Stephen Graham: who is Peaky Blinders actor and what else has he been in - from Code 404 to Boiling Point

Graham is a versatile actor who takes part in both big budget films and independent projects.
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Stephen Graham is a versatile British actor who will be recognised for his roles in blockbuster films, independent cinema, and prestige television.

Graham will be back on our screens once again, as the lead in season three of Peacock original comedy crime series Code 404, where he plays DI Roy Carver.

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Previously, he has had a surprise appearance in BBC’s gangster series Peaky Blinders, and has starred in several seasons of Line of Duty as well as playing the lead in the independent film Boiling Point.

But who is the actor, where is he from, what’s his career history, and what are his most memorable roles?

This is what you need to know.

Who is Stephen Graham?

Graham was born in Kirkby, a town six miles outside Liverpool, in 1973.

He started acting as a child, performing as Jim Hawkins in a school production of the Robert Louis Stevenson story, Treasure Island.

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At aged 14 he became involved with Liverpool’s Everyman Theatre and later trained at the Rose Bruford College of Theatre & Performance.

Speaking at the British Independent Film Awards last year, Graham said that independent film was the reason he became an actor.

Graham married actress and producer Hannah Walters, who he met when the pair were training at the Rose Bruford College.

They co-starred in This is England, and have a son and daughter together.

What has Stephen Graham starred in?

Graham played prison warden Eric McNally in uber gritty BBC drama TimeGraham played prison warden Eric McNally in uber gritty BBC drama Time
Graham played prison warden Eric McNally in uber gritty BBC drama Time
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One of Graham’s earlier screen roles was as drug dealer Lee Sankey in Coronation Street.

Graham has a habit of playing hard men and criminals - appearing as Tommy in crime caper Snatch, and Shang in Scorcese’s Gangs of New York.

One of Graham’s most iconic roles is that of racist skinhead Combo in social realist drama This Is England, and the spin off shows This Is England ‘86, ‘88, and ‘90.

Graham played the ultimate gangland baddie, Al Capone in Boardwalk Empire, and prior to the release of Peaky Blinders season six it was suspected that he would take on the same role in the show.

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In 2019, Graham worked with Scorcese again, alongside screen legends Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, and Joe Pesci in the Irishman.

Graham played Tony Pro, a mobster and associate of union leader Jimmy Hoffa.

In 2021, Graham took the leading role in the ambitious independent film Boiling Point, which was filmed in one complete, dizzying 92 minute take. The film is currently available to watch on Netflix.

Graham’s other TV credits include the thrilling crime series White House Farm, where he played DCI Thomas ‘Taff’ Jones.

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Graham played Jacob Marley in the gothic Dickens adaptation A Christmas Carol, DS John Corbett in the final season of Line of Duty, and prison warden Eric McNally in the brilliant limited ITV series Time.

In March, Graham appeared in the final season of Peaky Blinders, playing a docker, Hayden Stagg in the third episode.

Graham surprised fans with his new role, facing down a weakened, tragic Arthur Shelby and avoiding the expected Peaky Blinder beatdown.

What upcoming projects is Stephen Graham involved in?

Graham is slated to play Mr. Wormwood in the adaptation of the musical Matilda, in which he will star opposite Emma Thompson as Miss Trunchbull later this year.

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He also has a role in the upcoming biopic Young Woman and the Sea about Trudy Ederle, the first woman to swim the English Channel.

Two other projects in the works include musical The End, which is in pre-production, and a role in The Last Ferry which has just been announced.

Season three of Code 404 premieres in the UK on Sky Comedy and NOW on 4 August.

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