Matthew Rhys facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Matthew Rhys
Rhys in 2011
Born	Matthew Rhys Evans (1974-11-08) 8 November 1974 (age 50) Cardiff, Wales
Education	Royal Academy of Dramatic Art
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1997–present
Spouse(s)	Keri Russell ​ (m. 2021)​
Children	1

Matthew Rhys Evans is a talented actor from Wales, born on November 8, 1974. He is known for playing important roles in popular TV shows and movies.

You might know him best from the family drama Brothers & Sisters, where he played Kevin Walker. He also starred as Philip Jennings in the spy drama The Americans. For his amazing work in The Americans, he won a big award called the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series in 2018. He also won the Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Actor in a Drama Series in 2019.

Matthew Rhys has also been nominated for other awards, including for his role in Girls and for playing the main character in the detective series Perry Mason.

In movies, he played the famous poet Dylan Thomas in The Edge of Love and Daniel Ellsberg in The Post. He was also a cynical journalist in A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood. You might have heard his voice in animated shows like The Owl House.

Growing Up and School

Matthew Rhys was born in Cardiff, Wales. His first language is Welsh. He went to schools where lessons were taught in Welsh.

When he was 17, he played Elvis Presley in a school musical. This experience made him want to become an actor. He was accepted into a famous acting school in London called the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA). While studying there, he appeared in a BBC police show called Backup. He also acted in a Welsh film called Bydd yn Wrol (which means Be Brave). He won an award for Best Actor for this film at the BAFTA Cymru, which are the Welsh BAFTAs.

Acting Career

Rhys at the 2007 GLAAD Awards

In 1998, Matthew Rhys traveled to New Zealand to star in a TV show called Greenstone. After that, he got a role in the movie Titus, which starred famous actors Anthony Hopkins and Jessica Lange. He also appeared in the comedy film Whatever Happened to Harold Smith?.

Back in Wales, he worked on two films with Jonathan Pryce: The Testimony of Taliesin Jones and the comedy Very Annie Mary. He later worked again with Rachel Griffiths, who was also in Very Annie Mary, on the show Brothers & Sisters.

In 2000, Rhys played the main character in Metropolis, a TV drama about young people living in London. He also starred in a play called The Graduate in London's West End. He then went to Ireland for the adventure film The Abduction Club. He also appeared in the BBC drama The Lost World.

In 2003, he was in the very last episode of the long-running TV series Columbo. He played the poet Dylan Thomas in the movie The Edge of Love. He then moved to Santa Monica, California, after being cast in the ABC show Brothers & Sisters. In this show, he played Kevin Walker, a gay lawyer. The show was very popular and ran for five seasons until 2011.

A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood premiere at the Toronto Film Festival, 2019

In 2012, Rhys appeared in a BBC Two drama based on Charles Dickens' unfinished novel, The Mystery of Edwin Drood. He also played a double role in a new version of The Scapegoat. That same year, he acted in the play Look Back in Anger in New York City. In 2013, he played the famous Jane Austen character Fitzwilliam Darcy in the TV show Death Comes to Pemberley.

From 2013 to 2018, Matthew Rhys starred with Keri Russell in the FX series The Americans. This show was a spy drama set in the 1980s during the Cold War. Rhys and Russell played Russian KGB secret agents who pretended to be a married couple with children. In real life, Rhys and Russell are also partners. The show finished in 2018, and Rhys won a Primetime Emmy Award for his acting in the final season.

Other Projects

Matthew Rhys has also started his own production company called Patagonia. He is working on a film about a Welsh hero named Glyndwr.

He has also helped save local pubs in Wales. With the help of another Welsh actor, Rhys Ifans, he supported fundraising for the Vale of Aeron pub. He also invested in another pub called Glan Yr Afon in Pennal, a town where his father grew up. The community bought the pub in 2022 after a campaign supported by Rhys.

In New York City, Rhys owns a charter boat named Rarebit. He bought the old boat online and rebuilt it himself.

Personal Life

Matthew Rhys has been in a relationship with his The Americans co-star Keri Russell since 2014. They have a son, who was born in 2016. They refer to each other as husband and wife.

He supports Plaid Cymru, a political party that wants Wales to be independent.

In 2008, Aberystwyth University honored Rhys. He was also accepted into the Gorsedd of the Bards at the National Eisteddfod of Wales. This is a special honor for people who have contributed to the Welsh language and Wales. His bardic name is Matthew Tâf.

Filmography

Film

Television

Theatre

Awards and Nominations

See also

In Spanish: Matthew Rhys para niños