Toby Stephens
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| Toby Stephens | |
|---|---|
| Image:Replace this image male.svg | |
| Born | April 21 1969 Image:Flag of England.svg London, England |
| Spouse(s) | Anna-Louise Plowman |
| Children | Eli Alistair |
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).
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[edit] Biography
Stephens, the son of actors Maggie Smith and Robert Stephens, was born in London, England. He was educated at Aldro and trained at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. 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. 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 (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.
During the summer of 2007, Stephens played the role of Jerry in Harold Pinter's Betrayal (play) under the direction of Roger Michell. Currently, Stephens is starring as Horner in Jonathan Kent's revival of William Wycherley's The Country Wife. The play is 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.
In December 2007, it was announced that Stephens would perform the role of James Bond in a BBC Radio 4 production of Ian Fleming's Dr. No (novel), to be broadcast in April 2008. The production is reportedly the first radio dramatization of the novel.
[edit] Filmography
| This article or section contains a list of works that does not follow the Manual of Style for lists of works (often, but not always, due to being in reverse-chronological order) and may need cleanup. |
| Year | Title | Role | Director |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Severance | Harris | Christopher Smith |
| 2006 | Dark Corners | Dr Woodleigh | Ray Gower |
| 2005 | Mangal Pandey: The Rising | Captain William Gordon | Ketan Mehta |
| 2002 | Die Another Day | Gustav Graves | Lee Tamahori |
| 2001 | Possession | Fergus Wolfe | Neil LaBute |
| 2000 | Space Cowboys | Frank | Clint Eastwood |
| 2000 | The Announcement | Ross | Troy Miller |
| 1999 | Onegin | Vladimir Lensky | Martha Fiennes |
| 1998 | Cousin Bette | Victorin Hulot | Des McAnuff |
| 1997 | Photographing Fairies | Charles Castle | Nick Willing |
| 1997 | Sunset Heights | Luke Bradley | Colm Villa |
| 1996 | Twelfth Night | Duke Orsino | Trevor Nunn |
| 1992 | Orlando | Othello | Sally Potter |
[edit] Television
| This article or section contains a list of works that does not follow the Manual of Style for lists of works (often, but not always, due to being in reverse-chronological order) and may need cleanup. |
| Year | Title | Role | Other notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | The Wild West - Custer's Last Stand | 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 Brontë |
| 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 | Dr Nick Henderson | Written by Barbara Machin and Ed Whitmore |
| 2004 | London | 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 |
| 2003 | Essential Byron | Reader | Dramatised documentary focusing on poet Lord Byron's work |
| 2002 | Napoléon | Tsar Alexander I | Written by Didier Decoin based on the book by Max Gallo |
| 2001 | Perfect Strangers | Charles | Written by Stephen Poliakoff (distributed in the United States under the title Almost Strangers) |
| 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 Brontë |
| 1992 | The Camomile Lawn | Oliver | Written by Kenneth Taylor based on the book by Mary Wesley |
[edit] Theatre
| This article or section contains a list of works that does not follow the Manual of Style for lists of works (often, but not always, due to being in reverse-chronological order) and may need cleanup. |
| Year | Title | Role | Other notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | The Country Wife | Mr. Horner | Directed by Jonathan Kent (Haymarket); play by William Wycherley |
| 2007 | Betrayal | Jerry | Directed by Roger Michell (Donmar); play by Harold Pinter |
| 2004 | Hamlet | Hamlet | Directed by Michael Boyd (RSC); play by Shakespeare |
| 2004 | The Pilate Workshop | Jesus | Directed by Michael Boyd (RSC); based on Ann Wroe's Pontius Pilate: The Biography of an Invented Man |
| 2001 | The Royal Family | Anthony Cavendish | Directed by Sir Peter Hall (The Haymarket); play by George S. Kaufman and Edna Ferber |
| 2001 | Japes | Japes | Directed by Sir Peter Hall (The Haymarket); play by Simon Gray |
| 1999 | Ring Round the Moon | Hugo/Frederick | Directed by Gerry Gutterrez (Lincoln Center Theatre NY); play by Jean Anouilh |
| 1998/99 | Britannicus | Nero | Directed by Jonathan Kent (Almeida & Brooklyn Academy); play by Jean Racine |
| 1998/99 | Phedre | Hippolytus | Directed by Jonathan Kent (Almeida & Brooklyn Academy); play by Jean Racine |
| 1996 | A Streetcar Named Desire | Stanley Kowalski | Directed by Sir Peter Hall (The Haymarket); play by Tennessee Williams |
| 1994 | Measure for Measure | Claudio | Directed by Steven Pimlott (RSC); play by Shakespeare |
| 1994 | A Midsummer Night's Dream | Lysander | Directed by Adrian Noble (RSC); play by Shakespeare |
| 1994 | Coriolanus | Coriolanus | Directed by David Thacker (RSC); play by Shakespeare |
| 1994 | Unfinished Business | Young Beamish | Directed by Steven Pimlott (RSC); play by Michael Hastings |
| 1993 | Wallenstein | Max Piccolomini | Directed by Tim Albery (RSC); play by Friedrich von Schiller |
| 1992 | All's Well That Ends Well | Bertram | Directed by Sir Peter Hall (RSC); play by Shakespeare |
| 1992 | Antony and Cleopatra | Pompey | Directed by John Caird (RSC); play by Shakespeare |
| 1992 | Tamburlaine | Celebinus/King of Algier | Directed by Terry Hands (RSC); play by Christopher Marlowe |
| 1992 | Tartuffe | Damis | Directed by Sir Peter Hall (Playhouse); play by Molière |
[edit] Radio and CD audio drama
| This article or section contains a list of works that does not follow the Manual of Style for lists of works (often, but not always, due to being in reverse-chronological order) and may need cleanup. |
| Year | Title | Role | Other notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Flashman and the Dragon | Narrator | Novel by George MacDonald Fraser, HarperCollins Audiobook |
| 2007 | Heart of Darkness | Narrator | Novel by Joseph Conrad, Silksoundbooks Audiobook |
| 2006 | Shylock | Bassanio | BBC dramatised recording of play by Arnold Wesker |
| 2005 | Much Ado About Nothing | Benedick | BBC dramatised recording of Shakespeare's play |
| 2004 | Will in the World | Reader | A reconstruction of Shakespeare's life & era |
| 2003 | Dionysos | King Pentheus | BBC dramatised recording with Paul Scofield |
| 2002 | Aeneid | Aeneas | Virgil's Classical Poem abridged by James Burbidge with Paul Scofield, Naxos Audiobooks |
| 2002 | The Woman in White | Walter Hartright | BBC dramatised recording of novel by Wilkie Collins, BBC Radio Collection Audiobook |
| 2002 | The Riddle of the Sands | Narrator | Novel by Robert Erskine Childers, Penguin Audiobooks |
| 2001 | On the Road | Narrator | BBC radio reading of the Jack Kerouac book |
| 2001 | King Lear | Edmund | Paul Scofield is King Lear in a dramatised reading of Shakespeare's play, Naxos Audiobooks |
| 2000 | Conversations with Napoleon | Reader | The words of Napoleon Bonaparte |
| 1998 | The Troy Trilogy | Achilles | 3 x 90 minute plays for the BBC with Paul Scofield |
| 1997 | Anna Karenina | Count Vronsky | BBC dramatised recording of the Leo Tolstoy novel, BBC Classic 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 | The Guns of Navarone | Mallory | BBC two part dramatised recording of the novel by Alistair MacLean, BBC Radio Collection Audiobook |
| 1997 | The Lifted Veil | Latimer | BBC dramatised recording of the novella by George Eliot |
| 1997 | As You Like It | Orlando | BBC dramatised recording of Shakespeare's play |
| 1995 | The Prince's Choice | Not known | A selection from Shakespeare's works; narrators include the Prince of Wales and Toby Stephens' parents, Sir Robert Stephens and Dame Maggie Smith, Hodder & Stoughton Audio Books |
| 1994 | Time and the Conways | Robin | Radio drama by J.B. Priestley |
| Not known | Tales from the Arabian Nights | Narrator | Includes Aladdin and His Magic Lamp, Sinbad and Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves, Naxos Audiobooks |
[edit] 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
[edit] External links
- Toby Stephens fan site
- RSC Hamlet website Includes clips of Toby Stephens and the cast rehearsing the 2004 production of Hamlet.
- Switzer's Guide to Hamlet Backstage story of Toby Stephens' RSC Hamlet performance from an extra's viewpoint.
- Toby Stephens at the Internet Movie Database
- Toby Stephens agent's page
[edit] Interviews and articles
- The Independent - Theatre Debut - Toby Stephens (7 February 2001)
- The Evening Standard - Toby's Second Act (15 November 2002)
- The Sunday Telegraph - Villain with a past (16 December 2002)
- The Independent on Sunday - This Cultural Life (5 December 2004)
- The Independent - How do I look? (13 August 2005)
- The Telegraph - The perils of being posh on TV (16 March 2006)
- The Independent - Toby Stephens (18 March 2006)
| Preceded by Sophie Marceau & Robert Carlyle | Official James Bond villain actor 2002 | Succeeded by Mads Mikkelsen |
The James Bond Films |
|---|
| "Official" (EON Productions) films |
| Dr. No • From Russia with Love • Goldfinger • Thunderball • You Only Live Twice • On Her Majesty's Secret Service • Diamonds Are Forever • Live and Let Die • The Man with the Golden Gun • The Spy Who Loved Me • Moonraker • For Your Eyes Only • Octopussy • A View to a Kill • The Living Daylights • Licence to Kill • GoldenEye • Tomorrow Never Dies • The World Is Not Enough • Die Another Day • Casino Royale • Bond 22 |
| "Official" (EON Productions) Actors |
| Sean Connery • George Lazenby • Roger Moore • Timothy Dalton • Pierce Brosnan • Daniel Craig |
| Non-EON films |
| Casino Royale (1954 TV) • Casino Royale (1967 satire) • Never Say Never Again |
| Non-EON Actors |
| Barry Nelson • Bob Holness • David Niven • Sean Connery • Maxwell Caulfield • Adam Blackwood • Tim Bentinck • Jason Carter • David Houston • Toby Stephens |
fr:Toby Stephens he:טובי סטיבנס ja:トビー・スティーブンス pl:Toby Stephens sv:Toby Stephens
