Rhys Owain Evans (; born 22 July 1967), known as Rhys Ifans, is a Welsh actor. He has portrayed roles in ''

Notting Hill Notting Hill is a district of West London, England, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. Notting Hill is known for being a wikt:cosmopolitan, cosmopolitan and multiculturalism, multicultural neighbourhood, hosting the annual Notting ...

'' (1999), '' Kevin & Perry Go Large'' (2000), and '' Enduring Love'' (2004), in addition to Xenophilius Lovegood in ''

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 ''Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1'' is a 2010 fantasy film directed by David Yates from a screenplay by Steve Kloves. The film is the first of two cinematic parts based on the 2007 novel ''Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallo ...

'' (2010), Dr. Curt Connors / Lizard in ''

The Amazing Spider-Man ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' is an ongoing American superhero American comic book, comic book series featuring the Marvel Comics superhero Spider-Man as its title character and main protagonist. Being in the Earth 616, mainstream continuity of t ...

'' (2012) and '' Spider-Man: No Way Home'' (2021), and

Grigori Rasputin Grigori Yefimovich Rasputin ( – ) was a Russian Mysticism, mystic and faith healer. He is best known for having befriended the imperial family of Nicholas II of Russia, Nicholas II, the last Emperor of all the Russias, Emperor of Russia, th ...

in ''

The King's Man ''The King's Man'' is a 2021 spy action film directed by Matthew Vaughn from his story and a screenplay he wrote with Karl Gajdusek. The third instalment in the British ''Kingsman'' film series, which is based on the comic book '' The Secr ...

'' (2021). His television roles include Hector DeJean in the Epix thriller series '' Berlin Station'',

Mycroft Holmes Mycroft Holmes is a fictional character appearing in stories written by Arthur Conan Doyle, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle from 1893 to 1908. The elder brother (by seven years) of detective Sherlock Holmes, he is a government official and a founding me ...

in the CBS series '' Elementary'', and Otto Hightower in the

HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American pay television service, which is the flagship property of namesake parent-subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is based a ...

fantasy series ''

House of the Dragon ''House of the Dragon'' is an American fantasy drama television series created by George R. R. Martin and Ryan Condal for HBO. A prequel to ''Game of Thrones'' (2011–2019), it is the second television series in Martin's ''A Song of Ice and F ...

''. Ifans was also formerly the frontman of the rock bands The Peth and Super Furry Animals.

Early life

Ifans was born Rhys Owain Evans''Births, Marriages & Deaths Index of England & Wales, 1916–2005.''; at ancestry.com in

Haverfordwest Haverfordwest ( , ; ) is the county town of Pembrokeshire, Wales, and the most populous urban area in Pembrokeshire with a population of 14,596 in 2011. It is also a Community (Wales), community consisting of 12,042 people, making it the secon ...

on 22 July 1967, the son of nursery school teacher Beti-Wyn (née Davies) and primary school teacher Eirwyn Evans. His younger brother, Llŷr Ifans, is also an actor. He grew up in

Ruthin Ruthin ( ; ) is a market town and community in Denbighshire, Wales, in the south of the Vale of Clwyd. The town, castle and St Peter's Square lie on a hill, skirted by villages such as Pwllglas and Rhewl. The name comes from the Welsh ''rhud ...

, where he received his primary education at Ysgol Pentrecelyn and was raised speaking Welsh as his first language. He attended Ysgol Maes Garmon, a

Welsh medium Welsh-medium education () is a form of education in Wales in which pupils are taught primarily through the medium of Welsh. The aim of Welsh-medium education is to achieve fluency in both Welsh and English. All children over the age of seven ...

secondary school in

Mold A mold () or mould () is one of the structures that certain fungus, fungi can form. The dust-like, colored appearance of molds is due to the formation of Spore#Fungi, spores containing Secondary metabolite#Fungal secondary metabolites, fungal ...

, where he took his O levels and

A levels The A-level (Advanced Level) is a subject-based qualification conferred as part of the General Certificate of Education, as well as a school leaving qualification offered by the educational bodies in the United Kingdom and the educational a ...

. He attended acting classes at

Theatr Clwyd Theatr Clwyd () is a regional arts centre and producing theatre from Mold, Flintshire, in North East Wales. It opened as Theatr Clwyd in 1976, but was known between 1998 and 2015 as Clwyd Theatr Cymru, before reverting to its original name. His ...

. After leaving school, he presented Welsh-language television programmes on

S4C S4C (, ''Sianel Pedwar Cymru'', meaning ''Channel Four Wales'') is a Welsh language free-to-air public broadcast television channel. Launched on 1 November 1982, it was the first television channel to be aimed specifically at a Welsh-speakin ...

. He studied acting at the

Guildhall School of Music and Drama The Guildhall School of Music and Drama is a music school, music and drama school located in the City of London, England. Established in 1880, the school offers undergraduate and postgraduate training in all aspects of classical music and jazz al ...

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, where he graduated in 1997.

Career

Stage

Ifans' early stage work included ''

Hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play. Set in Denmark, the play (the ...

'' at Theatr Clwyd, ''

A Midsummer Night's Dream ''A Midsummer Night's Dream'' is a Comedy (drama), comedy play written by William Shakespeare in about 1595 or 1596. The play is set in Athens, and consists of several subplots that revolve around the marriage of Theseus and Hippolyta. One s ...

'' at the Regent's Park Theatre, and ''

Under Milk Wood ''Under Milk Wood'' is a 1954 radio drama by Welsh people, Welsh poet Dylan Thomas. The BBC commissioned the play, which was later adapted for the stage. The first public reading was in New York City in 1953. A Under Milk Wood (1972 film), f ...

'' and ''

Volpone ''Volpone'' (, Italian for "sly fox") is a comedy play by English playwright Ben Jonson first produced in 1605–1606, drawing on elements of city comedy and beast fable. A merciless satire of greed and lust, it remains Jonson's most-perfo ...

'' at the National Theatre. He appeared at the

Donmar Warehouse The Donmar Warehouse is a 251-seat, not-for-profit Off-West End theatre in Covent Garden, London, England. It first opened on 18 July 1977. Sam Mendes, Michael Grandage, Josie Rourke and Michael Longhurst have all served as artistic direc ...

in 2003's '' Accidental Death of an Anarchist''. In 2006, he returned to the London stage in

Michael Grandage Michael Grandage Order of the British Empire, CBE (born 2 May 1962) is a British theatre director and producer. He is currently artistic director of the Michael Grandage Company. From 2002 to 2012 he was artistic director of the Donmar Warehouse ...

's production of '' Don Juan in Soho'' at the

. In 2016, Ifans played Fool alongside

Glenda Jackson Glenda May Jackson (9 May 1936 – 15 June 2023) was an English actress and politician. Over the course of her distinguished career she received List of awards and nominations received by Glenda Jackson, numerous accolades including two Academy ...

Deborah Warner Deborah Warner (born 12 May 1959) is a British director of theatre and opera, known for her interpretations of the works of Shakespeare, Bertolt Brecht, Benjamin Britten, and Henrik Ibsen, and for her collaborations with Irish actress Fiona ...

's production of ''

King Lear ''The Tragedy of King Lear'', often shortened to ''King Lear'', is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare. It is loosely based on the mythological Leir of Britain. King Lear, in preparation for his old age, divides his ...

'', 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, Mai ...

. He returned to The Old Vic to play

Ebenezer Scrooge Ebenezer Scrooge () is a fictional character and the protagonist of Charles Dickens's 1843 novel, ''A Christmas Carol''. Initially a cold-hearted miser who despises Christmas, his redemption by visits from the ghost of Jacob Marley, the G ...

Matthew Warchus Matthew Warchus (born 24 October 1966) is an English theatre director, playwright, and filmmaker. He has been the Artistic Director of London's The Old Vic since September 2015. Early life and education Warchus grew up in Selby, North Yorkshir ...

' production of ''

A Christmas Carol ''A Christmas Carol. In Prose. Being a Ghost Story of Christmas'', commonly known as ''A Christmas Carol'', is a novella by Charles Dickens, first published in London by Chapman & Hall in 1843 and illustrated by John Leech. It recounts the ...

'' (adapted by

Jack Thorne Jack Thorne FRSL (born 6 December 1978) is a British playwright, television writer, screenwriter, and producer. A massive fan of hard science fiction, he is best known for writing the stage play '' Harry Potter and the Cursed Child'', the fil ...

) 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 Aaron Benjamin Sorkin (born June 9, 1961) is an American screenwriter, playwright and film director. Born in New York City, he developed a passion for writing at an early age. As a writer for stage, television, and film, Sorkin is recognized f ...

's ''To Kill A Mockingbird'' to begin at London's Gielgud Theatre on 21 May 2020. The play was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic but was rescheduled for May 2021. The role of Atticus Finch was later given to Rafe Spall due to scheduling conflicts.

Television

Ifans appeared in many Welsh-language television programmes before embarking on his film career, including the comedy show ', 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

. In 2000, he narrated the children's animated series ''

Sali Mali Sali Mali is a popular Welsh people, Welsh children's book and television character, first created by author Mary Vaughan Jones and illustrated by Rowena Wyn Jones in 1969. Many Welsh language, Welsh-speaking children learnt to read by reading S ...

'' for

. In 2004, his performance as

Peter Cook Peter Edward Cook (17 November 1937 – 9 January 1995) was an English comedian, actor, satirist, playwright and screenwriter. He was the leading figure of the British satire boom of the 1960s, and he was associated with the anti-establishmen ...

in the TV film '' Not Only But Always'' won him the BAFTA Best Actor at the 2005 British Academy Television Awards. In 2005, Ifans made a guest appearance for the rock band

Oasis In ecology, an oasis (; : oases ) is a fertile area of a desert or semi-desert environmentThe Importance of Being Idle" (where he mimed to

Noel Gallagher Noel Thomas David Gallagher (born 29 May 1967) is an English musician, singer and songwriter. Gallagher is the primary songwriter, lead guitarist and a co-lead vocalist of the rock band Oasis (band), Oasis. After leaving Oasis, he formed Noel ...

's vocals), for which he accepted their award for Video of the Year at the 2006

NME Awards The ''NME'' Awards is an annual music awards show in the United Kingdom, founded by the music magazine ''NME'' (''New Musical Express''). The first awards show was held in 1953 as the ''NME'' Poll Winners Concerts, shortly after the founding o ...

. 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 Catatonia is a complex syndrome most commonly seen in people with underlying mood disorders, such as major depressive disorder, or psychotic disorders, such as schizophrenia. People with catatonia exhibit abnormal movement and behaviors, wh ...

, and " Mama Told Me Not to Come" by Tom Jones with

Stereophonics Stereophonics are a Welsh pop and rock music, Welsh rock band formed in 1992 in the village of Cwmaman in the Cynon Valley. The band consists of Kelly Jones (lead vocals, lead guitar, keyboards), Richard Jones (Stereophonics), Richard Jones (n ...

. 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 BBC Two is a British free-to-air Public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's second flagship channel, and it covers a wide range of subject matte ...

. 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 in the ''

Game of Thrones ''Game of Thrones'' is an American Fantasy television, fantasy Drama (film and television), drama television series created by David Benioff and for HBO. It is an adaptation of ''A Song of Ice and Fire'', a series of high fantasy novels by ...

'' prequel ''

'', which premiered 21 August 2022.

Film

Following his role as Jeremy Lewis in the

Swansea Swansea ( ; ) is a coastal City status in the United Kingdom, city and the List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, second-largest city of Wales. It forms a Principal areas of Wales, principal area, officially known as the City and County of ...

-based movie '' Twin Town'' (1997) alongside his brother

Llŷr Llŷr ( (); meaning 'half-speech' or 'half-language') is a figure in Welsh mythology, probably originally a deity, probably derived from Irish Ler ('the Sea'), father of ''Manannán mac Lir''. Other than his progeny and odd tidbits, his identit ...

, Ifans gained international exposure in his role as slovenly housemate Spike in the British film ''

'' (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 ''The 51st State'' (also known as ''Formula 51'') is a 2001 action comedy film directed by Ronny Yu, written by Stel Pavlou, and starring Samuel L. Jackson, Robert Carlyle, Emily Mortimer, Ricky Tomlinson, Sean Pertwee, Rhys Ifans, Step ...

'' (2001), William Dobbin in '' Vanity Fair'' (2004), and Vladis Grutas in ''

Hannibal Rising ''Hannibal Rising'' is a psychological horror novel by American author Thomas Harris, published in 2006. It is the fourth and final novel in Harris's series and the first novel in chronological order of the novels of Thomas Harris centered aro ...

'' (2007). He played Jed Parry in the 2004 film version of

Ian McEwan Ian Russell McEwan (born 21 June 1948) is a British novelist and screenwriter. In 2008, ''The Times'' featured him on its list of "The 50 greatest British writers since 1945" and ''The Daily Telegraph'' ranked him number 19 in its list of the ...

'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 ''

'' (2010). He played Xenophillius Lovegood, editor of the wizarding magazine ''The Quibbler'' and father of the eccentric

Luna Lovegood Luna Lovegood is a fictional character in the ''Harry Potter'' series of novels by J. K. Rowling. She first appears in '' Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix'' (2003). She is portrayed by Evanna Lynch in the ''Harry Potter'' films. Ch ...

. 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 Dennis Howard Marks (13 August 1945 – 10 April 2016) was a Welsh drug smuggler and author who achieved notoriety as an international Cannabis (drug), cannabis smuggler through high-profile court cases. At his peak he claimed to have been sm ...

. He played Nemo Nobody's father in '' Mr. Nobody,'' and a villain in ''

Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang ''Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang'' (released in the United States and Canada as ''Nanny McPhee Returns'') is a 2010 historical drama, period fantasy comedy film directed by Susanna White, produced by Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner and Lindsay Doran with ...

''. On 11 October 2010

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American not-for-profit organization, not-for-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association, and produces news reports that are dist ...

confirmed that Ifans would portray the villain in the

Spider-Man Spider-Man is a superhero in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, he first appearance, first appeared in the anthology comic book ''Amazing Fantasy'' #15 (August 1962) in ...

reboot In computing, rebooting is the process by which a running computer system is restarted, either intentionally or unintentionally. Reboots can be either a cold reboot (alternatively known as a hard reboot) in which the power to the system is physi ...

film ''

''. The villain was revealed as the Curt Connors / Lizard a few days later, and the film was released in July 2012. In 2015, Ifans starred in ''

She's Funny That Way "She's Funny That Way" or "He's Funny That Way" is a popular song, composed by Neil Moret, with lyrics by Richard Whiting. It was composed for the short film ''Gems of MGM'' in 1929 for Marion Harris, but the film was not released until 1931. Ha ...

'', directed by

Peter Bogdanovich Peter Bogdanovich (July 30, 1939 – January 6, 2022) was an American director, writer, actor, producer, critic, and film historian. He started out his career as a young actor studying under Stella Adler before working as a film critic for ''Fi ...

. 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

surrealist Surrealism is an art movement, art and cultural movement that developed in Europe in the aftermath of World War I in which artists aimed to allow the unconscious mind to express itself, often resulting in the depiction of illogical or dreamlike s ...

biopic A biographical film or biopic () is a film that dramatizes the life of an actual person or group of people. Such films show the life of a historical person and the central character's real name is used. They differ from docudrama films and histo ...

, which recreates the life of Welsh poet

Dylan Thomas Dylan Marlais Thomas (27 October 1914 – 9 November 1953) was a Welsh poet and writer, whose works include the poems " Do not go gentle into that good night" and " And death shall have no dominion", as well as the "play for voices" ''Un ...

through flashbacks during the famous drinking binge at the White Horse Tavern in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

which ended fatally during the fall of 1953. It stars Ifans as Thomas alongside

John Malkovich John Gavin Malkovich (born December 9, 1953) is an American actor. He is the recipient of several accolades, including a Primetime Emmy Award, in addition to nominations for two Academy Awards, a BAFTA Award, two Screen Actors Guild Awards, and ...

Rodrigo Santoro Rodrigo Junqueira Reis Santoro (; born 22 August 1975) is a Brazilian actor. He is known in Brazil for his appearance on local telenovelas and internationally for his portrayal of Persian King Xerxes I of Persia, Xerxes in the film ''300 (film), ...

Romola Garai Romola Sadie Garai ( ; born 6 August 1982) is a Hong Kong-born British actress and film director. Known for her extensive work on stage and screen, she often acts in period films. Her early film roles include '' Nicholas Nickleby'' (2002), '' ...

Zosia Mamet Zosia Mamet (; born February 2, 1988) is an American actress. She is known for her breakout role as Shoshanna Shapiro in the HBO series '' Girls''. Mamet also starred as Annie Mouradian in the HBO Max original series '' The Flight Attendant'' an ...

, and

Tony Hale Anthony Russell Hale (born September 30, 1970) is an American actor and comedian. He is most known for his comedic leading roles in the Fox series '' Arrested Development'' as Buster Bluth, and as Gary Walsh on the HBO series '' Veep''. For the ...

. On 16 November 2021 it was revealed, through the film's official trailer, that Ifans would reprise his role as Lizard from ''

'' in the

Marvel Cinematic Universe The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is an American media franchise and shared universe centered on List of Marvel Cinematic Universe films, a series of superhero films produced by Marvel Studios. The films are based on characters that appe ...

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''. Ifans also appeared as

in the spy film ''

'', which was released in December 2021. Rhys Ifans in 2010

Music

Ifans was briefly lead vocalist of the rock band Super Furry Animals before they released any records. Since 2007, Ifans has sung with the

psychedelic rock Psychedelic rock is a rock music Music genre, genre that is inspired, influenced, or representative of psychedelia, psychedelic culture, which is centered on perception-altering hallucinogenic drugs. The music incorporated new electronic sound ...

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 In ecology, an oasis (; : oases ) is a fertile area of a desert or semi-desert environment Millennium Stadium The Millennium Stadium (), known since 2016 as the Principality Stadium () for sponsorship reasons, is the national stadium of Wales. Located in Cardiff, it has a retractable roof and is the home of the Wales national rugby union team; it has ...

in Cardiff.

Personal life

Ifans dated actress Sienna Miller from 2007 to 2008; Miller had accepted Ifans's marriage proposal before breaking up with him. He dated actress Anna Friel from 2011 to 2014. In September 2012, Ifans became a patron of the Welsh-language Wikipedia, together with then Archbishop of Wales Barry Morgan. In 2017, Ifans partnered with Shelter Cymru in a campaign called 7 Ways You Can End Homelessness. He also in 2017 supported the community purchase of Tafarn Sinc, a pub in his native Pembrokeshire that was facing closure.

Filmography

Film

Television

Music videos

Honours, awards and nominations

On 16 July 2007, he received an Honorary Fellowship of

Bangor University Bangor University () is a Public university, public Research university, research university in Bangor, Gwynedd, Wales. It was established by Royal charter, Royal Charter in 1885 as the University College of North Wales (UCNW; ), and in 1893 ...

, for services to the film industry.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ifans, Rhys 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