Die Another Day

Background:

British actor Toby Stephens, the second son of the late Sir Robert Stephens and Dame Maggie Smith, first attained recognition on stage thanks to his affiliation with the Royal Shakespeare Company. As the star of “Coriolanus” (1994), he was handed the prestigious Sir John Gielgud Award and Ian Charlson Award for his performance. Two years later, the attractive performer charmed international moviegoers with his starring role as the melancholy Duke Orsino in the movie version of “Twelfth Night.” He gained additional notice that same year as Gilbert Markham in the critically acclaimed TV film “The Tenant of Wildfell Hall.” Since then, Stephens is probably best recognized as villain Gustav Graves in the James Bond movie “Die Another Day” (2002, earned a Saturn nomination) and Edward Fairfax Rochester in the BBC television miniseries adaptation of “Jane Eyre” (2006, netted a Satellite nomination).

Stephens is the husband of actress Anna-Louise Plowman, whom he married in 2001. The couple has two kids. Stephens' romantic life once included actress Jennifer Ehle (dated in the early 1990s). In October 1996, he was engaged to Alison Fogg, but they broke up in 1999.

“Cary Grant is my style hero, along with Robert Redford and Paul Newman.” Toby Stephens

Son of Actors

Childhood and Family:

Toby Stephens was born on April 21, 1969, in London, England, to celebrity parents Sir Robert Stephens (born in 1931, died in 1995) and Dame Maggie Smith. His parents divorced when he was four years old, leaving Toby and his older brother Christopher Stephens (now an actor) under the guidance of their busy mother who often brought the two to America for her acting gigs. Toby attended Aldro and was trained as an actor at the renowned London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA). He graduated in 1991. In 1995, his father married actress Patricia Quinn, making Toby the stepbrother of actor Quinn Hawkins (born in 1971).

On September 15, 2001, Toby married New Zealand-born actress Anna-Louise Plowman. They have two kids.

Jane Eyre

Career:

A graduate of LAMDA, Toby Stephens got his start in the entertainment industry as a stagehand at the Chichester Theatre Festival. He soon moved to acting with a 1991 West End production directed by Peter Hall called “Tartuffe,” where he was cast opposite Jennifer Ehle. Previously, Stephens and Ehle were directed by Hall in the British miniseries “The Chamomile Lawn,” based on a novel by Mary Wesley, but the project did not air until 1992. It was also in 1992 that the actor made his feature acting debut in an adaptation of Virginia Woolf's “Orlando.”

Stephens joined the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1993 and the next year, took on the lead in Shakespeare's “Coriolanus.” Under the direction of David Thacker, Stephens nabbed the Sir John Gielgud Award for Best Actor and the Ian Charlson Award for Best Classical Actor Under 30 for his performance. He then starred in such productions as Stephen Pimlott's “Measure for Measure” and “Unfinished Business,” John Caird's “Anthony and Cleopatra” and Adrian Noble's “A Midsummer Night's Dream.”

The same year he assumed the role of Stanley Kowalski in a London West End production of “A Streetcar Named Desire” (1996), which was directed by Peter Hall and costarred Jessica Lange, Stephens made a triumphant comeback to the big screen with the Trevor Nunn directed film version of “Twelfth Night,” where he played the lead role of Orsino, opposite Helena Bonham Carter as Olivia and Imogen Stubbs as Viola. His portrayal of the somber Duke caught the attention of international film audiences. He further solidified his leading man status with his role of Gilbert Markham, a Yorkshire farmer who falls in love with a married woman, in the praised TV movie adaptation of Anne Bronte's “The Tenant of Wildfell Hall” (also 1996).

Stephens was next cast as a photographer named Charles Castle in Nick Willing's “Photographing Fairies” (1997), reunited with Jessica Lange as her nephew in Des McAnuff's “Cousin Bette” (1997) and portrayed Ralph Fiennes' emotional best friend in the Toronto Film Festival premiered “Onegin” (1999), for director Martha Fiennes. On stage, after acting with Diana Rigg in the 1998 productions “Britannicus” and “Phedre,” he debuted on Broadway in the humorous “Ring Round the Moon” (1999) and won a Theatre World Award for his work in the play.

Entering the new millennium, Stephens starred in the British stage play “Japes” and appeared in the independent film “The Announcement.” However, it was not until he was cast as young Frank Corvin in director-star Clint Eastwood's adventure comedy “Space Cowboys” (2000), that Stephens enjoyed another shot at fame. Also that year, he starred in the A&E television movie version of “The Great Gatsby,” opposite Mira Sorvino. He then offered a memorable supporting turn as Charles in the Emmy nominated television film “Perfect Strangers” (2001, BBC2) and resurfaced on the London stage to act with Dame Judi Dench in “The Royal Family” (also 2001)

2002 saw Stephens play a selfish academic in Neil LaBute's “Possession,” which starred Gwyneth Paltrow, Aaron Eckhart, Jeremy Northam and former “The Chamomile Lawn” costar Jennifer Ehle. He also had a featured role in Yves Simoneau's TV miniseries “Napoléon” (2002), which gave him the opportunity to act with big names Isabella Rossellini, Gérard Depardieu and John Malkovich. Stephens was then cast as the wicked Gustav Graves on the James Bond film “Die Another Day” (2002), which starred Pierce Brosnan as 007. For his effort, Stephens was nominated for a Saturn for Best Supporting Actor.

In 2003, Stephens acted in the BBC film “Cambridge Spies” as Kim Philby. He then appeared in the TV series “London” (2004, as Casanova), “The Rising: Ballad of Mangal Pandey” (2005, opposite Aamir Khan and Rani Mukherje) and the British television movie “The Queen's Sister” (2005, as Lord Snowdon). He also provided his voice to the animated films “Terkel i knibe” (2004) and “Midsummer Dream” (2005) and appeared on stage in the RSC production of “Hamlet” (2004).

In 2006, after playing the supporting role of Peter Tremaine in the ITV thriller “The Best Man,” he teamed up with Sean Bean and Daragh O'Malley in “Sharpe's Challenge,” a television film adapted by director Tom Clegg from the Bernard Cornwell books. He was also cast with Thora Birch in the horror movie “Dark Corners” and returned to film as a lead in the Christopher Smith comedy “Severance.” His portrayal of Edward Fairfax Rochester in the BBC miniseries “Jane Eyre,” opposite Ruth Wilson as the title character, won the acclaimed performer a Satellite nomination for Best Actor in a Miniseries or a Motion Picture Made for Television.

In 2007, Stephens gained attention for his role of George Custer in the miniseries “The Wild West,” which was directed by David Stewart, and participated in the short film “One Day.” In June, he played Jerry in a London stage production of “Betrayal” by Harold Pinter. Four months later, he was cast as Horner in William Wycherley's “The Country Wife” at London's Theatre Royal Haymarket.

Stephens is set to star as Jack in a new television series called “Vexed” in 2010. He will also star in Dave Moore’s “Marple: The Blue Geranium,” which is based on an Agatha Christie story.

Awards:

• Theatre World: Debut Performance on Broadway, “Ring Round the Moon,” 1999

• Ian Charleson: Best Classical Actor Under 30, “Coriolanus,” 1994

• Sir John Gielgud: Best Actor, “Coriolanus,” 1994