- For the rugby player see Matthew Rees
Matthew Rees is a Wales and British Lions international rugby union footballer who currently plays for the Scarlets in the Celtic League. His usual position is at hooker...
. For the novelist, see Matt Rees.
Matthew Rhys Evans (born on 8 November 1974), known professionally as
Matthew Rhys, is a
WelshWales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
actorAn actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
, best known as
Kevin WalkerKevin Herbert Walker is the name of a fictional character on ABC's family drama Brothers & Sisters. He is portrayed by actor Matthew Rhys. In a two-part 2010 episode, actor Kasey Campbell played a teenage Kevin in flashback sequences set in 1986....
on the
U.S.The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
ABCThe American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
family drama
Brothers & Sisters, and as
Dylan ThomasDylan Marlais Thomas was a Welsh poet and writer, Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved 11 January 2008. who wrote exclusively in English. In addition to poetry, he wrote short stories and scripts for film and radio, which he often performed himself...
in
The Edge of LoveThe Edge of Love is a 2008 John Maybury film starring Keira Knightley, Sienna Miller, Cillian Murphy and Matthew Rhys from a script by Sharman Macdonald, Knightley's mother...
.
Early life
Rhys was born in
CardiffCardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...
, the son of Glyn Evans, a headmaster and Helen Evans, a special needs teacher. He grew up in Cardiff along with his older sister Rachel Evans, who is now a BBC broadcast journalist. Rhys was educated through the
Welsh languageWelsh is a member of the Brythonic branch of the Celtic languages spoken natively in Wales, by some along the Welsh border in England, and in Y Wladfa...
at Ysgol Gynradd Gymraeg Melin Gruffydd and
Ysgol Gyfun Gymraeg GlantafYsgol Gyfun Gymraeg Glantaf is the largest Welsh-medium school in Wales. It is located on Bridge Road, Llandaff North, Cardiff, on the banks of the river Taff. The name 'Glantaf' means 'The bank of the river Taf' in Welsh. Of the two Welsh-medium secondary schools serving Cardiff, it was the first...
. At seventeen, after playing the lead role of
Elvis PresleyElvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....
in a school musical, he applied and was accepted at the prestigious
Royal Academy of Dramatic ArtThe Royal Academy of Dramatic Art is a drama school located in London, United Kingdom. It is generally regarded as one of the most renowned drama schools in the world, and is one of the oldest drama schools in the United Kingdom, having been founded in 1904.RADA is an affiliate school of the...
in
LondonLondon is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. Shortly thereafter, in 1993, he was awarded the Patricia Rothermere Scholarship. During his time at RADA, Rhys appeared in
Back-Up, the
BBCThe British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
police series about the operational support units Hooli Vans, as well as in
House of America. He then returned to Cardiff to act in his own language in the Welsh film
Bydd yn Wrol (Be Brave), for which he won Best Actor at the Welsh BAFTAs.
Career
In January 1998, Rhys went to
New ZealandNew Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
to star in
Greenstone, a colonial costume drama for
televisionTelevision is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
. He then landed a role in
TitusTitus is a 1999 film adaptation of Shakespeare's revenge tragedy Titus Andronicus, about the downfall of a Roman general. It was the first film of the play . The film was made by Overseas Filmgroup and Clear Blue Sky Productions and released by Fox Searchlight Pictures...
, Julie Taymor's critically acclaimed adaptation of
Titus AndronicusTitus Andronicus is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, and possibly George Peele, believed to have been written between 1588 and 1593. It is thought to be Shakespeare's first tragedy, and is often seen as his attempt to emulate the violent and bloody revenge plays of his contemporaries, which were...
, starring
Anthony HopkinsSir Philip Anthony Hopkins, KBE , best known as Anthony Hopkins, is a Welsh actor of film, stage and television...
and
Jessica LangeJessica Phyllis Lange is an American actress who has worked in film, theatre and television. The recipient of several awards, including two Academy Awards, four Golden Globes and one Emmy, Lange is regarded as one of the première female actors of her generation.Lange was discovered by producer...
. Next he played Ray in Peter Hewitt's quirky film comedy,
Whatever Happened to Harold Smith?Whatever Happened to Harold Smith? is a film written by Ben Steiner, directed by Peter Hewitt and released in 1999. The British movie was filmed in Sheffield....
After returning to Wales, he did two consecutive films with
Jonathan PryceJonathan Pryce, CBE is a Welsh stage and film actor and singer. After studying at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and meeting his longtime partner English actress Kate Fahy in 1974, he began his career as a stage actor in the 1970s...
:
The Testimony of Taliesin Jones, a film about a dysfunctional single-parent family in which he played the elder son, and
Sara SugarmanSara Sugarman is a Welsh actress and film director whose work includes Disney's Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen and Very Annie Mary...
's comedy
Very Annie MaryVery Annie Mary is a 2001 comedy film and musical from the United Kingdom, written and directed by Sara Sugarman and starring Rachel Griffiths and Jonathan Pryce. It is a coming-of-age tale, set in south Wales, about a woman in her 30s who lives with her verbally abusive father...
, in which he played the role of Nob. Rhys would later reunite with
Very Annie Mary star
Rachel GriffithsRachel Anne Griffiths is an Australian film and television actress who came to prominence in the 1994 film Muriel's Wedding and her Academy Award nominated performance in the 1997 film Hilary and Jackie....
on
Brothers & Sisters, which also stars Academy Award-winner
Sally FieldSally Margaret Field is an American actress, singer, producer, director, and screenwriter. In each decade of her career, she has been known for major roles in American TV/film culture, including: in the 1960s, for Gidget or Sister Bertrille on The Flying Nun ; in the 1970s, for Sybil , Smokey and...
, actor Rob Lowe &
Ally McBealAlly McBeal is an American legal comedy-drama series which aired on the Fox network from 1997 to 2002. The series was created by David E. Kelley, who also served as the executive producer, along with Bill D'Elia...
alumna,
Calista FlockhartCalista Kay Flockhart is an American actress who is primarily recognized for her work in television. She is best known for playing the title character in the Fox comedy-drama series Ally McBeal for which she won a Golden Globe Award...
.
In 2000, Rhys played the lead role in
Metropolis, a drama series for Granada TV about the lives of six twenty-somethings living in
LondonLondon is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. Next he starred in
Peaches, the film of the celebrated play written and directed by Nick Grosso. Rhys opened to huge critical acclaim when he starred as Benjamin in the 2000 world premiere of the stage adaptation of
The GraduateThe Graduate is a 1967 American comedy-drama motion picture directed by Mike Nichols. It is based on the 1963 novel The Graduate by Charles Webb, who wrote it shortly after graduating from Williams College. The screenplay was by Buck Henry, who makes a cameo appearance as a hotel clerk, and Calder...
, alongside
Kathleen TurnerMary Kathleen Turner is an American actress. She came to fame during the 1980s, after roles in the Hollywood films Body Heat, Peggy Sue Got Married, Romancing the Stone, The War of the Roses, Who Framed Roger Rabbit and Prizzi's Honor...
at The Gielgud Theatre in London's West End.
Rhys travelled to
IrelandIreland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
to star in the 18th century swashbuckling adventure,
The Abduction Club. He played the lead role of Darren Daniels in
Tabloid, and then returned to
New ZealandNew Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
to shoot the epic drama
Lost World for the BBC. His other film credits include the independent horror film
Deathwatch in Prague and
FakersFakers is a 2004 British film directed by Richard Janes and starring Matthew Rhys as con-man with a big debt to pay off to wanna-be crime lord Art Malik. It was produced by Richard Janes Claire Bee and Todd Kleparski, three graduates from Ravensbourne College of Design and Communication...
, a comic crime caper. He also appeared opposite the late
Brittany MurphyBrittany Anne Murphy-Monjack , known professionally as Brittany Murphy, was an American actress and singer. She starred in films such as Clueless, Just Married, Girl Interrupted, Spun, 8 Mile, Uptown Girls, Sin City, Happy Feet, and Riding in Cars with Boys...
in the independent feature
Love and Other DisastersLove and Other Disasters is a 2006 romantic comedy produced by Ruby Film, Europa Corp. and Skyline Films presented at the Toronto International Film Festival. In 2008, it had its UK premiere in London as the gala screening for the BFI 22nd London Gay and Lesbian Film Festival...
, in
Virgin TerritoryVirgin Territory is a 2007 romantic comedy film based upon Giovanni Boccaccio's Decameron. It has also been known under the working titles The Decameron, Angels and Virgins, Guilty Pleasures and Chasing Temptation. The film's Italian title Decameron Pie pays tribute to both the title of the...
opposite
Hayden ChristensenHayden Christensen is a Canadian actor. He appeared in Canadian television programs when he was young, then diversified into American television in the late 1990s. He moved on to minor acting roles before being praised for his role of Sam in Life as a House, for which he was nominated for a Golden...
,
Tim RothSimon Timothy "Tim" Roth is an English film actor and director best known for his roles in the American films,Legend of 1900, Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction, Four Rooms, Skellig, Planet of the Apes, The Incredible Hulk and Rob Roy, receiving an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor for...
and
Mischa BartonMischa Anne Marsden Barton is a British-American fashion model, film, television, and stage actress, best known for her role as Marissa Cooper in the American television series The O.C..-Early life:...
, and playing poet
Dylan ThomasDylan Marlais Thomas was a Welsh poet and writer, Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved 11 January 2008. who wrote exclusively in English. In addition to poetry, he wrote short stories and scripts for film and radio, which he often performed himself...
in the love quadrangle biopic
The Edge of LoveThe Edge of Love is a 2008 John Maybury film starring Keira Knightley, Sienna Miller, Cillian Murphy and Matthew Rhys from a script by Sharman Macdonald, Knightley's mother...
, alongside
Keira KnightleyKeira Christina Knightley born 26 March 1985) is an English actress and model. She began acting as a child and came to international notice in 2002 after co-starring in the film Bend It Like Beckham...
,
Sienna MillerSienna Rose Diana Miller is a British-American actress, model, and fashion designer, best known for her roles in Layer Cake, Alfie, Factory Girl, The Edge of Love and G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra. In 2007, the London Film Criticsnamed her British Actress of the Year for Interview...
and
Cillian MurphyCillian Murphy is an Irish film and theatre actor. He is often noted by critics for his chameleonic performances in diverse roles and distinctive blue eyes and general sex appeal....
.
Rhys is quite adamant that he could happily give up his career to play international
rugbyRugby football is a style of football named after Rugby School in the United Kingdom. It is seen most prominently in two current sports, rugby league and rugby union.-History:...
for his country.
On July 15, 2008, Matthew was honoured by Aberystwyth University as a Fellow. While on August 8, 2008 he was honoured at the Welsh National Eisteddfod by being accepted as a member to the druidic order of the Gorsedd of the Bards, for his contribution to the Welsh language and
WalesWales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
. His bardic name in the Gorsedd is Matthew Tâf.
Matthew Rhys is a patron of the
Iris PrizeEstablished in 2007 by , The ' is an international gay and lesbian short film prize which is open to any short film which is by, for, about or of interest to gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender or intersex audiences and which must have been completed within 2 years prior to the prize deadline.The...
- (Cardiff's International Gay and Lesbian Short Film Prize)
In 2011, Rhys will appear in the
BBC TwoBBC Two is the second television channel operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It covers a wide range of subject matter, but tending towards more 'highbrow' programmes than the more mainstream and popular BBC One. Like the BBC's other domestic TV and radio...
two-part drama adaptation (written by Gwyneth Hughes and directed by
Diarmuid LawrenceDiarmuid Lawrence is a British television director.Born in Westcliff-on-Sea in Essex, Lawrence began his career in 1978 as a production assistant on the BBC television drama Pennies from Heaven...
) of
Charles DickensCharles John Huffam Dickens was an English novelist, generally considered the greatest of the Victorian period. Dickens enjoyed a wider popularity and fame than had any previous author during his lifetime, and he remains popular, having been responsible for some of English literature's most iconic...
' last novel,
The Mystery of Edwin DroodThe Mystery of Edwin Drood is the final novel by Charles Dickens. The novel was left unfinished at the time of Dickens' death, and his intended ending for it remains unknown. Though the novel is named after the character Edwin Drood, the story focuses on Drood's uncle, choirmaster John Jasper, who...
, left unfinished at his death in 1870.
In 2012 Matthew Rhys will reprise Sir Alec Guinness' 1959 double role of John Barratt/Jacques De Gué in a new adaptation of
Daphne Du MaurierDame Daphne du Maurier, Lady Browning DBE was a British author and playwright.Many of her works have been adapted into films, including the novels Rebecca and Jamaica Inn and the short stories "The Birds" and "Don't Look Now". The first three were directed by Alfred Hitchcock.Her elder sister was...
's 1957 novel The Scapegoat. The 100-minute film, directed and written by
Charles SturridgeCharles B. G. Sturridge is an English screenwriter, producer, stage, television and film director.-Personal life:Sturridge was born in London, England to Alyson Bowman Vaughan and Jerome Sturridge. He was educated at Stonyhurst College...
will be produced by Sarah Beardsall and
Dominic MinghellaDominic Minghella is a British television screenwriter. His most successful project has been the creation of the ITV network comedy-drama series Doc Martin, starring Martin Clunes, which began in 2004. He was also the chief writer and show runner of BBC One's 2006 production Robin Hood, produced...
's Island Pictures.
The ScapegoatThe Scapegoat is an upcoming film adaption of Daphne du Maurier's 1957 novel of the same name, commissioned by ITV1. The drama is written and directed by Charles Sturridge and stars Matthew Rhys as lookalike characters John Standing and Johnny Spence....
will go into production on location in London in November 2011 and will be released for cinema audiences worldwide, a theatrical distribution managed by Content Media following its screening on
ITV1ITV1 is a generic brand that is used by twelve franchises of the British ITV Network in the English regions, Wales, southern Scotland , the Isle of Man and the Bailiwicks of Jersey and Guernsey. The ITV1 brand was introduced by Carlton and Granada in 2001, alongside the regional identities of their...
in April 2012.
Personal life
Rhys is very close friends with actor
Ioan GruffuddIoan Gruffudd is a Welsh actor.Trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, he started off in Welsh language film productions, then came to international attention as Fifth Officer Harold Lowe in the film Titanic , and as Lt. John Beales in Black Hawk Down...
, and they shared a house for nearly 10 years. Rhys served as one of the best men at Gruffudd's wedding, and wrote a speech for the occasion.
Both Rhys and Gruffudd are patrons of UK spinal injuries charity
Trust PATrust PA is a UK registered charity working to help those suffering from paralysis as a result of a spinal cord injury, funding research, as well as the work necessary to convert successful research into properly tested and approved treatments that can be freely available in UK NHS hospitals and...
, in memory of a schoolfriend. Rhys is also patron of Hijinx Theatre, based at
Wales Millennium CentreWales Millennium Centre is an arts centre located in the Cardiff Bay area of Cardiff, Wales. The site covers a total area of . Phase 1 of the building was opened during the weekend of the 26–28 November 2004 and phase 2 opened on 22 January 2009 with an inaugural concert...
in
Cardiff BayCardiff Bay is the area created by the Cardiff Barrage in South Cardiff, the capital of Wales. The regeneration of Cardiff Bay is now widely regarded as one of the most successful regeneration projects in the United Kingdom. The Bay is supplied by two rivers to form a freshwater lake round the...
, as well as a Charity Champion for The Noah's Ark Appeal a charity that fund-raises for the development of The Children's Hospital of Wales.
Selected filmography
| Year |
Film/TV |
Role |
Notes |
| 2012 |
The Scapegoat The Scapegoat is an upcoming film adaption of Daphne du Maurier's 1957 novel of the same name, commissioned by ITV1. The drama is written and directed by Charles Sturridge and stars Matthew Rhys as lookalike characters John Standing and Johnny Spence....
|
John Standing / Johnny Spence |
Novel adaptation |
| 2011 |
The Mystery of Edwin DroodThe Mystery of Edwin Drood is the final novel by Charles Dickens. The novel was left unfinished at the time of Dickens' death, and his intended ending for it remains unknown. Though the novel is named after the character Edwin Drood, the story focuses on Drood's uncle, choirmaster John Jasper, who...
|
John Jasper |
Two-part TV drama |
| 2011 |
Everything Carries Me To You (short) |
Damien |
|
| 2010 |
Patagonia Patagonia is a 2010 drama film about different Welsh and Argentine people connected to "Y Wladfa," the Welsh settlement in Patagonia, Argentina. The film stars several well-known Welsh actors including Matthew Rhys, Nia Roberts, and the singer Duffy. Directed by Welsh director Marc Evans, it...
|
Mateo |
|
| 2009 |
The Think Tank (short) |
Marc |
|
| 2008 |
The Edge of Love The Edge of Love is a 2008 John Maybury film starring Keira Knightley, Sienna Miller, Cillian Murphy and Matthew Rhys from a script by Sharman Macdonald, Knightley's mother...
|
Dylan Thomas Dylan Marlais Thomas was a Welsh poet and writer, Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved 11 January 2008. who wrote exclusively in English. In addition to poetry, he wrote short stories and scripts for film and radio, which he often performed himself...
|
|
| 2007 |
Virgin TerritoryVirgin Territory is a 2007 romantic comedy film based upon Giovanni Boccaccio's Decameron. It has also been known under the working titles The Decameron, Angels and Virgins, Guilty Pleasures and Chasing Temptation. The film's Italian title Decameron Pie pays tribute to both the title of the...
|
Count Dzerzhinsky |
|
| 2006 |
Love and Other Disasters Love and Other Disasters is a 2006 romantic comedy produced by Ruby Film, Europa Corp. and Skyline Films presented at the Toronto International Film Festival. In 2008, it had its UK premiere in London as the gala screening for the BFI 22nd London Gay and Lesbian Film Festival...
|
Peter Simon |
|
| 2006 |
Beau Brummell: This Charming ManBeau Brummell: This Charming Man was a 2006 BBC Television drama in based on the biography of Beau Brummell by Ian Kelly.-Production:The film was commissioned by BBC Four for broadcast as part of its 2006 The Century That Made Us season.-Reception:...
|
Lord Byron |
|
| 2006–2011 |
Brothers & Sisters |
Kevin Walker |
(TV series) 109 episodes
Directed three episodes |
|
| 2004 |
Fakers Fakers is a 2004 British film directed by Richard Janes and starring Matthew Rhys as con-man with a big debt to pay off to wanna-be crime lord Art Malik. It was produced by Richard Janes Claire Bee and Todd Kleparski, three graduates from Ravensbourne College of Design and Communication...
|
Nick Edwards |
|
| 2003 |
Columbo Likes the Nightlife |
Justin Price |
|
| 2003 |
Y Mabinogi Y Mabinogi is a 2003 Welsh film. It is mostly animated, although the very beginning and end sequences are live action...
|
Lleu Llaw Gyffes |
(voice Voice may refer to:* Human voice* Voice control or voice activation* Writer's voice* Voice acting* Voice vote* Voice message-In film:* Voice , a 2005 South Korean film* The Voice , a 2010 Turkish horror film directed by Ümit Ünal...
) |
| 2002 |
Deathwatch |
Cpl. Doc Fairweather |
|
| 2002 |
The Abduction Club The Abduction Club is a British film directed by Stefan Schwartz. Based loosely on real events, the plot centres around a group of outlaws who abduct women in order to marry them. It was written by Richard Crawford and Bill Britten.-Synopsis:...
|
James Strang |
|
| 2002 |
Shooters |
Eddie |
|
| 2001 |
The Lost World The Lost World is a 2001 adaptation of the novel by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, directed by Stuart Orme and adapted by Adrian Hodges. It was filmed at various locations on the West Coast of New Zealand. The film was produced by the BBC and broadcast on BBC1 in the United Kingdom and A&E in the United...
|
Edward Malone |
|
| 2001 |
Very Annie Mary Very Annie Mary is a 2001 comedy film and musical from the United Kingdom, written and directed by Sara Sugarman and starring Rachel Griffiths and Jonathan Pryce. It is a coming-of-age tale, set in south Wales, about a woman in her 30s who lives with her verbally abusive father...
|
Nob |
|
| 2001 |
Tabloid |
Darren Daniels |
|
| 2000 |
Sorted |
Carl |
|
| 2000 |
A History of Britain |
|
(voice, TV series) |
| 1999 |
Heart |
Sean McCardle |
|
| 1999 |
Titus |
Demetrius |
|
| 1999 |
Whatever Happened to Harold Smith? Whatever Happened to Harold Smith? is a film written by Ben Steiner, directed by Peter Hewitt and released in 1999. The British movie was filmed in Sheffield....
|
Ray Smith |
|
| 1998 |
ElizabethElizabeth is a 1998 biographical film written by Michael Hirst, directed by Shekhar Kapur, and starring Cate Blanchett in the title role of Queen Elizabeth I of England, alongside Geoffrey Rush, Christopher Eccleston, Joseph Fiennes, Sir John Gielgud, Fanny Ardant and Richard Attenborough...
|
|
(uncredited) |
Other projects, contributions
- When love speaks
When Love Speaks is a compilation album that features interpretations of William Shakespeare's sonnets and excerpts from his plays by famous actors and musicians, released under EMI Classics in April 2002.-Track listing:...
(2002, EMI ClassicsEMI Classics is a record label of EMI, formed in 1990 in order to reduce the need to create country-specific packaging and catalogs for internationally distributed classical music releases....
) - "Sonnet 132Sonnet 132 is written by William Shakespeare.-Interpretations:*Matthew Rhys, for the 2002 compilation album, When Love Speaks -External links:*...
" ("Thine eyes I love, and they, as pitying me")
External links