Toby Kebbell
Encyclopedia
Tobias Alistair P. "Toby" Kebbell (born 9 July 1982) is a British actor.
, on the A638
between Doncaster
and Wakefield
, Yorkshire
, but grew up in Nottinghamshire
. He was brought up by his mother, Michelle (née Mathers), a cook and landscape gardener, after his parents divorced when he was eighteen months old. He went to a Catholic primary school. Kebbell first came to notice when Shane Meadows
cast him in the role of Anthony in the film Dead Man's Shoes. He was nominated for Most Promising Newcomer at the British Independent Film Awards
and was widely lauded for his sensitive, moving portrayal of a young man with a learning difficulty. Kebbell then appeared in Oliver Stone
's Alexander
and Match Point
, which Woody Allen
cast him in without audition after being impressed with his performance in Dead Man's Shoes.
Kebbell's most critically acclaimed role came in 2007 when he played Rob Gretton
, the manager of Joy Division
in Anton Corbijn
's award-winning biopic of Ian Curtis
, Control. He won the Best Supporting Actor Award at the British Independent Film Awards
; other nominees for the award included Cate Blanchett
, Colin Firth
and Control co-star Samantha Morton
. He was also nominated for the London Critics' Circle Best Supporting Actor Award alongside Albert Finney
and Tom Wilkinson
.
In December 2007, Kebbell took the lead in an episode of Jimmy McGovern
's BBC
series The Street
, which subsequently won the BAFTA for Best Drama series. His other work for the BBC included a modern retelling of Macbeth
alongside James McAvoy
, while his theatre roles included spells at the Almeida
in David Hare
's reworking of Maxim Gorky
's Enemies and at the Playhouse in R. C. Sherriff
's classic, Journey's End.
In September 2008, Kebbell was featured in the film RocknRolla
, written and directed by Guy Ritchie
, alongside actors Tom Wilkinson
, Gerard Butler
and Thandie Newton
. Kebbell played a crack-addicted musician, Johnny Quid.
To play the role Toby Kebbell learned to play the piano and operate a semi automatic. To get into the skin of a crack addicted rocker, Toby abstained from food for 3 days and ate just a single meal for the next 3 weeks. Comparisons were made between his body and Brad Pitt's in Fight Club. He won The Sun
's Best Actor award for this part and was described in the paper as "a star of the future".
In January 2009, Kebbell was nominated in the "Orange Rising Star Award" category of the 2009 BAFTA Awards
. This award is voted for by the public. Kebbell appeared in the 2009 film Cheri
, directed by Stephen Frears
, in which he took a small role alongside Michelle Pfeiffer
. He filmed in Morocco
and London with Jake Gyllenhaal
for Prince of Persia: Sands of Time
. Here too in a minimal screen time, he overshadowed the lead, by playing a fiery prince, Garsiv.
In February 2009, it was reported that Kebbell was dating the former Oxford Union
president Ruzwana Bashir
, whom he met at a party given by the journalist Andrew Neil
.. He had been linked to English actress Gemma Arterton
though later dismissed as mere rumours. He enjoys a considerable female fan following all over the USA and UK.
Life and career
Kebbell, the fourth of five children, was born in South ElmsallSouth Elmsall
South Elmsall pronounced "south em-sull" is a small town and civil parish to the east of Hemsworth in the City of Wakefield in West Yorkshire, England. It is on the B6422 and B6474 ....
, on the A638
A638 road
The A638 is a main road in England that runs between the A1 at Markham Moor in Nottinghamshire and Chain Bar Junction 26 of the M62 motorway south of Bradford in West Yorkshire....
between Doncaster
Doncaster
Doncaster is a town in South Yorkshire, England, and the principal settlement of the Metropolitan Borough of Doncaster. The town is about from Sheffield and is popularly referred to as "Donny"...
and Wakefield
Wakefield
Wakefield is the main settlement and administrative centre of the City of Wakefield, a metropolitan district of West Yorkshire, England. Located by the River Calder on the eastern edge of the Pennines, the urban area is and had a population of 76,886 in 2001....
, Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
, but grew up in Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire is a county in the East Midlands of England, bordering South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west...
. He was brought up by his mother, Michelle (née Mathers), a cook and landscape gardener, after his parents divorced when he was eighteen months old. He went to a Catholic primary school. Kebbell first came to notice when Shane Meadows
Shane Meadows
Shane Meadows is an English film director, screenwriter, occasional actor and BAFTA winner.-Background:Meadows grew up in the Westlands Road area of Uttoxeter, Staffordshire. His father was a long distance lorry driver and his mother worked in a fish and chip shop...
cast him in the role of Anthony in the film Dead Man's Shoes. He was nominated for Most Promising Newcomer at the British Independent Film Awards
British Independent Film Awards
The Moët British Independent Film Awards is an annual award ceremony celebrating achievement in independently funded British film and cinema. Nominations and jury are announced at the beginning of November with the award ceremony taking place in late November or early December.-History:The British...
and was widely lauded for his sensitive, moving portrayal of a young man with a learning difficulty. Kebbell then appeared in Oliver Stone
Oliver Stone
William Oliver Stone is an American film director, producer and screenwriter. Stone became well known in the late 1980s and the early 1990s for directing a series of films about the Vietnam War, for which he had previously participated as an infantry soldier. His work frequently focuses on...
's Alexander
Alexander (film)
Alexander is a 2004 epic film based on the life of Alexander the Great. It is not a remake of the 1956 film which starred Richard Burton. It was directed by Oliver Stone, with Colin Farrell in the title role...
and Match Point
Match Point
Match Point is a 2005 dramatic thriller film written and directed by Woody Allen, and starring Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Scarlett Johansson, Emily Mortimer, Matthew Goode, Brian Cox and Penelope Wilton....
, which Woody Allen
Woody Allen
Woody Allen is an American screenwriter, director, actor, comedian, jazz musician, author, and playwright. Allen's films draw heavily on literature, sexuality, philosophy, psychology, Jewish identity, and the history of cinema...
cast him in without audition after being impressed with his performance in Dead Man's Shoes.
Kebbell's most critically acclaimed role came in 2007 when he played Rob Gretton
Rob Gretton
Rob Gretton was the manager of Joy Division and New Order. He was also a partner in Factory Records, proprietor of the Rob's Records label and a co-founder along with Tony Wilson of The Haçienda nightclub in Manchester, England. In 1977, Gretton became a leading figure in the Manchester punk...
, the manager of Joy Division
Joy Division
Joy Division were an English rock band formed in 1976 in Salford, Greater Manchester. Originally named Warsaw, the band primarily consisted of Ian Curtis , Bernard Sumner , Peter Hook and Stephen Morris .Joy Division rapidly evolved from their initial punk rock influences...
in Anton Corbijn
Anton Corbijn
Anton Corbijn is a Dutch photographer, music video and film director. He is the creative director behind the visual output of Depeche Mode and U2, having handled the principal promotion and sleeve photography for both for more than a decade...
's award-winning biopic of Ian Curtis
Ian Curtis
Ian Kevin Curtis was an English singer and lyricist, famous for leading the post-punk band Joy Division. Joy Division released their debut album, Unknown Pleasures, in 1979 and recorded their follow-up, Closer, in 1980...
, Control. He won the Best Supporting Actor Award at the British Independent Film Awards
British Independent Film Awards
The Moët British Independent Film Awards is an annual award ceremony celebrating achievement in independently funded British film and cinema. Nominations and jury are announced at the beginning of November with the award ceremony taking place in late November or early December.-History:The British...
; other nominees for the award included Cate Blanchett
Cate Blanchett
Catherine Élise "Cate" Blanchett is an Australian actress. She came to international attention for her role as Elizabeth I of England in the 1998 biopic film Elizabeth, for which she won British Academy of Film and Television Arts and Golden Globe Awards, and earned her first Academy Award...
, Colin Firth
Colin Firth
SirColin Andrew Firth, CBE is a British film, television, and theatre actor. Firth gained wide public attention in the 1990s for his portrayal of Mr. Darcy in the 1995 television adaptation of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice...
and Control co-star Samantha Morton
Samantha Morton
Samantha Jane Morton is an English actress and film director. She began her performing career with guest roles in television shows such as Soldier Soldier and Boon before making her film debut in the 1997 drama film This Is the Sea, playing the character of Hazel Stokes...
. He was also nominated for the London Critics' Circle Best Supporting Actor Award alongside Albert Finney
Albert Finney
Albert Finney is an English actor. He achieved prominence in films in the early 1960s, and has maintained a successful career in theatre, film and television....
and Tom Wilkinson
Tom Wilkinson
Thomas Geoffrey "Tom" Wilkinson, OBE is a British actor. He has twice been nominated for an Academy Award for his roles in In the Bedroom and Michael Clayton...
.
In December 2007, Kebbell took the lead in an episode of Jimmy McGovern
Jimmy McGovern
Jimmy McGovern is a BAFTA award-winning English television scriptwriter from Liverpool.-Early career:McGovern started his career working on Channel 4's soap opera Brookside in 1982, tackling many social issues such as unemployment.-Successes:...
's BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
series The Street
The Street (TV series)
The Street is a British television drama series created by Jimmy McGovern and produced by Granada Television for the BBC. The series follows the lives of various residents of an unnamed street in Manchester and features an all-star cast including Timothy Spall, Jim Broadbent, Jane Horrocks, Bob...
, which subsequently won the BAFTA for Best Drama series. His other work for the BBC included a modern retelling of Macbeth
Macbeth
The Tragedy of Macbeth is a play by William Shakespeare about a regicide and its aftermath. It is Shakespeare's shortest tragedy and is believed to have been written sometime between 1603 and 1607...
alongside James McAvoy
James McAvoy
James McAvoy is a Scottish stage and screen actor. He made his acting debut as a teen in 1995's The Near Room and continued to make mostly television appearances until the early 2000s. His notable television work includes State of Play, Shameless, and Frank Herbert's Children of Dune...
, while his theatre roles included spells at the Almeida
Almeida Theatre
The Almeida Theatre, opened in 1980, is a 325 seat studio theatre with an international reputation which takes its name from the street in which it is located, off Upper Street, in the London Borough of Islington. The theatre produces a diverse range of drama and holds an annual summer festival of...
in David Hare
David Hare (playwright)
Sir David Hare is an English playwright and theatre and film director.-Early life:Hare was born in St Leonards-on-Sea, Hastings, East Sussex, the son of Agnes and Clifford Hare, a sailor. He was educated at Lancing, an independent school in West Sussex, and at Jesus College, Cambridge...
's reworking of Maxim Gorky
Maxim Gorky
Alexei Maximovich Peshkov , primarily known as Maxim Gorky , was a Russian and Soviet author, a founder of the Socialist Realism literary method and a political activist.-Early years:...
's Enemies and at the Playhouse in R. C. Sherriff
R. C. Sherriff
-External links:**...
's classic, Journey's End.
In September 2008, Kebbell was featured in the film RocknRolla
RocknRolla
RocknRolla is a 2008 British crime film written and directed by Guy Ritchie, and starring Gerard Butler, Tom Wilkinson, Mark Strong, Toby Kebbell, Tom Hardy, Idris Elba, Karel Roden, and Thandie Newton...
, written and directed by Guy Ritchie
Guy Ritchie
Guy Stuart Ritchie is an English screenwriter and film maker who directed Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, Snatch, Revolver, RocknRolla and Sherlock Holmes.-Early life:...
, alongside actors Tom Wilkinson
Tom Wilkinson
Thomas Geoffrey "Tom" Wilkinson, OBE is a British actor. He has twice been nominated for an Academy Award for his roles in In the Bedroom and Michael Clayton...
, Gerard Butler
Gerard Butler
Gerard James Butler is a Scottish actor who has appeared on film, stage, and television. A trained lawyer, Butler turned to acting in the mid-1990s with small roles in productions such as the James Bond film Tomorrow Never Dies , which he followed with steady work on television, most notably in...
and Thandie Newton
Thandie Newton
Thandiwe Nashita "Thandie" Newton is a British actress. She has appeared in a number of British and American films, including The Pursuit of Happyness, Mission: Impossible II, Crash, Run, Fatboy, Run and W....
. Kebbell played a crack-addicted musician, Johnny Quid.
To play the role Toby Kebbell learned to play the piano and operate a semi automatic. To get into the skin of a crack addicted rocker, Toby abstained from food for 3 days and ate just a single meal for the next 3 weeks. Comparisons were made between his body and Brad Pitt's in Fight Club. He won The Sun
The Sun (newspaper)
The Sun is a daily national tabloid newspaper published in the United Kingdom and owned by News Corporation. Sister editions are published in Glasgow and Dublin...
's Best Actor award for this part and was described in the paper as "a star of the future".
In January 2009, Kebbell was nominated in the "Orange Rising Star Award" category of the 2009 BAFTA Awards
62nd British Academy Film Awards
The 62nd British Academy Film Awards, hosted by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts, took place on 8 February 2009, and honoured the best films of 2008.-Best Actor:Mickey Rourke – The Wrestler*Frank Langella – Frost/Nixon...
. This award is voted for by the public. Kebbell appeared in the 2009 film Cheri
Cheri (film)
Chéri is a 2009 drama film directed by Stephen Frears. Starring Michelle Pfeiffer and Rupert Friend, it is an adaptation of the novel of the same name by French author Colette...
, directed by Stephen Frears
Stephen Frears
Stephen Arthur Frears is an English film director.-Early life:Frears was born in Leicester, England to Ruth M., a social worker, and Dr Russell E. Frears, a general practitioner and accountant. He did not find out that his mother was Jewish until he was in his late 20s...
, in which he took a small role alongside Michelle Pfeiffer
Michelle Pfeiffer
Michelle Marie Pfeiffer is an American actress. She made her film debut in 1980 in The Hollywood Knights, but first garnered mainstream attention with her performance in Brian De Palma's Scarface . Pfeiffer has won numerous awards for her work...
. He filmed in Morocco
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
and London with Jake Gyllenhaal
Jake Gyllenhaal
Jacob Benjamin "Jake" Gyllenhaal is an American actor. The son of director Stephen Gyllenhaal and screenwriter Naomi Foner, Gyllenhaal began acting at age ten...
for Prince of Persia: Sands of Time
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (film)
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time is a 2010 sword-and-sorcery action film written by Jordan Mechner, Boaz Yakin, Doug Miro, and Carlo Bernard; directed by Mike Newell; produced by Jerry Bruckheimer; and distributed by Walt Disney Pictures...
. Here too in a minimal screen time, he overshadowed the lead, by playing a fiery prince, Garsiv.
In February 2009, it was reported that Kebbell was dating the former Oxford Union
Oxford Union
The Oxford Union Society, commonly referred to simply as the Oxford Union, is a debating society in the city of Oxford, Britain, whose membership is drawn primarily but not exclusively from the University of Oxford...
president Ruzwana Bashir
Ruzwana Bashir
Ruzwana Bashir was the first British-born Asian woman to become President of the Oxford Union and is a Fulbright Scholar.-Early life:Bashir was educated at Skipton Girls' High School, in North Yorkshire...
, whom he met at a party given by the journalist Andrew Neil
Andrew Neil
Andrew Ferguson Neil is a Scottish journalist and broadcaster.He currently works for the BBC, presenting the live political programmes The Daily Politics and This Week...
.. He had been linked to English actress Gemma Arterton
Gemma Arterton
Gemma Arterton is an English actress. She played the eponymous protagonist in the BBC adaptation of Thomas Hardy's Tess of the D'Urbervilles, and starred in the feature films St Trinian's, the James Bond film Quantum of Solace, Clash of the Titans, Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time and Tamara...
though later dismissed as mere rumours. He enjoys a considerable female fan following all over the USA and UK.
Filmography
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Peak Practice Peak Practice Peak Practice is a British drama series about a GP surgery in Cardale — a small fictional town in the Derbyshire Peak District — and the doctors who worked there. It ran on ITV from 10 May 1993 to 30 January 2002 and was one of their most successful series at the time... |
Graham | TV series (1 episode: "Keeping Up the Act") |
| 2004 | Dead Man's Shoes | Anthony | Nominated – British Independent Film Award for Most Promising Newcomer British Independent Film Awards The Moët British Independent Film Awards is an annual award ceremony celebrating achievement in independently funded British film and cinema. Nominations and jury are announced at the beginning of November with the award ceremony taking place in late November or early December.-History:The British... |
| Northern Soul | Mark Sherbert | Short | |
| Alexander Alexander (film) Alexander is a 2004 epic film based on the life of Alexander the Great. It is not a remake of the 1956 film which starred Richard Burton. It was directed by Oliver Stone, with Colin Farrell in the title role... |
Pausanius | ||
| 2005 | Match Point Match Point Match Point is a 2005 dramatic thriller film written and directed by Woody Allen, and starring Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Scarlett Johansson, Emily Mortimer, Matthew Goode, Brian Cox and Penelope Wilton.... |
Policeman | |
| ShakespeaRe-Told ShakespeaRe-Told ShakespeaRe-Told is the umbrella title for a series of four television adaptations of William Shakespeare's plays broadcast on BBC One during November 2005. In a similar manner to the 2003 production of The Canterbury Tales, each play is adapted by a different writer, and relocated to the present day... |
Malcolm | TV series (1 episode: "Macbeth") | |
| 2006 | Wilderness Wilderness (film) Wilderness is a 2006 British/Irish horror film.- Plot summary :After the suicide of one of the inmates at a British young offender institution, a group of teenage offenders, along with a prison officer, are sent to a remote island, formerly used as a British Army training area, but now serving as a... |
Callum | |
| Born Equal Born Equal Born Equal is a television film produced for the BBC exploring aspects of poverty, race, inequality, homelessness, immigration and class in modern Britain. Written and directed by Dominic Savage and starring Colin Firth, Robert Carlyle, David Oyelowo, Anne-Marie Duff, and Emilia Fox, it was likened... |
Beggar 2 | TV movie | |
| 2007 | Control | Rob Gretton Rob Gretton Rob Gretton was the manager of Joy Division and New Order. He was also a partner in Factory Records, proprietor of the Rob's Records label and a co-founder along with Tony Wilson of The Haçienda nightclub in Manchester, England. In 1977, Gretton became a leading figure in the Manchester punk... |
British Independent Film Award for Best Supporting Actor BIFA Award for Best Supporting Actor The British Independent Film Award for Best Supporting Actor is an annual award given to the Best Supporting Actor in a British film. The award was introduced in the 2008 ceremony.- 2008–2009 :- 2010–2019 :... Nominated – ALFS Award for British Supporting Actor of the Year |
| The Commander: Windows of the Soul | Jimmy Bannerman | TV movie | |
| The Street The Street (TV series) The Street is a British television drama series created by Jimmy McGovern and produced by Granada Television for the BBC. The series follows the lives of various residents of an unnamed street in Manchester and features an all-star cast including Timothy Spall, Jim Broadbent, Jane Horrocks, Bob... |
Paul Billerton | TV series (3 episodes) | |
| 2008 | RocknRolla RocknRolla RocknRolla is a 2008 British crime film written and directed by Guy Ritchie, and starring Gerard Butler, Tom Wilkinson, Mark Strong, Toby Kebbell, Tom Hardy, Idris Elba, Karel Roden, and Thandie Newton... |
Johnny Quid | |
| The German The German The German is a short film written and directed by Nick Ryan, Starring Toby Kebbell and Christian Brassington. It premiered at the 2008 Cork Film Festival and has subsequently been screened at Palm Springs Film Festival, LA Shorts Festival and San Paulo Film Festival in Brazil.SynopisNovember 1940... |
Barton | Short (director: Nick Ryan) | |
| 2009 | Tea and Biscuits | Billy | Short |
| Chéri | Patron | ||
| 2010 | Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (film) Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time is a 2010 sword-and-sorcery action film written by Jordan Mechner, Boaz Yakin, Doug Miro, and Carlo Bernard; directed by Mike Newell; produced by Jerry Bruckheimer; and distributed by Walt Disney Pictures... |
Garsiv | |
| The Sorcerer's Apprentice The Sorcerer's Apprentice (2010 film) The Sorcerer's Apprentice is a 2010 fantasy adventure film produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, directed by Jon Turteltaub, and distributed by Walt Disney Pictures, the team behind the National Treasure franchise... |
Drake Stone | ||
| The Conspirator | John Wilkes Booth John Wilkes Booth John Wilkes Booth was an American stage actor who assassinated President Abraham Lincoln at Ford's Theatre, in Washington, D.C., on April 14, 1865. Booth was a member of the prominent 19th century Booth theatrical family from Maryland and, by the 1860s, was a well-known actor... |
||
| 2011 | The Veteran The Veteran (film) The Veteran is a 2011 British film directed by Matthew Hope, featuring Toby Kebbell, Brian Cox, Tony Curran and Adi Bielski.- Plot :Robert Miller , a veteran soldier, is returning from the war in Afghanistan to his home in a violent decaying South London council housing estate, overrun by... |
Miller | |
| Handcuffed | Son | Short | |
| War Horse War Horse (film) War Horse is a 2011 British-American war drama film directed by Steven Spielberg and is intended for release in the United States on 25 December 2011 and in the United Kingdom on 13 January 2012... |
Geordie | Post-production | |
| 2012 | Wrath of the Titans Wrath of the Titans Wrath of the Titans is an upcoming fantasy film and sequel to the 2010 film, Clash of the Titans. The film stars Sam Worthington, Ralph Fiennes, Liam Neeson, Danny Huston, Édgar Ramírez, Bill Nighy, Toby Kebbell and Rosamund Pike with Jonathan Liebesman directing a screenplay by Dan Mazeau, David... |
Argenor | Filming |