---
name: "Matthew Rhys"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/matthew-rhys"
fi1m_id: "matthew-rhys"
imdb_id: "nm0722629"
tmdb_id: 29528
wikidata_id: "Q342784"
roles: ["Actor","Producer","Director"]
born: "8 November 1974"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 10
average_fi1m_score: 71
average_as: "actor"
average_over: 8
updated: "2026-10-23T20:54:37.154314+00:00"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Matthew Rhys

## Identity

Matthew Rhys

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/matthew-rhys
- **Type:** Person
- **Fi1m ID:** matthew-rhys
- **IMDb ID:** nm0722629
- **TMDB ID:** 29528
- **Wikidata ID:** Q342784
- **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matthew_Rhys, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q342784, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0722629/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/29528

Actor and producer. Born 8 November 1974 in Cardiff, Wales, UK.

## Details

- **Work:** Actor, Producer, Director
- **Born:** 8 November 1974, Cardiff, Wales, UK
- **Active:** 2013–present
- **Also known as:** Matthew Rhys Evans
- **Titles on Fi1m:** 10: 8 acting, 1 directing, 1 other
- **Frequently works with:** [Tom Hanks](https://film.one/person/tom-hanks.md)
- **Primetime Emmy Awards:** 3 Emmys (3 won)
- **Average Fi1m score:** 71, as actor, over 8 titles
- **Fi1m score by decade:** 1990s 82 (1), 2010s 83 (4), 2020s 66 (5)
- **Fi1m against the critics:** 71 to 66 across 8 titles
- **Score spread:** 2 at 80+, 5 at 60–79, 1 under 60
- **Lead roles:** 4 of 5 acting credits billed first or second
- **Genres:** Drama 6, Comedy 4, Mystery 3, Crime 2, Family 2, History 2
- **Screen time:** 7 hours of reviewed films
- **Box office:** $526m across 4 films with figures
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matthew_Rhys, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q342784, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0722629/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/29528

## Streaming the US now

- **Netflix:** [*A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood*](https://film.one/film/a-beautiful-day-in-the-neighborhood.md) (77), [*The Beast in Me*](https://film.one/tv/the-beast-in-me.md) (67)
- **Disney+:** [*The Americans*](https://film.one/tv/the-americans.md) (91)
- **Apple TV:** [*Widow's Bay*](https://film.one/tv/widows-bay.md) (80)
- **Hulu:** [*The Post*](https://film.one/film/the-post.md) (74)
- **HBO Max:** [*Perry Mason*](https://film.one/tv/perry-mason.md) (66)

For United States; add `?region=XX` for another country.

## Fi1m on Matthew Rhys

> Matthew Rhys is particularly good at playing men who cannot say everything they feel. We rate the restraint, but *Widow’s Bay* shows how well it serves comedy too: he makes a mayor’s plans worth taking seriously.

Matthew Rhys gives the mayor of *Widow’s Bay* (2026) a practical concern: getting an isolated island community back on its feet. Tom Loftis wants the place to improve, even with spirits to contend with. Rhys gives that ambition enough conviction for the comedy to work without making the mayor a fool for trying. We found ourselves wanting him to succeed, because the performance makes his plans matter beyond whatever supernatural trouble might interrupt them.

After Kevin Walker in *Brothers & Sisters* (2006–2011), Philip Jennings in *The Americans* (2013–2018) became his major American television break. Alongside Keri Russell in the latter, he built a performance around a man’s concealed feelings, with his command of accents serving the demands of an undercover role. The title role in *Perry Mason* (2020–2023) followed, in a tragic, noir-inflected version of the character. Nile Jarvis in *The Beast in Me* (2025) continued the darker work. The comedy-horror of *Widow’s Bay* makes a useful change of emphasis.

There is room in *Widow’s Bay* for Rhys to be funny without abandoning the character’s purpose. Kate O’Flynn’s Patricia Moyer is still the person we are keenest to see return, because her peculiarities never invite contempt. Stephen Root’s Wyck Crawford also helps make this a community worth spending time in. The series benefits from having a lead who takes the place seriously while leaving room for those other performances. Its residents matter enough for us to worry about what might happen to them.

That careful control can become a limitation: an actor can show us distress without making us feel it. His stage performance in *Look Back in Anger* (2012) drew criticism for studied intensity without enough feeling beneath it. In *Widow’s Bay*, though, our caveat is about the series’ tangled supernatural rules, which sometimes demand more attention than they deserve. Try it for Rhys and O’Flynn; a little patience with the spirits is required.

## Biography

Matthew Rhys, also credited as Matthew Rhys Evans, is a Welsh actor. Born in Cardiff in 1974, he trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London.

He is known for playing Kevin Walker in the series *Brothers & Sisters* (2006–2011) and Philip Jennings in *The Americans* (2013–2018), for which he won a Primetime Emmy Award. Film roles include Dylan Thomas in *The Edge of Love* (2008) and Daniel Ellsberg in *The Post* (2017). More recent credits include Nile Jarvis in *The Beast in Me* (2025) and Mayor Tom Loftis in *Widow's Bay* (2026).

Rhys has received multiple Emmy and Golden Globe nominations. He is the partner of actor Keri Russell.

*Sources: en.wikipedia.org, nytimes.com, thewrap.com.*

## On Fi1m (10)

### Performed in (8) — the average rests on these

- *Widow's Bay* (2026), Fi1m 80, as Mayor Tom Loftis — [page](https://film.one/tv/widows-bay.md)
- *The Beast in Me* (2025), Fi1m 67, as Nile Jarvis — [page](https://film.one/tv/the-beast-in-me.md)
- *IF* (2024), Fi1m 56, as Ghost (voice) — [page](https://film.one/film/if.md)
- *Cocaine Bear* (2023), Fi1m 60, as Andrew Thornton — [page](https://film.one/film/cocaine-bear.md)
- *Perry Mason* (2020), Fi1m 66, as Perry Mason — [page](https://film.one/tv/perry-mason.md)
- *A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood* (2019), Fi1m 77, as Lloyd Vogel — [page](https://film.one/film/a-beautiful-day-in-the-neighborhood.md)
- *The Post* (2017), Fi1m 74, as Daniel Ellsberg — [page](https://film.one/film/the-post.md)
- *BoJack Horseman* (2014), Fi1m 91, as Justin Kenyon (voice) — [page](https://film.one/tv/bojack-horseman.md)

### Directed (1)

- *The Americans* (2013), Fi1m 91, as Philip Jennings — [page](https://film.one/tv/the-americans.md)

### Also credited (1) — thanks, archive footage, uncredited

- *Elizabeth* (1998), Fi1m 82, as (uncredited) — [page](https://film.one/film/elizabeth.md)

## Complete filmography (75)

Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page.

- *Golden Axe* (2026), series, as Gilius Thunderhead (voice) — coming soon, [page](https://film.one/tv/golden-axe.md)
- *Widow's Bay* (2026), series, as Mayor Tom Loftis · Executive Producer — Fi1m 80, [page](https://film.one/tv/widows-bay.md)
- *The American Revolution* (2025), series, as Thomas Paine (voice)
- *The Beast in Me* (2025), series, as Nile Jarvis — Fi1m 67, [page](https://film.one/tv/the-beast-in-me.md)
- *Waiting for Burton* (2025), as Richard Burton (voice)
- *The Wingfeather Saga: The Journey Begins* (2025), as The Florid Sword (voice)
- *Hallow Road* (2025), as Frank / Husband (voice)
- *Towards Zero* (2025), series, as Inspector Leach
- *Watchmen: Chapter II* (2024), as Dan Dreiberg / Nite Owl / Sam Hollis / Max Shea / Michael Stephens / Prisoner #1 (voice)
- *Saturday Night* (2024), as George Carlin
- *Watchmen: Chapter I* (2024), as Dan Dreiberg / Nite Owl / Photographer #3 (voice)
- *IF* (2024), as Ghost (voice) — Fi1m 56, [page](https://film.one/film/if.md)
- *Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai* (2023), series, as Riley Greene (voice)
- *Extrapolations* (2023), series, as Junior
- *Cocaine Bear* (2023), as Andrew Thornton — Fi1m 60, [page](https://film.one/film/cocaine-bear.md)
- *The Wingfeather Saga* (2022), series, as Florid Sword (voice)
- *Inside High Noon Revisited* (2022), as Narrator
- *Seal Team* (2021), as Grimes (voice)
- *INVINCIBLE* (2021), series, as David (voice) — Fi1m 74, [page](https://film.one/tv/invincible-2021.md)
- *Perry Mason* (2020), series, as Perry Mason · Producer, Executive Producer — Fi1m 66, [page](https://film.one/tv/perry-mason.md)
- *The Owl House* (2020), series, as Emperor Belos (voice)
- *The Report* (2019), as New York Times Reporter
- *A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood* (2019), as Lloyd Vogel — Fi1m 77, [page](https://film.one/film/a-beautiful-day-in-the-neighborhood.md)
- *Infinity Train* (2019), series, as Alrick (voice), Aloysius (voice)
- *Walls of the World. N. Ireland* (2019), as Narrator
- *Tuca & Bertie* (2019), series, as Figgy (voice)
- *Death and Nightingales* (2018), series, as Billy Winters
- *Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle* (2018), as Lockwood
- *The Post* (2017), as Daniel Ellsberg — Fi1m 74, [page](https://film.one/film/the-post.md)
- *Come What May* (2015), as Percy
- *Burnt* (2015), as Reece
- *The Bastard Executioner* (2015), series, as Gruffudd y Blaidd
- *BoJack Horseman* (2014), series, as Justin Kenyon (voice) — Fi1m 91, [page](https://film.one/tv/bojack-horseman.md)
- *Under Milk Wood* (2014), as New York Voice
- *Death Comes to Pemberley* (2013), series, as Fitzwilliam Darcy
- *The Americans* (2013), series, as Philip Jennings · Director — Fi1m 91, [page](https://film.one/tv/the-americans.md)
- *The Scapegoat* (2012), as John / Johnny
- *Girls* (2012), series, as Chuck Palmer — Fi1m 82, [page](https://film.one/tv/girls.md)
- *The Mystery of Edwin Drood* (2012), series, as John Jasper
- *LA Phil Live* (2011), as Hamlet
- *Luster* (2010), as Joseph Miller
- *Patagonia* (2010), as Mateo
- *Archer* (2009), series, as Lloyd Llewellyn (voice)
- *A Child's Christmas* (2008), as The Old Man (voice)
- *The Edge of Love* (2008), as Dylan Thomas
- *Virgin Territory* (2007), as Count Dzerzhinsky
- *Brothers and Sisters* (2006), series, as Kevin Walker · Director
- *Love and Other Disasters* (2006), as Peter Simon
- *Beau Brummell: This Charming Man* (2006), as Lord Byron
- *Frank Lloyd Wright: Murder, Myth and Modernism* (2005), as Narrator
- *Fakers* (2004), as Nick Edwards
- *P.O.W.* (2003), series, as Alfie Harris
- *Otherworld* (2003), as Lleu Llaw Gyffes (voice)
- *Deathwatch* (2002), as Cpl. Doc Fairweather
- *The Abduction Club* (2002), as James Strang
- *Taliesin Jones* (2002), as Jonathon
- *Shooters* (2002), as Eddie
- *The Lost World* (2001), as Edward Malone
- *The Lost World* (2001), series, as Edward Malone
- *Very Annie Mary* (2001), as Nob
- *Tabloid* (2001), as Darren Daniels
- *Peaches* (2000), as Frank
- *Sorted* (2000), as Carl
- *Metropolis* (2000), series, as Matthew Bishop
- *Whatever Happened to Harold Smith?* (2000), as Ray Smith
- *Titus* (1999), as Demetrius
- *Greenstone* (1999), as Sam Markham
- *Heart* (1999), as Sean McCardle
- *Elizabeth* (1998), as (uncredited) — Fi1m 82, [page](https://film.one/film/elizabeth.md)
- *Be Brave* (1997), Actor
- *House of America* (1997), as Boyo
- *Backup* (1995), series, as PC Steve 'Hiccup' Higson
- *Columbo* (1971), series, as Justin Price — Fi1m 86, [page](https://film.one/tv/columbo.md)
- *Heart of Darkness*, as (voice)
- *Silent River*, series, as Executive Producer

## Gallery

- ![2007 GLAAD Awards: Matthew Rhys and Grteg Hernandez](https://film.one/media/person/22662/gallery-c564172f7e98.jpg) 2007 GLAAD Awards: Matthew Rhys and Grteg Hernandez — Greg Hernandez, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/21/2007_GLAAD_Awards_Matthew_Rhys_and_Grteg_Hernandez.jpg/1280px-2007_GLAAD_Awards_Matthew_Rhys_and_Grteg_Hernandez.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Matthew Rhys at the premiere of A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, 2019 Toronto Film Festival](https://film.one/media/person/22662/gallery-b6bad5789a82.jpg) Matthew Rhys at the premiere of A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, 2019 Toronto Film Festival — GabboT, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/ec/A_Beautiful_Day_in_the_Neighborhood_05_%2848734827821%29.jpg/1280px-A_Beautiful_Day_in_the_Neighborhood_05_%2848734827821%29.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Chris Cooper, Tom Hanks, Marielle Heller, Matthew Rhys, Susan Kelechi Watson, Enrico Colantoni at the premiere of A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, 2019 Toro](https://film.one/media/person/22662/gallery-7185f1b76984.jpg) Chris Cooper, Tom Hanks, Marielle Heller, Matthew Rhys, Susan Kelechi Watson, Enrico Colantoni at the premiere of A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, 2019 Toro — GabboT, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5a/A_Beautiful_Day_in_the_Neighborhood_18_%2848735024467%29.jpg/1280px-A_Beautiful_Day_in_the_Neighborhood_18_%2848735024467%29.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Chris Cooper, Tom Hanks, Marielle Heller, Matthew Rhys, Susan Kelechi Watson, Enrico Colantoni at the premiere of A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, 2019 Toro](https://film.one/media/person/22662/gallery-3f63986b60aa.jpg) Chris Cooper, Tom Hanks, Marielle Heller, Matthew Rhys, Susan Kelechi Watson, Enrico Colantoni at the premiere of A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, 2019 Toro — GabboT, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/77/A_Beautiful_Day_in_the_Neighborhood_18_%2848735024467%29_%28cropped%29.jpg/1280px-A_Beautiful_Day_in_the_Neighborhood_18_%2848735024467%29_%28cropped%29.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Matthew Rhys](https://film.one/media/person/22662/gallery-ccb290e9da85.jpg) Matthew Rhys — Image via TMDB
- ![Matthew Rhys](https://film.one/media/person/22662/gallery-868556e70872.jpg) Matthew Rhys — Image via TMDB
- ![Matthew Rhys](https://film.one/media/person/22662/gallery-3f1ceb6f37b9.jpg) Matthew Rhys — Image via TMDB
- ![Chris Cooper, Tom Hanks, Marielle Heller at the premiere of A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, 2019 Toronto Film Festival](https://film.one/media/person/22662/gallery-c431adfc9d6d.jpg) Chris Cooper, Tom Hanks, Marielle Heller at the premiere of A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, 2019 Toronto Film Festival — GabboT, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f9/A_Beautiful_Day_in_the_Neighborhood_19_%2848735026747%29.jpg/1280px-A_Beautiful_Day_in_the_Neighborhood_19_%2848735026747%29.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Matthew Rhys at the 2026 Lincoln Center Theater Gala - May 18, 2026](https://film.one/media/person/22662/gallery-88975178178d.jpg) Matthew Rhys at the 2026 Lincoln Center Theater Gala - May 18, 2026 — PhilipRomano, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/df/MatthewRhys-byPhilipRomano.jpg/1280px-MatthewRhys-byPhilipRomano.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Matthew Rhys](https://film.one/media/person/22662/gallery-1c3c6447d212.jpg) Matthew Rhys — Image via TMDB

## Awards

### Primetime Emmy Awards — 3 won

- 2026: Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series (won), for *Widow's Bay*
- 2026: Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie (won), for *The Beast in Me*
- 2018: Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series (won), for *The Americans*

*From Wikidata, which records wins more completely than nominations.*

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/matthew-rhys