Biography
Rufus Frederick Sewell was born on the 29th day of October 1967 in Twickenham, England.
His mother, Jo, is Welsh and currently resides in Wales. His father, Bill, was an Australian animator who died when Rufus was 10. He has one brother, Caspar. His son, William Douglas Sewell, was born on March 18, 2002.

Rufus attended London's Central School of Speech and Drama and made his London Stage debut in Making It Better, for which he won the "Best Newcomer Award". He also originated the role of Septimus Hodge in Tom Stoppard's Arcadia, and was nominated for an Oliver Award. On the Broadway stage, he debuted in Translations, and received the Broadway Theatre World Award.

His early television work includes: The Last Romantics, Gone To Seed, the acclaimed BBC mini-series Middlemarch, and in May 2000, Arabian Nights, in which he played the part
of Ali Baba.

His earlier film work includes: Twenty-One, Dirty Weekend, A Man Of No Importance, Carrington, Hamlet, Cold Comfort Farm, Victory, The Woodlanders, Dark City, Dangerous Beauty, Martha Meet Frank, Daniel & Laurence (The Very Thought Of You), Illuminata, and the Australian film, In a Savage Land.

In 1999 he returned to the stage with a successful production of Shakespeare's Macbeth at the Queen's Theatre in London's West End.

Bless The Child, with Kim Basinger and Jimmy Smits, opened in the US on 11 August, 2000 and in the UK on 6 January 2001.

A Knight's Tale, also starring Heath Ledger and filmed in Prague, Czech Republic, opened strongly in the US on May 11, 2001.

She Creature, from writer-director Sebastian Gutierrez, aired during the month of October 2001 on US television Cinemax/ Home Box Office. It was released in DVD/video format in April 2002.

Uncorked (Higher Love) from Minnie Driver's production company, and also starring Ms Driver and the late Sir Nigel Hawthorne, was released in DVD/video format in November 2001.

Carrington, with Emma Thompson and Jonathan Price, has been released on DVD/video.

Rufus returned to the stage in October, 2001 in the title role in Peter Gill's production of John Osborne's Luther. Presented at the Royal National Theatre in London, he received rave reviews.

In April 2002, the complete collection of Ian Fleming's James Bond books on audio tape and compact disc, narrated by Rufus, was published by Penguin Books.

Extreme Ops, also starring Devon Sawa, Bridgette Wilson-Sampras, and Rupert Graves, opened in the US on November 27, 2002.

The USA television mini-series Helen of Troy, with Rufus in a brilliant portrayal of Agammnon, aired first in April of 2003 with repeat showings throughout the summer. The DVD was released in August, 2003 for region 1.

Charles II - The Power And The Passion - the BBC/A&E collaboration featuring Rufus in the starring role, aired on BBC 1 and BBC 4 in November, 2003. The Arts & Entertainment US cable channel ran the program in one night in March 2004, changing the title to The Last King.
This production received rave reviews.

Tristan and Isolde, a feature film from Scot Free Productions with Rufus in the role of Lord Marke, filmed in Ireland and Prague, is scheduled to be released January 13, 2006.

The Legend of Zorro from Columbia Pictures, featuring Rufus as Count Armand, opened in the US and UK October 28, 2005. Returning in the role of Zorro is Antonio Banderas.

The Taming of the Shrew, a BBC television production, aired in November, 2005. This modern adaptation of Shakespeare's tale features Rufus as Petruchio and Shirley Henderson as Kate. The cast includes Twiggy Lawson and Stephen Tompkins.

Amazing Grace, a film about the abolition of slavery in England, stars Rufus as Thomas Clarkson. Also featured in this film are Ioan Gruffudd, Albert Finney, and Michael Gambon.

The Illusionist, Neil Burger's adaptation of the Steven Millhauser short story "Eisenheim the Illusionist," set in 1900 Vienna and filmed in Prague, stars Rufus as Prince Leopold. This film also stars Edward Norton, Jessica Biel, and Paul Giamatti and was featured at the Sundance Film Festival in 2006.

In Paris, je t'aime, twenty filmmakers bring their own personal touch, underlining the wide variety of styles, genres, encounters and the various atmospheres and lifestyles that prevail in the neighborhoods of Paris. Rufus and Emily Mortimer are featured in Wes Craven's "20th Arrondissiment - Pere Lachaise.

Rufus returned to the London stage in June, 2006 in Tom Stoppard's new play, Rock 'n' Roll, directed by Trevor Nunn at the Royal Court Theatre. Rock 'n' Roll transferred to The Duke of York's Theatre in the West End on July 22, 2006. Rufus received the most prestigious London theatre award, The Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor, for his portrayal of Jan in this production.

The Holiday, with Rufus along with Kate Winslet, Cameron Diaz, Jack Black, opened in the US in December, 2006.

John Adams, the Home Box Office mini-series based on the Pulitzer Prise winning book by David McCullough, has begun filming in Williamsburg, Virginia, USA. Rufus is playing Alexander Hamilton, with Paul Giamatti in the title role of the second president of the United States.





http://www.aboutrufus.com/biography.htm
Source consultée le 14 mai 2007 à 13h15 GMT