Toby Stephens

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Toby Stephens

Toby Stephens in Die Another Day
Born April 21, 1969 (age 37)
London, England
Spouse(s) Anna-Louise Plowman

Toby Stephens (born April 21, 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).

Contents

[edit] Biography

Stephens, the son of actors Maggie Smith and the late Robert Stephens, was born in in London, England. He trained at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art and 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. He recently played the role of a British army captain in the 2005 Indian movie, Mangal Pandey: The Rising, portraying events in the Indian rebellion of 1857 and 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 and has recently completed filming The Wild West for the BBC in which he plays General Custer.

On 22nd November 2006 The Daily Mail announced that Anna-Louise Plowman, wife of Toby Stephens, is expecting their first child in the spring of 2007.

[edit] Filmography

Toby Stephens in Photographing Fairies
Enlarge
Toby Stephens in Photographing Fairies
Year Title Role Other notes
2006 Severance (film) Harris Directed by Christopher Smith
2006 Dark Corners Dr Woodleigh Directed by Ray Gower
2005 Mangal Pandey: The Rising Captain William Gordon Directed by Ketan Mehta
2002 Die Another Day Gustav Graves Directed by Lee Tamahori
2001 Possession Fergus Wolfe Directed by Neil LaBute
2000 Space Cowboys Frank Directed by Clint Eastwood
2000 The Announcement Ross Directed by Troy Miller
1999 Onegin Vladimir Lensky Directed by Martha Fiennes
1998 Cousin Bette Victorin Hulot Directed by Des McAnuff
1997 Photographing Fairies Charles Castle Directed by Nick Willing
1997 Sunset Heights Luke Bradley Directed by Colm Villa
1996 Twelfth Night Duke Orsino Directed by Trevor Nunn
1992 Orlando Othello Directed by Sally Potter

[edit] Television

Toby Stephens as Rochester in Jane Eyre
Enlarge
Toby Stephens as Rochester in Jane Eyre
Year Title Role Other notes
2007 The Wild West General George Armstrong Custer BBC series. Filmed in South Dakota, summer 2006
2006 Jane Eyre Edward Fairfax Rochester Written by Sandy Welch based on the book by Charlotte Bronte
2006 Sharpe's Challenge William Dodd Written by Russell Lewis based on the book by Bernard Cornwell
2006 The Best Man Peter Written by Russell Lewis
2005 The Queen’s Sister Anthony Armstrong Jones Written by Craig Warner
2005 Waking the Dead (TV series), Dr Nick Henderson Written by Barbara Machin and Ed Whitmore
2004 London (television) Casanova Written by Peter Ackroyd and Chris Granlund
2003 Poirot Five Little Pigs Philip Blake Written by Kevin Elyot based on the book by Agatha Christie
2003 Cambridge Spies Kim Philby Written by Peter Moffat
2002 Napoleon Tsar Alexander I Written by Didier Decoin based on the book by Max Gallo
2001 Perfect Strangers (BBC TV series) Charles Written by Steven Poliakoff
2000 The Great Gatsby Jay Gatsby Written by John McLaughlin based on the book by F Scott Fitzgerald
1996 The Tenant of Wildfell Hall Gilbert Markham Written by Janet Barron based on the book by Anne Bronte
1992 The Camomile Lawn Oliver Written by Kenneth Taylor based on the book by Mary Wesley

[edit] Theatre

Toby Stephens as Hamlet
Enlarge
Toby Stephens as Hamlet
Year Title Role Other notes
2004 Hamlet Hamlet Directed by Michael Boyd (RSC)
2004 The Pilate Workshop Jesus Directed by Michael Boyd (RSC)
2001 The Royal Family Anthony Cavendish Directed by Sir Peter Hall (The Haymarket)
2001 Japes Japes Directed by Sir Peter Hall
1999 Ring Round the Moon Hugo/Frederick Directed by Gerry Gutterrez (Lincoln Center Theatre NY)
1998/99 Britannicus Nero Directed by Jonathen Kent (Almeida & Brooklyn Academy)
1998/99 Phedre Hippolytus Directed by Jonathen Kent (Almeida & Brooklyn Academy)
1996 Streetcar Named Desire Stanley Kowalski Directed by Sir Peter Hall (The Haymarket)
1994 Measure for Measure Claudio Directed by Steven Pimlott (RSC)
1994 Midsummer Nights Dream Lysander Directed by Adrian Noble (RSC)
1994 Coriolanus Coriolanus Directed by David Thacker (RSC)
1994 Unfinished Business Beamish Directed by Steven Pimlott (RSC)
1993 Walenstein Max Piccolomini Directed by Tim Albery (RSC)
1992 Alls Well That Ends Well Bertram Directed by Sir Peter Hall (RSC)
1992 Anthony and Cleopatra Pompey Directed by John Caird (RSC)
1992 Tamburlaine Celebinus/King of Algier Directed by Terry Hands (RSC)
1992 Tartuffe Damies Directed by Sir Peter Hall (Playhouse)

[edit] Radio and CD Audio Drama

Year Title Role Other notes
2003 Dionysos King Pentheus BBC dramatised recording with Paul Scofield
2002 Aeneid Aeneas Virgil's Classical Poem abridged by James Burbidge with Paul Scofield
2002 The Woman in White Walter Hartright BBC dramatised recording
2002 Riddle of the Sands Narrator Penguin Audio Book
2001 King Lear Edmund Paul Scofield is King Lear
1998 The Troy Trilogy Achilles 3 x 90 minute plays for the BBC with Paul Scofield
1997 Anna Karenina Count Vronsky BBC dramatised recording
1997 The Guns of Navarone Mallory BBC dramatised recording
1997 The Lifted Veil Latimer BBC dramatised recording
1995 The Prince's Choice Not known A selection from Shakespeare's works
Not known Tales from the Arabian Nights Narrator Includes Aladdin and His Magic Lamp, Sinbad and Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves

[edit] Awards

  • 1994 — Ian Charleson Award (Best classical actor under 30): Coriolanus
  • 1994 — Sir John Gielgud Award for best actor : Coriolanus


[edit] External links

[edit] Interviews and articles


Preceded by:
Sophie Marceau & Robert Carlyle
Official James Bond villain actor
2002
Succeeded by:
Mads Mikkelsen
In other languages