Famous Welsh Film & Theater Personalities

Catherine Zeta-Jones is one of the most popular and successful actresses from Wales. Starting out as a child actress, Catherine went on to cement her place in the American film industry with roles that accentuated her sex appeal. She is the recipient of several awards. Also a well-known humanitarian, she was appointed CBE for her humanitarian and film endeavors.

Highly renowned Welsh actor, Anthony Hopkins is best known for his portrayal of a cannibalistic serial killer in the movie The Silence of the Lambs. The portrayal earned him prestigious awards and also a place in the list of best villains of all time. Other notable films of the celebrated character actor include Remains of the Day, Nixon and Amistad.

Michael Sheen is a Welsh actor and started his career as a theatre artist. He rose to fame in the 2000s as a screen actor after working in various biographical films. He starred in television films like The Deal, The Queen and The Special Relationship. Some of his notable films are The Twilight Saga: New Moon and Midnight in Paris.

An award-winning actor, Taron Egerton is popular for playing real-life icons in biopics, such as Eddie the Eagle and Rocketman. Also known for his singing abilities, Egerton has appeared in a couple of music videos as well. Taron Egerton does not shy away from voicing his opinion on sensitive topics like misogyny and is a supporter of the LGBT community.

Tom Ellis is a Welsh actor, who gained international prominence after he started playing Lucifer Morningstar in the American DC Comics-based series Lucifer. An alumnus of the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama, he began his career with a role in a BBC TV show. He eventually began appearing in American TV shows and films as well.

Luke Evans is one of the most successful and popular actors from Wales. Also a decent singer, he released his debut studio album, At Last, in 2019; he studied music under the tutelage of an established singing coach named Louise Ryan. Since he is openly gay, Luke Evans serves as an inspiration to the gay community around the world.

John Rhys-Davies is best known as Gimli and the voice of Treebeard from The Lord of the Rings trilogy. He is also known for voicing Cassim in Aladdin and the King of Thieves. His other notable projects include Shōgun, Sliders, and the James Bond film The Living Daylights.

Jonathan Pryce is one of the most popular Welsh actors of all time. Renowned for his versatility, Pryce has contributed immensely across all the three major acting mediums: movies, television and theatre. Best known for his work in theatre, Pryce is a two-time winner of the prestigious Tony Award. In the 2009 Birthday Honours, Jonathan Pryce was appointed a CBE for services to drama.

Ioan Gruffudd is a Welsh actor known for playing important roles in popular American films, such as 102 Dalmatians, Black Hawk Down, and San Andreas. An accomplished oboist and singer during his teenage years, Ioan Gruffudd gave up music in order to focus on his career as an actor.

Best known to audiences as Ramsay Bolton in Game of Thrones and as Simon Bellamy in Misfits, Iwan Rheon is also an Olivier Award-winning stage actor. A talented singer, too, he was previously the lead vocalist of The Convictions and has also performed with his brother in the single Rhodd.

Welsh actor, Andy Whitfield, gained international fame for his leading role in the Starz television series Spartacus: Blood and Sand. A qualified engineer, he quit his corporate job to act in TV shows. He became popular within a few years and began acting in films as well. Tragically, he became ill with cancer and died at the age of 39. 

Charlotte Church is a Welsh actress, singer-songwriter, political activist, and television presenter. She achieved popularity after hosting her own chat show for Channel 4, The Charlotte Church Show. As a recording artist, Church has won many awards, including a Hollywood Reporters Young Star Award and Classical BRIT Award. She has also published an autobiography named Voice of an Angel.  

British actress Perdita Weeks is known for her role in the CBS reboot series Magnum P.I. An alumnus of the Courtauld Institute of Art, she always knew she wanted to be an actress. She began acting as a child and her passion for the profession only intensified with time. She primarily acts on TV and a done a few films.

Welsh-American actor-director Ray Milland is best remembered for his Oscar-winning role of Don Birnam in The Lost Weekend. Fans also loved him in films such as Dial M for Murder and The Jungle Princess. He was previously part of the British Army’s Household Cavalry, as a marksman, pilot, and horseman.

Welsh actor Ruth Jones apparently wasn’t too confident of her being accepted into a drama school and thus had only applied to one, the Welsh College of Music and Drama, where she ended up being accepted. The fine comedian is known for appearing in and co-writing the BBC sitcom Gavin & Stacey.  

Known for her trademark gap between her front teeth, Welsh actor Eve Myles is best known for her roles series such as Belonging. Her phenomenal performance in an episode of Doctor Who in 2005 earned her the lead role in the spin-off Torchwood. She is also an award-winning stage actor.

Sian Phillips is a respected Welsh actress whose achievements over the course of her career spanning over seven decades were honored with a Radio Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2018 BBC Audio Drama Awards. Sian Phillips, who has won prestigious awards, such as BAFTA TV Award, was appointed DBE during the New Year Honours in 2016.

Welsh actor, Desmond Llewelyn, is best known for his role as Q in many James Bond films over a span of four decades. Even though he originally wanted to be a minister, his interest shifted to acting while in high school. He served in the army during World War II and resumed his acting career afterward. 

Welsh actor-director Erin Richards is best known to audiences for her roles in the series Gotham and Breaking In. She has also appeared in films such as The Quiet Ones and That Good Night. She likes doing her own stunts and is fond of low-budget productions with good storylines.

Initially aspiring to be a classical singer, Aimee-Ffion Edwards had her first stint with showbiz on the show Wawffactor. As a teenager, she was the only girl in a rugby team. She is equally at ease playing a working-class mother in The Left Behind and a gypsy in Peaky Blinders.

Mandy Rice-Davies was a British model and a showgirl, best remembered for her involvement in the Profumo affair that damaged the credibility of Harold Macmillan's Conservative government in early 1960s. Later, she opened a restaurant and a nightclub in Tel Aviv and publishing three books including her autobiography. She also appeared in a number of films and television productions.  

Perrier Best Newcomer Award-nominated comedian Rhod Gilbert is also a writer and producer, known for his shows such as Rhod Gilbert vs. Kilimanjaro and Rhod Gilbert's Work Experience. Named to the list of the Top 50 Comedians by The Times, he is also an avid badminton player.

Welsh musician Pete Ham soared to fame as the lead singer and composer of the rock band Badfinger. Known for iconic hits such as No Matter What, he also co-wrote the classic Without You. After the band’s manager defrauded and vanished, Ham committed suicide by hanging himself in his garage.

Actor Alexandra Roach was already a regular on the Welsh soap Pobol Y Cwm by her teens. She later trained at the National Youth Theatre and then at RADA. She played the younger version of Margaret Thatcher in the biographical drama The Iron Lady. She also played Mary Boleyn in The Tudors.

BAFTA-winning actor Rachel Roberts is best remembered as Mrs. Margaret Hammond from This Sporting Life, a role that also earned her Oscar and Golden Globe nominations. A theater veteran, she has also won a Drama Desk Award. Her journals were published following her suicide by drug overdose.

Shaheen Jafargholi is a Welsh singer and actor who achieved popularity in 2009 when he took part in the televised talent show competition Britain's Got Talent where he finished seventh. Since his participation in Britain's Got Talent, Shaheen Jafargholi has released a studio album and has appeared in a couple of TV series.

Welsh actor/comedian Harry Secombe soared to fame with The Goon Show. Part of the British army during World War II, he would often perform comedy acts for the troops. Known for his slapstick comedy, he was also a talented singer. He later hosted religious shows such as ITV’s Highway.