Rufus Sewell Biography
Born: October 29, 1967
Date of Birth: October 29, 1967
Rufus Sewell was born in the Twickenham, Middlesex, England. Shortly after his birth, Rufus's father, an Australian animator, left Rufus and his older brother in the care of their mother. When Rufus was 10, his father died and the boy fell into a period of depression, turning to rebellion that more than once landed him in jail.
In 1986, he commenced a career in acting primarily as a means of providing himself with, as he later recalled to one interviewer, "sex and free sandwiches."
He attended London's Central School of Speech and Drama and left in June of 1989 after completeing three years of training. He 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 Olivier Award. On the Broadway stage, he debuted in Translations and received the Broadway Theater World Award.
Rufus landed his first film role in the coming-of-age drama Twenty-One (1991), which won him acclaim in Britian. With hits like Dirty Weekend (1993), A Man of No Importance (1994), and Carrington (1995) following, Rufus' star was rising as rapidly at the box office as it was on the stage.
The British tabloids had a field day reporting Rufus' womanizing habits. Although many of the reports were false, others like his lengthy relationship with British actress Helen McCrory and brief romance with Kate Winslet were more accurate.
Rufus makes his home in London. He married longtime girlfriend, fashion journalist Yasmin Abdallah, in 1999 but they were divorced a year later. He then married Amy Gardner, with whom he shares a son, but they also divorced.
Rufus continued to star in feature films, many with historically-based themes and storylines, such as his role as Count Adhemar in A Knight's Tale (2001), Armand in The Legend of Zorro (2005), Crown Prince Leopold in The Illusionist (2006) and a supporting role in Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter (2012).
Since 2015, he has played a starring role as Obergruppenführer John Smith in the Amazon Studio series The Man in the High Castle, which is currently filming its fourth season.
Back on the big screen, he played Judy Garland's third husband, Sidney Luft, in the biopic Judy (2019) starring Renée Zellweger.
Filmography:
Gods of Egypt (2016)
Blinky Bill the Movie (2015)
The Devil’s Hand (2014)
Hercules (2014)
I’ll Follow You Down (2013)
The Sea (2013)
All Things to All Men (2013)
Hotel Noir (2012)
Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter (2012)
The Tourist (2010)
Vinyan (2008)
Dowloading Nancy (2008)
Amazing Grace (2006)
The Holiday (2006)
Paris, je t'aime (2006)
The Illusionnist (2006)
Tristan + Isolde (2006)
The Legend of Zorro (2005)
Extreme Ops (2002)
A Knight’s Tale (2001)
Bless the Child (2000)
In a Savage Land (1999)
At Sachem Farm (1998)
Illuminata (1998)
Martha - Meet Frank, Daniel and Laurence (1998)
Dark City (1998)
Dangerous Beauty (1998)
The Woodlanders (1997)
Hamlet (1996)
Victory (1996)
Carrington (1995)
A Man of No Importance (1994)
Dirty Weekend (1993)
Twenty-One (1991)