Stephen Walters
Stephen Walters | |
---|---|
Walters in September 2016 | |
Born |
Merseyside, UK | 22 May 1975
Occupation | Actor |
Years active | 1989–present |
Height | 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) |
Stephen Walters (born 22 May 1975) is an English actor. A regular in British television and film, he has played a wide range and variety of character roles in both drama and comedy. Walters is most commonly associated with unpredictable, complex figures. He was nominated for a Royal Television Society's Best Actor award in 2013 for his role in the Sky Arts drama Ragged.[1]
Biography
In 1989, whilst at Saint Wilfrids secondary school, Walters was cast on ITV's British Children's anthology series Dramarama, portraying Corporal Tomkins, in the series seven episode entitled Ghost Story.[2][3] Walters' second professional role was in the BBC's drama anthology series Screenplay. He was featured in Jimmy McGovern's series five episode Needle (1990), based upon the needle exchange programme and heroin epidemic in 1980's Liverpool.[4][5]
After completion of a BTEC in Performing arts at Southport College (1990-1992), Walters went on to gain a place at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School (1994-1996).[6] In 1994 he played the lead role of Joey Jackson, a poetic soul searching for the meaning of life, in Jim Morris' Blood on the Dole as part of the Alan Bleasdale Presents series for Channel 4.[7] This performance garnered much critical acclaim for Walters and with the personal advice of Bleasdale he decided to apply to train at drama school.
After leaving drama school Walters appeared as Ian Glover in Jimmy McGovern's highly acclaimed drama Hillsborough (1996), based upon the Hillsborough disaster at the 1989 FA Cup Semi-Finals.[8] Hillsborough went on to win a BAFTA for best drama.[9] His next performance was the role of Jamie Spencer on ITV's ill-fated drama series Springhill (1996), though Walters did not return for the second series due to artistic differences. In 1997 he would once again work with Ghost Story director Julian Jarrold in the ITV drama Touching Evil.[10] Walters would portray lead guest character Jack McCaffrey, a slippery cockney, in the two-part series one finale written by Paul Abbott.[11]
Between 1998 and 2000, Walters appeared in several episodic performances such as BBC's Pie In the Sky, opposite the late Richard Griffiths, Mikey Sullivan in Jimmy McGovern’s Liverpool 1, Private John McGrath in Band of Brothers (HBO), and Scott in Nice Guy Eddie.[12][13][14][15] During this time Walters completed his first feature film where he played the role of Dennis, opposite Robert Carlyle, in Jake Scott's anachronistic comedy Plunkett and Maclean.[16]
In 2001, Walters starred as Knockoff in the BBC’s production of writer Jim Cartwright’s (Road, Little Voices) Strumpet opposite Christopher Eccleston.[17][18] Strumpet, directed by Danny Boyle, was a contrast to the dramatic work Walters had done to date. Walters then played Kick Box Stevie in the feature film Kiss Kiss Bang Bang by Stuart Suggs.[19]
That same year Walters featured in producer Matthew Vaughn's film Mean Machine (2001), a remake of the 1974 Burt Reynolds classic, as bomb expert Nitro opposite Vinnie Jones.[20][21] He then played the role of Nazi skinhead Blowfish in Ronny Yu's film The 51st State (AKA-Formula 51) opposite Samuel L Jackson and Robert Carlyle.[22] Both characters showcased the more unpredictable, dangerous type of characters that Walters seems to relish.
These consecutive roles were the springboard to Walters being cast in the lead role of prison Psychiatrist Nick Vaughn, alongside Lennie James, in Channel 4’s eight-part drama series Buried (2002).[23] The series, by producer Tony Garner, was awarded the BAFTA for Best Drama and Walters was the recipient of critical acclaim for his performance.[24][25]
In 2003, Walters played lead guest as Dylan Forbes in the premier episode of the ITV drama Murder City, directed by Sam Miller.[26] The following year (2004) Walters was directed by Matthew Vaughn in the explosive supporting role of Shanks, opposite Daniel Craig, in the feature film Layer Cake.[27] Vaughn, who had produced Barry Scholnick’s Mean Machine, offered Walters the role. Walters' next project was Guy Richie’s film Revolver (2005) where, opposite Jason Statham, he portrayed Irish Joe.[28] That same year saw a cameo appearance, as the Arkham Lunatic, in Christopher Nolan’s acclaimed feature Batman Begins and a turn as master Lord Gilbert Gifford in the BBC's Virgin Queen.[29][30]
In 2007, after a self-imposed year hiatus, Walters undertook three new projects. First was the feature film Hannibal Rising, the final installment of the Hannibal series which explored the origins of Hannibal Lecter. Walters portrayed Zigmas Milko, a man of Eastern European origin and one of Hannibal’s main victims.[31] Immediately following his role in Hannibal, Walters was featured in BBC 3’s six part comedy series entitled The Visit, which was set in a prison waiting room.[32] Walters played Splodge Costello, a Manchunian rogue and a troublesome yet likeable loser. Later that same year, he played Maddison Twatter (AKA-Mad Twatter) in a three episodes stint for E4's cult smash Skins.[33]
In 2008 Walters appeared in Franklyn, a film directed by Gerald McMorrow, which premiered at the London Film Festival.[34][35] His dual role as Bill Wasnik/Wormsnakes was played opposite Bernard Hill and Ryan Philippe respectively. In another two-part drama entitled Wire In The Blood, Walters played serial killer on the loose James Williams.[36] Robson Green, also featured in the series, collaborated with Walters in ITV’s 1997 drama Touching Evil.[11] These episodes were directed by Philip John who would later direct Walters in Outlander (2014-2016).[37]
In Splintered, a horror movie released to cinemas in 2010, Walters played dual roles as brothers Vincent and Gavin. These roles were particularly demanding as scenes with both characters were shot and edited without the use of digital effects.[38] Powder (2011), based on Kevin Sampson's novel of the same name, featured Walters in the role of Johnny Winegums, the manager of an aspiring POP music group.[39] The film was partially shot on location at the V festival in Suffolk.[40] Later that year Walters featured heavily in Age of Heroes along side Sean Bean.[41] The WWII drama, directed by Adrian Vitoria, highlighted the story of Ian Fleming’s Commandos who were assigned to infiltrate behind enemy lines in the Nazi controlled snowy mountains of Norway.[42]
In 2012 Walters played the role of gangster Callum Rose, opposite his friend actor Stephen Graham, in the BBC’s production Good Cop. The series, Written by Stephen Butchard and directed by Sam Miller, won the RTS award for Best Drama in 2013 despite only running for one season.[43][44][45] That same year Walters played the role of Gaz in Niall Griffiths' film Kelly + Victor.[46]
In the spring of 2013, Walters played the lead role of Ricky Tomlinson in Ragged, a one-off drama for the Sky Arts Presents series, directed by comedian Johnny Vegas.[47] The role dealt with Tomlinson's incarceration during the 1970s builders strike.[48] For his performance, Walters was nominated for an RTS Award as Best Actor in a single drama.[49] 2013 also brought Walters lead roles in two television series. First was the comedy Great Night Out, from Jimmy Mulville’s Hat Trick Productions, where Walters played Daz Taylor.[50] Second was The Village where he played Crispin Ingham, a sadistic teacher from Derbyshire.[51] Director Antonia Bird cast Walters in the latter and he was devastated to hear of her sudden death not long after filming.[52] Though a second series of The Village was commissioned, Walters was unable to reprise his role due to a scheduling conflict with filming Outlander (2014-2016).[53] Walters also reunited with previous co-star Sean Bean in an episode of 2013's The Accused, penned by Jimmy McGovern.[54]
Walters worked extensively with director Brian Kelly in 2014. He filmed three episodes of NBC's dramatic series Dracula, opposite Jonathan Rhys Meyers, as Hungarian detective Hackett.[55] In a departure from the novel, the series was set in Victorian England, though filmed in Budapest, Hungary.[56] Kelly then cast Walters as Simon the Sorcerer in NBC's series AD the Bible Continues, a sequel to Producers Mark Burnett and Roma Downey's miniseries The Bible (2015). The series was filmed in Morocco to preserve authenticity.[57]
From 2014-2016, opposite Sam Heughan, Caitriona Balfe and Graham McTavish, Walters portrayed the featured role of Angus Mhor in the television adaptation of Diana Gabaldon’s best selling Scottish time travel novel Outlander.[58][59] The expansion of Walters' Angus, as well as his counterpart Rupert MacKenzie, is a favorite of a Gabaldon's, who has described the television characters as "the 1800's version of Laurel and Hardy".[60] Between seasons one and two of Outlander, Walters was featured in two stylistically different shows for the BBC. The first was an appearance in two episodes of Dickensian (2015), a drama based upon the concept that author Charles Dickens' notable characters lived in the same neighborhood, opposite Stephen Rea as accused murderer Manning.[61] Second, Walters guest starred as Borel in an episode of Musketeers (2015), a retelling of Alexanre Dumas' classic French novel The Three Musketeers.[62] Set in seventeenth century Paris, the series was filmed in Prague.[63]
In early 2017, Walters appeared in two episodes of AMC's post-apocalyptic original series Into the Badlands as The Engineer, an American warlord, opposite Daniel Wu and Nick Frost.[64][65] He also appeared as DCI Mark Guinness in Little Boy Blue, a four-part factual drama that was based on the murder of Rhys Jones and written for ITV by Jeff Pope.[66][67]
Walters recently completed filming on Rowan Joffe's Tin Star for Sky Atlantic, wherein he is featured as failed rock star Johnny.[68][6] Filmed in Canada, the production features Tim Roth and Christina Hendricks, and has been described as a contemporary western.[69] Walters recently completed filming on series four of the acclaimed BBC crime drama Shetland.[70][71]
In addition to his acting credits, Walters has written and directed several short films. The first is entitled Danny Boy, and is a drama where a man must come to terms with his mother's Alzheimer’s.[72] Second, a recently completed film titled I'm not Here, is an exploration of the enigmatic Charles Manson wherein Walters plays the lead role.[73] Walters is currently working on his first documentary, an in-depth look at Merseybeat musician Tommy Quickly, with friend and fellow actor Andrew Gower. The project was funded through Kickstarter, a widely used crowdfunding platform.[74]
Filmography
Television
Year | Title | Character | Production | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
1989 | Dramarama | Tomkins | ITV | Appeared in: Season 7, Ep. 2 "Ghost Story" |
1990 | Screenplay | Viaduct Boy | BBC | Appeared in: Season 5, Ep. 11 "Needle" |
1993 | Brookside | Geoff Rogers | Channel 4 | Appeared in: Series 1: Ep. 1327, 1327, 1331, 1332, 1334, 1336, 1337 |
1994 | Blood On the Dole | Joey Jackson | Channel 4 | TV Movie (Based upon Jim Morris' play of the same name.) |
1995 | Jake's Progress | Joey | Channel 4 | Appeared in: Series 1, Ep. 7 |
1996 | Hillsborough | Ian Glover | ITV | Movie (Based upon the Hillsborough Disaster of 1989) |
1997 | Touching Evil | Jack McCaffrey | ITV | Appeared in: Season 1, Ep. 5, 6 "Deadly Web (Two parts)" |
1996-7 | Springhill | Jamie Johnson | ITV | Appeared in: Series 1, Ep. 1, 3-14 |
1997 | Pie in the Sky | Hotel Receptionist | BBC | Appeared in: Series 5, Ep. 2 "Ugly Customers" |
1998 | Liverpool 1 | Mikey Sullivan | ITV | Appeared in: Series 1, Ep. 1 |
2001 | Strumpet | Knockoff | BBC | Movie |
2001 | Band of Brothers | John McGrath | HBO / BBC | Appeared in Season 1, Ep. 3 "Carentan" |
2002 | Nice Guy Eddie | Scott | BBC | Appeared in: Series 1, Ep. 1 |
2003 | Buried | Dr. Nick Vaughan | Channel 4 | Appeared in: Series 1, Ep. 1-8 |
2003 | Silent Witness | Neville Anderson | BBC | Appeared in: Series 7, Ep. 7, 8 "Beyond Guilt: Part 1 & 2" |
2004 | Murder City | Dylan Forbes | ITV | Appeared in: Series 1, Ep. 1 "The Critical Path" |
2005 | The Virgin Queen | Gilbert Gifford | BBC | Appeared in: Ep. 2 |
2007 | Skins | Mad Twatter | E4 | Appeared in: Series 1, Ep. 1, 2, 3 |
2007 | The Visit | Splodge Costello | BBC | Appeared in: Series 1, Ep. 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 |
2008 | Wire in the Blood | James Williams | ITV | Appeared in: Series 6, Ep. 7, 8 |
2012 | Hit & Miss | Philip | ITV | Appeared in: Series 1, Ep. 6 |
2012 | Good Cop | Callum Rose | BBC | Appeared in: Series 1, Ep. 1, 2, 3 |
2013 | Accused | Alan Baines | BBC | Appeared in: Series 2, Ep. 3 "Tracie's Story" |
2013 | Great Night Out | Daz Taylor | ITV | Series 1 |
2013 | The Village | Crispin Ingham | BBC | Appeared in: Series 1, Ep. 1, 2, 3, 6 |
2013 | Playhouse Presents | Young Ricky | Sky Arts | Appeared in: Series 2, Ep. 8 "Ragged" |
2013 | Dracula | Hackett | NBC | Appeared in: Series 1, Ep. 6, 7, 8 |
2014 to 2016 | Outlander | Angus Mhor | Starz | Appeared in: Season 1, 2 |
2015 | A.D.: The Bible Continues | Simon the Sorcerer | NBC | Appeared in: Season 1, Ep. 7, 8 |
2016 | Dickensian | Manning | BBC | Appeared in: Series 1, Ep. 15, 18 |
2016 | Quantico | University President | ABC | Appeared in: Season 1, Ep. 16 |
2016 | The Musketeers | Borel | BBC | Appeared in: Series 3, Ep. 5 |
2017 | Into The Badlands | The Engineer | AMC | Appeared in: Season 2, Ep. 1, 2 |
2017 | Little Boy Blue | DCI Mark Guinness | ITV | Appeared in: Series 1, Ep. 1-4 |
2017 | Tin Star | Johnny | Sky Atlantic | In Post Production |
2017 | Shetland | Thomas Malone | BBC | In Post Production |
Film
Year | Title | Character | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1999 | Plunkett & Macleane | Dennis | |
2000 | Liam | Black Shirt | |
2001 | Kiss Kiss (Bang Bang) | Kick Box Stevie | |
2001 | Mike Bassett: England Manager | Supporter | |
2001 | The 51st State | Blowfish | |
2001 | Mean Machine | Nitro | |
2004 | Layer Cake | Shanks | |
2005 | Batman Begins | Arkham lunatic | |
2007 | Hannibal Rising | Zigmas Milko | |
2008 | Franklyn | Wormsnakes/Wasnik | |
2010 | Splintered | Gavin/Vincent | |
2011 | Age of Heroes | Cpl. Syd Brightling | Based upon the events surrounding the creation of Ian Fleming's 30 Commando Unit. |
2011 | Powder | Johnny Winegums | |
2012 | Kelly + Victor | Gaz |
References
- ↑ "The Royal Television Society North West Awards 2013 nominees in full". Prolific North. Retrieved 2017-05-17.
- ↑ "Looking back at Dramarama: series 3-7". Den of Geek. Retrieved 2017-05-24.
- ↑ "Dramarama" Ghost Story (TV Episode 1989), retrieved 2017-05-24
- ↑ "BAFTA & BFI Screenwriters' Lecture Series: Jimmy McGovern". www.bafta.org. Retrieved 2017-07-19.
- ↑ Needle (1990), retrieved 2017-05-18
- 1 2 "Humpty Dumpty Film". Kickstarter. Retrieved 2017-07-19.
- ↑ Walters, Stephen; Maddock, Suzanne; Caldwell, Rachel; Hughes, Aneirin (1994-10-18), Blood on the Dole, retrieved 2017-05-18
- ↑ Hillsborough (1996), retrieved 2017-07-20
- ↑ "Television in 1997 | BAFTA Awards". awards.bafta.org. Retrieved 2017-02-02.
- ↑ "Touching Evil (1998) - Overview - TCM.com". Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved 2017-06-20.
- 1 2 TV.com. "Touching Evil (UK): Deadly Web, Part 1". TV.com. Retrieved 2017-07-20.
- ↑ TV.com. "Pie in the Sky: Ugly Customers". TV.com. Retrieved 2017-06-14.
- ↑ "Liverpool 1" Fresh Meat (TV Episode 1998), retrieved 2017-06-15
- ↑ "Band of Brothers was about comradeship: What I'm Watching | Toronto Star". thestar.com. Retrieved 2017-06-14.
- ↑ "Nice Guy Eddie (2001)". BFI. Retrieved 2017-06-14.
- ↑ Plunkett & Macleane movie casts and crews, retrieved 2017-06-15
- ↑ "A ★★★½ review of Strumpet (2001)". letterboxd.com. Retrieved 2017-06-15.
- ↑ Smith, Rupert (2001-08-09). "Back from the beach". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2017-06-15.
- ↑ Kiss Kiss (Bang Bang) (2001), retrieved 2017-06-20
- ↑ Hewitt, Chris. "Mean Machine". Empire. Retrieved 2017-05-24.
- ↑ "A ★★½ review of Mean Machine (2001)". letterboxd.com. Retrieved 2017-05-24.
- ↑ The 51st State (2001), retrieved 2017-06-15
- ↑ "Meet the cast of Little Boy Blue". RadioTimes. Retrieved 2017-06-20.
- ↑ Deans, Jason (2003-02-11). "C4 ready to bury Buried". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2017-07-19.
- ↑ "BBC NEWS | Entertainment | Bafta TV Award 2004 winners". news.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 2017-02-02.
- ↑ TV.com. "Murder City: Critical Path". TV.com. Retrieved 2017-07-19.
- ↑ "Layer Cake". TVGuide.com. Retrieved 2017-06-20.
- ↑ Revolver (2005), retrieved 2017-07-19
- ↑ Staff, Hollywood.com (2015-02-06). "Stephen Walters | Biography and Filmography". Hollywood.com. Retrieved 2017-07-19.
- ↑ The Virgin Queen (2005), retrieved 2017-06-21
- ↑ "Hannibal Rising (2007)". www.filmsite.org. Retrieved 2017-06-21.
- ↑ TV.com. "The Visit". TV.com. Retrieved 2017-06-21.
- ↑ TV.com. "Skins (UK)". TV.com. Retrieved 2017-06-21.
- ↑ "Franklyn (2009) - Overview - TCM.com". Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved 2017-06-21.
- ↑ "BFI 52 London Film Festival: 'Franklyn' - Red Carpet". Retrieved 2016-10-06.
- ↑ "Coastal Productions: Wire in the Blood Series Six". www.coastalproductions.co.uk. Retrieved 2016-10-06.
- ↑ "Philip John - Independent Talent". Independent Talent. Retrieved 2017-05-23.
- ↑ "Splintered Interview with Director Simeon Halligan - Love Horror film reviews and news". Love Horror film reviews and news. 2010-08-12. Retrieved 2017-02-03.
- ↑ "Alfie Allen joins 'Powder' cast". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2017-06-21.
- ↑ French, Philip (2011-08-27). "Powder – review". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2017-02-03.
- ↑ "Age of Heroes – review | cast and crew, movie star rating and where to watch film on TV and online". Radio Times. Retrieved 2017-06-21.
- ↑ Museum, Littlehampton. "The 30 AU in Littlehampton". www.littlehamptonmuseum.co.uk. Retrieved 2017-05-25.
- ↑ "RTS Programme Awards 2013 | Royal Television Society". rts.org.uk. Retrieved 2016-10-06.
- ↑ "'Good Cop' not returning for series two". Digital Spy. 2013-02-04. Retrieved 2017-05-23.
- ↑ Heritage, Stuart (2012-09-18). "Have you been watching … Good Cop?". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2017-05-23.
- ↑ "Kelly + Victor (2013)". BFI. Retrieved 2017-07-19.
- ↑ "Playhouse Presents: Ragged". Time Out London. Retrieved 2017-05-24.
- ↑ Youngs, Ian (2014-09-23). "Ricky Tomlinson battles to overturn 1970s prison term". BBC News. Retrieved 2016-10-06.
- ↑ "The Royal Television Society North West Awards 2013 nominees in full". Retrieved 2016-10-06.
- ↑ "Great Night Out". "ITV Press Centre". Retrieved 2017-05-25.
- ↑ "Episode 1, Series 1, The Village - BBC One". BBC. Retrieved 2017-05-25.
- ↑ "Antonia Bird, film and TV director, dies aged 54". BBC News. 2013-10-26. Retrieved 2016-10-06.
- ↑ Outlander Guest: Andrew Gower, retrieved 2017-06-22
- ↑ "Tracie's Story (2012)". BFI. Retrieved 2017-06-21.
- ↑ Staff, Hollywood.com (2015-03-01). "Dracula | Full Cast and Credits | 2013". Hollywood.com. Retrieved 2017-06-22.
- ↑ Tulich, Katherine (2013-10-23). "NBC's 'Dracula' aims for a sexy revamp with Jonathan Rhys Meyers". Los Angeles Times. ISSN 0458-3035. Retrieved 2017-06-22.
- ↑ "Bible stories and thrillers make Morocco filming choice". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 2017-06-26.
- ↑ "Exclusive: Doctor Who and Layer Cake Vets Join Ron Moore's Outlander". TVGuide.com. 2013-08-29. Retrieved 2017-07-05.
- ↑ "Outlander Bosses Explain That Unexpected Death". E! Online. Retrieved 2017-07-05.
- ↑ "19. Author Diana Gabaldon Loves Rupert and Angus from 25 Fascinating Facts About Outlander". E! Online. Retrieved 2017-07-06.
- ↑ "WATCH: All of Dickens’ Best Characters in One Series | BBC America". BBC America. Retrieved 2017-07-05.
- ↑ "The Musketeers series 3 episode 5 review: To Play The King". Den of Geek. Retrieved 2017-07-05.
- ↑ "The Musketeers: Where to find the fairy-tale castles". RadioTimes. Retrieved 2017-07-05.
- ↑ Schedeen, Jesse (2017-03-19). "Into the Badlands: "Tiger Pushes Mountain" Review". IGN. Retrieved 2017-05-01.
- ↑ Lane, Carly. "This week, Into The Badlands looks to the past to move forward". Syfy. Retrieved 2017-07-19.
- ↑ "ITV Media | Little Boy Blue". www.itvmedia.co.uk. Retrieved 2017-06-22.
- ↑ Parry, Josh (2017-05-17). "When is ITV's Little Boy Blue on TV? Everything you need to know". liverpoolecho. Retrieved 2017-06-22.
- ↑ "Star Wars actress joins Tim Roth and Christina Hendricks in new Sky drama Tin Star". RadioTimes. Retrieved 2017-07-19.
- ↑ "Tim Roth filming drama Tin Star near Calgary | KFTV News". www.kftv.com. Retrieved 2017-05-25.
- ↑ "BBC - Shetland - Filming underway on new series of award-winning BBC One drama - Media Centre". www.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 2017-05-18.
- ↑ Walters, Stephen. "Twitter Status - Shetland Wrap". Twitter. Retrieved 2017-07-13.
- ↑ PeakyLox (2016-02-19), Danny Boy, retrieved 2017-05-25
- ↑ PeakyLox (2016-07-13), Short Film - I'm Not Here starring Stephen Walters, retrieved 2017-05-25
- ↑ "Outlander season 3 notes: New Stephen Walters project; filming keeps on". CarterMatt.com. 2017-06-07. Retrieved 2017-06-15.