Rufus Sewell

His Anglo-Australian father, William John Frederick Sewell (1924–1978), was born in Australia to English parents and worked as an animator 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 father died when he was 10. Sewell's mother subsequently lived at The Pelican, Laugharne, Carmarthenshire, formerly home to the parents of Welsh poet and writer Dylan Thomas. Sewell has said that he was a difficult teenager.

Rufus Frederik Sewell (born 29 October 1967) is a British actor.

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.

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.

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.

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 (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.

Sewell was born the son of Jo, a Welsh artist and classically trained pianist.

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 serial of George Eliot's Middlemarch and on stage in Tom Stoppard's play Arcadia at The Royal National Theatre (Lyttelton).

On television, he has appeared in Middlemarch (1994), Arabian Nights (2000), Charles II: The Power and the Passion (2003), John Adams (2008), Eleventh Hour (2008–2009), Zen (2011), The Pillars of the Earth (2010), Parade's End (2012), Victoria (2016–2017), The Man in the High Castle (2014–2019), and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (2019) and The Pale Horse (2020).

He currently stars in the Netflix series The Diplomat.

In film, he has appeared in Carrington (1995), Hamlet (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).

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."

"Everyone has their thing they have to get around," notes Sewell.

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.

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.

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.

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.

He appeared in the premiere and first run of Tom Stoppard's 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.

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.

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."

He co-starred in the controversial film Downloading Nancy, which was released on 5 June 2009.

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 Zen.

In this modern retelling of the story, the action moves from 17th-century Padua, Italy to 21st-century London.

"With me, it's like okay, how can I make this upper-class bad guy in the 19th century different and interesting?"