Rupert Everett

Rupert Everett
Peperudi · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Name	Rupert Everett
Caption	Everett in 2019
Birth date	29 May 1959
Birth place	Burnham Deepdale, Norfolk, England
Occupation	Actor, writer, singer
Years active	1981–present

Rupert Everett. Rupert James Hector Everett is an English actor, writer, and singer, renowned for his distinctive voice and often portraying urbane, witty, and sometimes acerbic characters. He first gained significant attention for his role in the 1984 film Another Country, a part he originated on the West End stage, which established him as a prominent figure in British cinema. His career spans acclaimed performances in major Hollywood productions like My Best Friend's Wedding and The Importance of Being Earnest, as well as acclaimed work in European cinema and as a director with his film The Happy Prince. An openly gay man since the 1980s, Everett has been a vocal and sometimes controversial commentator on LGBT issues, politics, and the entertainment industry.

Early life and education

Rupert Everett was born in Burnham Deepdale, Norfolk, to a British Army officer father and spent parts of his childhood in Portugal and Suffolk. He was educated at the independent Ampleforth College, a Benedictine boarding school in North Yorkshire, but was expelled at age fifteen. He subsequently studied at the Central School of Speech and Drama in London, though he left before completing his course, finding the training restrictive. His early ambition was to become a stage actor, and he began his professional career in theatre after a period of traveling and working odd jobs in Scotland and London.

Career

Everett's breakthrough came with his performance as a gay public school student in the play Another Country in London's West End, a role he later reprised in the 1984 film adaptation directed by Marek Kanievska. He worked with director Derek Jarman in The Devil's and Caravaggio before achieving international fame in the late 1980s and 1990s. His role as Julia Roberts's gay best friend in My Best Friend's Wedding (1997) brought him widespread recognition in Hollywood, leading to parts in films like An Ideal Husband and The Next Best Thing. He received critical praise for his portrayal of Oscar Wilde in The Happy Prince (2018), which he also wrote and directed. Beyond film, Everett has had a prolific career in BBC radio dramas, audiobook narration, and as a contributing editor for Vanity Fair.

Personal life

Everett has been openly gay since the early years of his career, a rarity in the 1980s, and has spoken extensively about the challenges this posed in Hollywood. He has had long-term relationships, including with Portuguese media executive Henrique Soares. In 2021, he revealed he had become a father via surrogacy. A resident of London for many years, he has also lived extensively in Paris and New York City. Everett is known for his sharp, often provocative opinions on topics ranging from LGBT rights and AIDS activism to British politics, frequently expressed in interviews and his writings for publications like The Guardian. He is a supporter of the Conservative Party but has criticized its stance on various social issues.

Filmography

A selection of his notable film roles includes Another Country (1984), Dance with a Stranger (1985), The Comfort of Strangers (1990), The Madness of King George (1994), My Best Friend's Wedding (1997), B. Monkey (1998), An Ideal Husband (1999), The Next Best Thing (2000), The Importance of Being Earnest (2002), Stardust (2007), Hysteria (2011), Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children (2016), and The Happy Prince (2018), which he also directed.

Stage work

Everett's theatre career began with the Citizens' Theatre in Glasgow. His West End debut in Another Country was a major success. Other notable stage performances include playing Henry Higgins in a revival of Pygmalion at the Albery Theatre, the title role in The Judas Kiss (a play about Oscar Wilde) in London and on Broadway, and appearances in plays by Noël Coward and Anton Chekhov. He has also performed in productions for the Chichester Festival Theatre and the Royal Court Theatre.

Bibliography

Everett is a published author, having written two autobiographies: Red Carpets and Other Banana Skins (2006) and Vanished Years (2012), which detail his life and career in Hollywood, London, and Paris. He has also written a novel, Hello, Darling, Are You Working? (1992), and has been a regular contributor to publications such as The Guardian, The Spectator, and Vanity Fair, where he served as a European correspondent.

Awards and nominations

Throughout his career, Everett has received several accolades, including a Evening Standard British Film Award for Best Actor for Another Country. He was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in My Best Friend's Wedding and received a National Board of Review award for Best Supporting Actor for the same role. For The Happy Prince, he earned a nomination for the European Film Award for Best Actor. He has also been honored with awards from the London Film Critics' Circle and the GLAAD Media Awards for his contributions to LGBT visibility.

Category:Rupert Everett Category:English male film actors Category:English male stage actors Category:English LGBT writers Category:LGBT actors from England