising, and The Master in Master and Margarita. The show opened at the Barbican in 2010 and continued on international tour, returning to the Barbican for a second sell-out season in 2012.[6][7] In 2016, he starred in a new version of Chekhov's Uncle Vanya by Robert Icke at The Almeida Theatre alongside Tobias Menzies, Jessica Brown-Findlay and Vanessa Kirby.

Real-life characters played by Rhys have included Vlad Tepes, Ludwig van Beethoven,[8] Peter Mandelson,[9] Paul McCartney, Thomas De Quincey, A. E. Housman, Frédéric Chopin, Marcus Tullius Cicero and Charles Talleyrand.

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[edit]

Rhys has acted in over one hundred BBC Radio dramas. His roles include: Simon Templar in Leslie Charteris' The Saint (1995),[11] Prince Myshkin in Fyodor Dostoevsky's The Idiot (2002),[12] Charles Lamb in Carlo Gébler's Charles and Mary (2011),[13] and Jacques Futrelle's Augustus S.F.X. Van Dusen in The Rivals (2011–2013).[14]

Personal life[edit]

Rhys was in a relationship with the late Australian actress Arkie Whiteley,[15][16] with whom he appeared in Gallowglass. When Whitely was diagnosed with terminal cancer at the age of 36, he nursed her until her death.

Filmography[edit]

Film[edit]

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[edit]

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[edit]

Year Title Role Notes
1983 Bouncers Ralph Yorkshire Actors
1984 A Woman of No Importance Gerald Arbuthnot Glasgow Citizens Theatre
1985 La Vie parisienne Milord Glasgow Citizens Theatre
1986 The Orphan Polydore Greenwich Theatre
1986 The Merchant of Venice Lorenzo Royal Shakespeare Company
1986 Much Ado About Nothing Claudio Royal Shakespeare Company
1987 Ghetto Solomon Riverside Studios
1988 The Government Inspector Khlestakov Compass Theatre
1990 Bent Rudy Royal National Theatre
1994 Design for Living Leo Donmar Warehouse
1995–96 Long Day's Journey Into Night[18] Edmund Young Vic
1997 King Lear Edgar Royal National Theatre; Nominated — Laurence Olivier Award
1997 The Invention of Love Houseman Royal National Theatre
1999–2000 Hamlet Hamlet Young Vic; Barclays Theatre Award
2004 Measure for Measure Angelo Royal National Theatre; Critics' Circle Theatre Award
2005 Paul Paul Royal National Theatre
2012 The Master and Margarita Woland/The Master Barbican Theatre
2016 Uncle Vanya Uncle Vanya Almeida Theatre

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Wales ~ Land Of My Fathers". Wales ~ Land Of My Fathers. Retrieved 12 July 2021.
  2. ^ Vanity Fair. Condé Nast Publications. 1986. p. 61.
  3. ^ Wales Online: "Actor Paul Rhys on the day he mud wrestled Ray Winstone", 12 November 2011. Retrieved 14 March 2013
  4. ^ "BENT (1990) with Ian McKellen". www.mckellen.com. Retrieved 12 July 2021.
  5. ^ Gibbons, Fiachra (8 November 1999). "Award victory for play denied West End run". The Guardian. Retrieved 11 September 2016.
  6. ^ "The Master and Margarita - review". The Guardian. 22 March 2012. Retrieved 30 June 2021.
  7. ^ "Theatre review: The Master and Margarita at Barbican Theatre". British Theatre Guide. Retrieved 30 June 2021.
  8. ^ BBC Press Office
  9. ^ Guardian Reviews, The Deal, Channel 4, 16/9/2003
  10. ^ "Actor Paul Rhys on the day he mud wrestled Ray Winstone". WalesOnline. 12 November 2011. Retrieved 26 June 2017.
  11. ^ "Leslie Charteris - The Saint". BBC Radio. Retrieved 26 April 2023.
  12. ^ "Fyodor Dostoevsky - The Idiot". BBC Radio. Retrieved 26 April 2023.
  13. ^ "Charles and Mary". BBC Radio. Retrieved 26 April 2023.
  14. ^ "The Rivals". BBC Radio. Retrieved 26 April 2023.
  15. ^ "The will to win". Sydney Morning Herald. 14 December 2002. Retrieved 20 June 2021.
  16. ^ "Shortly after my girlfriend died I felt her shouting for help..." Free Library. 24 January 2003. Retrieved 20 June 2021.
  17. ^ Film Actors. IFilm Publishing. 2002. p. 430. ISBN 978-1-58065-020-5.
  18. ^ Carole Zucker (1999). In the Company of Actors: Reflections on the Craft of Acting. Psychology Press. p. 222. ISBN 978-0-415-92545-7.

External links[edit]