Rhys Ifans

Rhys Ifans (Welsh pronunciation: [r̥ɨːs ˈivans]; born Rhys Owain Evans;[3] 22 July 1967)[3][4][5] is a Welsh actor and musician. He is known for his portrayal of characters such as Spike in Notting Hill, Jed Parry in Enduring Love, and Eyeball Paul in Kevin & Perry Go Large. He is also known as a member of the rock groups Super Furry Animals and The Peth.
Ifans appeared as Xenophilius Lovegood in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1, and as Dr. Curt Connors/The Lizard in The Amazing Spider-Man. He played Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford, in Anonymous and also appeared as Nigel Gruff, a footballer-turned-American football player who has a gambling addiction, in the 2000 film The Replacements.
Ifans has a recurring role as Mycroft Holmes in the CBS series Elementary. As of autumn 2016, he was a regular on the U.S. pay-cable Epix network's 10-episode CIA espionage thriller Berlin Station.
== Early life ==
Ifans was born in 1967 in Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire, Wales. He is the son of Beti-Wyn (née Davies), a nursery school teacher, and Eirwyn Evans, a primary school teacher.[6][7] He has a brother, actor Llŷr Ifans. Their first language is Welsh.[8] Ifans grew up in Ruthin, Denbighshire,[9] and received his primary education at Ysgol Pentrecelyn. He attended Ysgol Maes Garmon, a Welsh medium secondary school in Mold, Flintshire, where he sat his O levels and A levels. He also attended youth acting schools at Theatr Clwyd performing things such as pattern play and a Welsh production, Mold, and trained at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama.
== Career ==
=== Stage ===
Early stage work by Ifans included Hamlet at Theatre Clwyd, A Midsummer Night's Dream at the Regent's Park Theatre, and Under Milk Wood and Volpone at the National Theatre. He appeared at the Donmar Warehouse in 2003's Accidental Death of an Anarchist. In 2006 he returned to the London stage in Michael Grandage's production of Don Juan in Soho at the Donmar Warehouse. In 2016, Ifans played Fool alongside Glenda Jackson in Deborah Warner's production of King Lear, at The Old Vic. He returned to The Old Vic to play Ebenezer Scrooge in Matthew Warchus' production of A Christmas Carol(adapted by Jack Thorne) in 2017 and in 2018 returned to the National Theatre to play King Berenger in Patrick Marber's new adaptation of Eugene Ionesco's Exit the King.
=== Television ===
Ifans appeared in many Welsh-language television programmes before embarking on his film career, including the comedy show Pobol y Chyff [cy], as well as performing at the National Theatre, London and the Royal Exchange, Manchester. In 1990, he presented Stwnsh (Welsh for "Mash"), an anarchic children's quiz programme. A total of 31 fifteen-minute programmes were broadcast on Welsh-language TV channel S4C.[10]
He narrated the children's animated series Sali Mali for S4C in 2000.
In 2008, he appeared in "Six Days One June", one of three episodes of the TV series The Last Word Monologues, written by Hugo Blick and broadcast on BBC Two. He played a lonely Welsh farmer trying to free himself from a domineering mother.
In 2016 and 2017 Ifans portrayed hard-nosed American CIA case officer Hector DeJean in the U.S. pay-cable Epix network espionage thriller drama series Berlin Station, which was filmed on location in Berlin.
=== Feature films ===
Following his role as Jeremy Lewis in the Swansea-based movie Twin Town(1997), Ifans gained international exposure in his role as the slovenly housemate Spike in the British film Notting Hill (1999). Reportedly, in preparation for the role, Ifans did not wash himself or brush his teeth. He played Adrian, the pompous eldest brother in Little Nicky (2000). Other film roles include: Eyeball Paul in Kevin & Perry Go Large (2000), Nigel in The Replacements (2000), Iki in The 51st State (2001), William Dobbin in Vanity Fair (2004), and Vladis Grutas in Hannibal Rising (2007). He played Jed Parry in the film version of Ian McEwan's Enduring Love, and the lead role in Danny Deckchair (2003) as Danny Morgan.
Ifans revealed in March 2009 that he was to appear in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 (2010).[11] He played Xenophillius Lovegood, editor of the wizarding magazine The Quibbler and father of the eccentric Luna Lovegood. In the same interview, he also announced that he would play the title role in the film Mr. Nice, based on the life of the drug smuggler Howard Marks. He played Nemo Nobody's father in Mr. Nobody, starring Jared Leto and Diane Kruger. He played a villain in Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang, which also starred Emma Thompson and Maggie Gyllenhaal.
On 11 October 2010, the Associated Press confirmed that Ifans would portray the villain in the Spider-Man reboot movie, The Amazing Spider-Man. The villain was revealed as the Lizard a few days later, and the film was released in July 2012.[12]
In 2015, Ifans starred with Jennifer Aniston in She's Funny That Way, directed by Peter Bogdanovich.
=== Music videos and as musician ===
He was briefly lead vocalist of the rock band Super Furry Animals before they released any records.[13]
In 2005, Ifans made a guest appearance for the rock band Oasis in the video for their single "The Importance of Being Idle" (where he mimed to Noel Gallagher's vocals), for which he accepted their award for Video of the Year at the 2006 NME Awards. He has also appeared in the music videos for "God! Show Me Magic" and "Hometown Unicorn" by Super Furry Animals, "Mulder and Scully" by Catatonia, and "Mama Told Me Not to Come" by Tom Jones with Stereophonics.
Since 2007, Ifans has sung with the psychedelic rock band The Peth (peth is Welsh for "thing"), featuring Super Furry Animals' Dafydd Ieuan, which played a number of concert dates in south Wales and in London in the autumn of 2008. The band played its first date outside London or Wales on 28 September 2008 at the Southampton Soul Cellar.[citation needed]
== Other pursuits and activities ==
In 2002, Ifans caused some controversy, reported in the British media, for his alleged support of Welsh nationalist group Meibion Glyndŵr, a militant group which burnt more than 100 empty second homes in Wales in the 1980s. This was mainly because of comments he made in an interview conducted by Mariella Frostrup for the newspaper The Observer.[8]
In September 2012, Ifans became patron of the Welsh-language Wikipedia, together with The Most Reverend Barry Morgan, Archbishop of Wales.
== Personal life ==
Ifans has a brother, Llŷr Ifans, who is also an actor. They starred together in the Welsh-produced film Twin Town.[14]
During 2011 Comic Con, Ifans was arrested for misdemeanour battery by San Diego police, after allegedly pushing a guard prior to speaking on a guest panel.[15] In August 2011, the local District Attorney's office announced that Ifans would not be charged due to lack of evidence.[16]
== Filmography ==
Year 	Title 	Role 	Notes
1995 	Streetlife 	Kevin 	
1996 	August 	Griffiths 	
1997 	Twin Town 	Jeremy Lewis 	
1997 	Trial & Retribution 	Michael Dunn 	TV Series
1998 	Dancing at Lughnasa 	Gerry Evans 	
1999 	Heart 	Alex Madden 	
1999 	You're Dead 	Eddie 	
1999 	Notting Hill 	Spike 	
1999 	Janice Beard 45 WPM 	Sean 	
1999 	Hooves of Fire 	Head Elf 	Voice
2000 	Rancid Aluminium 	Pete Thompson 	
2000 	Love, Honour and Obey 	Matthew 	
2000 	Kevin & Perry Go Large 	Eyeball Paul 	
2000 	Sali Mali 	Narrator 	
2000 	The Replacements 	Nigel Gruff 	
2000 	Little Nicky 	Adrian 	
2001 	Hotel 	Trent Stoken 	
2001 	Christmas Carol: The Movie 	Bob Cratchit 	Voice
2001 	The Shipping News 	Beaufield Nutbeem 	
2001 	Human Nature 	Puff 	
2001 	The 51st State 	Iki 	
2002 	Once Upon a Time in the Midlands 	Dek 	
2003 	Danny Deckchair 	Danny Morgan 	
2004 	Vanity Fair 	William Dobbin 	
2004 	Enduring Love 	Jed 	
2004 	Not Only But Always 	Peter Cook 	TV Movie
2005 	Midsummer Dream 	Lysander 	Voice: English version
2005 	Chromophobia 	Colin 	
2005 	The Importance of Being Idle 	Lazy Man 	Music video
2006 	Garfield: A Tail of Two Kitties 	McBunny 	Voice
2007 	Four Last Songs 	Dickie 	
2007 	Hannibal Rising 	Grutas 	
2007 	Elizabeth: The Golden Age 	Robert Reston 	
2008 	Come Here Today 	Alex 	
2008 	A Number 	Benard (B2) 	
2009 	The Informers 	Roger 	
2009 	The Boat That Rocked 	Gavin Kavanagh 	
2009 	Mr. Nobody 	Nemo's Father 	
2010 	Mr. Nice 	Howard Marks 	
2010 	Greenberg 	Ivan Schrank 	
2010 	Passion Play 	Sam Adamo 	
2010 	Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang 	Uncle Phil 	
2010 	Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1	Xenophilius Lovegood 	
2010 	Exit Through the Gift Shop 	Narrator 	
2011 	Anonymous 	Edward de Vere 	
2011 	Neverland 	James Hook 	TV Movie
2012 	The Corrections 	 	
Unaired Pilot	 	 	
2012 	The Five-Year Engagement 	Winton Childs 	
2012 	The Amazing Spider-Man 	Dr. Curt Connors / The Lizard[12]	Nominated — Teen Choice Award for Choice Movie Villain
2013 	Another Me 	Don 	
2013 	Playhouse Presents - "Gifted" 	Chris 	
2013 	Elementary 	Mycroft Holmes 	7 episodes
2014 	Serena 	Galloway 	
2014 	Madame Bovary 	Monsieur Lheureux 	
2015 	Dominion[17] 	Dylan Thomas 	
2015 	She's Funny That Way 	Seth Gilbert 	
2015 	Len and Company 	Len Black 	
2015 	Under Milk Wood 	Captain Cat 	Also Producer
2016 	Berlin Station 	Hector DeJean 	TV Series; renewed by Epix for Season 2 in 2017
2016 	Alice Through the Looking Glass 	Zanik Hightopp 	
2016 	Snowden 	Corbin O'Brian 	
== Honors, awards and nominations ==
In 2005, Ifans won a BAFTA for his portrayal of comedian Peter Cook in the TV film Not Only But Always.
On 16 July 2007, he received an Honorary Fellowship of Bangor University, for services to the film industry.[18]
Year	Nominated work 	Award 	Result
1999	Notting Hill 	BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role 	Nominated
1999	Notting Hill 	Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture	Nominated
2005	Enduring Love 	Empire Award for Best British Actor 	Nominated
2012	The Amazing Spider-Man	Teen Choice Award for Choice Movie Villain 	Nominated