Matthew Rhys Height, Age, Children, Family, Biography

Some Lesser Known Facts About Matthew Rhys

• Matthew Rhys grew up in a Welsh-speaking family.

• His father’s family belonged to Machynlleth in Mid Wales, where his relatives worked as farmers.

• His mother’s family belonged to Fishguard in Pembrokeshire and had a connection with the sea.

• Therefore, Matthew Rhys spent his childhood between two very different environments. He once stated in the media that his father’s side gave him the experience of farming, while his mother’s side gave him the experience of beaches, boats, and sailing.

• He once described his childhood as like growing up in two different countries.

• His mother used to play the organ in chapel. His family was involved in Welsh cultural life.

• Matthew Rhys grew up speaking Welsh.

• During his school days, he was interested in playing rugby and farming. He was also known for doing impressions and making people laugh.
  

  A childhood picture of Matthew Rhys

• As a child, Matthew Rhys was inspired by the Welsh actor Richard Burton.

• Reportedly, he grew up hearing about Burton and watching his performances. Burton had also come from Wales and had gone from a difficult childhood to becoming a major Hollywood actor.

• He once said in a media talk that Burton was one of the main reasons that he wanted to become an actor.

• As a teenager, he Matthew Rhys used to read the biography of Burton and became fascinated by his life.

• Later, he portrayed Burton in the stage production Playing Burton.

• When he was 17 years old, he played the role of Elvis Presley in a school musical. This experience inspired him to think about acting as a career.

• He then applied to the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) in London and was accepted.

• He began studying there in 1993.

• During his studies at RADA, Matthew Rhys received the Patricia Rothermere Scholarship, an award given to a drama student.
  

  Matthew Rhys during his period at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA)

• After completing his graduation from RADA in 1996, he started appearing in many theatre productions before moving into film and television.

• In 1998, he appeared in the Welsh film Bydd yn Wrol. His performance in the film earned him a BAFTA Cymru Best Actor award that same year.

• That same year, Matthew Rhys worked in the film Elizabeth.

• In 1999, he played the role of Demetrius in Titus, a film adaptation of Shakespeare’s Titus Andronicus. The film starred Anthony Hopkins and Jessica Lange.

• He then went on to appear in many films and television projects, such as Heart (1999), Whatever Happened to Harold Smith? (1999), Sorted (2000), Peaches (2001), Very Annie Mary (2001), The Testimony of Taliesin Jones (2000), The Abduction Club (2002), and Deathwatch (2002).
  

  Matthew Rhys in a still from Deathwatch (2002)

• In the beginning, he played the role of Benjamin Braddock in the stage production of ‘The Graduate,’ opposite actress Kathleen Turner.

• He then became known in British theatre.

• After The Graduate ended, Matthew Rhys went through a difficult period when he did not find any acting jobs.

• He struggled for 18 months to find work. During this period, he even considered joining the British Army.

• He visited a recruitment office in London and attended an interview with an army officer, but the officer was suspicious of him because he was an actor. He was then rejected.

• After that, Matthew Rhys moved to Los Angeles looking for television work.

• In 2006, he appeared in a lead role as Kevin Walker in the ABC television series Brothers & Sisters. The series ended in 2011.
  

  Matthew Rhys at the 2007 GLAAD Awards

• Matthew Rhys then went on to appear in many television shows such as The Mystery of Edwin Drood (2012), Girls (2017), Extrapolations (2023), The American Revolution (2025), and Widow’s Bay (2026).

• In 2008, he played the role of Welsh poet Dylan Thomas in the film The Edge of Love, which also starred Keira Knightley and Sienna Miller.

• Matthew Rhys then appeared in many films, such as The Scapegoat (2012), Burning Palms, Patagonia (2010), The Post (2017), Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle (2018), Watchmen (2024), and Star Wars: Gobaith Newydd (2026).

• In 2017, in the film The Post, directed by Steven Spielberg, he played journalist and political researcher Daniel Ellsberg.

• In 2019, in the film A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, he played the role of a journalist Lloyd Vogel opposite Tom Hanks, who played television presenter Fred Rogers.

• In 2013, his career’s biggest breakthrough came when he was cast as Philip Jennings in the spy drama The Americans, which aired in FX.
  

  Matthew Rhys in a still from the television show The Americans

• In 2018, he won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series for playing Philip Jennings.

• In 2019, he also won the Critics’ Choice Television Award for Best Actor in a Drama Series for The Americans.

• Matthew Rhys and Keri Russell came close to each other during working together on the television series The Americans.

• They became partners in 2014.

• Reportedly, he first met Russell at a kickball gathering in the early 2000s. He once drunkenly asked for her phone number, but nothing happened at that time.

• They are not married, and have a son, who was born in 2016.

• In 2020, his lead role in the television series Perry Mason on HBO gave him Primetime Emmy nomination and a Golden Globe nomination.

• In 2025, Matthew Rhys starred opposite Claire Danes in the Netflix limited series The Beast in Me.

• In 2026, he appeared in the televisison show Widow’s Bay, which aired on Apple TV+. He played the role of Tom Loftis and won the Outstanding Lead Actor award in a Comedy Series at the 78th Primetime Emmy Awards.
  

  Matthew Rhys in a still from the television show Widow’s Bay

• Matthew Rhys also won the Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie award for The Beast in Me.

• He then made television history at the 78th Primetime Emmy Awards by becoming the first person ever to win two lead acting awards in a single night.
  

  Matthew Rhys posing with his awards

• He speaks Welsh and has often talked about the importance of keeping the Welsh language alive.

• In 2008, Aberystwyth University made him an honorary fellow.

• That same year, Matthew Rhys was accepted into the Gorsedd of the Bards, a Welsh cultural organisation, because of his contribution to Welsh language and culture.

• His bardic name is Matthew Tâf.

• He has also participated in the Welsh National Eisteddfod.

• He likes travelling to distant places, playing rugby, doing farming, theatre, reading literature, boat restoration, and dancing in his free time.
  

  Matthew Rhys while restorating a boat

• Matthew Rhys is inspired by Richard Burton and Anthony Hopkins.

• He has been featured on the cover of many magazines and tabloids.
  

  Matthew Rhys on the cover of a magazine

• Matthew Rhys is often spotted enjoying alcoholic beverages on various ocassions.
  

  Matthew Rhys while enjoying an alcoholic beverage

• He likes smoking cigarettes ocassionally.
  

  Matthew Rhys while smoking a cigarette