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 Kevin
Walker on the ABC Television Network’s “Brothers & Sisters”
Matthew Rhys was born and raised
in the historic city of Cardiff, South Wales. He was educated in the
Welsh language, which remains his first language. At seventeen, after
playing the lead role of Elvis in a school musical, Rhys realized that a
career in farming or in the armed forces was not for him. As a result,
he applied to and was accepted at the prestigious Royal Academy of
Dramatic Art in London (RADA). Shortly thereafter, in 1993, he was
awarded the Patricia Rothermere Scholarship. During his time at RADA,
Rhys appeared in "Back-Up," the BBC police series about the
operational support units Hooli Vans, as well as in "House of
America." He then returned to Cardiff to act in his own language in
the Welsh film "Bydd yn Wrol" ("Be Brave"), for
which he won Best Actor at the Welsh BAFTA's.
In January 1998, Rhys went to
New Zealand to star in "Green Stone," a colonial costume drama
for television. He then landed a role in Julie Taymor's critically
acclaimed adaptation of "Titus," starring Anthony Hopkins and
Jessica Lange. Next he played Ray in Peter Hewitt's quirky film comedy,
"Whatever Happened to Harold Smith?" After returning to Wales,
he did two consecutive films with Jonathan Price -- "The Testimony
of Taliesin Jones," a film about a dysfunctional single-parent
family in which he played the elder son, and Sara Sugarman's
extraordinary comedy "Very Annie Mary," in which he played the
role of Nob.
In 2000 Rhys played the lead
role in "Metropolis," a drama series for Granada about the
lives of six twenty-somethings living in London. Next he starred in
"Peaches," the film of the celebrated play written and
directed by Nick Grosso. Rhys opened to huge critical acclaim when he
starred as Benjamin in the 2000 world premiere of the stage adaptation
of "The Graduate," alongside Kathleen Turner at the Gielgud
Theatre in London's West End.
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