Rupert Simeon Graves (born 30 June 1963) is an English

film A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmospher ...

television Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertising, ...

, and

theatre Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors or actresses, to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The perfor ...

actor. He is known for his roles in ''

A Room with a View ''A Room with a View'' is a 1908 novel by English writer E. M. Forster, about a young woman in the restrained culture of Edwardian era England. Set in Italy and England, the story is both a romance and a humorous critique of English society a ...

'', '' Maurice'', '' The Madness of King George'' and '' The Forsyte Saga''. From 2010 to 2017 he starred as DI Lestrade in the BBC television series '' Sherlock''.

Early life

Graves was born in

Weston-super-Mare Weston-super-Mare, also known simply as Weston, is a seaside town in North Somerset, England. It lies by the Bristol Channel south-west of Bristol between Worlebury Hill and Bleadon Hill. It includes the suburbs of Mead Vale, Milton, Oldmix ...

Somerset ( en, All The People of Somerset) , locator_map = , coordinates = , region = South West England , established_date = Ancient , established_by = , preceded_by = , origin = , lord_lieutenant_office =Lord Lieutenant of Somerset , lor ...

, England, to Mary Lousilla (''

née A birth name is the name of a person given upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name, or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth re ...

'' Roberts) Graves, a travel co-ordinator, and Richard Harding Graves, a music teacher and musician.

Education

Graves was educated at Wyvern Community School, a state comprehensive school in his home town of Weston-super-Mare, which he left at the age of 15. The school has since closed and re-opened as the Hans Price Academy.

Career

Graves's first job after leaving school was as a

circus clown Clowns have always been an integral part of the circus, offering a source of amusement for patrons and providing relief from the array of animal acts and performances by acrobats and novelty artistes. Traditional types Traditionally, there are ...

. He has appeared in more than 25 films and more than 35 television productions. He has also appeared on stage. He first came to prominence in costume-drama adaptations of E. M. Forster's novels ''

'' (1985) and '' Maurice'' (1987), before appearing in films including '' A Handful of Dust'' (1988), the Oscar nominated '' The Madness of King George'' (1994), '' Different for Girls'' (1996), and '' Intimate Relations'' (1996). His role in ''Intimate Relations'' won him the Best Actor award at the 1996 Montreal World Film Festival. He was also acclaimed for his portrayal of Young Jolyon Forsyte in the television

miniseries A miniseries or mini-series is a television series that tells a story in a predetermined, limited number of episodes. "Limited series" is another more recent US term which is sometimes used interchangeably. , the popularity of miniseries format ...

'' The Forsyte Saga'' (2002).

Personal life

In 1987, in his hometown of

, Graves met Yvonne, a

stained glass Stained glass is coloured glass as a material or works created from it. Throughout its thousand-year history, the term has been applied almost exclusively to the windows of churches and other significant religious buildings. Although tradition ...

artist (later a trained gardener) in a café. They lived together in

Stoke Newington Stoke Newington is an area occupying the north-west part of the London Borough of Hackney in north-east London, England. It is northeast of Charing Cross. The Manor of Stoke Newington gave its name to Stoke Newington the ancient parish. The ...

, London, and he helped her raise her two daughters, who were 10 and 14 years old when the relationship began. The couple were together for 13 years. In September 2000, shortly after Graves's relationship with Yvonne ended, he met Australian-born production co-ordinator Suzanne Lewis at the opening-night party for ''

The Caretaker ''The Caretaker'' is a play in three acts by Harold Pinter. Although it was the sixth of his major works for stage and television, this psychological study of the confluence of power, allegiance, innocence, and corruption among two brothers a ...

'', a play he was appearing in with

Michael Gambon Sir Michael John Gambon (; born 19 October 1940) is an Irish-English actor. Regarded as one of Ireland and Britain's most distinguished actors, he is known for his work on stage and screen. Gambon started his acting career with Laurence Olivi ...

. They are married and have five children together.

Filmography

Film

Television

Theatre

In addition to his screen work, Graves has won acclaim for his stage acting, including roles in

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

productions, in New York City, of the plays '' Closer'' (2000) and '' The Elephant Man'' (2002). His notable London theatre credits include his performance as Presley Stray in the original production of Philip Ridley's '' The Pitchfork Disney'' (1991) at the

Bush Theatre The Bush Theatre is located in the Passmore Edwards Public Library, Shepherd's Bush, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. It was established in 1972 as a showcase for the work of new writers. The Bush Theatre strives to create a s ...

, west London, which won him Best Actor at the 1991 Charrington London Fringe Awards; in Martin Sherman's ''

A Madhouse in Goa ''A Madhouse in Goa'' is a play by Martin Sherman written in two parts – the first act is titled "A Table for a King", the second, "Keeps Rainin’ all the Time". A ''Madhouse in Goa''’s first act takes place in the year 1966 on the Greek isl ...

'' (1989) opposite Vanessa Redgrave; and as Eddie in the Peter Hall Company's production of David Rabe's '' Hurlyburly'' (1997–98) at the

Old Vic Old or OLD may refer to: Places *Old, Baranya, Hungary *Old, Northamptonshire, England * Old Street station, a railway and tube station in London (station code OLD) *OLD, IATA code for Old Town Municipal Airport and Seaplane Base, Old Town, Ma ...

and Queen's Theatre, for which he was nominated for the 1998

Laurence Olivier Award The Laurence Olivier Awards, or simply the Olivier Awards, are presented annually by the Society of London Theatre to recognise excellence in professional theatre in London at an annual ceremony in the capital. The awards were originally known a ...

for Best Actor. and primary archive sources.

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Graves, Rupert Living people 1963 births 20th-century English male actors 21st-century English male actors English male film actors English male stage actors English male television actors English male voice actors People from Weston-super-Mare Male actors from Somerset Theatre World Award winners