STEPHEN Graham has come to national attention once again as the lead actor in true crime drama Little Boy Blue.
While viewers might not recognise him right away, Stephen has a rich acting career behind him, delivering solid acting performances in small TV roles and Hollywood blockbusters alike.
Before his moving performance as SIO Dave ‘Ned’ Kelly in new drama Little Boy Blue, Stephen starred in This Is England, Snatch, Pirates of the Caribbean, and Taboo.
So just who is Stephen, what roles has he played, and what is his new drama Little Boy Blue all about?
Here’s what you need to know.
Who is Stephen Graham and what is his family background?
Stephen Graham was born in Lancashire to a nurse mum and a social worker dad, but quickly rose to the heights of Hollywood.
He got his start in acting in British TV shows like Coronation Street but his humble beginnings haven’t held him back – he’s now mates with Leonardo DiCaprio and regularly hangs out and gets takeaway with him at his Hollywood pad.
Stephen now stars in true crime drama Little Boy Blue, which is set to premiere on ITV at the end of April.
What is Little Boy Blue about and who does Stephen Graham play?
Little Boy Blue is a four-part series based on the true story of the police investigation into the murder of 11-year-old Rhys Jones.
Rhys was shot by a gang member on a bicycle as he crossed a pub car park near his home in Liverpool.
18-year-old Sean Mercer was sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder, while other members of Mercer’s gang were imprisoned for supplying him with the lethal weapon, and helping him hide from the authorities.
Stephen Graham stars in the dramatisation as Senior Investigating Officer Dave ‘Ned’ Kelly, who led the investigation into Rhys’ death for Merseyside Police, securing Mercer’s conviction.
Rhys’ parents, Melanie and Steve Jones, are supportive of the show’s creators and have said they think it is right to tell Rhys’ story.
They said: “We wanted to get involved in this drama because we thought it was important for people to understand what really happened.
“How close Rhys’s murderer came to escaping justice, and how in the end the simple courage shown by some of those involved in these events, and their refusal to be intimidated, led to the conviction of Sean Mercer and others involved in Rhys’s murder.”
The first part of Little Boy Blue airs on Monday, April 24, at 21.00 on ITV.
What other roles has Stephen Graham played?
After a brief stint on the Corrie cobbles, Stephen first broke into film in 2000, acting as dim-witted Tommy in Guy Ritchie’s crime caper Snatch.
Playing a criminal in his first big blockbuster role set the scene for much of his career.
Stephen’s first starring role was in gritty 2006 film This Is England, when despite his Jamaican heritage, he played the film’s main villain, sociopathic National Front thug Combo.
His turn as the violent racist skinhead was so convincing he could not get work for months, as casting directors considered him toxic – despite winning critical acclaim and nominations for prestigious acting gongs for his portrayal.
But he quickly turned his bad luck around and landed a succession of major roles that established him as a regular fixture in Hollywood.
He’s acted as Baby Face Nelson in Public Enemies with Johnny Depp; Billy Bremner in The Damned United; Al Capone in Boardwalk Empire; Scrum in the Pirates of the Caribbean films; and Atticus in Taboo with Tom Hardy; to name just a few.
He also plays a supporting role in new drama Decline and Fall, starting tonight on BBC One.
