Stephen Graham is a British actor born on August 3, 1973 in Kirkby, Lancashire, England. He started his acting career at an early age, starring in small roles in TV shows like Coronation Street. Before long, he became one of the most recognisable faces in British TV and cinema. However, his success didn’t stop there.
Over the last couple of decades, Graham has rubbed shoulders with some of the biggest names in Hollywood, working under the direction of cinematic legends like Martin Scorsese and Michael Mann. More recently, he is perhaps best known for sharing the screen with Tom Hardy in the Venom movies. Yet, his talents extend much further than that. As his name continues to ascend, here are 6 interesting facts about Stephen Graham.
Stephen Graham’s Big Break Came in a Peculiar Way
As mentioned, Stephen Graham began climbing the ranks from a young age, landing his first professional role in 1990 after training at the Rose Bruford College of Theatre & Performance. In 2000, he landed the role that would put him on the mainstream map. After the success of Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, Guy Ritchie was emerging as the UK’s answer to Quentin Tarantino. With that, his sophomore feature movie Snatch saw him land a larger budget an even larger cast.
Stephen Graham joined the cast of Snatch as Tommy, sharing the silver screen with likes of Jason Statham, Brad Pitt, and Dennis Farina. Despite spending a decade honing his skills as an actor, Graham actually landed his role in this movie somewhat by accident (a happy accident for sure). When featuring on an episode of Sky One’s There’s Something About Movies panel show, Graham was asked about his breakout role in the movie. He said: “I went with a mate to an audition. It was Guy Ritchie who was directing it so I went along for the ride and that. He went in and then he came out and I had a cup of tea. Guy came out and said, ‘Are you next?’ I said, ‘No, I’m just come with my mate.’” Ritchie then asked if he was an actor, Graham explained that he was but wouldn’t be able to read the script due to his dyslexia. However, this didn’t phase Richie – Graham auditioned, wowed everyone in the room, and was cast.
He Has a Penchant for Playing Mob Figures
Stephen Graham has become known over the years for his ability to tap into a dark and menacing nature. He has portrayed an array of criminals and unhinged men with a proclivity for violence. Although he has made efforts to branch out and avoid being type cast, he arguably shines brightest when playing mob figures. In 2009, Graham shard the screen with Johnny Depp in the crime drama, Public Enemies. He took on the role of Baby Face Nelson, a real-life notorious bank robber from Chicago who had ties to organized and the prolific John Dillinger. However, he wasn’t done playing real-life crime figures just yet.
In 2010, Stephen Graham joined the cast of Boardwalk Empire, taking on the role of one of history’s most notorious gangsters of all time – Al Capone. The “Scouse” actor masterfully embodied Capone for 56 episodes across 5 seasons, bagging himself two Screen Actors Guild Awards for his rendition. Then, in 2019, he stepped into the shoes of yet another Mafioso in Martin Scorsese’s Oscar-nominated gangster epic, The Irishman. Graham played Anthony Provenzano, aka Tony Pro, a powerful capo in the New Jersey faction of the Genovese crime family.
His Skills Aren’t Limited to Acting
Stephen Graham first had compliments thrown his way for his acting skills when he was just eight years old. After seeing him perform as Jim Hawkins in a school production of Treasure Island, English actor and narrator Andrew Schofield convinced Graham to learn the craft of acting. Now over three decades into his professional acting career, Graham has begun venturing behind the lens as well. In 2023, he served as a co-creator as well as lead star on the BBC mini-series, Boiling Point. In 2025, he will also pen the scripts for the drama series, Adolescence.
Stephen Graham Boosted the Career of This Rising Star
Just like Stephen Graham, Jodie Comer is a thespian from Merseyside, England who has gained significant traction outside of British TV and cinema. She has been touted as one of Hollywood’s next A-Listers, following performances in hit shows like Killing Eve, and the acclaimed 2024 movie, The Bikeriders. When accepting her BAFTA in 2019 for her role as the enigmatic Villanelle in Killing Eve, Comer paid her respects to Graham, saying: “I want to take this moment to thank Stephen Graham. Stephen, if I didn’t owe you a pint before, I definitely do now. Thank you for the generosity that you showed me all them years ago and for introducing me to Jane.”
The generosity Comer was referring to was Graham recommending her to his agent Jane Epstein. Graham and Comer worked together on a short but harrowing scene in the BBC drama Good Cop. Graham was so impressed by her acting prowess that he called Epstein and insisted she meet with Comer. She obliged and Comer was signed to her acting agency. Over a decade later, Comer is still climbing rapidly. She is next set to star in Danny Boyle‘s long-awaited horror sequel, 28 Years Later.
He Had a Rather Bizarre Meeting with Joe Pesci
2019 was certainly a prosperous year for Stephen Graham, starring in popular shows like Line of Duty, a BBC adaptation of A Christmas Carol, the thought-provoking drama series The Virtues, and of course, sharing the screen with Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, and Joe Pesci in The Irishman. However, before he set foot on the set of The Irishman, he had to contend with Joe Pesci in a rather awkward conclave.
When discussing his hugely succesful year of 2019 on The Graham Norton Show, Graham went into depth about his time spent with Pesci. He said: “It was the first couple of days of filming, and I was told that he wanted to see me. He asked, ‘Where are you from?’ I said, ‘I’m from England, Liverpool’ and he went, ‘You’re not Italian?’ I apologised for it and he was like, ‘Okay, you’d better do this right,’ to which I said, ‘I’ll do my best.’” Graham then went on to explain how Pesci invited him to dinner but insisted that he speaks in character instead of his Liverpudlian accent, saying: “Why are you talking like that? Why don’t you talk as your character so I can understand you?’”
He Has Garnered a Staggering Amount of Critical Praise
Although Snatch is the movie that put Stephen Graham on the map, it was his role in the 2006 BAFTA-winning coming-of-age drama This Is England that garnered him his first taste of critical praise. Playing a racist skinhead, Graham delivered a menacing rendition as Combo, a despicable man who attempts to poison a group of friends into racist thinking. In the subsequent TV series This Is England ’86, This Is England 88, and This Is England ’90, Graham delivered one of the finest character turnarounds in television history as Combo seeks redemption for his sins, earning a BAFTA nomination for his role in This Is England ’90. Outside of this nomination, he was been tipped for glory a further 7 times, however, he is yet to take home the gold. Want to read about another This Is England star on the rise? Here’s why 2025 will be a huge year for Jack O’Connell.
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