Stephen Graham
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Stephen Graham, born August 3rd, 1973, is an English actor and film producer whose career ignited in 1990. Early on, he made his mark in films like Snatch in 2000 and Gangs of New York in 2002. But it was his raw portrayal of Andrew "Combo" Gascoigne in the 2006 film *This Is England* that truly catapulted him into the spotlight.
His television work is equally impressive, reprising his iconic role as Combo in the *This Is England* series sequels: '86, '88, and '90. He's also captivated audiences in *Little Boy Blue*, graced the fifth series of *Line of Duty*, navigated the gritty world of HBO's *Boardwalk Empire*, delivered a powerful performance in the BBC drama *Time*, and joined the formidable cast of *Peaky Blinders* for its sixth season.
In 2025, Graham showcased his multifaceted talent by creating, co-writing, and executive producing the Netflix miniseries *Adolescence*, where he also appeared. This ambitious project earned him a remarkable three nominations and wins at the 77th Primetime Emmy Awards.
Graham's filmography boasts a stellar lineup, including *Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy* (2011), the swashbuckling adventures of *Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides* (2011) and *Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales* (2017), Scorsese's epic *The Irishman* (2019), the intense single-shot film *Boiling Point* (2021) and its subsequent series, and the blockbuster hits *Venom: Let There Be Carnage* (2021) and its sequel *Venom: The Last Dance* (2024).
His exceptional performances have garnered him seven nominations for British Academy Television Awards and one for a British Academy Film Award. In recognition of his significant contributions to drama, he was appointed OBE in 2023.
Born in Kirkby, Lancashire, Stephen Graham's upbringing was shaped by his social worker mother and his stepfather, a mechanic who later became a paediatric nurse. He maintained a close bond with his biological father and has spoken openly about his multiracial heritage, influenced by his Swedish grandmother and Jamaican grandfather.
His passion for acting was ignited at the tender age of eight when local actor Andrew Schofield encouraged him after seeing his performance as Jim Hawkins in a school production of *Treasure Island*. This early encouragement led him to further education at Ruffwood School and eventually to Liverpool's Everyman Theatre at 14, followed by formal training at the Rose Bruford College of Theatre & Performance.
Graham's career, launched in 1990, saw him gain early recognition in *Snatch* as Tommy, as Myron "Mike" Ranney in *Band of Brothers* (2001), and as Shang in *Gangs of New York* (2002). However, his defining moment arrived with his portrayal of Andrew "Combo" Gascoigne in *This Is England* (2006), a role that earned him a British Independent Film Award nomination. He revisited the character of Combo in the television series *This Is England '86* (2010), *This Is England '88* (2011), and *This Is England '90* (2015). His television presence expanded with his role as Det. Supt. Dave Kelly in the 2017 drama *Little Boy Blue*, John Corbett in the fifth series of *Line of Duty* (2019), Al Capone in the HBO series *Boardwalk Empire* (2010–2014), Eric McNally in the BBC drama *Time* (2021), and Hayden Stagg in the sixth series of *Peaky Blinders* (2022).
On the big screen, Graham appeared as the Scrum in *Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides* (2011), a role he reprised in *Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales* (2017), sharing the screen with his wife, Hannah Walters. His other notable film credits include Anthony Provenzano in *The Irishman* (2019) and Patrick Mulligan in *Venom: Let There Be Carnage* (2021) and its sequel *Venom: The Last Dance* (2024). Graham has earned acclaim for his versatility in portraying characters from diverse regions, particularly for his masterful accent work.
Beyond his acting roles, Graham has appeared in music videos for artists like Deadmau5 and Kaskade, Arctic Monkeys, Babybird, Gazelle, The Virginmarys, Travis, Kasabian, Goldie, and Sam Fender, for whom he played the father figure. In 2011, he starred in the BBC Christmas show *Lapland*, which was later remade as *Being Eileen*. He also featured in a promotional video for the video game *Call of Duty: Ghosts*.
In 2019, Graham's portrayal of DS John Corbett in *Line of Duty* garnered significant attention. That same year, he was a guest on BBC Radio 4's *Desert Island Discs*. In 2020, he appeared in the ITV series *White House Farm* as Welsh detective "Taff" Jones, though his Welsh accent faced some critical scrutiny.
The year 2021 saw Graham star alongside his wife Hannah Walters in the critically acclaimed film *Boiling Point*, directed by his *Band of Brothers* co-star Philip Barantini. This single-shot film, an expansion of a 2019 short, led to a BBC One series sequel in 2023, also titled *Boiling Point*.
Graham's dedication to his craft has been recognized with an RTS Award for his work in *The Street* and a British Independent Film Award for *This Is England*. He has been nominated for five British Academy Television Awards and two British Academy Film Awards, and was appointed an OBE in 2023.
Looking ahead, Graham created, co-wrote, and executive produced the 2025 Netflix miniseries *Adolescence*, in which he also starred. The series received widespread critical acclaim and earned him three Primetime Emmy Awards. He also appeared in the British historical drama series *A Thousand Blows*.
In 2020, he co-founded the production company Matriarch Productions with his wife, Hannah Walters.
In recognition of his outstanding contributions to drama, Stephen Graham was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2023 New Year Honours. He dedicated this honour to his mother, who passed away in 2022.
Stephen Graham's personal life is rooted in his relationship with actress and producer Hannah Walters. They met while training at Rose Bruford College and have since married. As of February 2018, they reside in Ibstock, Leicestershire, with their son and daughter. Graham has spoken about his struggles with dyslexia, with Walters often assisting him in script readings and role decisions. He is teetotal and has been open about his past battles with depression. A lifelong supporter of Liverpool FC, Graham has made appearances on Sky Sports's *Soccer AM*. In December 2024, he faced an FA investigation following an incident at a non-league football match.
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Stephen Graham (born 3 August 1973) is an English actor and film producer. He began his career in 1990, with early notable roles in Snatch (2000) and Gangs of New York (2002), before his breakthrough role as Andrew "Combo" Gascoigne in the film This Is England (2006).
On television, Graham reprised his role as Combo in This Is England '86, This Is England '88, and This Is England '90. He also starred in the drama Little Boy Blue, in the fifth series of Line of Duty, in the HBO series Boardwalk Empire, in the BBC drama Time, and in the sixth series of Peaky Blinders. He created, co-wrote and executive produced the miniseries Adolescence (2025) on Netflix, in which he also appeared, and won all of three nominations at the 77th Primetime Emmy Awards for it.
Graham's film appearances include Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011), Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011) and Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales (2017), The Irishman (2019), Boiling Point (2021) and its sequel series of the same name (2023), and Venom: Let There Be Carnage (2021) and its sequel Venom: The Last Dance (2024).
He has received nominations for seven British Academy Television Awards and one British Academy Film Award. He was appointed OBE in 2023.
== Early life ==
Stephen Graham was born in Kirkby, Lancashire, on 3 August 1973. He was brought up by his mother, a social worker, and his stepfather, a mechanic who later became a paediatric nurse. He maintained a good relationship with his biological father. He has a Swedish grandmother and Jamaican grandfather, both on his biological father's side, and has discussed his experience being a light-skinned multiracial person, as he has brothers who have much darker skin.
He attended Overdale Primary School in Kirkby, where he was encouraged to pursue an acting career at the age of eight by local actor Andrew Schofield, who had seen him perform as Jim Hawkins in a school production of Treasure Island. He then continued his education at Ruffwood School and was subsequently introduced to Liverpool's Everyman Theatre at the age of 14, later going on to train at the Rose Bruford College of Theatre & Performance.
== Career ==
Graham began his career in 1990, with early notable roles including Tommy in Snatch (2000), Myron "Mike" Ranney in Band of Brothers (2001), and Shang in Gangs of New York (2002), before his breakout role as Andrew "Combo" Gascoigne in the film This Is England (2006), the last of which garnered a nomination for a British Independent Film Award. He reprised his role as Combo on television in This Is England '86 (2010), This Is England '88 (2011), and This Is England '90 (2015). He also starred as Det. Supt. Dave Kelly in the 2017 drama Little Boy Blue, John Corbett in the fifth series of Line of Duty (2019), Al Capone in the HBO series Boardwalk Empire (2010–2014), Eric McNally in the BBC drama Time (2021), and Hayden Stagg in the sixth series of Peaky Blinders (2022).
He appeared as the Scrum in the 2011 film Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, a role he reprised in the 2017 film Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, starring alongside his wife Hannah Walters. Other film roles include Anthony Provenzano in The Irishman (2019) and Patrick Mulligan in Venom: Let There Be Carnage (2021) and its sequel Venom: The Last Dance (2024).
Graham has often portrayed characters from different parts of Britain, Ireland, and America, receiving praise for his accent work.
He appeared in the music videos for "I Remember" by Deadmau5 and Kaskade, "Fluorescent Adolescent" and "When the Sun Goes Down" by Arctic Monkeys, "Unlovable" by Babybird (directed by Johnny Depp), and Gazelle's single "Finger on the Trigger". Graham appeared in the music video "Soul Vampire" by Macclesfield-based neo-psychedelic band the Virginmarys, the music video for "Turn" by Travis, and Kasabian's video "You're in Love with a Psycho". He appeared as an inmate within the open prison system in the music video for Goldie's "I Adore You" in 2017, and also starred in Sam Fender's music video for "Spit of You", in which he plays Fender's father.
In 2011 Graham starred in the BBC Christmas show Lapland. When the series was remade as Being Eileen, Graham's role was recast with Dean Andrews. He also appeared in "CODnapped", a promotional video for a DLC of the video game Call of Duty: Ghosts.
In 2019 Graham featured as DS John Corbett in series 5 of the BBC drama Line of Duty. In November of that year, Graham was the guest for BBC Radio 4's Desert Island Discs. In January 2020, he appeared in the ITV series White House Farm as Welsh detective "Taff" Jones. Despite his reputation for his ability to adopt different accents, a number of critics criticised his performance and stated that his Welsh accent was inauthentic.
In 2021 he starred alongside his wife Hannah Walters in the film Boiling Point, directed by his Band of Brothers co-star Philip Barantini. A one-shot film set in a restaurant kitchen, the film was expanded from a 2019 short film of the same name. In October 2022, it was announced that Graham would reprise his role in a BBC One series airing in 2023 as a sequel to the film, also named Boiling Point.
Graham was nominated for an RTS Award for his work in The Street, and for a British Independent Film Award for his work in This Is England. He has received nominations for five British Academy Television Awards and two British Academy Film Awards. He was made an OBE in 2023.
In 2025 he created, co-wrote and executive produced the miniseries Adolescence on Netflix, in which he also appeared. The series was widely praised by critics and he won all of three nominations at the 77th Primetime Emmy Awards for it.
Graham also appeared in the British historical drama series A Thousand Blows.
=== Production company ===
In 2020 he co-founded the production company Matriarch Productions with his wife, Hannah Walters.
== Recognition ==
Graham was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2023 New Year Honours for services to drama, which he dedicated to his mother, who died in 2022.
== Personal life ==
Graham began dating actress and producer Hannah Walters after they met while training as actors at Rose Bruford College, and they later married. As of February 2018 they live in Ibstock, Leicestershire, having previously lived in the Beckenham area of London. They have a son and a daughter together.
Graham has dyslexia, revealing in 2019 that Walters reads scripts for him and helps him decide whether to accept a role. He is teetotal and has struggled with depression, having once tried to hang himself in his early 20s, stating that he only survived because "the rope snapped".
He is a lifelong supporter of Liverpool FC and made several appearances on Sky Sports's Soccer AM. In December 2024, he faced an FA investigation after verbally abusing a referee at a non-league football match in Leicestershire.
== Filmography ==
=== Film ===
=== Television ===
=== Music videos ===
== Awards and nominations ==
== References ==
== Notes ==
== External links ==
Stephen Graham at the British Film Institute
Stephen Graham at IMDb
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