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Iwan Rheon (Welsh: [ˈɪu.an ˈr̥ɛ.ɔn];[1][2] born 13 May 1985[3]) is a Welsh actor and musician. He is best known for his roles as Simon Bellamy in the E4 series Misfits (2009–2011), Ramsay Bolton in the HBO series Game of Thrones (2013–2016), and Mötley Crüe guitarist Mick Mars in the film The Dirt (2019). He has also appeared in the series Vicious, Riviera, Inhumans, and Those About to Die.
Iwan Rheon | |
|---|---|
 Rheon in 2016. | |
| Born | 13 May 1985 Carmarthen, Dyfed, Wales |
| Alma mater | London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 2002–present |
| Children | 1 |
| Musical career | |
| Genres | |
| Instruments |
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Rheon was born in Carmarthen on 13 May 1985,[4] the son of Einir and Rheon Tomos.[5] When he was five years old, his family moved to Cardiff.[6] His older brother, Aled, is a musician; the two performed together on the 2015 single "Rhodd".[7] Rheon attended Ysgol Gyfun Gymraeg Glantaf, a Welsh-speaking school, where he began acting in school drama productions at age 17. He was later spotted by a talent scout at a National Eisteddfod of Wales.
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Acting
At age 17, Rheon joined the Welsh language soap Pobol Y Cwm, in which he originated the role of Macsen White, but later left to train at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art.[6] His first notable stage part came in Eight Miles High, which was staged in 2008 at the Royal Court Theatre in Liverpool. Also in 2008, he was cast as the haunted Moritz Stiefel in the London production of the Tony Award-winning rock musical Spring Awakening.[6] He played this role from January 2009 at the Lyric Hammersmith and continued when the show was transferred to the Novello Theatre, until it closed in May 2009, five months earlier than planned. He earned a What's on Stage Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor in a Musical, which was eventually won by Oliver Thornton (Priscilla Queen of the Desert). For his performance he won the award for Best Supporting Actor in a Musical at the 2010 Olivier Awards.[6]
Immediately after Spring Awakening, Rheon was cast in the E4 channel's Misfits, a BAFTA winning programme that was described by 247 Magazine as "a mix of Skins and Heroes". He plays nervous, shy Simon Bellamy, who gains the superpower of invisibility and precognition in season 3.[8] On 20 December 2011, Rheon announced via Twitter that he had left the show, along with fellow cast member Antonia Thomas.[9]
In 2011, he also appeared in the final episode of Secret Diary of a Call Girl. In 2011, he was nominated for a Golden Nymph in the "Outstanding Actor – Drama Series" category for his role in Misfits. Rheon also made two guest appearances as the character Ben Theodore in Simon Amstell's comedy Grandma's House.[8] In early 2012, Rheon filmed the crime heist drama The Rise. In spring 2012, he began shooting Libertador in Venezuela and Spain. He plays Daniel O'Leary. In May 2012, it was announced that he had signed on to the gritty drama Driven. In 2013, Rheon was cast as the villainous psychopath Ramsay Bolton in the HBO series Game of Thrones. In the DVD commentary for the series' third season, producers David Benioff and D.B. Weiss mentioned that Rheon previously auditioned for the role of Jon Snow, but lost to Kit Harington, with whom Rheon maintains a close friendship. He portrayed Ash Weston in the ITV sitcom Vicious from 2013 until 2016.
In 2013, Rheon played a lead role in the philosophical radio play, Darkside, based on the themes of Pink Floyd's The Dark Side of the Moon album.[10] In September 2014, Rheon joined the cast of BBC One's Our Girl as Dylan "Smurf" Smith. In 2017, it was announced that Rheon had been cast in ABC's Inhumans series.[11] Rheon played Mötley Crüe guitarist Mick Mars in the 2019 film The Dirt.[12] In 2021 he starred in Sky Cinema's 'A Christmas Number One'.[13] In 2023 he filmed the BBC television feature Men Up, about the first clinical trials for the drug Viagra that took place in Swansea in 1994.[14]
Music
Songwriting and singing since the age of 16, Rheon was lead singer in The Convictions until leaving the band to pursue his acting career. In 2010, he recorded his first solo work, Tongue Tied EP, at RAK Studios in London,[15] produced by Jonathan Quarmby and Kevin Bacon.[16] The EP, a four track release with acoustic guitar and voice, was released digitally in June 2010.
He returned to RAK Studios, in April 2011, to record his second EP Changing Times, again produced by Quarmby and Bacon, with the addition of three backing musicians. Changing Times was released on 10 October 2011.[17] On 7 April 2013, Rheon released his third EP Bang! Bang! and on 9 April 2013, released the music video for the title track.
Rheon recorded his first album, Dinard, at RAK Studios in London and Tŷ Cerdd Studios in Wales. The album was released in April 2015 and produced by James Clarke and Jim Unwin. A "self-funded collection of emotive folk-pop songs recorded over several years",[18] the album's title refers to Dinard, a town in Brittany, France, where Rheon met Zoë Grisedale, who was his girlfriend at the time of the album's release.[18] Music journalist Neil McCormick described the album as "an absorbing collection of moody, introspective songs, all written by Rheon, who plays acoustic guitar with a deft touch and sings in an expressive, gritty voice".[19]
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Rheon is fluent in both Welsh and English, with Welsh being his first language.[20] He lives in London and has a son, born in August 2018, with Zoë Grisedale.[21][22]
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Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Resistance | George | |
| Wild Bill | Pill | ||
| 2012 | The Rise | Dempsey | known as Wasteland in North America |
| The Gospel of Us | Himself | Musical performer | |
| 2013 | Libertador | Daniel O'Leary | |
| 2015 | Mermaid's Song | Randall | |
| 2016 | Alien Invasion: S.U.M.1 | S.U.M.1 | |
| 2017 | Daisy Winters | Doug | |
| 2018 | Hurricane: 303 Squadron | Jan Zumbach | known as Mission of Honor in the U.S. |
| 2019 | Berlin, I Love You | Greg | Segment: "Embassy" |
| The Dirt | Mick Mars | ||
| 2021 | The Toll | Dom | known as Tollbooth in the U.S. |
| Barbarians | Adam | ||
| 2022 | The Magic Flute | Papageno | |
| Suppression | TBA | ||
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2002–2004 | Pobol y Cwm | Macsen White | |
| 2006 | Caerdydd | Daniel | |
| 2009–2011 | Misfits | Simon Bellamy | Main role (series 1–3) |
| 2010 | Coming Up | Luka | 1 episode |
| 2010–2012 | Grandma's House | Ben Theodore | 2 episodes |
| 2011 | Secret Diary of a Call Girl | Lewis | 1 episode |
| 2013–2016 | Game of Thrones | Ramsay Bolton | Recurring role (season 3); main role (seasons 4–6) |
| 2013–2016 | Vicious | Ash Weston | Main role |
| 2014 | Our Girl | Dylan "Smurf" Smith | Main role (series 1) |
| Under Milk Wood | Evans the Death | 1 episode | |
| 2015 | Residue | Jonas Flak | 3 episodes |
| 2016 | The Green Hollow | Sam Knight | Television film |
| 2017 | Urban Myths | Adolf Hitler | 1 episode |
| Riviera | Adam Clios | Recurring role (series 1) | |
| Inhumans | Maximus | Main role | |
| Family Guy | George Harrison / John Lennon / Ring Announcer | Voice role; episode: "Petey IV" | |
| 2019 | PTSD: The War in My Head | Narrator | |
| 2020 | A Special School | Narrator | |
| The Snow Spider | The Voice of Gwydion | ||
| 2021 | American Gods | Liam Doyle | Recurring role (season 3) |
| The Prince | Prince William | Voice role | |
| A Christmas Number One | Blake Cutter | Television film | |
| 2022 | The Light in the Hall | Joe Pritchard | known as Y Golau in Welsh |
| 2023 | Wolf | Molina | Recurring Role - 6 episodes [23] |
| Men Up | Meurig Jenkins | Television film | |
| 2024 | Those About to Die | Tenax | 10 episodes[24] |
Radio and audiobook
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Darkside | The Boy | Radio; voice role |
| 2018 | Wizards and Robots | Narrator | Audiobook: prologue |
| 2021 | Howl's Moving Castle | Wizard Howl | Radio; voice role |
Video games
| Year | Title | Voice role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014–2015 | Game of Thrones | Ramsay Snow | Voice role |
| 2021 | Total War: Warhammer II | Rakarth | Voice role |
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| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Eight Miles High | Al | Royal Court Theatre, Liverpool |
| 2009 | Spring Awakening | Moritz Stiefel | Lyric Hammersmith |
| 2010 | The Devil Inside Him | Huw Prosser | National Theatre Wales |
| 2011 | Remembrance Day | Lyosha | Royal Court Theatre |
| 2018 | Foxfinder | William Bloor | Ambassadors Theatre |
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EPs
- Tongue Tied EP (2010)
- Changing Times EP (2011)
- Bang, Bang! EP (2013)
Studio albums
- Dinard (2015)
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| Year | Award | Category | Work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Laurence Olivier Award | Laurence Olivier Award for Best Performance in a Supporting Role in a Musical | Spring Awakening | Won | [6] |
| 2011 | Golden Nymph Awards | Outstanding Actor – Drama Series | Misfits | Nominated | |
| 2012 | SFX Awards | Best Actor | Misfits | Nominated | |
| 2014 | Screen Actors Guild Award | Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series | Game of Thrones | Nominated | [25][26] |
| 2015 | IGN Awards | Best TV Villain | Game of Thrones | Nominated | [27] |
| IGN People's Choice Award | Best TV Villain | Game of Thrones | Nominated | [27] | |
| 2016 | Screen Actors Guild Award | Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series | Game of Thrones | Nominated | [28] |
| 2020 | CinEuphoria Award | Merit – Honorary Award | Game of Thrones | Won |
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