Rhys Ifans facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Rhys Ifans
Ifans in 2011
Born	Rhys Owain Evans (1967-07-22) 22 July 1967 (age 58) Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire, Wales
Alma mater	Guildhall School of Music and Drama
Occupation	Actor musician
Years active	1991–present
Partner(s)	Sienna Miller (2007–2008) Anna Friel (2011–2014)
Relatives	Llŷr Evans (brother)

Rhys Owain Evans (born 22 July 1967), known as Rhys Ifans, is a Welsh actor. He has played many different characters in movies and TV shows. Some of his well-known movie roles include Spike in Notting Hill (1999) and Eyeball Paul in Kevin & Perry Go Large (2000).

He also played Xenophilius Lovegood in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 (2010). Later, he appeared as Dr. Curt Connors / Lizard in The Amazing Spider-Man (2012) and Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021). He was also Grigori Rasputin in The King's Man (2021).

On television, Rhys Ifans has been in the thriller series Berlin Station. He also played Mycroft Holmes in the series Elementary. More recently, he played Otto Hightower in the fantasy series House of the Dragon.

Besides acting, Ifans was also the lead singer for the rock bands The Peth and Super Furry Animals.

Early Life and Education

Rhys Owain Evans was born in Haverfordwest, Wales, on July 22, 1967. His mother, Beti-Wyn, was a nursery school teacher. His father, Eirwyn Evans, was a primary school teacher. Rhys has a younger brother, Llŷr Ifans, who is also an actor.

He grew up in Ruthin, Wales. He learned to speak Welsh as his first language. He went to Ysgol Pentrecelyn for primary school. For secondary school, he attended Ysgol Maes Garmon, a Welsh-speaking school in Mold.

Rhys Ifans took acting classes at Theatr Clwyd. After school, he worked on Welsh-language TV shows for S4C. He later studied acting at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London. He finished his studies there in 1997.

Acting Career

Rhys Ifans has had a busy career in both theater, television, and film.

Stage Performances

Rhys Ifans started his acting career on stage. He performed in plays like Hamlet and A Midsummer Night's Dream. He also appeared in Under Milk Wood and Volpone at the National Theatre.

In 2016, he played the Fool in a production of King Lear at The Old Vic theater. He returned to The Old Vic in 2017 to play Ebenezer Scrooge in A Christmas Carol. In 2018, he was King Berenger in Exit the King at the National Theatre.

Television Roles

Before becoming famous in movies, Rhys Ifans appeared in many Welsh-language TV shows. He was in a comedy show called Pobol y Chyff [cy]. In 1990, he hosted Stwnsh, a children's quiz show on S4C.

In 2000, he narrated the children's animated series Sali Mali. In 2004, he played Peter Cook in the TV film Not Only But Always. This role earned him a BAFTA Best Actor award in 2005.

In 2005, Ifans was in the music video for the song "The Importance of Being Idle" by the band Oasis. He also appeared in music videos for Super Furry Animals, Catatonia, and Tom Jones.

From 2016 to 2019, he played Hector DeJean in the spy series Berlin Station. Since 2022, Ifans has been a main cast member in House of the Dragon, a popular fantasy series.

Film Appearances

Rhys Ifans gained international attention for his role as Spike in the British film Notting Hill (1999). He played Jeremy Lewis in Twin Town (1997) alongside his brother Llŷr.

Other film roles include Eyeball Paul in Kevin & Perry Go Large (2000) and Nigel in The Replacements (2000). He was also in Vanity Fair (2004) and Hannibal Rising (2007).

In 2010, he appeared in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 as Xenophilius Lovegood. He also played the main character in Mr. Nice, a film about the life of Howard Marks. He was a villain in Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang.

In 2012, Ifans played the villain Dr. Curt Connors / Lizard in The Amazing Spider-Man. He returned to this role in Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021), mostly providing the voice for the computer-generated character.

He also starred as the poet Dylan Thomas in the film Last Call, which was released in 2020. In 2021, he played Grigori Rasputin in the spy film The King's Man.

Rhys Ifans in 2010

Music Career

Before they became famous, Rhys Ifans was briefly the lead singer for the rock band Super Furry Animals.

Since 2007, Ifans has sung with the band The Peth. This band includes Dafydd Ieuan from Super Furry Animals. The Peth played concerts in Wales and London. In 2009, they even opened for the band Oasis at a concert in Cardiff.

Personal Life

Rhys Ifans has dated actresses Sienna Miller and Anna Friel.

In 2012, he became a supporter of the Welsh-language Wikipedia. In 2017, he worked with Shelter Cymru to help end homelessness. He also supported the community in his home area to buy a local pub, Tafarn Sinc, to keep it from closing.

Filmography

Rhys Ifans has been in many films and television shows. Here are some of them:

Film Roles

Television Roles

Awards and Recognition

Rhys Ifans has received several awards for his acting.

See also

In Spanish: Rhys Ifans para niños