Rufus Sewell - wikipedia Rufus Sewell Rufus Sewell Sewell, second from right, at the première of The Pillars of the Earth, 2010 Rufus Frederik Sewell ( 1967 - 10 - 29 ) 29 October 1967 ( age 49 ) Twickenham, England Alma mater Central School of Speech and Drama Occupation Actor Years active 1993 -- present Spouse ( s ) Yasmin Abdallah ( m. 1999 ; div. 2000 ) Amy Gardner ( m. 2004 ; div. 2006 ) Children Rufus Frederik Sewell ( / ˈsuːəl / ; born 29 October 1967 ) is an English actor. In film, he has appeared in Kenneth Branagh 's rendition of Hamlet ( 1996 ) playing Fortinbras, The Woodlanders, Dangerous Beauty, Dark City, A Knight 's Tale, The Illusionist, Tristan and Isolde, and Martha, Meet Frank, Daniel and Laurence. On television, he starred as Obergruppenführer John Smith in The Man in the High Castle, an Italian detective in the BBC 's television series Zen ( 2011 ) and also appeared in the mini-series The Pillars of the Earth ( 2010 ). In 1993 he played the hero, Will Ladislaw, in the BBC 's adaptation of George Eliot 's Middlemarch. In 2003, he appeared in the lead role in Charles II : The Power and The Passion. He starred in the CBS drama Eleventh Hour, which was cancelled in April 2009. On stage, he originated the role of Septimus Hodge in Tom Stoppard 's Arcadia and the role of Jan in Stoppard 's Rock ' n ' Roll ; the latter earned him an Olivier Award and a Tony Award nomination. Contents 1 Early life 2 Career 3 Personal life 4 Filmography 5 References 6 External links Early life Sewell was born in Twickenham in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames in South West London, the son of William, an Australian animator, and Jo Sewell, a Welsh artist and waitress. His father worked on the `` Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds '' segment of animation for The Beatles ' Yellow Submarine film. His parents divorced when Sewell was five, and his mother worked to support her two sons. His father died when Sewell was 10. Sewell has said that he was a difficult teenager. Sewell was educated at Orleans Park School, a state comprehensive school in Twickenham, which he left in 1984, followed by West Thames College, where a drama teacher sent him to audition for drama school. He later enrolled at the Central School of Speech and Drama in London. Career After graduating, Sewell was set up with an agent by Judi Dench, who had directed him in a play while at the Central School of Speech and Drama. His breakthrough year was in 1993, in which he starred as the nasty Tim in Michael Winner 's film Dirty Weekend. Winner chose him after seeing him in a play at the Criterion Theatre. Also in 1993 Sewell starred in the BBC serial of George Eliot 's Middlemarch and on stage in Tom Stoppard 's play Arcadia at The Royal National Theatre ( Lyttelton ). His film work includes 1995 's Cold Comfort Farm, directed by John Schlesinger, the lead role of John Murdoch in the science fiction film Dark City in 1998, Amazing Grace, The Illusionist and Nancy Meyers ' romantic comedy The Holiday. Amazing Grace deals with William Wilberforce 's political fight to abolish slavery in Britain, with Sewell playing Wilberforce 's co-campaigner Thomas Clarkson. Sewell is known for his villainous roles, such as those in A Knight 's Tale, The Legend of Zorro, Bless the Child, Helen of Troy and The Illusionist. He spoke of his unhappiness about this, saying that `` ( I ) do n't want to play a baddie again. '' `` Everyone has their thing they have to get around '', notes Sewell. `` With me, it 's like okay, how can I make this upper class bad guy in the 19th century different and interesting ? '' In 2008, Sewell appeared in the HBO miniseries John Adams as Alexander Hamilton. He received critical praise for his portrayal of `` merry monarch '' Charles II in the BBC 's Charles II : The Power and The Passion. The series ' cast included Ian McDiarmid, Helen McCrory, Rupert Graves and Shirley Henderson and spanned the life of the king from his last days in exile to his death. He co-starred in the controversial film Downloading Nancy, which was released on 5 June 2009. At the Sundance Film Festival in 2008, audiences walked out of the screening, and as of summer 2008, any theatrical release was still uncertain. Despite the controversy, Sewell continues to staunchly support the film. `` It 's a film I 'm very proud of, whether you consider that it fails or succeeds, whether you like it or do n't like it. I 'm proud to be in it ''. Although best known for his work in costume dramas, Sewell prefers `` cravat-less '' roles in modern pieces, such as the role of Petruchio in the BBC 's 2005 version of Shakespeare 's The Taming of the Shrew. This was shown as part of the ShakespeaRe - Told series, and the role 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 21st century London. This production marked the fourth time that Sewell had acted in a work based on 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 the title role in Macbeth in 1999. The role also reunited him with his Charles II co-star Shirley Henderson. He appeared in the premiere and first run of Tom Stoppard 's latest play Rock ' n ' Roll at the Royal Court Theatre from June to July 2006 and at the Duke of York 's Theatre from July until November 2006. The play was a critical and commercial success, playing to full houses and collecting several awards and nominations, including wins for Sewell in the Best Actor category at The Evening Standard Awards, The Critics ' Circle Awards and The Olivier Awards. He has recorded eleven of Ian Fleming 's James Bond books on 36 CDs for Collins. He continues to work in film, television and theatre, playing the lead role of Dr. Jacob Hood in the CBS TV series Eleventh Hour. He finished filming in November 2009 for a miniseries The Pillars of the Earth, which was shown on TV in 2010. In 2010, he played the Italian detective Aurelio Zen, based on the best - selling novels by Michael Dibdin, for the BBC One drama series Zen. The three episodes were filmed in Rome and shown on BBC One in early January 2011. The series was cancelled by the BBC after just one season. He also had a small part in the film The Tourist, which also starred Angelina Jolie and Johnny Depp and was released in cinemas in 2010. He played the lead vampire, Adam, in the film Abraham Lincoln : Vampire Hunter, which was filmed in New Orleans and released in June 2012. Sewell played the role of Ethics Man in Darkside, Tom Stoppard 's 2013 radio drama based on Pink Floyd 's album The Dark Side of the Moon. Sewell co-starred with Dwayne Johnson, as Autolycus, in the film Hercules, which was released in July 2014. In 2015, Sewell voiced the role of Sir Claude, a feral cat, in Blinky Bill the Movie. Sewell has most recently appeared as Obergruppenführer Smith in The Man in the High Castle, and as Lord Melbourne in Victoria. Personal life Sewell has been married twice. His first wife was Australian fashion journalist Yasmin Abdallah ; they married in 1999 and separated a few months later. He and second wife, scriptwriter and producer Amy Gardner, whom he married in 2004, have a son, William Douglas Sewell ( born 2002 ). They separated in 2006 and subsequently divorced. He also has a daughter. Sewell has said : `` My favourite things are just wandering from place to place, going to cafés, taking photographs. My favourite day is a happy accident ''. Filmography Year Title Role Notes 1991 Twenty - One Bobby Gone to Seed Billy TV series : 6 episodes 1992 -- 94 Screen Two Mike Costain Clive TV series : 2 episodes Dirty Weekend Tim A Night with a Woman, a Day with Charlie Charlie TV Middlemarch Will Ladislaw TV series : 7 episodes Citizen Locke Midshipman Clarke TV A Man of No Importance Robbie Fay 1995 Cold Comfort Farm Seth Starkadder TV Carrington Mark Gertler Performance Harry Percy TV series : Episode -- Henry IV, Part 1 Hamlet Fortinbras Victory Martin Ricardo The Woodlanders Giles Winterbourne 1998 Dangerous Beauty Marco Venier Dark City John Murdoch Martha, Meet Frank, Daniel and Laurence Frank Illuminata Dominique At Sachem Farm Ross 1999 In a Savage Land Mick Carpenter 2000 Arabian Nights Ali Baba TV Bless the Child Eric Stark A Knight 's Tale Count Adhemar Mermaid Chronicles Part 1 : She Creature Angus TV 2002 Extreme Ops Ian 2003 Helen of Troy Agamemnon TV Victoria Station The cabbie Charles II : The Power and the Passion Charles II TV series : 4 episodes Taste Michael Kuhleman 2005 The Legend of Zorro Count Armand ShakespeaRe - Told Petruchio TV series : Episode -- The Taming of the Shrew Nominated -- British Academy Television Award for Best Actor 2006 Tristan and Isolde Marke The Illusionist Crown Prince Leopold Paris, je t'aime William Segment : `` Père - Lachaise '' Amazing Grace Thomas Clarkson 9 / 11 : Out of the Blue The Man The Holiday Jasper 2008 Downloading Nancy Albert John Adams Alexander Hamilton TV series : 2 episodes Vinyan Paul Bellmer 2008 -- 09 Eleventh Hour Dr. Jacob Hood TV series : 18 episodes The Pillars of the Earth Tom Builder TV series : 5 episodes The Tourist English man 2011 Zen Aurelio Zen TV series : 3 episodes 2012 Abraham Lincoln : Vampire Hunter Adam Hotel Noir Felix Parade 's End Reverend Duchemin TV series : 4 episodes Restless Lucas Romer TV series : 2 episodes 2013 All Things to All Men Parker I 'll Follow You Down Gabe The Sea Carlo Grace 2014 Hercules Autolycus The Devil 's Hand Jacob Brown 2014 - The Man in the High Castle Obergruppenführer John Smith TV series : 20 episodes 2015 Killing Jesus Caiaphas Blinky Bill the Movie Sir Claude Voice 2016 Gods of Egypt Urshu Victoria Lord Melbourne TV series References ^ Jump up to : `` Rufus Sewell biography. '' CBS.com. Jump up ^ Rufus Sewell Biography ( 1967 -- ) Jump up ^ Rufus Sewell Biography -- Yahoo ! Movies Jump up ^ Saner, Emine ( 8 December 2006 ). `` Dark star ''. The Guardian. London. Retrieved 23 May 2010. Jump up ^ Winner Takes All : A Life of Sorts by Michael Winner, p. 269. Jump up ^ Leonard, Tom. `` I really do n't want to play a baddie again. '' The Telegraph. 8 December 2006. Retrieved 26 May 2008. ^ Jump up to : `` Rufus Sewell : Downloading Nancy ''. SuicideGirls.com. 4 June 2009. Retrieved 4 June 2009... Jump up ^ `` Three sign on for ' Pillars of the Earth ' '', The Hollywood Reporter, 8 June 2009. Jump up ^ Conlan, Tara ( 22 February 2011 ). `` BBC1 axes Rufus Sewell detective drama Zen ''. The Guardian. London. Retrieved 4 March 2012. Jump up ^ Rufus Sewell joins Angelina Jolie in Paris Jump up ^ `` Rufus Sewell is top baddie in ' Vampire Hunter ' ''. Variety. Los Angeles. 12 April 2011. Retrieved 4 March 2012. Jump up ^ Filipponi, Pietro ( 30 March 2011 ). `` Abraham Lincoln : Vampire Hunter Set Pics... ''. The Daily Blam !. Retrieved 4 March 2012. Jump up ^ `` Pink Floyd album inspires Sir Tom Stoppard radio play ''. BBC. 28 March 2013. Retrieved 24 August 2013. Jump up ^ `` Joseph Fiennes, Ian McShane Join ' Hercules ' Cast ''. Variety. Jump up ^ Rufus Sewell interview : ' My character is not a monster - he 's a human ' Jump up ^ Fox, Chloe ( 5 November 2003 ). `` Cut and Thrust ''. The Telegraph. London. Retrieved 5 February 2013. Jump up ^ Emine Saner ( 8 December 2006 ). `` Dark star ''. The Guardian. London. Retrieved 5 February 2012. Jump up ^ `` Rufus Sewell Dumped By Wife ''. 2 January 2006. Retrieved 5 February 2012. Jump up ^ Lisa Sewards ( 6 January 2011 ). `` At last I 've ditched the britches ! Rufus Sewell on swapping costume drama to be TV 's coolest detective ''. Daily Mail. London. Retrieved 5 February 2012. Jump up ^ Rufus Sewell says role in Art was ' very inconvenient ' for family Jump up ^ Macdonald, M. `` The Evening Standard '', page 14. Associated Press, 2005 External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to Rufus Sewell. Rufus Sewell on Twitter Rufus Sewell on IMDb 2006 Interview with Rufus Sewell on Theatre.com Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor Antony Sher ( 1985 ) Albert Finney ( 1986 ) Michael Gambon ( 1987 ) Oliver Ford Davies ( 1989 / 1990 ) Ian McKellen ( 1991 ) Nigel Hawthorne ( 1992 ) Robert Stephens ( 1993 ) Mark Rylance ( 1994 ) David Bamber ( 1995 ) Alex Jennings ( 1996 ) Antony Sher ( 1997 ) Ian Holm ( 1998 ) Kevin Spacey ( 1999 ) Henry Goodman ( 2000 ) Conleth Hill ( 2001 ) Roger Allam ( 2002 ) Simon Russell Beale ( 2003 ) Matthew Kelly ( 2004 ) Richard Griffiths ( 2005 ) Brian Dennehy ( 2006 ) Rufus Sewell ( 2007 ) Chiwetel Ejiofor ( 2008 ) Derek Jacobi ( 2009 ) Mark Rylance ( 2010 ) Roger Allam ( 2011 ) Benedict Cumberbatch and Jonny Lee Miller ( 2012 ) Luke Treadaway ( 2013 ) Rory Kinnear ( 2014 ) Mark Strong ( 2015 ) Kenneth Cranham ( 2016 ) Jamie Parker ( 2017 ) VIAF : 72618211 LCCN : no00017365 ISNI : 0000 0001 1474 8544 GND : 135732395 SUDOC : 070844607 BNF : cb140669106 ( data ) NKC : xx0029668 BNE : XX1393348 IATH : w6rj5f7k Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Rufus_Sewell&oldid=800409877 '' Categories : 1967 births 20th - century English male actors 21st - century English male actors Male actors from London Alumni of the Central School of Speech and Drama English male film actors English people of Australian descent English people of Welsh descent English male stage actors English male television actors Laurence Olivier Award winners Living people People from Twickenham English male Shakespearean actors Welsh -- English translators 20th - century translators 21st - century translators Hidden categories : Use British English from May 2012 Use dmy dates from May 2012 Articles with hCards All articles with unsourced statements Articles with unsourced statements from October 2015 Articles with unsourced statements from July 2017 Twitter username same as Wikidata Wikipedia articles with VIAF identifiers Wikipedia articles with LCCN identifiers Wikipedia articles with ISNI identifiers Wikipedia articles with GND identifiers Wikipedia articles with BNF identifiers Wikipedia articles with SNAC - ID identifiers Talk Contents About Wikipedia Azərbaycanca Български Čeština Cymraeg Deutsch Español Euskara فارسی Français 한국어 Bahasa Indonesia Italiano עברית Magyar Nederlands 日本 語 Norsk Plattdüütsch Polski Português Русский Slovenčina Српски / srpski Srpskohrvatski / српскохрватски Basa Sunda Suomi Svenska Türkçe 中文 Edit links This page was last edited on 13 September 2017, at 10 : 52. 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Question: who plays tom builder in pillars of the earth
Answer: Rufus Frederik Sewell