Stephen Rea | |
|---|---|
 Rea at the 2025 Edinburgh International Book Festival | |
| Born | 1946 (age 79–80) Belfast, Northern Ireland, UK |
| Education | |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1962–present |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2 |
Stephen Rea (/ˈreɪ/ray; born 1946) is an Irish actor. Born inBelfast, Northern Ireland, he began his career as a member ofDublin'sFocus Theatre, and played many roles on the stage and on Irish television. He came to the attention of international film audiences in Irish filmmakerNeil Jordan's 1992 filmThe Crying Game, and subsequently starred in many more of Jordan's films, includingInterview with the Vampire (1994),Michael Collins (1996),Breakfast on Pluto (2005), andGreta (2018). He also played a starring role in theHugo Blick 2011 TV seriesThe Shadow Line.
As a stage actor, he is known for his performances atThe Gate andAbbey theatres in Dublin, and theRoyal Court Theatre in London. He is a co-founder of theField Day Theatre Company withBrian Friel.
He was nominated for theAcademy Award for Best Actor forThe Crying Game (1992), and won aBAFTA Award for his role inThe Honourable Woman in 2015. In 2020,The Irish Times ranked Rea the 13th greatest Irish film actor of all time.
Stephen Rea was born in 1946 inBelfast.[1] His father was a bus driver and his mother a housewife.[2] His family wasProtestant but sympathetic toIrish nationalism.[3]
He studiedEnglish at theQueen's University Belfast and drama at theAbbey Theatre School inDublin.[2]
Rea's association with playwrightStewart Parker began when they were students together at theQueen's University Belfast.[4] In the late 1970s, he acted in theFocus Company in Dublin withGabriel Byrne andColm Meaney.[5]
Rea helped establish theField Day Theatre Company in 1980 withTom Paulin,Brian Friel,Seamus Heaney, andSeamus Deane.[6]
Rea's friendship with American playwright and actorSam Shepard dates back to the early 1970s, and he starred in Shepard's directorial début of his playGeography of a Horse Dreamer at theRoyal Court Theatre in 1974. In 2007, Rea began a successful and acclaimed relationship with both the Abbey Theatre and Sam Shepard, appearing inKicking a Dead Horse (2007) andAges of the Moon (2009), both penned by Shepard and also both transferred to New York.[7] Rea returned to the Abbey in 2009 to appear in the world première ofSebastian Barry'sTales of Ballycumber.[8]
Rea starred inEnda Walsh's 2014 playBallyturk and portrayed Jordan inOut of the Dark,[9] in which he co-stars alongsideJulia Stiles,Scott Speedman and Alejandro Furth.[10][11]
Rea came to international attention when he was nominated for theAcademy Award for Best Actor for Irish film-makerNeil Jordan's filmThe Crying Game in 1992.[12][13] He is a frequent collaborator with Jordan, starring in his other filmsInterview with the Vampire (1994),Michael Collins (1996),The End of the Affair (1999),Breakfast on Pluto (2005), andGreta (2018).
In 2011, Rea featured in theBBC crime dramaThe Shadow Line, playing antagonist Gatehouse.
In 2023, Rea appeared as Frank, husband to Eileen (played byKathy Bates) in the filmThe Miracle Club.
Rea was hired to speak the words ofGerry Adams whenSinn Féin was under a broadcasting ban from 1988 to 1994.[14]
In April 2012, Rea readJames Joyce's short story "The Dead" onRTÉ Radio 1.[15]
He also narrated for theBBC Radio 4 production ofUlysses forBloomsday, 16 June 2012.[16]
Rea is anAcademy Award,Golden Globe Award, andTony Award nominee, a two-timeBAFTA Award winner, and a three-timeIrish Film and Television (IFTA) Award winner.[citation needed]
He was nominated for aBAFTA Award and for theAcademy Award for Best Actor forThe Crying Game (1992).[17][1]
In 2004, in recognition for his contribution to theatre andperforming arts, Rea was givenhonorary degrees from both the Queen's University Belfast[6] and theUlster University.[18]
He won aBAFTA Award for his role inThe Honourable Woman in 2015.[1]
In 2020,The Irish Times ranked Rea the 13th greatest Irish film actor of all time.[19]
From 1983 until their divorce in 2003,[20][21] Rea was married toDolours Price, a formerProvisional Irish Republican Army bomber andhunger striker who later became a critic ofSinn Féin.[22][23] They had two sons.[24]
Rea had already met Price in the 1960's but ten years before their marriage, Price attended a performance by Rea inThe Freedom of the City atthe Court Theatre inLondon in 1973, the night before she took part in acar bombing that injured 200 people.[25][26]
As of 2012[update], Rea was an Ambassador forUNICEF Ireland.[27]
As of 2020[update], Rea lives inCounty Donegal.[28]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1970 | Cry of the Banshee | Villager | |
| 1982 | Angel | Danny | |
| 1984 | The Company of Wolves | Young Groom | |
| 1985 | The Doctor and the Devils | Timothy Broom | |
| 1985 | Loose Connections | Harry | |
| 1990 | Life Is Sweet | Patsy | |
| 1992 | The Crying Game | Fergus | |
| 1993 | Bad Behaviour | Gerry McAllister | |
| 1994 | Angie | Noel | |
| 1994 | Princess Caraboo | Gutch | |
| 1994 | Interview with the Vampire | Santiago | |
| 1994 | Prêt-à-Porter | Milo O'Brannigan | |
| 1995 | Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea | Nikos | |
| 1995 | All Men Are Mortal | Fosca | |
| 1995 | Citizen X | Lt. Viktor Burakov | |
| 1996 | Michael Collins | Ned Broy | |
| 1996 | Trojan Eddie | Eddie "Trojan Eddie" | |
| 1996 | The Last of the High Kings | Cab Driver | |
| 1997 | Fever Pitch | Ray | |
| 1997 | The Butcher Boy | Benny Brady | |
| 1997 | The Break | Sean Dowd | |
| 1997 | Double Tap | Cypher | |
| 1997 | Hacks | Brian | |
| 1998 | This Is My Father | Mission Priest | Cameo |
| 1998 | Still Crazy | Tony Costello | |
| 1999 | In Dreams | Dr. Silverman | |
| 1999 | Guinevere | Connie Fitzpatrick | |
| 1999 | I Could Read the Sky | P.J. Doran | |
| 1999 | The Life Before This | Brian | |
| 1999 | The End of the Affair | Henry Miles | |
| 2000 | The King's Wake | King Connor Mac Neasa | (Voice) Short subject |
| 2001 | The Musketeer | Cardinal Richelieu | |
| 2001 | On the Edge | Dr. Figure | |
| 2002 | FeardotCom | Alistair Pratt | |
| 2002 | Evelyn | Michael Beattie | |
| 2003 | Bloom | Leopold Bloom | |
| 2004 | The I Inside | Dr. Newman | |
| 2004 | The Halo Effect | "Fatso" | |
| 2004 | The Confessor | McCaran | |
| 2004 | Fluent Dysphasia | "Murph" | Short subject |
| 2004 | Proud | Barney Garvey | |
| 2004 | Control | Dr. Arlo Penner | |
| 2005 | Breakfast on Pluto | Bertie Vaughan | |
| 2005 | River Queen | Francis | |
| 2005 | Tara Road | Colm Maguire | |
| 2006 | V for Vendetta | Chief Inspector Eric Finch | |
| 2006 | Sisters | Dr. Philip Lacan | |
| 2006 | Sixty Six | Dr. Barrie | |
| 2007 | Until Death | Gabriel Callaghan | |
| 2007 | The Reaping | Father Michael Costigan | |
| 2007 | Stuck | Thomas Bardo | |
| 2008 | The Devil's Mercy | Tyler | |
| 2008 | Kisses | "Down Under" Dylan | Uncredited cameo |
| 2009 | Spy(ies) | M. Palmer | |
| 2009 | Child of the Dead End | Patrick MacGill | |
| 2009 | Nothing Personal | Martin | |
| 2009 | The Heavy | Jameson Anawalt | |
| 2009 | Ondine | Priest | |
| 2011 | Blackthorn | MacKinley | |
| 2011 | Stella Days | Brendan McSweeney | |
| 2012 | Underworld: Awakening | Dr. Jacob Lane | |
| 2012 | Werewolf: The Beast Among Us | Doc | Direct-to-DVD |
| 2013 | Tasting Menu | Walter | |
| 2014 | Asylum | McGahey | |
| 2014 | Styria | Dr. Hill | |
| 2014 | Out of the Dark | Jordan | |
| 2015 | Ruby Strangelove Young Witch | Danforth | |
| 2015 | An Enchanted Ruby | Danforth | |
| 2018 | Black '47 | Conneely | |
| 2018 | Greta | Brian Cody | |
| 2018 | Unquiet Graves | Narrator | Documentary about the Troubles |
| 2021 | Nightride | Joe | Voice |
| 2023 | The Miracle Club | Frank Dunne |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1964 | Crossroads | Pepe Costa | |
| 1967 | Angel Pavement | Second Mate | Episode: "They Arrive" |
| 1967 | Sanctuary | Stephen Moriarty | Episode: "The Voice of His Calling" |
| 1969 | Z-Cars | Kenny | Episode: "Snout: Part 2" |
| 1970 | Softly, Softly: Task Force | Philip Conner | Episode: "Trust a Woman" |
| 1971 | Omnibus | Hubert Page | Episode: "Hail and Farewell-George Moore" |
| 1972 | The Moonstone | Major Frayne | Episode: "1.1" |
| 1974 | Thriller | Arden Buckley | Episode: "K is for Killing" (US Title: "Color Him Dead") |
| 1974–1979 | Play for Today | Peter / Chas / Shay | 3 episodes |
| 1975–1976 | I Didn't Know You Cared | Carter Brandon | 13 episodes - (series 1 & 2 only; not in series 3 & 4) |
| 1977 | BBC2 Play of the Week | Hollar | Episode: "Professional Foul" |
| 1978 | Play of the Month | Constantin | Episode: "The Seagull" |
| 1978 | The Professionals | Pellin | Episode: "In the Public Interest" |
| 1978 | Thank You, Comrades | Mayakovsky | TV film |
| 1980 | Caleb Williams | Tyrell | Episode: "1.1" |
| 1982 | Joyce in June | Stanislaus Joyce / McIntosh | TV film |
| 1984 | Minder | Roddy Allan | Episode: "Windows" |
| 1984 | Four Days in July | Dixie | TV film |
| 1986 | Boon | Frank Warren | Episode: "Fools Rush In" |
| 1986 | Screen Two | Frankie | Episode: "Shergar" |
| 1987 | Lost Belongings | Lenny | 2 episodes |
| 1987 | Scout | Marshall | TV film |
| 1989 | 4 Play | Paul | Segment: "Not As Bad as They Seem" |
| 1989 | Endgame | Clov | TV film |
| 1990 | Not with a Bang | Colin Garrity | 7 episodes |
| 1993 | Saturday Night Live | Fergus | (Uncredited) Episode: "Miranda Richardson/Soul Asylum" |
| 1993–1995 | Performance | Ejlert Lovborg / Seamus Shields | 2 episodes |
| 1995 | Citizen X | Lieutenant Viktor Burakov | TV film |
| 1996 | Crime of the Century | Bruno Hauptmann | TV film |
| 2001 | A Scare at Bedtime | Dr. Roger St. Roctor | Episode: "Not What the Doctor Ordered" |
| 2001 | Snow in August | Rabbi Judah Hirsch | TV film |
| 2001 | Armadillo | Hogg | 3 episodes |
| 2001–2002 | Horrible Histories | Narrator (voice, UK dub) | 26 episodes |
| 2002 | Copenhagen | Niels Bohr | TV film |
| 2007 | Imeacht Na N'Iarlaí | Aodh Ó Néill, Tiarna Thir Eoghain | Episode: "1" |
| 2008 | 10 Days to War | Tim Cross | Episode: "These Things Are Always Chaos" |
| 2009 | Father & Son | Augustine Flynn | 4 episodes |
| 2009 | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Callum "Cal" Donovan | Episode: "Solitary" |
| 2009 | Heidi 4 Paws | The Doctor (voice) | TV film |
| 2010 | Single-Handed | Sean Doyle | Episodes: "The Lost Boys: Parts 1 & 2" |
| 2011 | Roadkill | Seamus | TV film |
| 2011 | The Shadow Line | Gatehouse | 6 episodes |
| 2013 | Utopia | Conran Letts | 5 episodes |
| 2014 | The Honourable Woman | Sir Hugh Hayden-Hoyle | 8 episodes |
| 2015–2016 | Dickensian | Inspector Bucket | 16 episodes |
| 2016 | War & Peace | Prince Vassily Kuragin | 5 episodes |
| 2016 | Fir Bolg | Spencer | Episode: "Nochtadh" |
| 2018 | Counterpart | Alexander Pope | 7 episodes |
| 2018 | Thanksgiving | Melchior | 3 episodes |
| 2020 | The Stranger | Martin Killane | 8 episodes |
| 2020 | Flesh and Blood | Mark | 4 episodes |
| 2022 | The English | Sheriff Robert Marshall | 6 episodes |
| 2025 | Prime Target | Professor James Alderman | 5 episodes |
| Year | Title | Playwright | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1967 | Shadow of a Gunman | Sean O'Casey | The Mermaid Theatre, London |
| 1969 | Captain Oates' Left Sock | John Antrobus | Royal Court Theatre, London |
| 1971 | Crete and Sargent Pepper | John Antrobus | |
| 1973 | The Freedom of the City | Brian Friel | |
| 1973 | The Duchess of Malfi | John Webster | 7:84 Theatre Company, London |
| 1973 | Sargent Musgraves | John Arden | The Gate, Dublin |
| 1973 | The White Devil | John Webster | Nottingham Playhouse |
| 1973 | Drums in the Night | Bertold Brecht | Hampstead Theatre, London |
| 1974 | Geography of a Horse Dreamer | Sam Shepard | Royal Court Theatre, London |
| 1974 | Comedians | Trevor Griffiths | Nottingham Playhouse |
| 1980 | Translations | Brian Friel | Field Day Theatre Company |
| 1981 | Three Sisters | Anton Chekhov adapt.Brian Friel | |
| 1982 | The Communication Cord | Brian Friel | |
| 1984 | High Time | Derek Mahon | |
| 1984 | The Riot Act | Tom Paulin | |
| 1986 | Double Cross | Thomas Kilroy | |
| 1987 | Pentecost | Stewart Parker | |
| 1989 | Saint Oscar | Terry Eagleton | |
| 2014 | Ballyturk | Enda Walsh | Galway International Arts Festival |
| 2014 | A Particle of Dread | Sam Shepard | Field Day Theatre Company |
| 2016 | Cyprus Avenue | David Ireland | Royal Court Theatre, London |
| 2020 | The Visiting Hour | Frank McGuinness | The Gate Theatre, Dublin |
