Rhys Ifans

Actor and musician

Welsh Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire, Wales Cancer

Quick Info

ProfessionActor and musician
NationalityWelsh
Date of Birth22/07/1967
Age59 years
BirthplaceHaverfordwest, Pembrokeshire, Wales
Zodiac SignCancer

Latest News about Rhys Ifans

28/10/2026

Rhys Ifans publicly backed Wrexham's bid to become UK City of Culture 2029, joining other Welsh celebrity ambassadors such as Matthew Rhys, Ruth Jones and Siân Phillips. The bid is being prepared ahead of a visit by competition judges at the end of November 2026.

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Bio/Wiki

Full Name at BirthRhys Owain Evans
SummaryWelsh actor and musician known for character roles in films and television, and for a BAFTA-winning performance as Peter Cook in Not Only But Always.
LanguageWelsh is his first language
RaisedRuthin, North Wales
Known AsRhys Ifans

Educational Qualification(s)

TrainingGuildhall School of Music and Drama

Personal Life

ResidenceLondon
Languages
  • Welsh
  • English

Relationships & More

Former PartnerAnna Friel (2011-2014)

Family

BrotherLlŷr Ifans (actor)
MotherBeti-Wyn Evans (nursery school teacher)
FatherEurwyn Evans (primary school teacher)

Career

Started ActingYouth acting schools at Theatr Clwyd, then Welsh-language television
Notable Film Roles
  • Spike in Notting Hill (1999)
  • Eyeball Paul in Kevin & Perry Go Large (2000)
  • Jed Parry in Enduring Love (2004)
  • Xenophilius Lovegood in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 1 (2010)
  • Edward de Vere in Anonymous (2011)
  • Dr Curt Connors / The Lizard in The Amazing Spider-Man (2012)
  • Dr Curt Connors / The Lizard in Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021)
  • Grigori Rasputin in The King's Man (2021)
  • Appearance in Nyad (2023) alongside Annette Bening and Jodie Foster
  • Tony, a widowed primary school teacher, in Onwards and Sideways (2026) opposite Laura Linney
  • Voice of Obi-Wan Kenobi in Star Wars: Gobaith Newydd (Welsh-language dub of Star Wars: A New Hope, due Christmas Day 2026)
Notable Television Roles
  • Peter Cook in Not Only But Always (2004)
  • Mycroft Holmes in Elementary
  • Hector DeJean in Berlin Station (2016-2019)
  • Otto Hightower in House of the Dragon (2022-2026)
  • Lead role in the eight-part series Star City on Apple TV (premiered May 2026)
TheatreDonmar Warehouse productions; Fool in King Lear at the Old Vic (2016); Atticus Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird at the Gielgud Theatre (from 2020)
Awards
  • BAFTA Television Award for Best Actor (2005) for Not Only But Always
  • BAFTA nomination for Notting Hill

Some Lesser Known Facts

1. Was the frontman of Welsh rock bands Super Furry Animals and The Peth
2. Starred alongside his real-life brother in the film Twin Town (1997)
3. Left Wales at 18 to study acting in London
4. Publicly backed Wrexham's bid to become UK City of Culture 2029

Also born on 22 July

Information on this page is collected from public sources and may not be 100% accurate. Report an error
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