Rufus Frederik Sewell (; born 29 October 1967) is a British actor. In film, he has appeared in '' Carrington'' (1995), ''

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 ...

'' (1996), '' Dangerous Beauty'' (1998), '' Dark City'' (1998), '' A Knight's Tale'' (2001), '' The Legend of Zorro'' (2005), '' The Illusionist'' (2006), '' Amazing Grace'' (2006), '' The Holiday'' (2006), '' The Tourist'' (2010), '' Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter'' (2012), '' Judy'' (2019), '' The Father'' (2020), and '' Old'' (2021). On television, he has appeared in '' Middlemarch'' (1994), '' Arabian Nights'' (2000), '' Charles II: The Power and the Passion'' (2003), ''

John Adams John Adams (October 30, 1735 – July 4, 1826) was a Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the second president of the United States from 1797 to 1801. Before Presidency of John Adams, his presidency, he was a leader of ...

'' (2008), '' Eleventh Hour'' (2008–2009), ''

Zen Zen (; from Chinese: ''Chán''; in Korean: ''Sŏn'', and Vietnamese: ''Thiền'') is a Mahayana Buddhist tradition that developed in China during the Tang dynasty by blending Indian Mahayana Buddhism, particularly Yogacara and Madhyamaka phil ...

'' (2011), '' The Pillars of the Earth'' (2010), ''

Parade's End ''Parade's End'' is a tetralogy of novels by the British novelist and poet Ford Madox Ford, first published from 1924 to 1928. The novels chronicle the life of a member of the English gentry before, during and after World War I. The setting is ...

'' (2012), '' Victoria'' (2016–2017), '' The Man in the High Castle'' (2014–2019), '' The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel'' (2019) and '' The Pale Horse'' (2020). He currently stars in the

Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...

series '' The Diplomat'' (2023–present)."Rufus Sewell biography."
CBS.com. On stage, he originated the role of Septimus Hodge in Tom Stoppard's '' Arcadia'' (1993) and the role of Jan in Stoppard's ''

Rock 'n' Roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock-n-roll, and rock 'n' roll) is a Genre (music), genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It Origins of rock and roll, originated from African ...

'' (2006), with the latter earning him an Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Play as well as a nomination for the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play.

Early life

Sewell was born the son of Jo, a Welsh artist and classically trained pianist. His Anglo-Australian father, William John Frederick Sewell (1924–1978), was born in Australia to British parents and worked as an animator on the “ Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" segment of animation for

the Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The core lineup of the band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are widely regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatle ...

' '' Yellow Submarine'' film. His parents divorced when Sewell was five and his father died when he was 10. Sewell's mother subsequently lived at The Pelican,

Laugharne Laugharne () is a town on the south coast of Carmarthenshire, Wales, lying on the estuary of the River Tâf. The Ancient borough#Charters, ancient borough of Laugharne Township () with its #Laugharne Corporation, Corporation and Charter is a ...

, Carmarthenshire, formerly home to the parents of Welsh poet and writer Dylan Thomas. Sewell has said that he was a difficult teenager. Sewell went on to Orleans Park School, a state comprehensive school in Twickenham, which he left in 1984, followed by West Thames College, where a drama teacher sent him to audition for drama school. He later enrolled at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama in London.

Career

After graduating, Sewell was set up with an agent by Judi Dench, who had directed him in a play while at the Central School of Speech and Drama. His breakthrough year was in 1993, in which he starred as the unpleasant Tim in Michael Winner's film '' Dirty Weekend''. Winner chose him after seeing him in a play at the Criterion Theatre. Also in 1993 Sewell starred in the

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

serial of George Eliot's '' Middlemarch'' and on stage in Tom Stoppard's play '' Arcadia'' at The Royal National Theatre (Lyttelton). His film work includes 1995's '' Cold Comfort Farm'', directed by John Schlesinger, the lead role of John Murdoch in the science fiction film '' Dark City'' in 1998, '' Amazing Grace'', '' The Illusionist'' and Nancy Meyers' romantic comedy '' The Holiday''. ''Amazing Grace'' deals with William Wilberforce's political fight to abolish slavery in Britain, with Sewell playing Wilberforce's co-campaigner Thomas Clarkson. Sewell is known for his villainous roles, such as those in '' A Knight's Tale'', '' The Legend of Zorro'', '' Bless the Child'', ''

Helen of Troy Helen (), also known as Helen of Troy, or Helen of Sparta, and in Latin as Helena, was a figure in Greek mythology said to have been the most beautiful woman in the world. She was believed to have been the daughter of Zeus and Leda (mythology), ...

'' and '' The Illusionist''. He spoke of his unhappiness about this, saying that " don't want to play a baddie again." "Everyone has their thing they have to get around,". notes Sewell. "With me, it's like okay, how can I make this upper-class bad guy in the 19th century different and interesting?" In 2008, Sewell appeared 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 ...

miniseries ''

'' as

Alexander Hamilton Alexander Hamilton (January 11, 1755 or 1757July 12, 1804) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father who served as the first U.S. secretary of the treasury from 1789 to 1795 dur ...

. He received critical praise for his portrayal of Charles II in the BBC's '' Charles II: The Power and The Passion''. The series' cast included Ian McDiarmid, Helen McCrory, Rupert Graves and Shirley Henderson and spanned the life of the king from his last days in exile to his death. He co-starred in the controversial film '' Downloading Nancy'', which was released on 5 June 2009. At the Sundance Film Festival in 2008, audiences walked out of the screening. Despite the controversy, Sewell continues to staunchly support the film. "It's a film I'm very proud of, whether you consider that it fails or succeeds, whether you like it or don't like it. I'm proud to be in it." Between 2006 and 2009, on BBC Radio, Sewell read Russell Thorndike's stories of Doctor Syn—the adventures of an 18th-century clergyman, adventurer, smuggler and pirate. Although best known for his work in costume dramas, Sewell prefers " cravat-less" roles in modern pieces, such as the role of Petruchio in the BBC's 2005 version of

Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's natio ...

's '' The Taming of the Shrew''. This was shown as part of the '' ShakespeaRe-Told'' series, and the role 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 21st-century London. This production marked the fourth time that Sewell had acted in a work based on a Shakespeare play since becoming a professional actor: he previously portrayed Hotspur in ''

Henry IV, Part 1 ''Henry IV, Part 1'' (often written as ''1 Henry IV'') is a history play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written no later than 1597. The play dramatises part of the reign of King Henry IV of England, beginning with the Battle of H ...

'' in 1995, Fortinbras in ''

'' in 1996 and the title role in ''

Macbeth ''The Tragedy of Macbeth'', often shortened to ''Macbeth'' (), is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, estimated to have been first performed in 1606. It dramatises the physically violent and damaging psychological effects of political ambiti ...

'' in 1999. The role also reunited him with his ''Charles II'' co-star Shirley Henderson. He appeared in the premiere and first run of Tom Stoppard's play ''

'' at the Royal Court Theatre from June to July 2006 and at the Duke of York's Theatre from July until November 2006. The play was a critical and commercial success, playing to full houses and collecting several awards and nominations, including wins for Sewell in the Best Actor category at the ''Evening Standard'' Awards, the Critics' Circle Awards and the Olivier Awards. He has recorded eleven of

Ian Fleming Ian Lancaster Fleming (28 May 1908 – 12 August 1964) was a British writer, best known for his postwar ''James Bond'' series of spy novels. Fleming came from a wealthy family connected to the merchant bank Robert Fleming & Co., and his ...

James Bond The ''James Bond'' franchise focuses on James Bond (literary character), the titular character, a fictional Secret Intelligence Service, British Secret Service agent created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels ...

books on 36 CDs for Collins. He continues to work in film, television and theatre, playing the lead role of Dr. Jacob Hood in the CBS TV series '' Eleventh Hour''. He finished filming in November 2009 for the miniseries '' The Pillars of the Earth'', which was shown on TV in 2010. In 2010, he played the Italian detective Aurelio Zen, based on the best-selling novels by Michael Dibdin, for the BBC One drama series ''

''. The three episodes were filmed in Rome and shown on

BBC One BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's oldest and flagship channel, and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television b ...

in early January 2011. The series was cancelled by the BBC after just one season. He also had a small part in the film '' The Tourist'', which also starred

Angelina Jolie Angelina Jolie ( ; born Angelina Jolie Voight, , June 4, 1975) is an American actress, filmmaker, and humanitarian. The recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Angelina Jolie, numerous accolades, including two Academy Awards ...

and Johnny Depp and was released in cinemas in 2010. He played the lead vampire, Adam, in the film '' Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter,'' which was filmed in New Orleans and released in June 2012. Sewell played the role of Ethics Man in '' Darkside'', Tom Stoppard's 2013 radio drama based on

Pink Floyd Pink Floyd are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1965. Gaining an early following as one of the first British psychedelic music, psychedelic groups, they were distinguished by their extended compositions, sonic experiments ...

's album '' The Dark Side of the Moon''. Sewell co-starred with

Dwayne Johnson Dwayne Douglas Johnson (born May 2, 1972), also known by his ring name The Rock, is an American actor and professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on a part-time basis. Widely regarded as one of the greatest professional w ...

, as Autolycus, in the film ''

Hercules Hercules (, ) is the Roman equivalent of the Greek divine hero Heracles, son of Jupiter and the mortal Alcmena. In classical mythology, Hercules is famous for his strength and for his numerous far-ranging adventures. The Romans adapted the Gr ...

'', which was released in July 2014. In 2015, Sewell voiced the role of Sir Claude, a feral cat, in '' Blinky Bill the Movie''. Sewell has most recently appeared as high-ranking American-turned-Nazi official John Smith in '' The Man in the High Castle'', and as Lord Melbourne in '' Victoria''. In February 2023, it was announced that Sewell had been cast as Prince Andrew in ''Scoop'', a

drama about Andrew's 2019 '' Newsnight'' interview, co-starring Gillian Anderson as Emily Maitlis, Billie Piper and Keeley Hawes.

Personal life

Sewell has been married three times. His first wife was his long-term girlfriend, Australian fashion journalist Yasmin Abdallah; they were married in 1999 and divorced in 2000. He married his second wife, scriptwriter and producer Amy Gardner, in 2004 and divorced in 2006. They have a son, William Douglas Sewell (born 2002). Sewell also has a daughter, Lola (born 2013), with Ami Komai. In December 2023, he became engaged to American actress Vivian Benitez. They married in July 2024.

Acting credits

Film

Television

Theatre

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* *
Rufus Sewell
on the

British Film Institute The British Film Institute (BFI) is a film and television charitable organisation which promotes and preserves filmmaking and television in the United Kingdom. The BFI uses funds provided by the National Lottery to encourage film production, ...

Rufus Sewell news and commentary
on ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Sewell, Rufus 1967 births 20th-century English male actors 21st-century English male actors Male actors from London People from Hammersmith Alumni of the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama English male film actors English people of Australian descent English people of Welsh descent English male stage actors English male television actors Laurence Olivier Award winners Living people People educated at Orleans Park School Actors from the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames English male Shakespearean actors Welsh–English translators 20th-century British translators 21st-century translators Theatre World Award winners Blinky Bill Actors from the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham People from Twickenham