1963-12-19 ( 61 years old ) in Neath, Glamorgan, Wales, UK
Paul Rhys (born 19 December 1963) is a Welsh actor with an extensive career in theatre, radio, television and film. Rhys was born in Neath to working-class Catholic parents, Kathryn Ivory and Richard Charles Rhys, a labourer. He is of part-Irish descent on his mother's side. 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. 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.
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 Julien Temple's film Absolute Beginners. Rhys completed his education at RADA by winning the William Pole prize and the Bancroft Gold Medal.
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 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.
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); 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.
Movies
Men Up
2024-10-18
Widow Clicquot
2024-07-18
Napoleon
2023-11-22
Saltburn
2023-11-16
Casanova
2015-08-01
Eliminate: Archie Cookson
2011-03-13
When Harvey Met Bob
2010-12-26
Hellraiser: Deader
2005-06-07
Murder in Rome
2005-03-04
The Deal
2003-09-28
Otherworld
2003-06-26
Food of Love
2002-02-08
From Hell
2001-02-08
The Innocent
2001-01-07
Love Lies Bleeding
1999-06-23
The Strange Case of Delfina Potocka
1999-01-01
King Lear
1998-03-21
The Haunting of Helen Walker
1995-12-03
Nina Takes a Lover
1995-03-03
The Healer
1994-04-01
Chaplin
1992-12-17
Rebecca's Daughters
1992-03-05
Becoming Colette
1991-10-17
Vincent & Theo
1990-12-02
102 Boulevard Haussmann
1990-11-09
Tumbledown
1988-05-29
The Heroes
1988-01-01
Lionheart
1987-08-14
The Spirit
1987-07-31
Absolute Beginners
1986-04-04
Powered by Powerxsoft Ltd using the TMDB API