For movie audiences of mid-2000s superhero cinema, Welsh actor Ioan Gruffudd is best remembered for his iconic role as Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic. He first portrayed the character in the 2005 Fantastic Four movie and reprised it in its 2007 sequel, Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer. Released in a decade when superhero franchises were just beginning to dominate the Box Office, Tim Story’s Fantastic Four movies were largely successful.
However, after receiving lukewarm critical reception, Ioan Gruffudd seemed to disappear from the Hollywood blockbuster scene. Despite not remaining in the spotlight, Gruffudd’s post-Fantastic Four career has been diverse, spanning television, film, and voice work. In the last two decades, Gruffudd has made big changes in his personal life and career, starring in projects with character-driven narratives. Here’s a look at every major milestone in Ioan Gruffudd’s life and career post-Fantastic Four.
Ioan Gruffudd Starred in Several Dramatic Films Across Genres
Interestingly, the following year, post-Fantastic Four, was Ioan Gruffudd’s busiest year since 2001. With four film credits in 2008 alone, Gruffudd showed his dramatic side, cast in a minor supporting role as a professor in Fireflies in the Garden. He starred alongside a star-studded cast comprising Ryan Reynolds, Willem Dafoe, Emily Watson, Julia Roberts, Carrie-Anne Moss, and Hayden Panettiere. He led the cast of the fantasy film The Secret of Moonacre as Sir Benjamin Merryweather. Briefly, he portrayed British Prime Minister Tony Blair in Oliver Stone’s biographical comedy-drama W.
Ioan Gruffudd also made a cameo appearance in the 2011 black comedy crime Horrible Bosses as a Wetwork expert. In the mid-2010s, he starred in Playing It Cool (2014), San Andreas (2015), and Keep Watching (2017). In 2019, Gruffudd joined Mel Gibson and Sean Penn in The Professor and the Madman, portraying British philologist and lexicographer Henry Bradley. Gruffudd’s last film credits are Ava (2020) and the 2024 sequel Bad Boys: Ride or Die.
He Returned to Television in Several Critically Acclaimed Roles
After Fantastic Four, Ioan Gruffudd also returned to television, where he found critical and popular success. One of his earliest, notable TV appearances post-superhero fame was in Ringer (2011–2012). Although short-lived, he co-starred alongside Sarah Michelle Gellar in The CW crime thriller, where he played Andrew Martin, a wealthy businessman caught in a web of deception.
Ioan Gruffudd’s breakthrough in television came with Forever (2014–2015), where he led the ABC fantasy crime drama cast as Doctor Henry Morgan. Although another short-lived series, Gruffudd’s character and performance as an immortal medical examiner was widely praised, with the series developing a strong cult following. Ioan Gruffudd solidified his TV career with the British thriller series Liar (2017–2020), Australian drama series Harrow (2018–2021), and recently guest-starred on CBS police procedural comedy-drama Elsbeth as Angus Oliphant-Donnachaidh.
Ioan Gruffudd Ventured into Directing and Producing
Seeking to expand his talent, Ioan Gruffudd also explored opportunities behind the camera. During his time on the Harrow TV series, Gruffudd made his directorial debut by helming an episode in the third and final season of the show. Gruffudd is set to make his debut as a producer in the upcoming comedy-drama A Ray of Sunshine. Besides producing the film, it’ll also be his feature directorial debut as he’s credited as co-direct. He will also lead the cast as Robert Sawyer, alongside actress Bianca Wallace, who plays Eva Serene.
Ioan Gruffudd Voiced a Character in a Video Game
Unknown to many, Ioan Gruffudd contributed to Blizzard Entertainment’s Diablo franchise in its third installment, Diablo III. With two Necromancer characters introduced in the game, Gruffudd voices that of the male Necromancer. Diablo III was first released on May 15, 2012, on Windows, OS X. Over the next six years, it was released on the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch platforms.
Ioan Gruffudd’s Private Life Came Under Public Scrutiny
Outside his acting roles away from the superhero genre, Ioan Gruffudd’s personal life also drew public attention. In 2022, Gruffudd and his wife, actress Alice Evans, went through a very public and contentious divorce, which played out across social media and the press. The couple, who married on September 14, 2007, separated in January 2021.
While this isn’t news in Hollywood, Gruffudd filing a domestic violence restraining order against Evans certainly put their private marriage in the headlines. Gruffudd secured a three-year permanent domestic violence restraining order against Evans on August 2, 2022, with their marriage legally dissolved a year later on July 3, 2023. A year later, Gruffudd confirmed he was engaged to actress Bianca Wallace. The couple was recently married in April 2025.
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