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Rufus Sewell Profile |
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Birth Date: October 29, 1967
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Birth Place: Twickenham, Middlesex, England, UK
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Birth Name: Rufus Frederick Sewell
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Height: 6'0"
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Biography |
Rufus Frederick Sewell is an English actor.
In film, he has had lead roles in The Woodlanders, The
Honest Courtesan, Dark City, A Knight's Tale, and Martha,
Meet Frank, Daniel and Laurence. On television, he became
well known for his role as the hero, Will Ladislaw, in the
BBC adaptation of George Eliot's Middlemarch. In 2003, he
appeared in the lead role in a miniseries about the life of
King Charles II of England. On stage, he originated the role
of Septimus Hodge in Tom Stoppard's Arcadia, and was
nominated for an Olivier Award.
Sewell was born in Twickenham in the London Borough of
Richmond upon Thames in South West London, the son of an
Australian animator and Welsh artist. Father Bill worked on
the Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds animation for The Beatles.
His parents split up when Sewell was five and his mother
supported her two sons by working different jobs. Bill
Sewell died when Rufus was 10 and by his own admission,
Sewell was a difficult teenager.
Sewell attended Orleans Park School, from which he graduated
in 1984. It was clear from his eccentricities at the school
that he would be temperamentally well suited for playing the
lead role in several period dramas. He later enrolled with
distinction at the Central School of Speech and Drama in
London. After graduating, he was set up with an agent by
Dame Judi Dench who had directed him in a play while at
Central.
1993 turned out to be his breakthrough year when he starred
in both the BBC adaptation of Middlemarch and Tom Stoppard's
Arcadia. He continues to be a triple-threat, working
continually in film, television and the theater. Although
best known for his work in costume dramas, Sewell prefers
'cravat-less' roles in modern pieces. His most recent
venture in this genre was playing the part of Petruchio in
the BBC's 2005 version of Shakespeare's The Taming of the
Shrew as part of the Shakespeare Re-Told season, which
earned him a Best Actor nomination at the 2006 BAFTA
Television Awards. In this modern retelling of the story the
action moves from 17th Century Padua, Italy to the glamorous
social circles of 21st Century London. This production marks
the fourth time that Sewell has acted in 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 Macbeth in Macbeth in 1999.
Sewell has recently finished filming Amazing Grace, a film
based on the story of William Wilberforce's political fight
to abolish slavery in Britain. He portrays Wilberforce's
co-campaigner Thomas Clarkson and undoubtedly had to wear a
cravat. His next projects as known are Nancy Meyers'
romantic comedy The Holiday and Tom Stoppard's new play Rock
'n' Roll at the Royal Court Theatre from June '06.
Rufus Sewell lives in London. He has a son, William 'Billy'
(born March 18 2002) with former partner Amy Gardner, whom
he married in 2004. When not working, he enjoys photography
and is a fan of Leica equipment. Says Sewell: "My favourite
things are just wandering from place to place, going to
cafes, taking photographs. My favourite day is a happy
accident". |
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Other Information |
Has a son named William Douglas Sewell (Billy), born 18
March 2002 with Amy Gardner
He was awarded the 1992 London Critics Circle Theatre Award
(Drama Theatre Award) for Most Promising Newcomer. |
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