On the occasion of the broadcast tonight on TFX of Love at first sight in Notting Hill, focus on the career of Rhys Ifans, the unforgettable eccentric roommate of Hugh Grant in the cult romantic comedy.
In Love at First Sight in Notting Hill, there are legends Julia Roberts and Hugh Grant. But there is also Rhys Ifans. In the role of Spike, the hero's crazy roommate, king of style and class, the actor presents us with the funniest scenes from the cult romantic comedy. Restricted to secondary roles, Rhys Ifans has nevertheless been omnipresent in the cinematographic landscape since the mid-90s and never fails to make an impression.
Revealed in 1999 to the whole world in Roger Michell's film, Rhys Ifans is not for all that his first attempt and already has a dozen feature films on his counter. In minor roles, he still gives the answer to the big names in cinema, from Anthony Hopkins in August to Meryl Streep in The Harvest of Ireland through John Hurt in You're Dead ... Notting Hill, he sits his character of kind eccentric in the eyes of the spectators.
A role that sticks to his skin in the 2000s, as evidenced by his performances as a pro thug of the trigger in Gangsters, Sex & Karaoke, awful DJ officiating in Ibiza in Kevin & Perry or even as a man-ape in Human Nature. He also tried other registers and gained a foothold in the 19th century British upper class for the needs of Vanity fair, the vanity fair. Very active, he later illustrated himself in Chromophobia, Hannibal Lecter: the origins of evil or Elizabeth: the golden age. He also finds the Elizabethan period four years later in Roland Emmerich's Anonymous, playing the Earl of Oxford, the supposed author of certain plays by William Shakespeare.
The 2010s marked a turning point in his career since after being part of the band of merry men of Good Morning England, he joined the ranks of the Harry Potter saga. There he plays the role, in the two chapters of the Deathly Hallows, of Xenophilius Lovegood, the father of the no less eccentric Luna Lovegood. The world of blockbusters is now reaching out to him as he is chosen to slip into the skin of Dr. Connors from The Amazing Spider-Man, a scientist who turns into an evil lizard.
Since then, the Welsh comedian has gone through the small screen box, notably playing the brother of Sherlock Holmes in the modern American adaptation, Elementary. He also plays the major role of Hector DeJean in the 3 seasons of the thriller Berlin Station, broadcast from 2016 to 2018, without moving away from the film sets. We find him in various registers, alongside Owen Wilson in the comedy-drama Broadway Therapy, Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley Cooper in the drama Serena, and Johnny Depp in the fantastic Alice Through the Looking Glass. He will star in The King's Man, a prequel to Matthew Vaughn's Kingsman.
Inveterate music lover, Rhys Ifans has given voice in the group Super Furry Animals and officiates since 2007 in the psychedelic rock group The Peth. After a few concerts, the group opened for Oasis in August 2009, two months before its disbandment. The actor had also taken advantage of his allure of grand dadet in the clip of the piece The Importance Of Being Idle of the formation of the Gallagher brothers.
