Rhys Ifans
Template:Short description Template:For Template:Use British English Template:Use dmy dates Template:Infobox person Rhys Owain Evans (Template:IPA; born 22 July 1967), known as Rhys Ifans, is a Welsh actor. He has portrayed roles in Twin Town (1997), Dancing at Lughnasa (1998), Notting Hill (1999), Kevin & Perry Go Large (2000), Enduring Love (2004), and The Boat That Rocked (2009), in addition to Xenophilius Lovegood in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 (2010), Dr. Curt Connors / Lizard in The Amazing Spider-Man (2012) and Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021), and Grigori Rasputin in The King's Man (2021). His television roles include Hector DeJean in the Epix thriller series Berlin Station, Mycroft Holmes in the CBS series Elementary, and Otto Hightower in the HBO fantasy series House of the Dragon.
Ifans was also formerly the frontman of the rock bands The Peth and Super Furry Animals.
Early life
Ifans was born Rhys Owain Evans<ref name=birth>Births, Marriages & Deaths Index of England & Wales, 1916–2005.; at ancestry.com</ref> in Haverfordwest on 22 July 1967,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> the son of nursery school teacher Beti-Wyn (née Davies) and primary school teacher Eirwyn Evans.<ref name=ydo>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> His younger brother, Llŷr Ifans, is also an actor.<ref name="BBC Biog">Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He grew up in Ruthin,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> where he received his primary education at Ysgol Pentrecelyn and was raised speaking Welsh as his first language.<ref name=Frostrup>Template:Cite news</ref> He attended Ysgol Maes Garmon, a Welsh medium secondary school in Mold, where he took his O levels and A levels.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He attended acting classes at Theatr Clwyd.<ref name="BBC Biog"/> After leaving school, he presented Welsh-language television programmes on S4C.<ref name="BBC Biog"/> He studied acting at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London, where he graduated in 1997.<ref>Template:Cite newsTemplate:Cbignore</ref>
Career
Stage
Ifans' early stage work included Hamlet at Theatr Clwyd, A Midsummer Night's Dream at the Regent's Park Theatre, and Under Milk Wood and Volpone at the National Theatre. He appeared at the Donmar Warehouse in 2003's Accidental Death of an Anarchist. In 2006, he returned to the London stage in Michael Grandage's production of Don Juan in Soho at the Donmar Warehouse. In 2016, Ifans played Fool alongside Glenda Jackson in Deborah Warner's production of King Lear, at The Old Vic. He returned to The Old Vic to play Ebenezer Scrooge in Matthew Warchus' production of A Christmas Carol (adapted by Jack Thorne) in 2017 and in 2018 returned to the National Theatre to play King Berenger in Patrick Marber's new adaptation of Eugene Ionesco's Exit the King. Ifans was given the role of Atticus Finch in Aaron Sorkin's To Kill A Mockingbird to begin at London's Gielgud Theatre on 21 May 2020.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The play was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic but was rescheduled for May 2021.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The role of Atticus Finch was later given to Rafe Spall due to scheduling conflicts.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Television
Ifans appeared in many Welsh-language television programmes before embarking on his film career, including the comedy show Template:Ill, as well as performing at the National Theatre, London and the Royal Exchange, Manchester. In 1990, he presented Stwnsh (Welsh for "Mash"), an anarchic children's quiz programme; 31 fifteen-minute programmes were broadcast on Welsh-language TV channel S4C.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
In 2000, he narrated the children's animated series Sali Mali for S4C. In 2004, his performance as Peter Cook in the TV film Not Only But Always won him the BAFTA Best Actor at the 2005 British Academy Television Awards.<ref name="bafta1">Template:Cite web</ref>
In 2005, Ifans made a guest appearance for the rock band Oasis in the video for their single "The Importance of Being Idle" (where he mimed to Noel Gallagher's vocals), for which he accepted their award for Video of the Year at the 2006 NME Awards. He has also appeared in the music videos for "God! Show Me Magic" and "Hometown Unicorn" by Super Furry Animals, "Mulder and Scully" by Catatonia, and "Mama Told Me Not to Come" by Tom Jones with Stereophonics.
In 2008, he appeared in "Six Days One June", one of three episodes of the TV series The Last Word Monologues, written by Hugo Blick and broadcast on BBC Two. He played a lonely Welsh farmer trying to free himself from a domineering mother.
From 2016 to 2019, Ifans portrayed hard-nosed American CIA case officer Hector DeJean in the U.S. pay-cable Epix network espionage thriller drama series Berlin Station, filmed on location in Berlin.
Ifans plays Otto Hightower<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> in the Game of Thrones prequel House of the Dragon, which premiered 21 August 2022.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Film
Following his role as Jeremy Lewis in the Swansea-based movie Twin Town (1997) alongside his brother Llŷr,<ref name="mirror">Template:Cite web</ref> Ifans gained international exposure in his role as slovenly housemate Spike in the British film Notting Hill (1999). Reportedly, in preparation for the role, Ifans did not wash himself or brush his teeth. He played Adrian, the pompous eldest brother in Little Nicky (2000). Other film roles include: Eyeball Paul in Kevin & Perry Go Large (2000), Nigel in The Replacements (2000), Iki in The 51st State (2001), William Dobbin in Vanity Fair (2004), and Vladis Grutas in Hannibal Rising (2007). He played Jed Parry in the 2004 film version of Ian McEwan's Enduring Love, and the lead role in Danny Deckchair (2003) as Danny Morgan.
Ifans revealed in March 2009 that he was to appear in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 (2010).<ref>Friday Night with Jonathan Ross, 27 March 2009</ref> He played Xenophillius Lovegood, editor of the wizarding magazine The Quibbler and father of the eccentric Luna Lovegood. In the same interview, he announced that he would play the title role in the film Mr. Nice, based on the life of the drug smuggler Howard Marks. He played Nemo Nobody's father in Mr. Nobody, and a villain in Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang.
On 11 October 2010 Associated Press confirmed that Ifans would portray the villain in the Spider-Man reboot film The Amazing Spider-Man. The villain was revealed as the Curt Connors / Lizard a few days later, and the film was released in July 2012.<ref name="film">Template:Cite web</ref> In 2015, Ifans starred in She's Funny That Way, directed by Peter Bogdanovich.
Ifans also starred in Steven Bernstein's Last Call, which was released theatrically, followed an extremely long delay, in the US on 25 November 2020. It is a surrealistic biopic, which recreates the life of Welsh poet Dylan Thomas through flashbacks during the famous drinking binge at the White Horse Tavern in New York City which ended fatally during the fall of 1953. It stars Ifans as Thomas alongside John Malkovich, Rodrigo Santoro, Romola Garai, Zosia Mamet, and Tony Hale.
On 16 November 2021 it was revealed, through the film's official trailer, that Ifans would reprise his role as Lizard from The Amazing Spider-Man in the Marvel Cinematic Universe film Spider-Man: No Way Home, to be released on 17 December. Later it was revealed that Ifans was not actually present on set and only lent his voice for the character created through digital means, with his human form at the end of the film being from archival footage from The Amazing Spider-Man.<ref name=swings/><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Ifans also appeared as Grigori Rasputin in the spy film The King's Man, which was released in December 2021.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Music
Ifans was briefly lead vocalist of the rock band Super Furry Animals before they released any records.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Since 2007, Ifans has sung with the psychedelic rock band The Peth ("peth" is Welsh for "thing"), featuring Super Furry Animals' Dafydd Ieuan, which played a number of concert dates in south Wales and in London in the autumn of 2008. In 2009 the band supported Oasis at a concert in the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Personal life
Ifans dated actress Sienna Miller from 2007 to 2008; Miller had accepted Ifans's marriage proposal before breaking up with him.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He dated actress Anna Friel from 2011 to 2014.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
In September 2012, Ifans became a patron of the Welsh-language Wikipedia,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> together with Dr Barry Morgan, the then Archbishop of Wales. In 2017, Ifans partnered with Shelter Cymru in a campaign called 7 Ways You Can End Homelessness.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He also in 2017 supported the community purchase of Tafarn Sinc, a pub in his native Pembrokeshire that was facing closure.<ref name="Mosalski">Template:Cite web</ref>
Filmography
Film
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | Spatz | Dave | 2 episodes |
| 1995 | Screen Two | Kevin | Episode: "Streetlife" |
| 1997 | Trial & Retribution | Michael Dunn | 2 episodes |
| 2000, 2020–present | Sali Mali | Narrator | 2 series |
| 2004 | Not Only But Always | Peter Cook | TV movie |
| 2008 | A Number | Bernard (B2) | TV movie |
| 2011 | Neverland | James Hook | TV movie |
| 2012 | The Corrections | Gitanas | Unaired pilot |
| 2013 | Playhouse Presents | Chris | Episode: "Gifted" |
| 2013–2014 | Elementary | Mycroft Holmes | 7 episodes |
| 2016–2019 | Berlin Station | Hector DeJean | 24 episodes |
| 2021 | Temple | Gubby | Season 2 |
| 2022–present | House of the Dragon | Otto Hightower | Main cast |
Music videos
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | "God! Show Me Magic" | Announcer | |
| 1997 | "Mulder and Scully" | ||
| 2000 | "Mama Told Me Not to Come" | ||
| 2005 | "The Importance of Being Idle" | Lazy Man |
Honours, awards and nominations
On 16 July 2007, he received an Honorary Fellowship of Bangor University, for services to the film industry.<ref name="Bangor">Template:Cite web</ref>
References
External links
Template:Super Furry Animals Template:British Academy Television Award for Best Actor 2000–2019 Template:Authority control
- 1967 births
- 20th-century Welsh male actors
- 21st-century Welsh male actors
- Living people
- Cool Cymru
- Actors from Haverfordwest
- Alumni of the Guildhall School of Music and Drama
- Best Actor BAFTA Award (television) winners
- People associated with Bangor University
- People from Ruthin
- British male film actors
- Super Furry Animals members
- Welsh male film actors
- Welsh male stage actors
- Welsh male television actors
- Welsh male voice actors
- Welsh-speaking actors
- Male actors from Pembrokeshire
- Male actors from Denbighshire