Rafe Spall
Encyclopedia
Rafe Joseph Spall is an English actor. He is best known for his roles in the Edgar Wright
films Shaun of the Dead
(2004) and Hot Fuzz
(2007), alongside Simon Pegg
and Nick Frost
. He had previously appeared alongside Pegg and Frost in a 2001 episode of Spaced
. He also collaborated with Edgar Wright again in the segment Don't in the 2007 film Grindhouse. He also appeared in the film Sus
and plays the title character in Pete versus Life
.
. He lives in West Kensington
with his wife Elize du Toit
, whom he married on 14 August 2010. They have a daughter, Lena, born in 2011.
He was named after the title character in The Knight of the Burning Pestle
, which his father played in the Royal Shakespeare Company
's 1981 production of the play and which Rafe himself played in 2005.
He attended the school Haberdashers' Aske's Hatcham College
in New Cross Gate.
From 2004–2006 he was in a relationship with his The Rotter's Club co-star Alice Eve
. In 2007 he dated Alexandra Mann, a designer and stylist.
In 2005 he featured in the film Green Street
as GSE member Swill.
Edgar Wright
Edgar Howard Wright is an English film and television director and writer. He is most famous for his work with Simon Pegg and Nick Frost on the films Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz, the TV series Spaced, and for directing the film Scott Pilgrim vs...
films Shaun of the Dead
Shaun of the Dead
Shaun of the Dead is a 2004 British zombie comedy directed by Edgar Wright, starring Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, and written by Pegg and Wright. Pegg plays Shaun, a man attempting to get some kind of focus in his life as he deals with his girlfriend, his mother and stepfather...
(2004) and Hot Fuzz
Hot Fuzz
Hot Fuzz is a 2007 British action dark comedy film written by Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright, and starring Pegg and Nick Frost. The three had previously worked together on the 2004 film Shaun of the Dead as well as the television series Spaced...
(2007), alongside Simon Pegg
Simon Pegg
Simon Pegg is an English actor, comedian, writer, film producer, and director. He is best known for having co-written and stared in various Edgar Wright features, mainly Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, and the comedy series Spaced.He also portrayed Montgomery "Scotty" Scott in the 2009 Star Trek film...
and Nick Frost
Nick Frost
Nicholas John "Nick" Frost is an English actor, comedian and screenwriter. He is best known for his work with Edgar Wright and Simon Pegg in the role of Mike Watt in the television comedy Spaced, as well as the film characters Ed in Shaun of the Dead, PC/Sgt...
. He had previously appeared alongside Pegg and Frost in a 2001 episode of Spaced
Spaced
Spaced is a British television sitcom written by and starring Simon Pegg and Jessica Stevenson, and directed by Edgar Wright. It is noted for its rapid-fire editing, frequent pop culture references and jokes, eclectic music, and occasional displays of surrealism and non-sequitur humour...
. He also collaborated with Edgar Wright again in the segment Don't in the 2007 film Grindhouse. He also appeared in the film Sus
Sus (film)
Sus is a 2010 British drama film directed by Robert Heath and starring Ralph Brown, Clint Dyer and Rafe Spall. It is set in a police station on the evening of the 1979 General Election, where a black suspect is brought in and interrogated on suspicion of murder. It was written by Barrie Keeffe...
and plays the title character in Pete versus Life
Pete versus Life
Pete versus Life is a Channel 4 sitcom created by George Jeffrie and Bert Tyler-Moore. It stars Rafe Spall and the first episode was aired on 6 August 2010...
.
Background
Spall was born in King's College Hospital, Camberwell, London, England and is the son of actor Timothy SpallTimothy Spall
Timothy Leonard Spall, OBE is an English character actor and occasional presenter.-Early life:Spall, the third of four sons, was born in Battersea, London. His mother, Sylvia R. , was a hairdresser, and his father, Joseph L. Spall, was a postal worker...
. He lives in West Kensington
West Kensington
- Commercial/education :Local business consists of small shops, offices and restaurants, with the Olympia Exhibition Centre nearby. Indeed, it is the mix of local shops that give the area its character....
with his wife Elize du Toit
Elize Du Toit
Elize du Toit is a South African born actress best known for playing the role of Izzy Davies in the Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks from 2000 to 2004, with a brief return in 2007.-Biography:...
, whom he married on 14 August 2010. They have a daughter, Lena, born in 2011.
He was named after the title character in The Knight of the Burning Pestle
The Knight of the Burning Pestle
The Knight of the Burning Pestle is a play by Francis Beaumont, first performed in 1607 and first published in a quarto in 1613. It is notable as the first whole parody play in English...
, which his father played in the Royal Shakespeare Company
Royal Shakespeare Company
The Royal Shakespeare Company is a major British theatre company, based in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England. The company employs 700 staff and produces around 20 productions a year from its home in Stratford-upon-Avon and plays regularly in London, Newcastle-upon-Tyne and on tour across...
's 1981 production of the play and which Rafe himself played in 2005.
He attended the school Haberdashers' Aske's Hatcham College
Haberdashers' Aske's Hatcham College
Haberdashers' Aske's Hatcham College is an Academy secondary school located. in New Cross. The school was formerly a Grammar school, then a comprehensive City Technology College and now an Academy operating between two sites near New Cross Gate in South-East London...
in New Cross Gate.
From 2004–2006 he was in a relationship with his The Rotter's Club co-star Alice Eve
Alice Eve
Alice Sophia Eve is an English actress. She is known for her lead in She's Out of My League and also appeared in Sex and the City 2. She will also star in the up-coming The Decoy Bride and Men in Black III.- Early life :...
. In 2007 he dated Alexandra Mann, a designer and stylist.
In 2005 he featured in the film Green Street
Green Street
Green Street is a 2005 British/American independent drama film about football hooliganism in England. It was directed by Lexi Alexander and stars Elijah Wood and Charlie Hunnam. In the United States and Australia, the film is called Green Street Hooligans, while in the United Kingdom it has the...
as GSE member Swill.
Films
- Beginner's Luck (2001)
- Shaun of the DeadShaun of the DeadShaun of the Dead is a 2004 British zombie comedy directed by Edgar Wright, starring Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, and written by Pegg and Wright. Pegg plays Shaun, a man attempting to get some kind of focus in his life as he deals with his girlfriend, his mother and stepfather...
(2004) as Noel - The Calcium KidThe Calcium KidThe Calcium Kid is a British mockumentary comedy film which was released in 2004. This film is presented in the style of a fictional documentary or a "Mockumentary". It stars Orlando Bloom as a milkman and amateur boxer. Billie Piper and Michael Peña are also featured...
(2004) as Stan - Green StreetGreen StreetGreen Street is a 2005 British/American independent drama film about football hooliganism in England. It was directed by Lexi Alexander and stars Elijah Wood and Charlie Hunnam. In the United States and Australia, the film is called Green Street Hooligans, while in the United Kingdom it has the...
(2005) as Swill - The Last Drop (2005) as Pvt Wellings
- KidulthoodKidulthoodKidulthood is a 2006 British drama film about the life of several teenagers in Ladbroke Grove and Latimer Road area of inner west London. It was directed by Menhaj Huda and written by Noel Clarke, who also stars in the film and directed the sequel, Adulthood...
(2006) as Lenny - A Good YearA Good YearA Good Year is a 2006 British romantic comedy film, set in London and Provence. It was directed by Ridley Scott, with an international cast including Russell Crowe, Marion Cotillard, Didier Bourdon, Abbie Cornish and Albert Finney...
(2006) as Kenny - Hot FuzzHot FuzzHot Fuzz is a 2007 British action dark comedy film written by Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright, and starring Pegg and Nick Frost. The three had previously worked together on the 2004 film Shaun of the Dead as well as the television series Spaced...
(2007) as DC Cartwright - Get Off My Land (2007, shortShort subjectA short film is any film not long enough to be considered a feature film. No consensus exists as to where that boundary is drawn: the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of 40 minutes or less, including all...
) - Close (2008, short)
- The Scouting Book For Boys (2009)
- Modern Life Is Rubbish (2009, short)
- Behind the Door (2010, short)
- SusSus (film)Sus is a 2010 British drama film directed by Robert Heath and starring Ralph Brown, Clint Dyer and Rafe Spall. It is set in a police station on the evening of the 1979 General Election, where a black suspect is brought in and interrogated on suspicion of murder. It was written by Barrie Keeffe...
(2010) - AnonymousAnonymous (film)Anonymous is a political thriller and historical drama which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 11, 2011. Directed by Roland Emmerich and written by John Orloff, the movie is a fictionalized version of the life of Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford, an Elizabethan...
(2011) as William ShakespeareWilliam ShakespeareWilliam Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"... - One DayOne Day (film)One Day is a film directed by Lone Scherfig. It was adapted by David Nicholls from his 2009 novel of the same name. It stars Anne Hathaway and Jim Sturgess...
(2011) as Ian
Stage
- A Prayer For Owen Meany: On Faith (2002, National TheatreRoyal National TheatreThe Royal National Theatre in London is one of the United Kingdom's two most prominent publicly funded theatre companies, alongside the Royal Shakespeare Company...
) as various characters - Just A Bloke (2002, Royal Court TheatreRoyal Court TheatreThe Royal Court Theatre is a non-commercial theatre on Sloane Square, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. It is noted for its contributions to modern theatre...
) as Nathan - The Knight of the Burning Pestle (2005, Young Vic Theatre) as Rafe
- John Gabriel BorkmanJohn Gabriel BorkmanJohn Gabriel Borkman is the penultimate composition of the Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen, written in 1896.-Plot:The Borkman family fortunes have been brought low by the imprisonment of John Gabriel who used his position as a bank manager to illegally speculate with his investors' money...
(2007, Donmar WarehouseDonmar WarehouseDonmar Warehouse is a small not-for-profit theatre in the Covent Garden area of London, with a capacity of 251.-About:Under the artistic leadership of Michael Grandage, the theatre has presented some of London’s most memorable award-winning theatrical experiences, as well as garnered critical...
) as Erhart Borkman - Alaska by DC Moore (2007, Royal Court Theatre) as Frank
- Hello and Goodbye (2008, English Touring TheatreEnglish Touring TheatreThe English Touring Theatre is a touring theatre company in England. It is England's only touring company to receive a government subsidy for producing work for larger theatres, which is its main work...
) as Johnny - If There Is I Haven't Found It YetIf There Is I Haven't Found It YetIf There Is I Haven't Found It Yet is the first full length professionally produced play by the British playwright Nick Payne. It was produced at the Bush Theatre in London in 2009 receiving very positive reviews and earned Payne a nomination for the Evening Standard Award for Most Promising...
(2009, Bush TheatreBush TheatreThe Bush Theatre is based in Shepherd's Bush, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. It was established in 1972 above The Bush public house by Brian McDermott, and has since become one of the most celebrated new writing theatres in the world. An intimate venue renowned for its close-up...
)
Television
- Out of Control (2002) as Ray
- The Lion in Winter (2003) as Prince John
- The Legend of the Tamworth Two (2004) as Crustie
- The Rotters' Club (2005) as Sean Harding
- Twisted Tales (2005) guest starring as Dominic in the episode "Death Metal Chronicles"
- The Romantics (2006) as John ClareJohn ClareJohn Clare was an English poet, born the son of a farm labourer who came to be known for his celebratory representations of the English countryside and his lamentation of its disruption. His poetry underwent a major re-evaluation in the late 20th century and he is often now considered to be among...
- The Chatterley AffairThe Chatterley AffairThe Chatterley Affair is a BBC television drama, produced by BBC Wales and broadcast on BBC Four on 20 March, 2006. It is an account of the obscenity trial surrounding the publication of Lady Chatterley's Lover in 1960...
(2006) as Keith - CrackerCracker (UK TV series)Cracker is a British crime drama series produced by Granada Television for ITV and created and principally written by Jimmy McGovern. The series is centered on a criminal psychologist , Eddie "Fitz" Fitzgerald, played by Robbie Coltrane. Set in Manchester, it consists of three series which were...
(2006) as DS McAllister - Wide Sargasso SeaWide Sargasso Sea (TV)Wide Sargasso Sea is a British television adaptation of Jean Rhys's 1966 novel of the same name.Produced by Kudos Film & Television for BBC Wales, the one-off 90-minute drama was first broadcast on digital television channel BBC Four on October 9, 2006...
(2006) as Edward Rochester - Dracula (2006) as Jonathan Harker
- A Room with a ViewA Room with a View (2007 TV drama)A Room with a View is televised adaptation of E. M. Forster's novel, A Room with a View, written by Andrew Davies. It was announced in 2006 and filmed in the summer of 2007...
(2007) as George Emerson - He Kills Coppers (2008) as Frank
- Frankie Howerd: Rather You Than Me (2008) as Dennis Heymer
- Why Didn't They Ask Evans? (2008) as Roger Bassington
- Desperate RomanticsDesperate RomanticsDesperate Romantics is a six-part television drama serial about the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, first broadcast on BBC Two between 21 July and 25 August 2009.-Overview:...
(2009) as William 'Maniac' HuntWilliam Holman HuntWilliam Holman Hunt OM was an English painter, and one of the founders of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood.-Biography:... - Pete versus LifePete versus LifePete versus Life is a Channel 4 sitcom created by George Jeffrie and Bert Tyler-Moore. It stars Rafe Spall and the first episode was aired on 6 August 2010...
(2010) as Pete Griffiths - The Shadow LineThe Shadow Line (TV series)The Shadow Line is a seven-part British television drama serial produced by Company Pictures/Eight Rooks Ltd/Baby Cow/CinemaNX production for BBC Two...
(2011) as Jay Wratten
Radio
- The Real ThingThe Real Thing (play)The Real Thing is a play by Tom Stoppard, first performed in 1982. It examines the nature of honesty, and its use of a play within a play is one of many levels on which the author teases the audience with the difference between semblance and reality....
(2006, BBC Radio 4) as Billy - Hide (2007, BBC Radio 3) as the convict
- Words and Music: Crushed (2008, BBC radio 3) as a guest reader
- The Daily Bacon BBC Radio 5 Live 3 August 2010
External links
- Interview about the BBC's The Rotters' Club