Rafe Spall

Rafe Joseph Spall[1] (born 10 March 1983)[2] is an English actor.

Rafe Spall
Spall in February 2013
Born	(1983-03-10) 10 March 1983 Camberwell, London, England
Occupation	Actor
Years active	2001–present
Spouse(s)	Elize du Toit ( m. 2010)
Children	3
Parent(s)	Timothy Spall Shane Spall

Spall has appeared in films including A Good Year (2006), One Day (2011), Anonymous (2011), Prometheus (2012), Life of Pi (2012), The Big Short (2015), The BFG (2016), The Ritual (2017), and Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018). Spall played the title role of Pete Griffiths in Pete versus Life from 2010–2011, and has portrayed characters on the TV series The Shadow Line and Black Mirror. Spall also appeared in the Men in Black spin-off film Men in Black: International (2019).

Since May 2020, Spall stars in the Apple TV+ comedy series Trying.

Early life

Spall was born at King's College Hospital in Camberwell, London, the second of three children of Shane (née Baker) and actor Timothy Spall. Named after the protagonist in The Knight of the Burning Pestle, a role his father played in the Royal Shakespeare Company and one he would later play himself, he always had ambitions to act. When he was 12, his father was diagnosed with myeloid leukaemia and spent the next 18 months in treatment.

Rafe was overweight as a teen, which he calls a "painful" experience.[3] Having achieved poor grades at his school, Haberdashers' Aske's Hatcham College,[4] he left to become an actor and joined the National Youth Theatre at 15. He failed to get into his chosen drama schools, such as RADA, at 17, but worked anyway. After being perennially cast in "fat" roles, he lost 77 lbs at age 19, which brought more acting opportunities.[3]

Career

Spall has frequently collaborated with Edgar Wright, appearing in his films Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz and The World's End alongside Simon Pegg and Nick Frost. Spall was also featured in Wright's segment in the 2007 Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez film Grindhouse.

In 2007, Spall performed for the first time with his father in the ITV adaptation of A Room with a View playing father and son.[5]

In 2011, Spall starred in the romantic tragedy film One Day opposite Anne Hathaway.

In 2012, Spall portrayed Canadian author Yann Martel in the Academy Award-winning drama film Life of Pi, directed by Ang Lee and starring Suraj Sharma and Irrfan Khan. The film was a critical and financial success, winning four Academy Awards and making over $600 million at the box office. In 2013, he played the newlywed husband in I Give It a Year, a comedy about the trials and tribulations of a couple during their first year of marriage.[6]

In 2014, Spall appeared in the coming-of-age drama X+Y, alongside Asa Butterfield and Sally Hawkins, and the seasonal family comedy Get Santa. In 2015, he played John Hancock in the History Channel three-part series, Sons of Liberty, alongside Jim Broadbent, and appeared in the Academy Award-winning biographical comedy-drama The Big Short, alongside Christian Bale, Brad Pitt, Ryan Gosling and Steve Carell. Also that year, Spall played Harry Price in Harry Price: Ghost Hunter, ITV's adaptation of Neil Spring's debut novel, The Ghost Hunters. The film aired on ITV1 on 27 December.[7]

Spall portrayed Eli Mills in Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018), the fifth instalment of Steven Spielberg's Jurassic Park series, and directed by The Impossible helmer J. A. Bayona.[8]

Since 2020, Spall has a leading role in the Apple TV+ comedy series Trying, opposite Esther Smith and Imelda Staunton. The first season premiered on 1 May 2020. A second season has already been commissioned by Apple Inc.[9]

He also played DS Bailey in the 2020 BBC drama The Salisbury Poisonings.[10]

Personal life

Spall says he has always struggled with his weight, going up to 114 kg (251 lb), but said that he was given so many character parts that he attempted to slim down, losing over 32 kg (71 lb).[11] Like his father, he is a keen supporter of Crystal Palace. He is a patron of the Actors' Centre.[12]

In February 2008, Spall met actress Elize du Toit; they were married on 14 August 2010[13] and live in West Kensington, London.[14] They have three children: a daughter Lena, born 2011, a son Rex, born November 2012 and another son born in 2015.[13]

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2001	Beginner's Luck
2004	Shaun of the Dead	Noel
2004	The Calcium Kid	Stan Parlour
2005	Green Street Hooligans	Swill
2005	The Last Drop	Pvt. David Wellings
2006	Kidulthood	Lenny
2006	A Good Year	Kenny
2007	Hot Fuzz	D.C. Andy Cartwright
2007	Grindhouse	Featured Ghost	Segment: "Don't"
2008	Close	Eric	[15]
2009	The Scouting Book For Boys	Steve
2009	Modern Life Is Rubbish	Liam	[16]
2010	Behind the Door	Bobby
2010	Sus	D.C. Wilby
2011	Anonymous	William Shakespeare
2011	One Day	Ian Whitehead
2012	Prometheus	Millburn
2012	Life of Pi	Writer
2012	Earthbound	Joe Norman
2013	I Give It a Year	Josh Moss
2013	The World's End	Young Man
2013	The F Word	Ben	Also released as What If
2014	X+Y	Martin Humphreys	Nominated — BIFA Award for Best Supporting Actor[17]
2014	Get Santa	Steve
2015	The Big Short	Danny Moses	Nominated – Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
2016	The BFG	Mr. Tibbs
2016	Swallows and Amazons	Jim Turner / Captain Flint
2016	Mum's List	Singe
2017	The Ritual	Luke
2018	Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom	Eli Mills
2019	Men in Black: International[18][19]	Agent C
2019	Just Mercy	Tommy Chapman
2019	Denmark	Herb

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2002	Out of Control	Ray	Television film
2003	The Lion in Winter	Prince John	Television film
2004	The Legend of the Tamworth Two	Crustie	Television film
2005	The Rotters' Club	Sean Harding	3 episodes
2005	Twisted Tales	Dominic	Episode: "Death Metal Chronicles"
2006	The Romantics	John Clare	Miniseries
2006	The Chatterley Affair	Keith	Television film
2006	Cracker	DS McAllister	Television film
2006	Wide Sargasso Sea	Edward Rochester	Television film
2006	Dracula	Jonathan Harker	Television film
2007	A Room with a View	George Emerson	Television film
2008	He Kills Coppers	Frank Taylor	Television film
2008	Frankie Howerd: Rather You Than Me	Dennis Heymer	Television film
2009	Agatha Christie's Marple	Roger Bassington	Episode: "Why Didn't They Ask Evans?"
2009	Desperate Romantics	William Holman Hunt	6 episodes
2011	The Shadow Line	Jay Wratten	6 episodes
2010–2011	Pete Versus Life	Pete Griffiths	11 episodes
2014	Black Mirror	Joe Potter	Episode: "White Christmas"[20]
2015	Harry Price: Ghost Hunter	Harry Price	Television film
2015	Sons of Liberty	John Hancock	Miniseries
2016	Roadies	Reg Whitehead	10 episodes
2018	Grandpa's Great Escape	Adult Jack (voice)	Television special
2019	The War of the Worlds	George	3 episodes
2020–present	Trying	Jason	Main role
2020	The Salisbury Poisonings	DS Bailey	TV series

Stage

• Death of England by Roy Williams and Clint Dyer at the Royal National Theatre (2020)
• Hedda Gabler by Henrik Ibsen at the Royal National Theatre as Brack (2016)
• Betrayal by Harold Pinter at the Ethel Barrymore Theater as Jerry (2013)
• Constellations by Nick Payne at the Royal Court Theatre as Roland (2012)[21]
• If There Is I Haven't Found It Yet by Nick Payne at the Bush Theatre as Terry (2009)[22]
• Hello and Goodbye by Athol Fugard with the English Touring Theatre as Johnny (2008)[23]
• Alaska by DC Moore at the Royal Court Theatre as Frank (2007)[24]
• John Gabriel Borkman by Henrik Ibsen at the Donmar Warehouse as Erhart Borkman (2007)[25]
• The Knight of the Burning Pestle by Francis Beaumont at the Young Vic Theatre/Barbican Theatre as Rafe (2005)[26]
• Just a Bloke by David Watson at the Royal Court Theatre as Nathan (2002)[27]
• A Prayer for Owen Meany by Simon Bent at the National Theatre as Harold Crosby/Coach Chickering/Larry Lish (2002)[28]

Radio

• Amok Audible.co.uk as Oliver (2015)
• Capital narrator (2012)
• Words and Music: Crushed BBC Radio 3 as a guest reader (2008)
• Hide BBC Radio 3 as the convict (2007)
• The Real Thing BBC Radio 4 as Billy (2006)

References

1. England & Wales, Civil Registration Birth Index, 1916-2007
2. Yahoo! Movies profile Archived 22 December 2014 at the Wayback Machine
3. "Rafe Spall: From fat boy to slim son of Tim". Evening Standard. 28 July 2010. Retrieved 17 November 2018.
4. Raphael, Amy (25 May 2012). "Rising son: Rafe Spall's time has come". Evening Standard. Retrieved 17 November 2018.
5. Raphael, Amy (27 October 2007). "Rafe and Timothy Spall joint interview". Guardian. London. Retrieved 29 January 2013.
6. "I give it a year next year". www.stephenmerchant.com. 22 November 2012. Archived from the original on 3 February 2013. Retrieved 29 January 2013.
7. Blanket, Jo (27 August 2015). "Rafe Spall to star in new ITV drama Harry Price: Ghost Hunter". ITV. Retrieved 27 August 2015.
8. Kroll, Justin (7 November 2016). "Toby Jones and Rafe Spall in Talks to Join Sequel to 'Jurassic World' (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety.
9. "Trying's Esther Smith confirms series 2 filming could be affected by coroanvirus". Metro. 1 May 2020. Retrieved 3 May 2020.
10. McIntosh, Steven (14 June 2020). "TV drama revisits Salisbury poison attack 'horror'". BBC News. Retrieved 14 June 2020.
11. Babb, Fran (19 August 2011). "Rafe Spall One Day Interview". Guardian. London. Retrieved 29 January 2013.
12. "Rafe Spall, Patron". actorscentre.co.uk/. Retrieved 18 September 2014.
13. Gilbert, Gerard (20 August 2011), "Rafe Spall Profile", Independent, London
14. "Rafe Spall My London", Evening Standard, 2009, archived from the original on 25 November 2009
15. "Close", Pollibee Pictures, 2008
16. "Modern Life Is Rubbish", BBC, 2009, archived from the original on 8 March 2012
17. "X Plus Y announces cast". 18 July 2013. Archived from the original on 1 August 2013. Retrieved 17 August 2013.
18. Kit, Borys (29 June 2018). "'Men in Black' Movie Spin-Off Adds 'Jurassic' Actor to Cast (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 1 July 2018.
19. Chitwood, Adam (5 December 2018). "The 'Men in Black' Reboot Is Titled 'Men in Black International'". Collider. Retrieved 5 December 2018.
20. "'Mad Men' Star Jon Hamm Joins 'Black Mirror'", Variety, 2004
21. "Constellations at The Royal Court Theatre". royalcourttheatre.com. Retrieved 2 February 2012.
22. "Bush Theatre". Bush Theatre. 21 November 2009. Archived from the original on 17 August 2009. Retrieved 2 February 2012.
23. "Hello and Goodbye - Athol Fugard - 2008 - Productions - English Touring Theatre". Ett.org.uk. 17 May 2008. Retrieved 2 February 2012.
24. "Alaska at The Royal Court Theatre". royalcourttheatre.com. 23 June 2007. Retrieved 2 February 2012.
25. "John Gabriel Borkman". Donmar Warehouse. 14 April 2007. Archived from the original on 14 December 2006. Retrieved 2 February 2012.
26. "The Knight of the Burning Pestle". British Theatre Guide. Archived from the original on 18 November 2011. Retrieved 2 February 2012.
27. "Just a Bloke at The Royal Court Theatre". royalcourttheatre.com. 17 November 2002. Retrieved 2 February 2012.
28. "A Prayer for Owen Meany - Productions". National Theatre. Archived from the original on 21 November 2008. Retrieved 2 February 2012.

External links

• Rafe Spall on IMDb
• Interview about the BBC's The Rotters' Club