Biography
This page uses content from the Rufus Sewell biography page on the English version of Wikipedia and is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. This list of authors can be seen in the page history. Rotten Tomatoes disclaims any and all warranties as to the accuracy or reliability of the content.
Rufus Frederick Sewell (born October 29, 1967) is an English actor.
In film, he has had lead roles in The Woodlanders, The Honest Courtesan, Dark City, A Knight's Tale, and Martha, Meet Frank, Daniel and Laurence. On television, he became well known for his role as the hero, Will Ladislaw, in the BBC adaptation of George Eliot's Middlemarch. In 2003, he appeared in the lead role in a miniseries about the life of King Charles II of England. On stage, he originated the role of Septimus Hodge in Tom Stoppard's Arcadia, and was nominated for an Olivier Award.
Biography
Early years
Sewell was born in 1967 in Twickenham in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames in South West London, the son of an Australian animator and Welsh artist. Father Bill worked on the Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds animation for The Beatles. His parents split up when Sewell was five and his mother supported her two sons by working different jobs. Bill Sewell died when Rufus was 10 and by his own admission, Sewell was a difficult teenager.
Sewell attended Orleans Park School, from which he graduated in 1984. It was clear from his eccentricities at the school that he would be temperamentally well suited for playing the lead role in several period dramas. A drama teacher at Orleans Park School spotted his promise and sent him to audition for drama school. He enrolled at the Central School of Speech and Drama in London. After graduating, he was set up with an agent by Dame Judi Dench who had directed him in a play while at Central.
Career
1993 turned out to be his breakthrough year when he starred in both the BBC adaptation of Middlemarch and Tom Stoppard's Arcadia. He continues to be a triple-threat, working continually in film, television and the theater. Although best known for his work in costume dramas, Sewell prefers 'cravat-less' roles in modern pieces. His most recent venture in this genre was playing the part of Petruchio in the BBC's 2005 version of Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew as part of the Shakespeare Re-Told season, which earned him a Best Actor nomination at the 2006 BAFTA Television Awards. In this modern retelling of the story the action moves from 17th Century Padua, Italy to the glamorous social circles of 21st Century London. This production marks the fourth time that Sewell has acted in a Shakespeare play since becoming a professional actor: he previously portrayed Hotspur in Henry IV, Part 1 in 1995, Fortinbras in Hamlet in 1996 and Macbeth in Macbeth in 1999. Moreover, Sewell appeared in the lead role of John Murdoch in the landmark sci-fi film Dark City in 1998.
He appeared in the premiere of Tom Stoppard's latest play Rock 'n' Roll at the Royal Court Theatre from June to July 2006 and at the Duke of York Theatre from July until November 2006. The play was a critical and commercial success; playing to full houses and garnering several awards and nominations, including a win for Sewell in the Best Actor category at The Evening Standard Awards.
Sewell will next be seen in Amazing Grace and Nancy Meyers' romantic comedy The Holiday. Amazing Grace is a film based on the story of William Wilberforce's political fight to abolish slavery in Britain. Sewell portrays Wilberforce's co-campaigner Thomas Clarkson and yet again had to wear a cravat for the part.
Personal life
Sewell lives in London. He has a son, William 'Billy' (born March 18 2002), with former partner Amy Gardner, whom he married in 2004. When not working, he enjoys photography and is a fan of Leica equipment. Says Sewell:
- "My favourite things are just wandering from place to place, going to cafes, taking photographs. My favourite day is a happy accident."
Selected filmography
- The Holiday (2006) (awaiting release)
- Amazing Grace (2006) (awaiting release)
- The Illusionist (2006)
- Tristan and Isolde (2006)
- The Legend of Zorro (2005)
- Charles II: The Power and the Passion (2003) (miniseries)
- Helen of Troy (2003) (TV)
- Extreme Ops (2002)
- She Creature 2001 Made for Cable
- A Knight's Tale (2001)
- Arabian Nights (2000) (TV)
- Bless the Child (2000)
- At Sachem Farm (1998)
- Martha, Meet Frank, Daniel and Laurence (1998)
- Dark City (1998)
- Dangerous Beauty (1998)
- Hamlet (1996)
- Cold Comfort Farm (1995)
- Middlemarch (1994) (miniseries)
- Dirty Weekend (1993)
External links
Sources
"Playing the Sewell", Mariane Macdonald for The Evening Standard Magazine, November 5 2005.
Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify the biographical information on this page under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2 or any later version published by the Free Software Foundation.
IGN RSS Feeds