Rupert Graves

Rupert Graves (born 30 June 1963) is an English film, television, and theatre actor. He is known for his roles in A Room with a View, Maurice, The Madness of King George and The Forsyte Saga. Since 2010 he has starred as DI Lestrade in the BBC television series Sherlock.

Early life

Graves was born in Weston-super-Mare in Somerset, England, to Mary Lousilla (née Roberts) Graves, a travel coordinator, and Richard Harding Graves, a music teacher and musician.

Education

Graves was educated at Wyvern Community School, a state comprehensive school in his home town of Weston-super-Mare, which he left at the age of fifteen. The school has since closed and re-opened as the Hans Price Academy.

Career

Graves's first job after leaving school was as a circus clown. He has appeared in over twenty-five films and over thirty-five television productions; he has also appeared on stage.

Graves first came to prominence in costume-drama adaptations of E. M. Forster's novels A Room with a View (1985) and Maurice (1987), before going on to appear in films including A Handful of Dust (1988), the Oscar nominated The Madness of King George (1994), Different for Girls (1996), and Intimate Relations (1996).