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Social Class: working; father bus driver; mother housewife
Race/Ethnicity/Religion: Irish (Protestant)
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Stephen Rea (born October 31, 1946) is an Irish film and stage actor. Rea has appeared in films such as V for Vendetta, Michael Collins, Interview with the Vampire and Breakfast on Pluto. Rea was nominated for an Academy Award for his lead performance as Fergus in the 1992 film The Crying Game. He has during later years had important roles in the Hugo Blick TV series The Shadow Line and The Honourable Woman, for which he won a BAFTA Award. In 2020, he was listed at number 14 on The Irish Times list of Ireland’s greatest film actors.[1]
Rea was born in Belfast, Northern Ireland, to Protestant parents; his father was a bus driver and his mother a housewife.[2] He studied English at the Queen’s University Belfast, and drama at the Abbey Theatre School in Dublin.
In the late 1970s, he acted in the Focus Company in Dublin with Gabriel Byrne and Colm Meaney.
After appearing on the stage and in television and film for many years in Ireland and the United Kingdom, Rea came to international attention when he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor for the film The Crying Game. He is a frequent collaborator with Irish film-maker Neil Jordan. Rea has long been associated with some of the most important writers in Ireland. His association with playwright Stewart Parker, for example, began when they were students together at the Queen’s University Belfast.
Rea helped establish the Field Day Theatre Company in 1980 with Tom Paulin, Brian Friel, Seamus Heaney and Seamus Deane. In recognition for his contribution to theatre and performing arts, Rea was given honorary degrees from both the Queen’s University Belfast[3] and the Ulster University[4] in 2004.
Rea’s friendship with American playwright and actor Sam Shepard dates back to the early 1970s, and he starred in Shepard’s directorial début of his play Geography of a Horse Dreamer at the Royal Court Theatre in 1974. In 2007, Rea began a successful and acclaimed relationship with both the Abbey Theatre and Sam Shepard, appearing in Kicking a Dead Horse (2007) and Ages of the Moon (2009), both penned by Shepard and also both transferred to New York.[5] Rea returned to the Abbey in 2009 to appear in the world première of Sebastian Barry’s Tales of Ballycumber.[6]
Rea was hired to speak the words of Gerry Adams when Sinn Féin was under a 1988–94 broadcasting ban.[7]
In 2011, Rea featured in the BBC crime drama The Shadow Line, playing antagonist Gatehouse.
In April 2012, Rea read James Joyce’s short story “The Dead” on RTÉ Radio 1.[8] He also narrated for the BBC Radio 4 production of Ulysses for Bloomsday, 16 June 2012.
Rea starred in Enda Walsh’s 2014 play Ballyturk and portrayed Jordan in Out of the Dark,[9] in which he co-stars alongside Julia Stiles, Scott Speedman and Alejandro Furth.[10][11]
Personal life
Rea was married for 17 years to Dolours Price, a former Provisional Irish Republican Army bomber and hunger striker who later became a critic of Sinn Féin. (Another news source suggests a marriage of 20 years, from 1983 to 2003.)[12] Price attended a performance of Rea’s at the Court Theatre in London in 1973, the night before she participated in a car bombing which injured 200 people.[13] They had been divorced when she died on 23 January 2013.[14] They have two sons.[15]
Rea is an Ambassador for UNICEF Ireland.[16] He lives in County Donegal.[17]
Filmography
Film
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 Viktor Burakov
1996 Michael Collins Ned Broy
1996 Trojan 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 film
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 film
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 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
Television
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
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 [de] 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 Lt. 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 and Order: SVU Callum 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
Stage
Year Title Playwright Theatre
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 Royal Court Theatre, London
1973 The Freedom of the City Brian Friel Royal Court Theatre, London
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
2016 Cyprus Avenue David Ireland Royal Court Theatre, London
