“I really feel in the last five years, I've managed to move away from the gravity of being their son.” Toby Stephens
British
actor of film, television and stage Toby Stephens, the second son of
the late Sir Robert Stephens and Dame Maggie Smith, first attained
recognition on the stage thanks largely to his affiliation with the
famous Royal Shakespeare Company. As the star of “Coriolanus” (1994),
he was handed the prestigious Sir John Gielgud Award and Ian Charlson
Award in addition to becoming the youngest actor to play the role at
RSC. Two years later, the good-looking, dark-haired performer charmed
international moviegoers with his starring turn as the melancholy Duke
Orsino on the movie version of “Twelfth Night” and gained additional
notice later that same year as Gilbert Markham on the
critically-acclaimed TV film “The Tenant of Wildfell Hall.” Since then,
Stephens has maintained a prolific work in these three different sides
of the entertainment business, but is probably best recalled as the
supervillain Gustav Graves on the James Bond movie “Die Another Day”
(2002, earned a Saturn nomination) and Edward Fairfax Rochester in the
BBC television miniseries adaptation of “Jane Eyre” (2006, netted a
Satellite nomination).
Stephens is the husband of actress
Anna-Louise Plowman, whom he married in 2001. The couple has a young
son named Eli Alistair Stephens. Stephens' romantic life has also been
involved with actress Jennifer Ehle (dated in early 1990s). In October
1996, he was engaged with Alison Fogg, but the bond ended in 1999.
“Cary Grant is my style hero, along with Robert Redford and Paul Newman.” Toby Stephens
Son of Actors
Childhood and Family:
Toby
Stephens was born on April 21, 1969, in Middlesex Hospital, London,
England, to celebrity parents Sir Robert Stephens (born in 1931, died
in 1995) and Dame Maggie Smith. His parents divorced when he was four
years old, leaving Toby and older brother Christopher Stephens (now an
actor) under the guidance of their busy mother who often brought the
twosome to America for her acting gigs. Toby attended Aldro, and was
trained as an actor at the renowned London Academy of Music and
Dramatic Art (LAMDA), graduating in 1991. In 1995, his father married
actress Patricia Quinn, making Toby the stepbrother of actor Quinn
Hawkins (born in 1971).
On September 15, 2001, Toby was
married to New Zealand-born actress Anna-Louise Plowman. His wife gave
birth to the couple's first child, son Eli Alistair Stephens, in May
2007.
Jane Eyre
Career:
A
graduate of LAMDA, Toby Stephens got his start in the entertainment
industry as a stagehand at the Chichester Theatre Festival, but soon
moved on to become an actor with a 1991 West End production directed by
Peter Hall called “Tartuffe,” where he was cast opposite Jennifer Ehle.
Previously, Stephens and Ehle were directed by Hall in the British
miniseries “The Chamomile Lawn,” based on the novel by Mary Wesley, but
the project was not aired until 1992. It was also in 1992 that the
actor made his feature acting debut as Othelloon Sally Potter's
adaptation of Virginia Woolf's “Orlando.” However, he then stayed away
from the screen for several years to concentrate on his stage career.
Stephens
joined the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1993 and in the next year, the
twenty-something made a name for himself for being the troupe's
youngest actor to undertake the lead in Shakespeare's “Coriolanus.”
Under the direction of David Thacker, Stephens proved outstanding by
nabbing the Sir John Gielgud Award for Best Actor and the Ian Charlson
Award for Best Classical Actor under 30. He continued to build an
eminent career with RSC by starring in such productions as Stephen
Pimlott's “Measure for Measure” and “Unfinished Business,” John Caird's
“Anthony and Cleopatra” and Adrian Noble's “A Midsummer Night's Dream.”
The same year he assumed the role of Stanley Kowalski in a
London West End production of “A Streetcar Named Desire” (1996),
directed by Peter Hall and costarring Jessica Lange, Stephens made a
triumphant comeback to the big screen with the Trevor Nunn-helmed film
version of “Twelfth Night,” where he played the leading role of Orsino,
opposite Helena Bonham Carter as Olivia and Imogen Stubbs as Viola. His
portrayal of the somber Duke caught the attention of international film
audience. He further solidified his leading man status with his role as
Gilbert Markham, the Yorkshire farmer who falls in love with a married
woman, in the praised TV movie adaptation of Anne Bronte's “The Tenant
of Wildfell Hall” (also 1996).
Despite lack of box office
success, Stephens went on to give fine performances in his subsequent
films. He was cast as a 20th-century photographer named Charles Castle
in Nick Willing's “Photographing Fairies” (1997), reunited with Jessica
Lange as the actress' nephew in Des McAnuff's “Cousin Bette” (1997) and
portryed Ralph Fiennes' emotional best friend in the Toronto Film
Festival-premiered “Onegin” (1999), for director Martha Fiennes. On the
stage, after playing with Diana Rigg in two 1998 productions:
“Britannicus” and “Phedre,” he debuted on Broadway in the humorous
“Ring Round the Moon” (1999), playing twins, and won a Theatre World
Award for his work in the play.
Entering the new millennium,
Stephens found himself starring in the British stage play “Japes” and
appearing in the independent film “The Announcement,” but it was not
until he was cast as young Frank Corvin in the director-star Clint
Eastwood's adventure/comedy, “Space Cowboys” (all 2000), that Stephens
enjoyed another shot to fame. Also in that same year, he starred in the
title role in the A&E brilliant television movie version of “The
Great Gatsby,” opposite Mira Sorvino. He then offered a memorable
supporting turn as Charles, the cousin of the main character, in the
Emmy-nominated television film “Perfect Strangers” (2001, BBC2) and
resurfaced on the London stage to play along side the Dame Judi Dench
in “The Royal Family” (also 2001)
2002 saw Stephens play a
selfish academic in Neil LaBute's “Possession,” which starred Gwyneth
Paltrow, Aaron Eckhart, Jeremy Northam and former “The Chamomile Lawn”
costar Jennifer Ehle. Besides, he had a feature role as Tsar Alexander
I on Yves Simoneau's TV miniseries, “Napoléon” (2002), which gave him
the opportunity to act along side big names like Isabella Rossellini,
Gérard Depardieu and John Malkovich. However, Stephens did not enjoy
enduring victory until he was cast as the wicked Gustav Graves on the
20th James Bond film “Die Another Day” (2002), starring Pierce Brosnan
as 007. In addition to holding his own against such a caliber actor, he
also showcased a gift for physical fight in the action-jammed fencing
series with Brosnan. For his efforts, Stephens was nominated for a
Saturn for Best Supporting Actor.
Following the wide-range
prominence, Stephens acted in the BBC film “Cambridge Spies” (2003, as
Kim Philby), the three-part TV series “London” (2004, as Casanova), the
Bollywood-made “The Rising: Ballad of Mangal Pandey” (2005, opposite
Indian stars Aamir Khan and Rani Mukherje) and the British telepic “The
Queen's Sister” (2005, as Lord Snowdon). He also provided his vocals
for the animated films “Terkel i knibe” (2004) and “Midsummer Dream”
(2005), and appeared on the stage in the RSC production of “Hamlet”
(2004).
Stephens kept on busy in 2006. After playing the
supporting role of Peter Tremaine in the ITV thriller telepic “The Best
Man,” he teamed up with Sean Bean and Daragh O'Malley in “Sharpe's
Challenge,” a television film adapted by director Tom Clegg from the
Bernard Cornwell books. He also was cast along side Thora Birch in the
horror/thriller movie “Dark Corners” and returned to film as a lead in
the Christopher Smith comedy “Severance.” His portrayal of Edward
Fairfax Rochester in the BBC miniseries “Jane Eyre,” opposite Ruth
Wilson as the title character, even won the acclaimed performer a
Satellite nomination for Best Actor in a Miniseries or a Motion Picture
Made for Television.
In 2007, Stephens gained some attention
for his role as George Custer on the three-part miniseries “The Wild
West,” helmed by David Stewart, and participated in the short film “One
Day.” In June, he played Jerry on a London stage production of
“Betrayal,” by Harold Pinter, and four months later, he was cast as
Horner in William Wycherley's “The Country Wife” at London's Theatre
Royal Haymarket.
39-year-old Stephens is set to play a role
with Jonny Lee Miller and Parminder Nagra in the upcoming British film
“Marathon” (2008).
Awards:
Theatre World: Debut Performance on Broadway, “Ring Round the Moon,” 1999
Ian Charleson: Best Classical Actor Under 30, “Coriolanus,” 1994
Sir John Gielgud : Best Actor, “Coriolanus,” 1994
