Toby Stephens became one of our favorite period drama actors after seeing him for the first time in Jane Eyre. Since then, we tracked his work and tried to see most of it. When we heard he was to play Prince John in BBC’s Robin Hood, we thought it might be the perfect excuse to dedicate a week to this talented and charismatic man and some of his series/movies. We hope you’ll enjoy it as much as we do!
Born in London the 21th April 1969, Toby Stephens is the son of the very talented and known actress Maggie Smith and the also famous actor Robert Stephens. He attended the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art and started his career with the prestigious Royal Shakespeare Company. Two years later he receives a John Gielgud Award for his performance as Coriolanus in the Shakespeare play Coriolanus. He also got his debut in the cinema in 1992 and landed the role of Othello in Orlando, a movie by Sally Potter (and one of Alex’s favorite movies).
His career is steady and filled with powerful roles in the cinema, TV and the theater. Even after being part of the James Bond movie, Die Another Day (2002), Stephens prefers the stage. In 2005 he goes into another adventure and plays the British army captain in The Rising: Ballad of Mangal Pandey. A year later, he’s part of the new BBC adaptation of Jane Eyre as the brooding and mysterious Edward Rochester.
He recently joined the cast of BBC’s Robin Hood as Prince John and we can certainly say that he will be a great addition to the series.
Filmography (only period dramas related)
Cinema:
1992: Orlando as Othello
1996: Twelfth Night as Duke Orsino
1997: Photographing Fairies as Charles Castle
1998: Cousin Bette as Victorin Hulot
1999: Onegin as Vladimir Lensky
2001: Possession as Fergus Wolfe
2005: Midsummer Dream as the voice of Demetrius
2005: The Rising: Ballad of Mangal Pandey as Captain William Gordon
TV:
1992: The Camomile Lawn as Oliver
1996: The Tenant of Wildfell Hall as Gilbert Markham
2000: The Great Gatsby as Jay Gatsby
2002: Napoleon as Tsar Alexander I
2003: Cambridge Spies as Kim Philby
2003: Agatha Christie’s Poirot Five Little Pigs as Philip Blake
2004: London as Casanova
2006: Sharpe’s Challenge as William Dodd
2006: Jane Eyre as Edward Fairfax Rochester
2007: The Wild West – Custer’s Last Stand as General George Armstrong Custer
2009: Robin Hood – Series 3 as Prince John of England
(Lists based in Wikipedia’s entry about Toby Stephens)
More informations about Toby Stephens:
We leave you with our monthly discussion about Jane Eyre:
{ 13 comments… read them below or add one }
I just realised that I’ve only watched Jane Eyre and The Tenant of Wilfell Hall. Must get to work! :-)
LOL Strangely enough I saw most of these movies but I don’t remember him, except for 4-5 of them. It’s always a good excuse to make a Toby Stephens marathon. ;-)
all i can say it’s that ever since i saw a bit of him in Jane eyre i became a HUGE fan! he will be in play called the Doll’s House, wich starts in the end of these month. Unfortunatley there aren’t any tickets left!! :(
May I post a link to these on the forum where his career is discussed??
He was great in Sharpe’s Challenge and the reason why I watch Die Another Day. I like him playing the villain. :D
Whitelady3, he plays the vilain most of the times. He likes it for him is a challenge!
Sure Madrigal, the more the merrier. ;-)
Were you planning to watch the play?
Whitelady I think I might have watched Die Another Day but don’t really remember what it was about or TS’s character. I haven’t watched Sharpe but I’m very curious about it (I just love Sean Bean btw ;-) )
I do like him, especially in the Tenant of Wildfell Hall, but I’m sorry, the Jane Eyre with Timothy Dalton is the best. :)
thank you, Ana T.
I didn’t go two years ago when he was on stage. So i did plan to go when he returned. All the tickets were sold out long before anyone knew he was part of the cast. I blame all the X-files fan for that!! You see Gillian Anderson is also in these and it’s been known for a while that she was doing these play, so the tickets just flew.
I’m sure there is going to be another oportunity.
Oh I used to be an X-files fan but I must say that now when I think of Gillian Anderson it’s her role in Bleak House that comes to mind. I loved Bleak House.
It’s been forever since I went to the theatre but with such cast I would definitely be tempted. I hope you get your opportunity soon as I would love to hear all about it. :-)
Don’t like the photo with the mustache! I’ll drool only on top of the other :P
I’ve only seen him in the James Bond Movie and in Jane Eyre recently, where I fell in love ;)
And I must have seen him in the Poirot episode as I’ve seen them all but I don’t remember :)
A mustache is easily shaved! :P
O dear lord. You’ve never seen Toby Stephens before Jane Eyre? You HAVE to watch Great Gatsby…seriously…sigh. And he’s pretty dang good in Twelfth Night as Duke Orsino. But seriously…watch Great Gatsby NOW. :)
LOL putting The Great Gatsby and Twelfth Night in the TBS pile as I type. Actually Alex had already sent me a teaser of Twelfth Night so I was aware of that one.
Thanks for the recommendation. :-)