Cardiff-born actor Matthew Rhys made history at the Emmy Awards by becoming the very first performer to win two lead acting accolades in a single night. The 51-year-old took home the award for best lead actor in a limited series for his performance in the psychological thriller “The Beast In Me”, alongside the best lead actor in a comedy trophy for his role in “Widow’s Bay”.
Despite his current Hollywood success, Rhys’s career began with a period of severe struggle. After starring alongside American actress Kathleen Turner in a 2000 West End production of “The Graduate”, he faced a grueling two-year period without any acting work. Desperate for employment, he met with a British Army recruitment officer. Rhys recalled that the officer was “incredibly suspicious” of him due to his acting background and promised to get in touch. A week later, he received a rejection letter wishing him luck in his career, leaving him jokingly devastated that he could not even get into the military.
In 2006, Rhys relocated to Hollywood and established a close-knit circle of Welsh compatriots that he affectionately dubbed the “LA Tafia”. This group included Newport-born Michael Sheen and Ioan Gruffudd, the latter being a childhood schoolfriend from their days at the Welsh-medium school Ysgol Glantaf in Cardiff. Despite sharing a home, their busy schedules meant they rarely saw each other, though Rhys later shared that they frequently spoke Welsh, reminisced about British fish and chips, and gathered to watch rugby matches at a local British pub.
His personal life also has its roots in a memorable Hollywood encounter. Rhys first met actress Keri Russell at a Los Angeles kickball game in 2002, where he successfully asked for her phone number. He subsequently left a drunken message on her answering machine that he completely forgot about. Russell did not find the message charming and chose not to call him back. However, a decade later in 2013, the two were cast as married Russian spies in the hit television series “The Americans”. They began dating in 2014, and welcomed their son, Sam, in 2016. Rhys, who is also stepfather to Russell’s children River and Willa, has stated that he speaks Welsh to Sam to ensure he retains the language.
Away from the screen, Rhys is the owner of a 1939 wooden cruiser boat named “Rarebit”, named after the traditional Welsh dish of seasoned, melted cheese sauce served over hot toast. Rhys has admitted that he did not fully understand the heavy maintenance challenges that come with owning an old wooden vessel, which belongs to the same class of boat once owned by Ernest Hemingway. Although he previously attempted to sell the historic craft, he now intends to collaborate with naval architects at Brooklyn Boatworks to preserve it for the local New York community.
As a native Welsh speaker, Rhys frequently uses his first language at home in New York. During his historic Emmy acceptance speech, he paid tribute to his roots, dedicating his second award to the people of Wales, whom he described as nurturing, calling Wales a “small but mighty nation” before adding “diolch yn fawr iawn” (thank you very much).
His connection to his native tongue has also led to high-profile voice work, as Rhys has been cast as the voice of Han Solo in an upcoming Welsh-language dub of “Star Wars”. The sci-fi classic is being dubbed into Welsh for the first time ahead of its 50th anniversary in 2027.
Speaking on the New York Times podcast “The Interview”, Rhys admitted the project triggered some unexpected feelings, noting how strange it felt to hear iconic terminology translated into his native language. He recalled the oddity of translating familiar English phrases, such as saying “pelydr cyrchu” for “tractor beam”.
Rhys continues to support Welsh cultural institutions, and in 2025, he starred in the one-man stage production “Playing Burton”. Portraying the iconic Welsh actor Richard Burton, the performance raised vital funds for the Welsh National Theatre. Rhys revealed that he had dreamed of taking on this role ever since he first watched the play as a student in London more than 30 years prior. The report also notes that here are five things you may not already know about the history-making 51-year-old. The report also notes that and I went, ‘oh my God, I can’t even join the army’. The report also notes that in 2006, Rhys moved to Hollywood and surrounded himself with fellow Welsh actors – including Michael Sheen and Ioan Gruffudd. The report also notes that in an interview in The Big Issue Cymru in 2003, Rhys said the pair did not see each other often, despite living under the same roof, as they were both busy working. The report also notes that in 2012, Rhys told The Independent newspaper how the trio would speak Welsh to one another, dream of good fish and chips and watch rugby together in a British pub. The report also notes that during an interview on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen, Rhys explained that he had left a drunken message on Rusell’s answer machine following the meeting, which he did not remember doing. The report also notes that they played a married couple who were Russian spies from 2013-2018.
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