Luke Evans
Luke Evans | |
|---|---|
 Luke Evans at WonderCon 2011 | |
| Born | April 15, 1979 |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 2000–present |
Luke Evans (born April 15, 1979) is a Welsh theatre and film actor. He is known to theatregoers for his stage roles in productions such as Rent, Miss Saigon and Avenue Q, and to filmgoers for his roles in films such as Clash of the Titans and Tamara Drewe.
Early life
Luke Evans was born and raised in Aberbargoed,[1] a small town in the Rhymney Valley, South Wales. At the age of 17, he moved to Cardiff,[2] where he studied under the supervision of Louise Ryan, an established singing coach.[3] In 1997 he won a scholarship to The London Studio Centre in Kings Cross, London.[4] He graduated in 2000.
Career
From 2000 to 2008 Evans starred in many of London's West End productions including La Cava, Taboo, Rent, Miss Saigon and Avenue Q as well as several fringe shows in London and at the Edinburgh Festival.
In 2008 he landed his most significant theatre role playing Vincent in the play Small Change written and directed by Peter Gill at the Donmar Warehouse, it was significant in that he gained recognition from film casting directors and US agencies from this play and he was also nominated for the Evening Standard award for best newcomer because of his performance in Small Change. Later that same year he did his second show at the Donmar Warehouse, Piaf, in which he played Yve Montand.
Evans got his first film audition aged 30. In 2009 he landed his first film playing the Greek god Apollo in the 2010 remake Clash of the Titans. That same year he appeared as Clive in the film Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll directed by Matt Whitecross, as the Sheriff of Nottingham's thug in Robin Hood playing alongside Matthew MacFadyen (who he would later play alongside again in 2010 as a Musketeer), later that same year Evans went on to portray DI Craig Stokes in Blitz (2011), the film adaptation of Ken Bruen's novel of the same name in which he stars with Jason Statham and Paddy Considine and then finished 2009 playing the role of the handyman and good guy, Andy in director Stephen Frears’ film Tamara Drewe, based on Posy Simmond's comic strip in the Guardian Newspaper under the same name, which later became a graphic novel. In early 2010, he shot the independent movie, Flutter, directed by Giles Borg, and then landed a lead role in Tarsem Singhs Greek epic, Immortals, in which he played the King of the Gods, Zeus.
In that same year he went on to play the Musketeer Aramis in Paul W.S. Anderson's version of The Three Musketeers, at the end of 2010 he starred alongside John Cusack in James McTeigue's film The Raven, replacing Jeremy Renner. In the film, Evans plays Detective Emmett Fields, who investigates a series of murders alongside Cusack's Edgar Allan Poe, set in mid-19th century Baltimore.[5] Shooting is taking place in Budapest and Serbia from November 2010. In 2011 He will be shooting No One Lives, a Psychological Horror film directed by Ryuhei Kitamara, in New Orleans and will then start shooting Peter Jackson's upcoming two-part adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit playing the role of Bard the Bowman.[6]
Personal life
During his early career Evans openly identified as gay. In a 2002 interview he said "[E]verybody knew me as a gay man, and in my life in London I never tried to hide it" and that by being open he wouldn't have "that skeleton in the closet they can rattle out".[7] In 2004 he said that his acting career had not suffered by being out.[8]
In September 2010, Evans was romantically linked with a woman.[9]
Filmography
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Taboo | Billy | short |
| 2010 | Cowards and Monsters | Paul | short |
| Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll | Clive Richards | ||
| Clash of the Titans | Apollo | ||
| Robin Hood | Sheriff's Thug | ||
| Tamara Drewe | Andy Cobb | ||
| 2011 | Blitz | DI Craig Stokes | |
| The Three Musketeers | Aramis | post-production | |
| Immortals | Zeus | post-production | |
| Flutter | Adrian | completed | |
| 2012 | Ashes | Crewcut | post-production |
| The Raven | Inspector Emmett Fields | post-production | |
| No One Lives | Driver | filming | |
| The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey | Bard | filming | |
| The Amateur American | pre-production | ||
| 2013 | The Hobbit: There and Back Again | Bard | filming |
References
- ^ WalesOnline - Lifestyle - Showbiz - Evans finds himself among the stars
- ^ Luke Evans Interview TAMARA DREWE
- ^ Welsh actor Luke Evans is hot Hollywood property - Wales News - News - WalesOnline
- ^ Luke Evans | MYmovies
- ^ Leins, Jeff. "Luke Evans, Alice Eve Join 'The Raven'". News in Film. Retrieved October 13, 2010.
- ^ Fleming, Mike (2011-06-16). "Luke Evans To Play Bard in 'The Hobbit'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 2011-06-16.
- ^ Barclay, Paris (2002-09-03). "Breaking the Taboo". The Advocate. Retrieved August 4, 2011.
- ^ "Luke Goes Hardcore" (PDF). QX Magazine. July 2004. Retrieved July 8, 2011.
- ^ Turner, Robin (September 19, 2010). "Tamara Drew star lands love and new role - Wales News". WalesOnline. Retrieved August 9, 2011.
External links
- Luke Evans at IMDb