Matthew Rhys | |
|---|---|
 Rhys in 2011 | |
| Born | Matthew Rhys Evans (1974-11-08)8 November 1974 (age 51) Cardiff, Wales |
| Education | Royal Academy of Dramatic Art |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1997–present |
| Partner | Keri Russell (2014–present) |
| Children | 1 |
Matthew Rhys Evans (/riːs/REESS; born 8 November 1974) is a Welsh actor. He gained recognition for playingKevin Walker in the family drama seriesBrothers & Sisters (2006–2011) andPhilip Jennings in the spy drama seriesThe Americans (2013–2018). For his performance inThe Americans, he won aPrimetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series in 2018 and theCritics' Choice Television Award for Best Actor in a Drama Series in 2019. He was also Primetime Emmy Award-nominated for his guest role inGirls (2017) and for playing the title role in the period seriesPerry Mason (2020–2023).
In film, Rhys appeared asDylan Thomas inThe Edge of Love (2008) and asDaniel Ellsberg inThe Post (2017) and starred as a cynical journalist inA Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood (2019). He has also voiced several characters in animated series, includingEmperor Belos inThe Owl House (2020–2023).
Matthew Rhys Evans[citation needed] was born inCardiff,Wales,[citation needed] on 8 November 1974.[1][a] His first language isWelsh.[3]
He grew up in Cardiff and attendedWelsh-medium schools, Ysgol Gynradd Gymraeg Melin Gruffydd (inWhitchurch, Cardiff) andYsgol Gyfun Gymraeg Glantaf (inLlandaff North, Cardiff). In 1993, he was awarded thePatricia Rothermere Scholarship.[4]
At age 17, after playingElvis Presley in a school musical, he applied to and was accepted at theRoyal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) in London.[5] During Rhys's time at RADA, he appeared in theBBC police seriesBackup and inHouse of America. He returned to Cardiff to act in his own language in the Welsh filmBydd yn Wrol (Be Brave),[6] for which he won Best Actor at theBAFTA Cymru (Welsh BAFTAs).
In January 1998, Rhys went to New Zealand to star inGreenstone, a colonial costume drama for television. He then landed a role inTitus, Julie Taymor's adaptation ofTitus Andronicus, starringAnthony Hopkins andJessica Lange. Next he played Ray inPeter Hewitt's comedy filmWhatever Happened to Harold Smith? After returning to Wales, he did two consecutive films withJonathan Pryce:The Testimony of Taliesin Jones, a film about a dysfunctional single-parent family in which he played the elder son, andSara Sugarman's comedyVery Annie Mary, in which he played the role of Nob. Rhys would later reunite withVery Annie Mary starRachel Griffiths onBrothers & Sisters.[7]
In 2000, Rhys played the lead role inMetropolis, a drama series forGranada TV about the lives of six twenty-somethings living in London.[5] Next he starred inPeaches, the film of the play written and directed byNick Grosso.[8][9] Rhys starred as Benjamin in the 2000 world premiere of the stage adaptation ofThe Graduate, alongsideKathleen Turner at theGielgud Theatre in London'sWest End.[10] Rhys travelled to Ireland to star in the 18th-century swashbuckling adventureThe Abduction Club.[11] He played the lead role of Darren Daniels inTabloid and then returned to New Zealand to shoot the epic dramaThe Lost World for the BBC. His other film credits include the independent horror filmDeathwatch inPrague andFakers, a comic crime caper.
In 2003, he played Justin Price in thefinal episode of the long-running television seriesColumbo.[12] He appeared in the independent featureLove and Other Disasters, inVirgin Territory, and as poetDylan Thomas in the love quadrangle biographical filmThe Edge of Love.[13] He moved toSanta Monica after being cast inABC's showBrothers & Sisters as gay lawyerKevin Walker. The show had a five-season run, coming to an end in 2011.[10]
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In January 2012, Rhys appeared in aBBC Two two-part drama adaptation ofCharles Dickens's last, unfinished novel,The Mystery of Edwin Drood.[14] ThePublic Broadcasting Service (PBS) aired it in the United States as one feature-length episode on 15 April 2012. In 2012, Rhys reprised SirAlec Guinness's 1959 double role of John Barratt / Jacques DeGué in a new adaptation ofDaphne du Maurier'sThe Scapegoat.[15] That same year, Rhys was cast as Jimmy in theRoundabout Theatre Company'sOff-Broadway revival ofJohn Osborne's play,Look Back in Anger, at theLaura Pels Theatre in the Harold and Miriam Steinberg Center for Theatre. The production played a limited engagement through 8 April 2012.[16] In 2013, Rhys starred in the television adaptation of theP. D. James novelDeath Comes to Pemberley asJane Austen heroFitzwilliam Darcy.[17]
He starred oppositeKeri Russell in theFX seriesThe Americans, a 1980sCold War spy drama about RussianKGB sleeper agents (Rhys and Russell, who portray married KGB agents with two children, among other agents and handlers). Rhys and Russell are partners off-screen as well. The show debuted in January 2013.[18] The series aired its sixth and final season in 2018. Rhys received aPrimetime Emmy Award for his acting in the sixth season.[19]
From 16 to 28 November 2025, Rhys is scheduled to return to the Welsh stage to playRichard Burton in the one-man playPlaying Burton, celebrating the 100th anniversary of Burton's birth and raising funds for the inaugural season ofMichael Sheen's newWelsh National Theatre.[20][21][22]
Rhys set up his own production company, Patagonia, in 2011. It has two projects in development. One of them involves an adaptation of a book titledOperation Julie, written by Lyn Ebenezer,[23] about the biggest LSD drugs bust in Wales's history; Rhys bought the film rights in December 2010.[24][25] In 2023, Rhys spoke on a podcast about how he has been working on a potential film aboutOwain Glyndŵr's life andhis rebellion, begun in 1400, against the Kingdom of England.[26]
With the help of Welsh actorRhys Ifans, Rhys supported fundraising for thepub Vale of Aeron inYstrad Aeron, Ceredigion, Wales.[27][28] Rhys also invested in another pub inPennal, a town inGwynedd, North Wales, where his father grew up and Rhys would spend summers and Easters visiting. In 2019, the Glan Yr Afon (also Riverside) was put on the market without any buyers, but through a campaign supported by Rhys, there was ashares offering for the public which raised £450,000 to save the pub. The local community completed the purchase in December 2022.[29][30][31]
InNew York City, Rhys owns and rents acharterboat namedRarebit. TheWheeler boat was constructed circa 1934; Rhys bought it fromeBay after researching the venture in 2017. He rebuilt the boat himself with the advice of shipwrights.[32][33][34]
Rhys has been in a relationship with hisThe Americans co-starKeri Russell since 2014.[35][36][37] They had their first child, a son, in 2016.[38][39] In interviews conducted in 2021, they referred to each other as husband and wife,[40][41] though Rhys stated in an interview in March 2025 that they "literally haven't got round to marriage yet".[42]
He is a supporter ofPlaid Cymru[43] and has spoken out in favour ofWelsh independence.[44][45] Rhys stated in November 2018 that he spoke to his son "only inWelsh", adding that he wants his son to understand the language.[46]
On 15 July 2008,Aberystwyth University honoured Rhys as a fellow.[47] On 8 August 2008, he was honoured at theWelsh National Eisteddfod by being accepted as a member to the druidic order of theGorsedd of the Bards[48] for his contributions to theWelsh language and Wales. His bardic name in the Gorsedd is Matthew Tâf. In August 2009, Rhys took to the stage with theNational Youth Orchestra of Wales as part of the National Eisteddfod.[49]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Bydd yn Wrol | N/A | |
| 1997 | House of America | Boyo | |
| 1999 | Heart | Sean McCardle | |
| Titus | Demetrius | ||
| Whatever Happened to Harold Smith? | Ray Smith | ||
| 2000 | Sorted | Carl | |
| The Testimony of Taliesin Jones | Jonathan | ||
| 2001 | Peaches | Frank | |
| Tabloid | Darren Daniels | ||
| Very Annie Mary | Nob | ||
| 2002 | The Abduction Club | James Strang | |
| Deathwatch | Doc Fairweather | ||
| Shooters | Eddie | ||
| 2003 | Y Mabinogi | Lleu Llaw Gyffes | |
| 2004 | Fakers | Nick Edwards | |
| 2006 | Love and Other Disasters | Peter Simon | |
| 2007 | Virgin Territory | Count Dzerzhinsky | |
| 2008 | The Edge of Love | Dylan Thomas | |
| 2010 | Luster | Joseph Miller | |
| Patagonia | Mateo | ||
| 2012 | The Scapegoat | John Standing / Johnny Spence | |
| 2015 | Burnt | Montgomery Reece | |
| Come What May | Percy | ||
| 2017 | The Post | Daniel Ellsberg | [50] |
| 2018 | Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle | John Lockwood | [51] |
| 2019 | A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood | Lloyd Vogel | [52] |
| The Report | New York Times reporter | [53] | |
| 2021 | Seal Team | Grimes (voice) | [54] |
| 2023 | Cocaine Bear | Andrew C. Thornton II | |
| 2024 | IF | Ghost (voice) | [54] |
| Watchmen | Dan Dreiberg / Nite Owl, additional voices | Direct-to-video[55][54] | |
| Saturday Night | George Carlin | [56] | |
| 2025 | Hallow Road | Frank | [57] |
| † | Denotes series that have not yet been released |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | Backup | PC Steve 'Hiccup' Higson | 6 episodes |
| 1999 | Greenstone | Sam Markham | Unknown episodes |
| 2000 | A History of Britain | N/A | Unknown episodes |
| Metropolis | Matthew Bishop | 5 episodes | |
| 2001 | The Lost World | Edward Malone | 2 episodes |
| 2003 | Columbo | Justin Price | Episode: "Columbo Likes the Nightlife" |
| Partners and Crime | N/A | Television film | |
| POW | Alfie Harris | Episode #1.5 | |
| 2006 | Beau Brummell: This Charming Man | Lord Byron | Television film |
| 2006–2011 | Brothers & Sisters | Kevin Walker | Main role |
| 2010 | Mr Hollywood | — | Producer;S4C-TV documentary[58] |
| 2011 | LA Phil Live | Hamlet | Episode: "Dudamel Conducts Tchiakovsky" |
| 2012 | The Mystery of Edwin Drood | John Jasper | 2 episodes |
| 2013 | Death Comes to Pemberley | Fitzwilliam Darcy | 3 episodes |
| 2013–2018 | The Americans | Philip Jennings | Main role |
| 2014 | Under Milk Wood | New York Voice | Television film |
| 2015 | Archer | Lloyd Llewellyn (voice) | Episode: "Achub y Morfilod"; credited for episode's story |
| The Bastard Executioner | Gruffudd y Blaidd / the Wolf | 4 episodes | |
| 2016–2020 | The Wine Show | Himself (co-host) | Main role |
| 2017 | Girls | Chuck Palmer | Episode: "American Bitch" |
| Snowdonia 1890 | Narrator | Main role | |
| 2018 | Death and Nightingales | Billy | 3 episodes |
| Down the Caravan | Dai | Television film | |
| 2019 | BoJack Horseman | Justin Kenyon (voice) | Episode: "A Quick One, While He's Away" |
| Carpool Karaoke: The Series | Himself (co-host) | Season 2, episode 17 | |
| Infinity Train | Aloysius, Alrick (voice) | 2 episodes[54] | |
| 2020–2023 | Perry Mason | Perry Mason | Main role; also executive producer[59] |
| The Owl House | Emperor Belos (voice) | Recurring role[60][54] | |
| 2022 | Tuca & Bertie | Figgy (voice) | 6 episodes |
| 2023 | Extrapolations | Junior | Episode: "2037: A Raven Story" |
| Gremlins | Riley Greene (voice) | 10 episodes[61][54] | |
| 2024 | The Wingfeather Saga | Gammon Felda / the Florid Sword (voice) | Season 2 recurring role; 3 episodes[62] |
| 2025 | Towards Zero | Inspector Leach | Three-part miniseries |
| The American Revolution (TV series) | Thomas Paine (voice) | Six-part docuseries | |
| The Beast in Me | Nile Jarvis | [63] | |
| 2026 | Invincible | Dinosaurus / David Anders (voice) | [64] |
| TBA | Silent River† | [65] | |
| Widow's Bay† | Filming[66] | ||
| Presumed Innocent | Main role (season 2)[67] |
| Year | Play | Role | Playwright | Venue | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | Cardiff East | Tommy | Peter Gill | Royal National Theatre | [68] |
| Grace Note | Nick | Samuel Adamson | The Old Vic | [69] | |
| One More Wasted Year | Pierre | Christophe Pellet | Royal Court Theatre | [70] | |
| Stranger's House (Fremdes Haus) | Yanne | Dea Loher | [71] | ||
| 2000 | The Graduate | Benjamin Braddock | Charles Webb | Gielgud Theatre | [72] |
| 2002 | The Associate | Tiny | Simon Bent | Royal National Theatre | [73] |
| 2003 | Under Milk Wood | Mog Edwards | Dylan Thomas | New Theatre (Cardiff) | |
| 2004 | King Lear | Edmund | William Shakespeare | Royal Shakespeare Company | [74] |
| Macbeth | Macduff | The Young Vic | [75] | ||
| Romeo and Juliet | Romeo | Royal Shakespeare Company | [76] | ||
| 2012 | Look Back in Anger | Jimmy | John Osborne | Roundabout Theatre Company | [77] |
| 2025 | Playing Burton | Richard Burton | Mark Jenkins | Welsh National Theatre | [21] |
| Award | Year | Category | Nominated work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Critics' Choice Television Awards | 2013 | Best Actor in a Drama Series | The Americans | Nominated | [78] |
| 2014 | Best Actor in a Drama Series | The Americans | Nominated | [79] | |
| 2015 | Best Actor in a Drama Series | The Americans | Nominated | [80] | |
| 2016 | Best Actor in a Drama Series | The Americans | Nominated | [81] | |
| 2019 | Best Actor in a Drama Series | The Americans | Won | [82] | |
| 2021 | Best Actor in a Drama Series | Perry Mason | Nominated | [83] | |
| Drama League Award | 2004 | Distinguished Performance | Look Back in Anger | Nominated | [84] |
| Golden Globe Awards | 2016 | Best Actor – Television Series Drama | The Americans | Nominated | [85] |
| 2018 | Best Actor – Television Series Drama | The Americans | Nominated | [86] | |
| 2020 | Best Actor – Television Series Drama | Perry Mason | Nominated | [87] | |
| Primetime Emmy Awards | 2016 | Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series | The Americans(episode: "The Magic of David Copperfield V: The Statue of Liberty Disappears") | Nominated | [88] |
| 2017 | Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series | Girls(episode: "American Bitch") | Nominated | [89] | |
| Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series | The Americans(episode: "Crossbreed") | Nominated | |||
| 2018 | The Americans(episode: "START") | Won | [90] | ||
| 2021 | Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series | Perry Mason(episode: "Chapter 8") | Nominated | [91] | |
| Satellite Awards | 2017 | Best Actor – Television Series Drama | The Americans | Nominated | [92] |
| 2019 | Best Actor – Television Series Drama | The Americans | Nominated | [93] | |
| 2021 | Best Actor – Television Series Drama | Perry Mason | Nominated | ||
| Screen Actors Guild Awards | 2018 | Outstanding Ensemble in a Drama Series | The Americans | Nominated | [94] |
| TCA Awards | 2013 | Individual Achievement in Drama | The Americans | Nominated | |
| 2014 | Individual Achievement in Drama | The Americans | Nominated | ||
| 2015 | Individual Achievement in Drama | The Americans | Nominated | ||
| 2018 | Individual Achievement in Drama | The Americans | Nominated |
