Rufus Sewell

Rufus Frederik Sewell (/ˈsuːəl/; born 29 October 1967) is an English film and stage actor. In film, he has appeared in Carrington (1995), Hamlet (1996), Dangerous Beauty (1998), Dark City (1998), The Legend of Zorro (2005), A Knight's Tale (2001), The Illusionist (2006), Amazing Grace (2006), The Holiday (2006), Paris, je t'aime (2006), and Judy (2019).

Rufus Sewell
Sewell in 2010
Born (1967-10-29) 29 October 1967
Hammersmith, London, UK[1]
OccupationActor
Years active1991–present
Spouse(s)
Yasmin Abdallah
​
(
m. 1999; div. 2000)

Amy Gardner
​
(
m. 2004; div. 2006)
Children2

On television, he has starred in Middlemarch (1994), Charles II: The Power and the Passion (2003), John Adams (2008), Eleventh Hour (2008-09), Zen (2011), The Pillars of the Earth (2010), Parade's End (2012), Victoria (2016–17), The Man in the High Castle (2014–19), and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (2019).[2]

On stage, he originated the role of Septimus Hodge in Tom Stoppard's Arcadia and the role of Jan in Stoppard's Rock 'n' Roll, with the latter earning him an Olivier Award win and a Tony Award nomination.

Early life

Rufus Frederik Sewell was born in Hammersmith on 29 October 1967,[3] the son of Jo, a Welsh artist, classically trained pianist[4] and waitress, and William John Frederick Sewell (1924-1978),[5] an Anglo-Australian animator and former builder's labourer.[6][7][8] His father worked on the "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" segment of animation for The Beatles' Yellow Submarine film. His parents divorced when Sewell was five, and his mother worked in a pub and sold vegetables[9] to support him and his brother Caspar.[10][11] William died when Sewell was 10. Sewell's mother subsequently lived at The Pelican, Laugharne, Carmarthenshire, formerly home to the parents of Welsh poet and writer Dylan Thomas.[4][12] Sewell has said that he was a difficult teenager.[13]

Sewell was educated at Trafalgar Junior School, a state junior school in Twickenham which he left in 1978. Whilst at Trafalgar Junior School he was a member of the drama club and he played the lead in Rumpelstiltskin which he acted on his knees throughout (Directed by Mrs Swann, supported by Amanda Manners as the Miller's daughter and Oliver Carmona as Albert the messenger).

He went on to Orleans Park School,[14] 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 Central School of Speech and Drama in London.[10][15]

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.[16] Also in 1993 Sewell starred in the BBC 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 and The Illusionist. He spoke of his unhappiness about this, saying that "[I] don't want to play a baddie again."[17] "Everyone has their thing they have to get around,"[18] 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 miniseries John Adams as Alexander Hamilton. 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, and as of summer 2008, any theatrical release was still uncertain. 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."[18] Between 2006 & 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'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 in 1995, Fortinbras in Hamlet in 1996 and the title role in Macbeth 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 latest play Rock 'n' Roll 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's James Bond 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.[2] He finished filming in November 2009 for a miniseries The Pillars of the Earth, which was shown on TV in 2010.[19] In 2010, he played the Italian detective Aurelio Zen, based on the best-selling novels by Michael Dibdin, for the BBC One drama series Zen. The three episodes were filmed in Rome and shown on BBC One in early January 2011. The series was cancelled by the BBC after just one season.[20] He also had a small part in the film The Tourist, which also starred Angelina Jolie and Johnny Depp and was released in cinemas in 2010.[21] He played the lead vampire, Adam, in the film Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter,[22] which was filmed in New Orleans and released in June 2012.[23]

Sewell played the role of Ethics Man in Darkside, Tom Stoppard's 2013 radio drama based on Pink Floyd's album The Dark Side of the Moon.[24] Sewell co-starred with Dwayne Johnson, as Autolycus, in the film Hercules, which was released in July 2014.[25] 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,[26] and as Lord Melbourne in Victoria.

Personal life

Sewell has been married twice. His first wife was his long-term girlfriend,[10] Australian fashion journalist Yasmin Abdallah; they were married in 1999 and divorced in 2000.[27] He married his second wife, scriptwriter and producer Amy Gardner, in 2004. They have a son, William Douglas Sewell (born 2002),[28] and divorced in 2006.[29] Sewell also has a daughter, Lola (born 2013), with Ami Komai.[30][31]

Filmography

Film
Year Title Role Notes
1991 Twenty-One Bobby
1993 Dirty Weekend Tim
1994 A Man of No Importance Robbie Fay
Cold Comfort Farm (film) Seth Starkadder
1995 Carrington Mark Gertler
1996 Hamlet Fortinbras
Victory Martin Ricardo
1997 The Woodlanders Giles Winterbourne
1998 Dangerous Beauty Marco Venier
Dark City John Murdoch
The Very Thought of You Frank
Illuminata Dominique
At Sachem Farm Ross
1999 In a Savage Land Mick Carpenter
Martha, Meet Frank, Daniel and Laurence Frank
2000 Bless the Child Eric Stark
2001 A Knight's Tale Count Adhemar
2002 Extreme Ops Ian
2003 Victoria Station The cabbie short film
2005 The Legend of Zorro Count Armand
2006 Tristan and Isolde Marke
The Illusionist Crown Prince Leopold
Paris, je t'aime William Segment: "Père-Lachaise"
Amazing Grace Thomas Clarkson
The Holiday Jasper Bloom
2008 Downloading Nancy Albert
Vinyan Paul Bellmer
2010 The Tourist English man
2012 Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter Adam
Hotel Noir Felix
2013 All Things to All Men Parker
I'll Follow You Down Gabe
The Sea Carlo Grace
2014 Hercules Autolycus
The Devil's Hand Jacob Brown
2015 Blinky Bill the Movie Sir Claude (voice)
2016 Gods of Egypt Urshu
2019 Judy Sidney Luft
2020 The Father Paul
2021 Elvis Vernon Presley Filming

Television
Year Title Role Notes
1992 Gone to Seed Billy 6 episodes
1992–94 Screen Two Mike Costain
Clive		 2 episodes
1994 Middlemarch Will Ladislaw 7 episodes
Citizen Locke Midshipman Clarke Television Movie
1995 Cold Comfort Farm Seth Starkadder Television Film
Performance Harry Percy Episode: Henry IV, Part 1
2000 Arabian Nights Ali Baba Miniseries
2001 She Creature Angus Television Movie
2003 Helen of Troy Agamemnon Miniseries
The Last King Charles II 4 episodes
2004 Taste Michael Kuhleman Television Movie
2005 ShakespeaRe-Told Petruchio Episode: The Taming of the Shrew
2006 9/11: Out of the Blue The Man Television Movie
2008 John Adams Alexander Hamilton 2 episodes
2008–09 Eleventh Hour Dr. Jacob Hood 18 episodes
2010 The Pillars of the Earth Tom Builder 5 episodes
2011 Zen Aurelio Zen 3 episodes
2012 Parade's End Reverend Duchemin 4 episodes
Restless Lucas Romer 2 episodes
2015 Killing Jesus Caiaphas Television Movie
2016 Secret History Narrator Episode: China's Forgotten Emperor
2016–17 Victoria Lord Melbourne 7 episodes
2018 The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel Declan Howell Episode: Look, She Made a Hat
2014–19 The Man in the High Castle John Smith 40 episodes
2020 The Pale Horse Mark Easterbrook BBC1 Miniseries

Stage
Year Production Role Venue Ref.
1993ArcadiaSeptimus HodgeLyttelton Theatre, Royal National Theatre[32]
2006-07Rock 'n' RollJanThe Royal Court Theatre, London
2007-08Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre, Broadway
2013Old TimesDeeleyHarold Pinter Theatre, London
2015CloserLarryDonmar Warehouse, London

Awards and nominations
Year Award Category Nominated work Result
1994Laurence Olivier AwardBest Actor in a Supporting RoleArcadiaNominated
1998London Film Critics' CircleBritish Supporting ActorThe Very Thought of YouNominated
2006British Academy Television AwardsBest Actor of the YearShakespeaRe-Told:
The Taming of the Shrew		Nominated
2006Evening Standard Theatre AwardsBest Actor in a PlayRock 'n' RollWon
2007Laurence Olivier AwardBest Actor in a PlayWon
2008Tony AwardsBest Actor in a PlayNominated
2008Drama Desk AwardOutstanding Actor in a PlayNominated
2008Drama League AwardDistinguished PerformanceNominated
2016Critics' Choice Television AwardsBest Supporting Actor - Drama SeriesThe Man in the High CastleNominated
2019Primetime Emmy AwardOutstanding Guest Actor - Comedy SeriesThe Marvelous Mrs. MaiselNominated
gollark: No.
gollark: Here is "fox in temperate forest blue".
gollark: I'm not running that.
gollark: I'll try "blue".
gollark: This is if I tell it to do "ultrafine detail".

References
  1. "Index entry". FreeBMD. ONS. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
  2. "Rufus Sewell biography." CBS.com.
  3. "Index entry". FreeBMD. ONS. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
  4. Turner, Robin (7 March 2008). "Famous home on sale for owner to get a quieter life". walesonline.
  5. "Wills and Probate 1858-1996, Surname 'Sewell', Year of death '1979'". Gov.uk. Retrieved 14 October 2018.
  6. Films and Filming, vol. 10, issues 7-12, Hansom Books, 1964, p. 29
  7. "Rufus Sewell Biography (1967-)". www.filmreference.com. Retrieved 19 August 2018.
  8. "Rufus Sewell Biography – Yahoo! Movies". yahoo.com. Retrieved 19 August 2018.
  9. "Rufus Sewell scores a perfect Zen". www.heraldsun.com.au. 19 April 2011.
  10. Saner, Emine (8 December 2006). "Emine Saner talks to actor Rufus Sewell" – via www.theguardian.com.
  11. West, Naomi (12 January 2013). "Rufus Sewell, interview: back in the spotlight" – via www.telegraph.co.uk.
  12. "rufussewell.net : Article". rufussewell.net.
  13. Saner, Emine (8 December 2006). "Dark star". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 23 May 2010.
  14. "The king of Rock'n'Roll". standard.co.uk. Retrieved 19 August 2018.
  15. "The king of Rock'n'Roll". Evening Standard. 27 November 2006.
  16. Winner Takes All: A Life of Sorts by Michael Winner, p.269.
  17. Leonard, Tom."I really don't want to play a baddie again." The Telegraph. 8 December 2006. Retrieved 26 May 2008.
  18. "Rufus Sewell: Downloading Nancy". SuicideGirls.com. 4 June 2009. Retrieved 4 June 2009..
  19. "Three sign on for 'Pillars of the Earth'", The Hollywood Reporter, 8 June 2009.
  20. Conlan, Tara (22 February 2011). "BBC1 axes Rufus Sewell detective drama Zen". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 4 March 2012.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  21. "産婦人科検診の内容 - 知っておきたい婦人科検診のこと". www.accidentalsexiness.com.
  22. "Rufus Sewell is top baddie in 'Vampire Hunter'". Variety. Los Angeles. 12 April 2011. Archived from the original on 26 February 2012. Retrieved 4 March 2012.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  23. Filipponi, Pietro (30 March 2011). "Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter Set Pics ..." The Daily Blam!. Retrieved 4 March 2012.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  24. "Pink Floyd album inspires Sir Tom Stoppard radio play". BBC. 28 March 2013. Retrieved 24 August 2013.
  25. "Joseph Fiennes, Ian McShane Join 'Hercules' Cast". Variety.
  26. "Rufus Sewell interview: 'My character is not a monster - he's a human'". independent.co.uk. Retrieved 19 August 2018.
  27. Fox, Chloe (5 November 2003). "Cut and Thrust". The Telegraph. London. Retrieved 5 February 2013.
  28. Emine Saner (8 December 2006). "Dark star". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 5 February 2012.
  29. "Rufus Sewell Dumped By Wife". 2 January 2006. Retrieved 5 February 2012.
  30. Smith, Neil (22 December 2016). "Art role 'inconvenient' jokes Sewell". Retrieved 19 August 2018 – via www.bbc.co.uk.
  31. Macdonald, M. "The Evening Standard", page 14. Associated Press, 2005
  32. http://www.abouttheartists.com/artists/287662-rufus-sewell
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