Ieuan Rhys (born 24 December 1961) is a Welsh actor. His television work has included thirteen years in the BBC Cymru soap opera ''

Pobol y Cwm ''Pobol y Cwm'' (''People of the Valley''; ) is a Welsh-language soap opera produced by the BBC since October 1974. The longest-running television soap opera produced by the BBC, ''Pobol y Cwm'' was originally transmitted on BBC One Wales and l ...

'', Seargent Tom Swann in the last series of ''

A Mind to Kill ''A Mind to Kill'' is a Welsh television police detective series, that developed from a feature-length pilot episode first broadcast in 1991. The series stars Philip Madoc as protagonist DCI Noel Bain. Four series were broadcast between 1994 a ...

'' (for Fiction Factory/ Channel 5) and six series of the Welsh-language version of '' Mr & Mrs'' – ''Sion a Sian'' for HTV. For the last four series he portrayed Eurig Bell, the "not to be messed with" Deputy Headmaster in S4C's '' Gwaith/Cartref''.

Biography

Early life

Ieuan Rhys was born Ieuan Rhys Evans in the village of

Trecynon Trecynon is a village near Aberdare situated in the Cynon Valley, in Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales. It dates from the early nineteenth century and developed as a result of the opening of the Aberdare Ironworks at Llwydcoed in 1800. Etymology The s ...

, near Aberdare, South Wales on 24 December 1961. He attended Ysgol Gynradd Gymraeg Aberdar primary school, and Ysgol Gyfun Rhydfelen secondary school near

Pontypridd () ( colloquially: Ponty) is a town and a community in Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales. Geography comprises the electoral wards of , Hawthorn, Pontypridd Town, 'Rhondda', Rhydyfelin Central/Ilan ( Rhydfelen), Trallwng ( Trallwn) and Treforest (). ...

, both

Welsh language Welsh ( or ) is a Celtic language of the Brittonic subgroup that is native to the Welsh people. Welsh is spoken natively in Wales, by some in England, and in Y Wladfa (the Welsh colony in Chubut Province, Argentina). Historically, it has ...

schools. His father, Gethin Evans, was a music teacher at the nearby comprehensive school.

Theatre

Rhys trained as an actor at The

Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama , image_name = Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama.jpg , image_size = , motto = , established = 1949 , type = Public , staff = , vice_chancellor = , students = 779 (2017/18) , undergrad ...

in Cardiff. His theatre work has included working for the National Theatre in London playing the part of Bruce in ''

People A person ( : people) is a being that has certain capacities or attributes such as reason, morality, consciousness or self-consciousness, and being a part of a culturally established form of social relations such as kinship, ownership of prope ...

'' by

Alan Bennett Alan Bennett (born 9 May 1934) is an English actor, author, playwright and screenwriter. Over his distinguished entertainment career he has received numerous awards and honours including two BAFTA Awards, four Laurence Olivier Awards, and two ...

and touring major theatres in England (July – November 2013), Dobchinsky in UK tour of ''

The Government Inspector ''The Government Inspector'', also known as ''The Inspector General'' ( rus, links=no, Ревизор, Revizor, literally: "Inspector"), is a satirical play by Russian dramatist and novelist, Nikolai Gogol. Originally published in 1836, the pl ...

'' for Communicado Theatre Company, ''A Provincial Life''

National Theatre Wales National Theatre Wales (NTW) is a theatre company known for its large-scale site-specific productions and its grassroots work with diverse Welsh communities. It is the English-language national theatre of Wales, and refers to Theatr Genedlaet ...

– an adaptation by Peter Gill of a short story by

Chekhov Anton Pavlovich Chekhov (; 29 January 1860 Old Style date 17 January. – 15 July 1904 Old Style date 2 July.) was a Russian playwright and short-story writer who is considered to be one of the greatest writers of all time. His career ...

, ''Elwyn – (Elling)'' – directed by

Michael Bogdanov Michael Bogdanov (15 December 1938 – 16 April 2017) was a British theatre director known for his work with new plays, modern reinterpretations of Shakespeare, musicals and work for young people. Early years Bogdanov was born Michael Bogd ...

, ''Whose Coat Is That Jacket?'' – touring Wales alongside ''Hollyoaks'' star

Terri Dwyer Teresa "Terri" Dwyer (born 31 July 1973) is a British television presenter and actress, best known for her role as Ruth Osborne in the British soap opera ''Hollyoaks''. She has also presented the ITV home makeover show 60 Minute Makeover. Care ...

. Other Theatre credits also include a UK tour as The Spruiker in ''The Thorn Birds – A Musical'', Montague in

's production of '' Romeo and Juliet'', Alfred Doolittle in ''

My Fair Lady ''My Fair Lady'' is a musical based on George Bernard Shaw's 1913 play '' Pygmalion'', with a book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner and music by Frederick Loewe. The story concerns Eliza Doolittle, a Cockney flower girl who takes speech lessons ...

'' at

Aberystwyth Arts Centre Aberystwyth Arts Centre (Welsh: ''Canolfan y Celfyddydau Aberystwyth'') is an arts centre in Wales, located on Aberystwyth University's Penglais campus. One of the largest in Wales, it comprises a theatre (312 seats), concert hall (900 seats), s ...

(2008), ''Burberry'' for Sherman Cymru, ''Cocks & Tales'' for Cwmni 3D, Pennington in ''

The Hired Man ''The Hired Man'' is a novel by Melvyn Bragg, first published in 1969 by Secker and Warburg. It is the first part of Bragg's Cumbrian Trilogy. The story is set predominantly in the rural area around Thurston (Bragg's name for Wigton, his h ...

'' (at The Torch Theatre, Milford Haven), '' The Servant of Two Masters'', ''Contender'', '' A Christmas Carol'' with

Ron Moody Ron Moody (born Ronald Moodnick; 8 January 1924 – 11 June 2015) was an English actor, composer, singer and writer. He was best known for his portrayal of Fagin in ''Oliver!'' (1968) and its 1983 Broadway revival. Moody earned a Golden Globe ...

as Scrooge, ''

A Child's Christmas in Wales ''A Child's Christmas in Wales'' is a piece of prose by the Welsh poet Dylan Thomas recorded by Thomas in 1952. Emerging from an earlier piece he wrote for BBC Radio, the work is an anecdotal reminiscence of a Christmas from the viewpoint of a ...

'', '' Fiddler on the Roof'' at

(2006) ''

Hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in Denmark, the play depicts ...

'', ''Amazing Grace – The Musical'', ''

Cymbeline ''Cymbeline'' , also known as ''The Tragedie of Cymbeline'' or ''Cymbeline, King of Britain'', is a play by William Shakespeare set in Ancient Britain () and based on legends that formed part of the Matter of Britain concerning the early Celti ...

'', ''

The Merchant of Venice ''The Merchant of Venice'' is a play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1596 and 1598. A merchant in Venice named Antonio defaults on a large loan provided by a Jewish moneylender, Shylock. Although classified as ...

'', ''

Twelfth Night ''Twelfth Night'', or ''What You Will'' is a romantic comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written around 1601–1602 as a Twelfth Night's entertainment for the close of the Christmas season. The play centres on the twins Vi ...

'' (for Wales Theatre Company), '' The Merry Wives of Windsor'', ''

The Winter's Tale ''The Winter's Tale'' is a play by William Shakespeare originally published in the First Folio of 1623. Although it was grouped among the comedies, many modern editors have relabelled the play as one of Shakespeare's late romances. Some crit ...

'', (at The

Ludlow Festival Ludlow () is a market town in Shropshire, England. The town is significant in the history of the Welsh Marches and in relation to Wales. It is located south of Shrewsbury and north of Hereford, on the A49 road (Great Britain), A49 road which ...

, 2002–04), the award-winning production of ''Amdani'' (Sgript Cymru), ''Cwm Glo'' (Theatr Gwynedd),''Seithenyn A'r Twrw Tanllyd Tanddwr'' (Canol Y Ffordd), '' Oliver!'' at

. In September 2011, he appeared in ''Bred in Heaven'' for Frapetsus Theatre Company, written by Jack Llewellen and directed by Michael Bogdanov. The play, a follow-up to the popular 1978 BBC Wales comedy drama ''

Grand Slam Grand Slam most often refers to: * Grand Slam (tennis), one player or pair winning all four major annual tournaments, or the tournaments themselves Grand Slam or Grand slam may also refer to: Games and sports * Grand slam, winning category te ...

'', is described as "a two-hour romp filled with laughs, double meanings and camp humour." He has also appeared in many

pantomime Pantomime (; informally panto) is a type of musical comedy stage production designed for family entertainment. It was developed in England and is performed throughout the United Kingdom, Ireland and (to a lesser extent) in other English-speaking ...

s including ''

Snow White "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" is a 19th-century German fairy tale that is today known widely across the Western world. The Brothers Grimm published it in 1812 in the first edition of their collection '' Grimms' Fairy Tales'' and numbered as T ...

'' at The Coliseum, Aberdare and tours with Stan Stennett in ''

Cinderella "Cinderella",; french: link=no, Cendrillon; german: link=no, Aschenputtel) or "The Little Glass Slipper", is a folk tale with thousands of variants throughout the world.Dundes, Alan. Cinderella, a Casebook. Madison, Wis: University of Wisconsi ...

'' and

Owen Money Owen Money MBE (born Lynn Mittell, 16 May 1947) is a Welsh musician, actor, comedian, and radio presenter. He was born in Merthyr Tydfil, Wales. In the 2007 New Year Honours, Money was made an MBE for services to entertainment in Wales. The ...

in three productions of '' Aladdin'', ''

Jack and the Beanstalk "Jack and the Beanstalk" is an English fairy tale. It appeared as "The Story of Jack Spriggins and the Enchanted Bean" in 1734 4th edition On Commons and as Benjamin Tabart's moralized "The History of Jack and the Bean-Stalk" in 1807. Henry Co ...

'' and ''

'' (directed by Michael Bogdanov). He has played Dame twice for the Welsh-language panto's '' Hansel & Gretel'' and '' Aladdin'' with Martyn Geraint. Christmas 2012, Rhys appeared in ''

Sleeping Beauty ''Sleeping Beauty'' (french: La belle au bois dormant, or ''The Beauty in the Sleeping Forest''; german: Dornröschen, or ''Little Briar Rose''), also titled in English as ''The Sleeping Beauty in the Woods'', is a fairy tale about a princess cu ...

'' at the New

Marlowe Theatre The Marlowe Theatre is a 1,200-seat theatre in Canterbury named after playwright Christopher Marlowe, who was born and attended school in the city. It was named a Stage Awards, 2022 UK Theatre of the Year. The Marlowe Trust, a not for profi ...

in Canterbury with

Gareth Gates Gareth Paul Gates (born 12 July 1984) is an English singer-songwriter and actor. He was the runner-up in the first series of the ITV talent show ''Pop Idol'' in 2002. As of 2008, Gates had sold over 3.5 million records in the UK. He is ...

and

Toyah Willcox Toyah Ann Willcox (born 18 May 1958) is an English musician, actress, and TV presenter. In a career spanning more than 40 years, Willcox has had eight top 40 singles, released over 20 albums, written two books, appeared in over 40 stage plays an ...

and for the 2013 Season he appeared alongside

Stephen Mulhern Stephen Daniel Mulhern is an English television presenter, magician, and comedian. He began his television career on CITV, presenting the children's shows ''Finger Tips'' (2001–2004) and ''Tricky TV'' (2005–2010). Mulhern has presented vario ...

in Cinderella at The Hawth Theatre Crawley and in 2014–15, he played King Dafydd in The Octagon Theatre, Yeovill's ''

Jack & The Beanstalk "Jack and the Beanstalk" is an English fairy tale. It appeared as "The Story of Jack Spriggins and the Enchanted Bean" in 1734 4th edition On Commons and as Benjamin Tabart's moralized "The History of Jack and the Bean-Stalk" in 1807. Henry Col ...

''. In 2015–16, he appeared alongside '' Coronation Streets Chris Gascoyne in Aladdin at The Lyceum Theatre in Sheffield. In the 2017–18, pantomime season he appeared in ''

'' at the Grove Theatre, Dunstable, as King Cuthbert, alongside,

Sally Lindsay Sally Jane Lindsay (born 8 July 1973) is an English actress and television presenter known for her roles as Shelley Unwin in the long-running ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street'', Lisa Johnson in the Sky One comedy series '' Mount Pleasant'' a ...

and John Partridge. 2018–19 saw Ieuan with CBeebies' Katrina Bryan and Sam Rabone in Dick whittington at the Garrick Theatre, Lichfield and for the 2019–20 season he played dame for the first time in England at Northwich Memorial Court in ''

Peter Pan Peter Pan is a fictional character created by Scottish novelist and playwright J. M. Barrie. A free-spirited and mischievous young boy who can fly and never grows up, Peter Pan spends his never-ending childhood having adventures on the mythi ...

'' alongside John Altman from '' EastEnders'' and

Katie McGlynn Katie McGlynn (born 16 July 1993) is an English actress. She is known for her roles as Jodie "Scout" Allen in '' Waterloo Road'' (2011–2013), Sinead Tinker in ''Coronation Street'' (2013–2020), and Becky Quentin in ''Hollyoaks'' (2021–202 ...

from '' Coronation Street''.

Television

Rhys's television work has included thirteen years in the role of Seargent Glyn James in the BBC Cymru soap opera ''

'', Seargent Tom Swann in the last series of ''

'' (for Fiction Factory/ Channel 5) and six series of the Welsh-language version of '' Mr & Mrs'' – ''Sion a Sian'' for HTV. Other TV work include Councilman De'Rossi in '' DaVinci's Demons'' (Season 3), Crabtree in '' Doctor Who'' (The Idiot's Lantern) BBC Wales, High Hopes BBC Wales,''Rocket Man'' (Coastal/BBC), '' Diamond Geezer'' with

David Jason Sir David John White (born 2 February 1940), known professionally by his stage name David Jason, is an English actor. He is best known for his roles as Derek "Del Boy" Trotter in the BBC sitcom '' Only Fools and Horses'', Detective Inspector ...

(

Yorkshire TV ITV Yorkshire, previously known as Yorkshire Television and commonly referred to as just YTV, is the British television service provided by ITV Broadcasting Limited for the Yorkshire franchise area on the ITV (TV network), ITV network. Until 19 ...

), ''

Bomber A bomber is a military combat aircraft designed to attack ground and naval targets by dropping air-to-ground weaponry (such as bombs), launching torpedoes, or deploying air-launched cruise missiles. The first use of bombs dropped from an air ...

'' (Zenith TV), ''Rhinoceros'' ( Granada Television), ''Jara'' (HTV), ''

Tracey Beaker Tracy, Tracey, or Tracie may refer to: People and fictional characters * Tracy (name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the given name or surname, also encompassing spelling variations Places United States * Tracy, C ...

– The Movie'', ''Of Me'' (BBC), ''Mortimer's Law'' (BBC) ''Nice Girl'' (BBC – Screen 2), ''The Welsh In'', ''Shakespeare'' (BBC), ''Y Delyn, Cameo'' (Opus TV), ''Dihirod Dyfed, Llafur Cariad'' (Taliseyn),'' Rough Justice'' (BBC),''

Crimewatch ''Crimewatch'' (formerly ''Crimewatch UK'') is a British television programme produced by the BBC, that reconstructs major unsolved crimes in order to gain information from the public which may assist in solving the case. The programme was o ...

: Wanted'' (BBC),''Aladdin'' (BBC) and the first episode of ''Bowen A'i Bartner'' (BBC). ''Cowbois Ac Injans'' (Opus TV), ''Y Pris'' (Fiction Factory), ''Ar Y Tracs'' with

Ruth Jones Ruth Alexandra Elisabeth Jones (born 22 September 1966) is a Welsh actress, comedian, writer and producer. She co-wrote and co-starred in the award-winning BBC sitcom ''Gavin & Stacey'' (2007–2010, 2019). Jones has also appeared in various ...

(Tidy Productions), and as Arthur in '' Stella'' (

Sky 1 Sky One was a British pay television channel operated and owned by Sky Group (a division of Comcast). Originally launched on 26 April 1982 as Satellite Television, it was Europe's first satellite and non- terrestrial channel. From 31 July 1989, ...

). He played Enzo in the daytime drama series Pitching In alongside

Larry Lamb Lawrence Douglas Lamb (born 1 October 1947) is an English actor and radio presenter. He played Archie Mitchell in the BBC soap opera '' EastEnders'', Mick Shipman in the BBC comedy series '' Gavin & Stacey'' and Ted Case in the final series ...

and Hayley Mills (BBC/LA Productions) and Dorien in S4C's popular 'whodunnit' drama series

35 Awr 35 or XXXV may refer to: * 35 (number), the natural number following 34 and preceding 36 * one of the years 35 BC, AD 35, 1935, 2035 * ''XXXV'' (album), a 2002 album by Fairport Convention * '' 35xxxv'', a 2015 album by One Ok Rock * "35" (s ...

(Boom Cymru)

Film

His film work includes ''Masterpiece'' (Burn Hand Films), ''Goldfish in a Blender'' and '' What?'' (Screengems), ''Ringfinger'' ( Fiction Factory), '' Darklands'' (Lluniau Lliw) and the

Hugh Grant Hugh John Mungo Grant (born 9 September 1960) is an English actor. He established himself early in his career as both a charming, and vulnerable romantic lead and has since transitioned into a dramatic character actor. Among his numerous a ...

film '' The Englishman Who Went Up a Hill But Came Down a Mountain.''

Other

As well as his autobiography ''Allet Ti Beswch!'' he has written four children's books published by 'Y Lolfa' – ''Hwyl a Joio'', ''Joio Mas Draw'', ''Jyst Joio'' and ''Hwyl a Hafoc''. He has also recorded two albums on the ''Flach'' label – ''Ni Allwn Droi Yn Ol'' – (''There's No Turning Back'') and ''Y Diddanwr'' – (''The Entertainer''). He also wrote and performed on the ''

'' charity single "Ar Y Bla'n" – also on the Fflach label. He can also be seen as Master of Ceremonies at Cardiff Castle's Welsh Banquets and has also presented many radio shows including the Welsh language radio show ''Showbusnesan'' for

BBC Radio Cymru BBC Radio Cymru is a Welsh language radio network owned and operated by BBC Cymru Wales, a division of the BBC. It broadcasts on two stations across Wales on FM, DAB, digital TV and online. The main network broadcasts for hours a day from ...

. He has filmed an eight part Internet comedy series for Pitcairn Films called ''Bernard & Knives'' where he plays title character – Bernard. The whole series can now be viewed on YouTube.

Current activities

During the Pandemic Period of 2020 Rhys has been busy producing a mini series for RCT Theatres on YouTube called ''Phyl & Ieu On...'' with Phyl Harries and also a popular podcast called '' Ystafell Werdd Ieuan Rhys'' (''Ieuan Rhys' Green Room'')

Personal life

Rhys lives in

Cardiff Cardiff (; cy, Caerdydd ) is the capital and largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Cardiff ( cy, Dinas a Sir Caerdydd, links=no), and the city is the eleventh-largest in the United Kingd ...

and has two sons Cai and Llew.

References

Bibliography

External links

ieuanrhys.comIeuan Rhys
at National Theatre.org * * ''Bernard & Knives'' – Episode 1 *Gwaith Cartre

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rhys, Ieuan Living people Welsh male television actors Welsh-speaking actors Alumni of the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama 1961 births Place of birth missing (living people)