Phillip Rhys (born Philippe Chaudhary, 14 June 1974) is an English actor and filmmaker.

Early life

Phillip was born Philippe Chaudhary, the second of three sons. A

South London South London is the southern part of London, England, south of the River Thames. The region consists of the Districts of England, boroughs, in whole or in part, of London Borough of Bexley, Bexley, London Borough of Bromley, Bromley, London Borou ...

native, Phillip's father was a Ugandan-born Punjabi Muslim, and his mother was a French Catholic. Phillip became a world traveler early due to his parents' careers, which allowed the family to visit countries worldwide. In a way, that early love of travel could be viewed as the perfect preparation for life as a filmmaker and actor. After graduating from Westminster College he spent a year living and working in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

. Upon his return to London, he studied with

Marianna Hill Marianna Hill ( Schwarzkopf, February 9, 1942) is an American actress. She predominantly worked in American television and is known for her starring roles in the Western films '' El Condor'' and ''High Plains Drifter'' and the cult horror film '' ...

at the

Lee Strasberg Lee Strasberg (born Israel Strassberg; November 17, 1901 – February 17, 1982) was an American theatre director, actor and acting teacher. He co-founded, with theatre directors Harold Clurman and Cheryl Crawford, the Group Theatre in 1931 ...

Institute, and then in Los Angeles with

Jeffrey Tambor Jeffrey Michael Tambor (born July 8, 1944) is an American actor. He is known for his television roles such as Jeffrey Brookes, the uptight neighbor of Stanley and Helen Roper in the television sitcom ''The Ropers'' (1979–1980), as Hank Kings ...

and

Milton Katselas Milton George Katselas (December 22, 1933 – October 24, 2008) was an American director and producer of stage and film, as well as a Hollywood acting instructor and coach who trained under Elia Kazan and Lee Strasberg at the acclaimed '' Ac ...

at the

Beverly Hills Playhouse The Beverly Hills Playhouse is an acting school with theaters and training facilities in Beverly Hills, California, and also in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and New York City. It is one of the oldest acting schools and theatres in Los Angeles Cou ...

Film and television career

Phillip's film work includes ''

The Adventures of Tintin ''The Adventures of Tintin'' (french: Les Aventures de Tintin ) is a series of 24 bande dessinée#Formats, ''bande dessinée'' albums created by Belgians, Belgian cartoonist Georges Remi, who wrote under the pen name Hergé. The series was one ...

'' directed by

Steven Spielberg Steven Allan Spielberg (; born December 18, 1946) is an American director, writer, and producer. A major figure of the New Hollywood era and pioneer of the modern blockbuster, he is the most commercially successful director of all time. Spie ...

, ''

Wilde Salomé ''Wilde Salomé'' is a 2011 American docudrama written, directed by, and starring Al Pacino. An exploration of Oscar Wilde's 1891 play ''Salome (play), Salomé'', the film premiered at the 68th Venice International Film Festival. At the festival, ...

'' directed by and starring

Al Pacino Alfredo James Pacino (; ; born April 25, 1940) is an American actor. Considered one of the most influential actors of the 20th century, he has received numerous accolades: including an Academy Award, two Tony Awards, and two Primetime Emmy ...

, ''

The Space Between "The Space Between" is a song written by the Dave Matthews Band. It was released on their 2001 album, ''Everyday''. It was the album's first hit single and the band's first top 40 hit, with its peak at number 22 in the United States – several ...

'' with Oscar winner

Melissa Leo Melissa Chessington Leo (born September 14, 1960) is an American actress. She is the recipient of several accolades, including an Academy Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, a Golden Globe Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award and two Critics' Choice ...

Irvine Welsh Irvine Welsh (born 27 September 1958) is a Scottish novelist, playwright and short story writer. His 1993 novel '' Trainspotting'' was made into a film of the same name. He has also written plays and screenplays, and directed several short fil ...

's''

The Magnificent Eleven ''The Magnificent Eleven'' are a group of photos of D-Day (6 June 1944) taken by war photographer Robert Capa. Capa was with one of the earliest waves of troops landing on the American invasion beach, Omaha Beach. Capa stated that while under ...

'' and '' Figaro'', directed by

Bret Easton Ellis Bret Easton Ellis (born March 7, 1964) is an American author, screenwriter, short-story writer, and director. Ellis was first regarded as one of the so-called literary Brat Pack and is a self-proclaimed satirist whose trademark technique, as a w ...

- a comedic film inspired by the music of The Barber of Sevilla, for the

Opera de Paris The Paris Opera (, ) is the primary opera and ballet company of France. It was founded in 1669 by Louis XIV as the , and shortly thereafter was placed under the leadership of Jean-Baptiste Lully and officially renamed the , but continued to be ...

. Rhys' pivotal television roles include the Emmy winning series, '' 24'' (season 2) for which he was part of a SAG ensemble nomination, FX's Golden Globe winning ''

Nip/Tuck ''Nip/Tuck'' is an American medical drama television series created by Ryan Murphy that aired on FX in the United States from July 22, 2003, to March 3, 2010. The series, which also incorporates elements of crime drama, black comedy, family dra ...

'' and the BBC's post-apocalyptic hit drama '' Survivors''. Other television credits include a series regular on ''Flatland'' with

Dennis Hopper Dennis Lee Hopper (May 17, 1936 – May 29, 2010) was an American actor, filmmaker and photographer. He attended the Actors Studio, made his first television appearance in 1954, and soon after appeared in ''Giant'' (1956). In the next ten years ...

, the first US TV show to be shot entirely in China. Rhys is also known for his work in independent films, such as ''

'' with oscar winner

, ''

Punks Punk or punks may refer to: Genres, subculture, and related aspects * Punk rock, a music genre originating in the 1970s associated with various subgenres * Punk subculture, a subculture associated with punk rock, or aspects of the subculture ...

'', ''

Kill the Man ''Kill the Man'' is a 1999 American comedy film starring Luke Wilson and Joshua Malina as the owners of an independent photocopier shop who are in competition with a large chain of copy-shops. Cast * Luke Wilson as Stanley Simon * Joshua Mal ...

'', ''

Americanizing Shelley ''Americanizing Shelley'' is a 2007 Hollywood romantic comedy film directed by Lorraine Senna and starring Beau Bridges, Namrata Singh Gujral, Shaheen Khan, Wil Wheaton, Noureen DeWulf, Tony Yalda, and Ajay Mehta. The film was the closing film o ...

'', and Rodrigo Garcia's ''Fathers and Sons''. Rhys also starred as intergalactic rock star Proto Zoa in the '' Zenon: Girl of the 21st Century'' series of Disney films and as Tanus, in the miniseries ''The Seventh Scroll'', based on the best selling novel by Wilbur Smith. He has also appeared in single episodes of '' Shameless'', ''

Bones A bone is a rigid organ that constitutes part of the skeleton in most vertebrate animals. Bones protect the various other organs of the body, produce red and white blood cells, store minerals, provide structure and support for the body, an ...

'', ''

Glee Glee means delight, a form of happiness. Glee may also refer to: * Glee (music), a type of English choral music * ''Glee'' (TV series), an American musical comedy-drama TV series, and related media created by Ryan Murphy * ''Glee'' (Bran Van 30 ...

'', '' CSI'' and ''

NCIS NCIS or N.C.I.S. may refer to: Law enforcement * National Criminal Intelligence Service, the predecessor to the Serious Organised Crime Agency of the United Kingdom * Naval Criminal Investigative Service, a United States law enforcement and intelli ...

'', amongst others. On Christmas Day 2015, Rhys portrayed Ramone in the ''

Doctor Who ''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series depicts the adventures of a Time Lord called the Doctor, an extraterrestrial being who appears to be human. The Doctor explores the u ...

'' Christmas special ''

The Husbands of River Song "The Husbands of River Song" is an episode of the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. First broadcast on BBC One on 25 December 2015, it is the eleventh Christmas special since the show's revival in 2005. It was written by St ...

''. Rhys recurred in several highly anticipated television series, ''

Nightflyers ''Nightflyers'' is a science fiction horror novella by American writer George R. R. Martin, released as a short novella in 1980 and as an expanded novella in 1981. A short story collection of the same name was released in 1985 that includes the ...

'' based on the novella by

George R. R. Martin George Raymond Richard Martin (born George Raymond Martin; September 20, 1948), also known as GRRM, is an American novelist, screenwriter, television producer and short story writer. He is the author of the series of epic fantasy novels ''A Song ...

, Channel 4's '' Tripped'' produced by Harry and Jack Williams ''(

Fleabag ''Fleabag'' is a British comedy-drama television series created and written by Phoebe Waller-Bridge, based on her one-woman show first performed in 2013 at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. It was originally produced by Two Brothers Pictures for dig ...

)'', and Kevin Williamson's '' Tell Me a Story'' (season 2) for

Paramount Plus Paramount+ is an American Video on demand#Subscription models, subscription video on-demand service owned by Paramount Global. The service's content is drawn primarily from the libraries of CBS Media Ventures (including CBS Studios), Paramount Me ...

. Upcoming projects include the recurring role of Dilip Amagee on

Disney+ The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment Entertainment is a form of activity that holds the attention and interest of an audience or gives pleasure and deligh ...

and FX's "

The Full Monty ''The Full Monty'' is a 1997 British comedy film directed by Peter Cattaneo, starring Robert Carlyle, Mark Addy, William Snape, Steve Huison, Tom Wilkinson, Paul Barber and Hugo Speer. The screenplay was written by Simon Beaufoy. The film is s ...

," a limited series based on the BAFTA-winning film twenty-five years later. The original film's lead cast and Academy Award-winning screenwriter

Simon Beaufoy Simon Beaufoy (; born 26 December 1966) is a British screenwriter. Born in Keighley, West Riding of Yorkshire, he was educated at Malsis School in Cross Hills, Ermysted's Grammar School and Sedbergh School, he read English at St Peter's College ...

Slumdog Millionaire ''Slumdog Millionaire'' is a 2008 British drama film that is a loose adaptation of the novel '' Q & A'' (2005) by Indian author Vikas Swarup. It narrates the story of 18-year-old Jamal Malik from the Juhu slums of Mumbai. Starring Dev Patel ...

" is reuniting for the series.

Directing career

Rhys Chaudhary most recently directed episode 616 of American

medical drama A medical drama is a television show or film in which events center upon a hospital, an ambulance staff, or any medical environment. Most recent medical drama (film and television), dramatic programming go beyond the events pertaining to the chara ...

The Good Doctor for ABC and Hulu. He has directed several commercials and documentary short films over the years, including ''Xie, Xie, Shanghai'' and ''The Rocky''. Phillip produced and directed his narrative short debut, ''The Scarecrow'', starring

Sandra Oh Sandra Miju Oh (born July 20, 1971) is a Canadian–American actress. She is best known for her starring roles as Rita Wu on the HBO comedy '' Arliss'' (1996–2002), Dr. Cristina Yang on the ABC medical drama series ''Grey's Anatomy'' (2005� ...

. ''The Scarecrow'' was nominated for numerous awards, including Best Narrative Short Film at the

Tribeca Film Festival The Tribeca Festival is an annual film festival organized by TriBeCa Productions, Tribeca Productions. It takes place each spring in New York City, showcasing a diverse selection of film, episodic, talks, music, games, art, and immersive progra ...

, Drama Short Film Festival Grand Prix Best Short Film (International) and won the

Accolade Global Film Competition The accolade (also known as dubbing or adoubement) ( la, benedictio militis) was the central act in the rite of passage ceremonies conferring knighthood in the Middle Ages. From about 1852, the term ''accolade'' was used much more generally to ...

Award of Excellence: Film Short. Phillip was selected to participate as a Fellow in the prestigious Disney ABC Television Directing Program.

Stage career

On stage, he received outstanding reviews for his performance in

Dario Fo Dario Luigi Angelo Fo (; 24 March 1926 – 13 October 2016) was an Italian playwright, actor, theatre director, stage designer, songwriter, political campaigner for the Italian left wing and the recipient of the 1997 Nobel Prize in Literature. I ...

's '' The Devil with Boobs'' and a

Drama-Logue Award The Drama-Logue Award was an American theater award established in 1977, given by the publishers of Drama-Logue newspaper, a weekly west-coast theater trade publication. Winners were selected by the publication's theater critics, and would recei ...

for his role in the Los Angeles stage production of '' Come Back to the Five and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean''. Other performances include "John Buchanan Jr." in

Tennessee Williams Thomas Lanier Williams III (March 26, 1911 – February 25, 1983), known by his pen name Tennessee Williams, was an American playwright and screenwriter. Along with contemporaries Eugene O'Neill and Arthur Miller, he is considered among the thre ...

Summer and Smoke ''Summer and Smoke'' is a two-part, thirteen-scene play by Tennessee Williams, completed in 1948. He began working on the play in 1945 as ''Chart of Anatomy'', derived from his short stories "Oriflamme" and the then-work-in-progress "Yellow Bir ...

'' and a turn in

John Patrick Shanley John Patrick Shanley (born October 13, 1950) is an American playwright, screenwriter, and director. He won the 1988 Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for the film ''Moonstruck''. His play, '' Doubt: A Parable'', won the 2005 Pulitzer P ...

's ''The Dreamer Examines His Pillow'' at

Theatre West Theatre West is a theatre company in Hollywood, California, the oldest continually-operating theatre company in Los Angeles. Originally conceived as a venue for working professional actors in the film and television industries to exercise their ar ...

Charity work

He is involved in various non-profit organizations including BAFTA Outreach and is an Inner City Shakespeare Advisory Board Member. Rhys is a Sundance Institute Alumni.

Personal life

On 22 November 2008, Rhys appeared on

Soccer AM ''Soccer AM'' is a British football-based comedy/talk show, produced by Sky Sports. First broadcast in 1995, the programme currently airs on Sky Showcase, Sky Sports Premier League and Sky Sports Football at 10.30am on Saturdays during the fo ...

and confirmed he supports

Crystal Palace Football Club Crystal Palace Football Club is a professional Association football, football club based in Selhurst in the London Borough of Croydon, Borough of Croydon, South London, England, who compete in the Premier League, the highest level of English ...

. He speaks French and has travelled extensively. Phillip is a former member of the alternative rock band Egos Aside. Rhys now lives in London and Los Angeles.

References

External links

FIGARO by Bret Easton Ellis

''The Huffington Post:'' interview

''The Times My Hols:'' interview
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Rhys, Phillip 1972 births Living people Male actors from London English male film actors English male stage actors English male television actors 20th-century English male actors 21st-century English male actors