| Toby Stephens |
| Born |
21 April 1969 (1969-04-21) (age 39)
London, England |
| Occupation |
actor |
| Spouse(s) |
Anna-Louise Plowman |
Toby Stephens (born 21 April 1969) is an English stage, television and film actor, best known for playing supervillain Gustav Graves in the James Bond film Die Another Day (2002) and Edward Fairfax Rochester in the BBC television adaptation of Jane Eyre (2006).
Biography
Stephens, the son of actors Maggie Smith and Robert Stephens, was born in London, England. He was educated at Aldro and Seaford College and trained at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA). He began his film career with the role of Othello in 1992's Orlando. He has since made regular appearances on television (including in The Camomile Lawn) and on stage.
He has gained acclaim as a stage actor of distinction, notably playing the title role in a Royal Shakespeare Company production of Coriolanus shortly after graduation from LAMDA; that same season he played Claudio in Measure for Measure for the RSC. He also played Stanley Kowalski in a West End production of Tennessee Williams' A Streetcar Named Desire, and Hamlet in 2004. He has appeared on Broadway in Ring Round the Moon. He played the lead in the film Photographing Fairies and played Orsino in Trevor Nunn's film of Twelfth Night. In 2002 he took on the role for which he is most widely known, that of Gustav Graves in the James Bond movie Die Another Day.
In 2005 he played the role of a British army captain in the Indian film, Mangal Pandey: The Rising, portraying events in the Indian rebellion of 1857. The following year he returned to India to play a renegade British East India Company officer in Sharpe's Challenge.
In autumn 2006 he starred as Edward Rochester in the BBC television adaptation of Jane Eyre (broadcast in the United States on PBS in early 2007) and The Wild West in February 2007 for the BBC in which he played General George Armstrong Custer in Custer's Last Stand.
On 31 May 2007 The Guardian announced that Toby Stephens and his wife of six years, New Zealand actress Anna-Louise Plowman, had their first child, a son named Eli Alistair.1 The late Simon Gray, the renowned British playwright (who penned Japes, a stage play, and Missing Dates, a radio drama, both of which starred Stephens), was reportedly Eli's godfather.2
During the summer of 2007, Stephens played the role of Jerry in a revival of Harold Pinter's Betrayal under the direction of Roger Michell. Most recently, Stephens starred as Horner in Jonathan Kent's revival of William Wycherley's The Country Wife. The play was the inaugural production of The Theatre Royal Haymarket Company, which in addition to Stephens includes the actors Eileen Atkins, Patricia Hodge, David Haig and Ruthie Henshall. Various members of the Company are expected to star in upcoming productions at the Haymarket Theatre with various artistic directors. The formation of the Company is considered by many London theatre critics to be a bold move for West End theatre.3
In February 2008, Fox Broadcasting Company gave the go-ahead to cast Stephens as the lead in a potential one hour, prime time U.S. television show, Inseparable, to be produced by Shaun Cassidy. Billed as a modern Jekyll and Hyde story, the show was to feature a partially paralyzed forensic psychologist whose other personality is a charming criminal. Stephens' casting was highly unusual, because Fox had not yet approved a script nor purchased a pilot for the show. However, in mid-May 2008, The Hollywood Reporter announced that "[b]y the time the network picked up the pilot . . . [the producers'] hold on Stephens had expired . . . ."45
In April 2008, Stephens' agent announced that Stephens will, at some future date, play the role of "Crawford" in a new three-part ITV television drama entitled Wired, to be directed by Kenny Glenaan. Early details suggest it will concern various characters caught up in a fictional Internet banking scam. Filming was reported to begin in March 20086 in or near Manchester and Liverpool, England, although another report in mid-May 2008 stated that producers had "just started" filming.7
In May 2008, Stephens performed the role of James Bond in a BBC Radio 4 production of Ian Fleming's Dr. No, as part of the centenary celebration of Fleming's birth. The production is reportedly the first radio dramatization of the novel. Stephens continues to prolifically narrate audiobooks and perform in radio dramas; between November 2007 and May 2008, he will have given 5 such performances.
Also in May 2008, Stock-pot Productions announced that Stephens will have the lead role in a feature-length film entitled Fly Me, co-starring Tim McInnerny.8 Stock-pot was also the producer of One Day, a short 2006 film shown at international film festivals, in which Stephens played a small part as the boss of McInnerny's character.
In June 2008, the Daily Mirror reported that Stephens has been tapped to play King John in Season 3 of the BBC series Robin Hood.9
Filmography
Television
Theatre
Radio and CD audio drama
| Year |
Title |
Role |
Other notes |
| 1994 |
Time and the Conways |
Robin |
Radio drama based on the play Time and the Conways by J.B. Priestley |
| 1995 |
The Prince's Choice |
Coriolanus, Hamlet, Henry V, Henry IV and Edward Poins |
A selection from Shakespeare's works; narrators include the Prince of Wales and Stephens' parents, Sir Robert Stephens and Dame Maggie Smith, Hodder & Stoughton Audio Books |
| 1997 |
As You Like It |
Orlando |
BBC dramatised recording of Shakespeare's play |
| 1997 |
The Lifted Veil |
Latimer |
BBC dramatised recording of the novella by George Eliot |
| 1997 |
The Guns of Navarone |
Mallory |
BBC two part dramatised recording of the novel by Alistair MacLean, BBC Radio Collection Audiobook |
| 1997 |
Birdsong |
Stephen Wraysford |
BBC three-part drama based on the Sebastian Faulks novel (sometimes listed under the title of Part I, 'France 1910') |
| 1997 |
Anna Karenina |
Count Vronsky |
BBC dramatised recording of the Leo Tolstoy novel, BBC Classic Collection Audiobook |
| 1998 |
The Troy trilogy |
Achilles |
3 x 90 minute plays by Andrew Rissik for the BBC with Paul Scofield
King Priam and His Sons; The Death of Achilles; Helen at Ephesus
|
| 1999 |
Tales from the Arabian Nights |
Narrator |
Includes Aladdin and His Magic Lamp, Sinbad and Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves, Naxos Audiobooks |
| 1999 |
Macbeth |
Macbeth |
Voice of Macbeth for the Movingstage Marionette Company's production of the Shakespeare play |
| 2000 |
Conversations with Napoleon |
Reader |
The words of Napoleon Bonaparte |
| 2001 |
King Lear |
Edmund |
Paul Scofield is King Lear in a dramatised reading of Shakespeare's play, Naxos Audiobooks |
| 2001 |
On the Road |
Narrator |
BBC radio reading of the Jack Kerouac book |
| 2002 |
The Riddle of the Sands |
Narrator |
Novel by Robert Erskine Childers, Penguin Audiobooks |
| 2002 |
The Woman in White |
Walter Hartright |
BBC dramatised recording of novel by Wilkie Collins, BBC Radio Collection Audiobook |
| 2002 |
Aeneid |
Aeneas |
Virgil's Classical Poem abridged by James Burbidge with Paul Scofield, Naxos Audiobooks |
| 2003 |
Dionysos |
Pentheus, King of Thebes |
BBC radio drama by Andrew Rissik with Paul Scofield |
| 2004 |
Will in the World |
Reader |
Based on Stephen Greenblatt's book, a reconstruction of Shakespeare's life & era |
| 2005 |
Much Ado About Nothing |
Benedick |
BBC dramatised recording of Shakespeare's play |
| 2006 |
Shylock |
Bassanio |
BBC Radio 3 dramatised recording of play by Sir Arnold Wesker |
| 2007 |
Heart of Darkness |
Narrator |
Novel by Joseph Conrad, Silksoundbooks Audiobook |
| 2007 |
Flashman on the March |
Narrator |
Novel by George MacDonald Fraser, HarperCollins Audiobook |
| 2008 |
Flashman and the Dragon |
Narrator |
Novel by George MacDonald Fraser, HarperCollins Audiobook |
| 2008 |
Missing Dates |
Jason (Japes) |
BBC Radio 4 dramatisation of play by Simon Gray (a reworking of his play Japes, in which Stephens also played the title role, see Theatre above) |
| 2008 |
The Good Soldier |
Narrator |
BBC Radio 4 reading of the novel by Ford Madox Ford |
| 2008 |
Dr. No |
James Bond |
BBC Radio 4 dramatisation of novel by Ian Fleming |
| 2008 |
Let's Murder Vivaldi |
Ben |
BBC Radio 4 adaptation of David Mercer's television drama |
Notes
- ^ Mark Lawson, "Prodigal Son", The Guardian, May 31, 2007, Online edition. [1]
- ^ Janice Turner, "Simon Gray Has Lung Cancer But Won't Stop Smoking," The Times, April 24, 2008, Online edition. [2]
- ^ David Benedict, "Theatre Royal Haymarket Gambles", Variety, July 23, 2007, online edition. [3]
- ^ Nellie Andreeva, "Busy Pre-upfront Weekend", The Hollywood Reporter, May 10, 2008, updated May 11, 2008, Online edition. [4]
- ^ "Pilot Buzz", zap2it, May 12, 2008.[5]
- ^ "Sita's Secret Story", Northwest Vision Media. [6]
- ^ "New ITV Thriller Begins Shooting in the North West", How-Do, May 16, 2008. [7]
- ^ Stock-pot Productions Limited, Blog, May 27, 2008. [8]
- ^ "Toby Stephens to play King John in new Robin Hood series," Daily Mirror, June 26, 2008. [9]/
Awards
- 1994—Ian Charleson Award (best classical actor under 30): Coriolanus
- 1994—Sir John Gielgud Award (best actor): Coriolanus
- 1999—Theatre World Award (debut performance on Broadway): Ring Round the Moon
Interviews and articles
External links
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