Stephen Graham

2.1. Birth and Family Background

Stephen Joseph Graham was born on 3 August 1973 in Kirkby, Lancashire, England. At the time of his birth, Kirkby was part of Lancashire. He was raised by his mother, a social worker, and his stepfather, a mechanic who later became a pediatric nurse. Graham maintained a good relationship with his biological father. He has a multiracial heritage, noting that his paternal grandfather was Jamaican and one of his paternal grandmothers was Swedish. Graham has discussed his experience as a light-skinned multiracial person, particularly in contrast to his brothers who have darker skin tones. His full birth name is Stephen Graham Kelly.

2.2. Education and Early Endeavors

Graham attended Overdale Primary School in Kirkby. His interest in acting was sparked at an early age when, at eight years old, local actor Andrew Schofield encouraged him to pursue it after seeing his performance as Jim Hawkins in a school production of Treasure Island. He continued his education at Ruffwood Comprehensive before being introduced to Liverpool's Everyman Theatre at the age of 14. He later received formal acting training at the renowned Rose Bruford College of Theatre & Performance, where he met his future wife, Hannah Walters.

3.1. Debut and Early Roles

Graham began his acting career in 1990 with his debut in the film Dancin' Thru the Dark. Early in his career, he garnered attention for his versatility in portraying characters from various regions of Britain, Ireland, and America, earning praise for his accent work. His initial notable roles included Tommy in Guy Ritchie's crime comedy Snatch (2000), Myron "Mike" Ranney in the acclaimed HBO miniseries Band of Brothers (2001), and Shang in Martin Scorsese's historical epic Gangs of New York (2002). These roles paved the way for his breakthrough performance as Andrew "Combo" Gascoigne in Shane Meadows' 2006 film This Is England, for which he received a nomination for a British Independent Film Award.

3.2. Major Film Roles

Graham has appeared in numerous prominent film productions throughout his career. He is widely recognized for his role as Scrum in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, first appearing in Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011) and reprising the role in Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales (2017), where he notably co-starred with his wife Hannah Walters.

In 2009, he portrayed the real-life gangster Baby Face Nelson alongside Johnny Depp and Christian Bale in Public Enemies. He also had a significant role as Anthony "Tony Pro" Provenzano in Scorsese's 2019 crime drama The Irishman, which earned him a nomination for a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture. Other notable film credits include his voice role as Gruagach in Hellboy (2019), Dick James in the Elton John biopic Rocketman (2019), and Lieutenant Commander Charlie Cole in the 2020 war film Greyhound.

In 2021, Graham starred as Andy Jones in the critically acclaimed film Boiling Point, a one-shot film set in a restaurant kitchen, which was expanded from a 2019 short film of the same name and directed by his Band of Brothers co-star Philip Barantini. For this performance, he received nominations for a British Academy Film Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role and won a British Independent Film Award for Best Actor. He also appeared as Patrick Mulligan in Venom: Let There Be Carnage (2021), a role he reprised in its sequel Venom: The Last Dance (2024), where his character also transforms into the entity known as Toxin. His recent film roles include Mr. Wormwood in Matilda the Musical (2022), Bill Burgess in Young Woman and the Sea (2024), Uncle Niall (voice role) in the English version of Buffalo Kids (2024), Léopold Zborowski in Modì, Three Days on the Wing of Madness (2024), and Albert in Blitz (2024). Upcoming projects include Deliver Me from Nowhere (2025) as Douglas Springsteen and The Immortal Man (2025) as Hayden Stagg, both in post-production.

3.3. Major Television Roles

Graham has made a significant impact on the small screen with a variety of compelling roles. He reprised his breakthrough role as Andrew "Combo" Gascoigne in the miniseries sequels This Is England '86 (2010), This Is England '88 (2011), and This Is England '90 (2015), earning a British Academy Television Award for Best Actor nomination for his work in This Is England '90.

From 2010 to 2014, he gained widespread international recognition for his portrayal of the notorious gangster Al Capone in the HBO period drama Boardwalk Empire, appearing in 36 episodes. His performance contributed to the ensemble cast winning a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series. In 2019, Graham starred as DS John Corbett in the fifth series of the BBC drama Line of Duty, a performance that was widely praised, particularly for his character's dramatic death scene.

His other notable television roles include Det. Supt. Dave Kelly in the 2017 drama Little Boy Blue, for which he was nominated for an RTS Award for Best Actor. He played Fabio "Melon" Melonzola as a main role in Save Me (2018-2020) and Joseph in The Virtues (2019), receiving BAFTA nominations for both. In 2019, he also appeared as Jacob Marley in the miniseries A Christmas Carol.

In 2020, he starred as DCI Taff Jones in the ITV series White House Farm; however, his Welsh accent in the role drew criticism from some reviewers. He took on main roles as DI Roy Carver in Code 404 (2020-2022) and Eric McNally in the three-part BBC drama Time (2021), earning a BAFTA nomination for the latter. In 2021, he also appeared as Captain Brownlee in the miniseries The North Water and Tony in the television film Help, winning Best Actor awards at the Broadcasting Press Guild Awards and the Seoul International Drama Awards for his performances in Help and Time. He joined the cast of Peaky Blinders in its sixth series (2022) as Hayden Stagg and played Matthew Collins in the main role of The Walk-In (2022). In 2023, he reprised his role as Andy in the BBC Television sequel series of Boiling Point and starred as Elias Mannix in Bodies. His upcoming television work includes A Thousand Blows (2025) as Sugar Goodson, where he also serves as an executive producer, and Adolescence as Eddie Miller, where he is also credited as a writer and executive producer.

3.4. Other Professional Activities

Beyond his acting roles, Stephen Graham has engaged in various other professional endeavors. He has made several appearances in music videos for prominent artists, including "I Remember" by Deadmau5 and Kaskade, "Fluorescent Adolescent" and "When the Sun Goes Down" by Arctic Monkeys, and "Unlovable" by Babybird, which was notably directed by Johnny Depp. Other music video appearances include "Finger on the Trigger" by Gazelle, "Soul Vampire" by The Virginmarys, "Turn" by Travis, "You're in Love with a Psycho" by Kasabian, "I Adore You" by Goldie in 2017 where he appeared as an inmate, "Wandering Star" by Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds in 2019, and "Spit of You" by Sam Fender in 2021.

In 2011, Graham starred in the BBC Christmas show Lapland; however, when the series was remade as Being Eileen, his role was recast with Dean Andrews. He also featured in a promotional video titled "CODnapped" for downloadable content (DLC) of the video game Call of Duty: Ghosts. In November 2019, he was the guest for BBC Radio 4's program Desert Island Discs. In 2020, Graham co-founded the production company Matriarch Productions alongside his wife, actress Hannah Walters, expanding his involvement in the film and television industry beyond performing.

4.1. Marriage and Family

Stephen Graham is married to actress and producer Hannah Walters. They first met while training as actors at Rose Bruford College of Theatre & Performance. The couple married on 6 June 2008 and have a son and a daughter together. They reside in Ibstock, Leicestershire, having previously lived in the Beckenham area of London. Graham and Walters have frequently collaborated professionally, appearing together onscreen in several projects, including Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales and the film Boiling Point.

4.2. Interests and Personal Challenges

Graham is a lifelong and passionate supporter of Liverpool F.C., and he has made several appearances on the football talk show Soccer AM. He is openly teetotal. Graham has spoken publicly about his personal challenges, including his struggle with dyslexia. In 2019, he revealed that his wife, Hannah Walters, reads scripts for him and helps him decide which roles to accept due to his dyslexia. He has also bravely shared his past struggles with depression, disclosing that he once attempted suicide in his early 20s, surviving only because "the rope snapped." In December 2024, he faced an investigation by FA after an incident where he verbally abused a referee at a non-league football match in Leicestershire.

4.3. Honors and Recognition

For his significant services to drama, Stephen Graham was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2023 New Year Honours. He publicly dedicated this honor to his mother, who had passed away in 2022. This prestigious appointment acknowledges his substantial contributions and impact within the performing arts industry.

5.1. Film

5.2. Television

5.3. Music Videos