Stephen Graham first came to prominence as the cockney wide boy Tommy, sidekick to Jason Statham's character Turkish in Snatch. His sweet, innocent performance hit the perfect note for the none-too-sharp wannabe gangster in Guy Ritchie's film. Snatch was a great calling card, which did much to get the young Graham noticed, yet incredibly it barely hinted at the range this talented British actor was capable of delivering.
Stephen Graham's Career Defining Performances
Stand out performances followed in films such as This is England and The Damned United, and in the recent British TV show about the conflict in Iraq Occupation, but Graham really hit the big time with a role alongside Johnny Depp and Christian Bale in Michael Mann's refined and intelligent Summer blockbuster Public Enemies. He's soon set to play another famous gangster too, Al Capone, in the Martin Scorsese produced HBO television project Boardwalk Empire. The pilot show is in pre-production with many big names attached such as Steve Buscemi, Kelly McDonald and The Wire's Michael K. Williams. It won't be the first time Graham has worked for Scorsese either, as he also had a role in the epic Gangs of New York.
Stephen Graham and Hannah Walters
Stephen Graham may be carving out a career that sees him becoming famous for playing thugs and psychopaths, but in real life he is a happily married family man. Graham has shared screen time with his wife Hannah Walters on a couple of occasions. She played the shoe shop assistant during that funny but truth-ringing scene in This Is England where young Shaun (Tommo Turgoose) wants to buy a pair of Dr Marten boots, but his Mum wants him to get a cheaper more sensible pair. Hannah and Stephen also both appeared in the critically panned film Filth and Wisdom, which was mostly famous for being directed by the ex Mrs Ritchie - Madonna.
Stephen Graham - Friends and Family
Stephen Graham was born in 1973 in Kirby which is in Liverpool, England. He and his wife Hannah Walters have two children, Grace and Alfie. Since appearing alongside him in Gangs of New York, Graham has maintained a friendship with Leonardo DiCaprio, who was actually the one who recommended him to director Michael Mann for Public Enemies. In a recent interview with Patrick Barkham (The Guardian, 1st July 2009), Graham describes making a video audition for Mann in which he pretended to rob a bank using his son's plastic toy golf club as a gun. (So that's how you get a part in a top director's opus!) He also chatted happily about how well he got on with Johnny Depp, his ongoing friendship with Tommo Turgoose from This Is England, and how he hopes to work with director Shane Meadows again – possibly on the much feted collaboration with actor Paddy Considine, King of the Gypsies.
Check back on Suite101 for news such as: What's Stephen Graham doing next? And read about Stephen Graham's remarkable performance in This Is England here.
