- Stephen Graham has received rave reviews for his role in Adolescence
- The actor has starred in a string of hit movies and TV shows
- Graham has been nominated for an Oscar in the past
Stephen Graham is receiving plaudits for his role in Adolescence, so if you want to see more of him, here are the top 5 movies and TV shows he has appeared in.
English actor Graham is currently starring in Adolescence, where he plays Eddie Miller, the father of Jamie Miller, a 13-year-old boy who is arrested on suspicion of murdering a classmate. Each episode of the miniseries – which Graham co-wrote with Jack Thorne – is shot in one continuous take.
The drama, which is streaming on Netflix, has received huge acclaim, for the story but the performances too, with Graham in particular praised for his nuanced portrayal Eddie. You can read more about what the plot of Adolescence is here.
If you want to see more of his work – here are five of the best performances by Stephen Graham.
A Thousand Blows
Graham is also starring in A Thousand Blows, another drama currently streaming on Disney+ and Hulu. A Thousand Blows is a historical drama set in the 1880s, focusing on an all-female crime gang, the Forty Elephants, led by Mary Carr. It is written by Stephen Knight, the creator of Peaky Blinders (which Graham also appeared in for a couple of episodes).
In A Thousand Blows, Graham plays Henry ‘Sugar’ Goodson, a self-declared emperor of the East End of London’s illegal bare knuckle boxing scene, who encounters Carr and her gang. Another domineering character, he rules through fear, threatening anyone who dares to cross him.
This is England
Graham isn’t the star of this powerful drama by Shane Meadows set in 1980s England, but his performance leaves the longest lasting impression. He plays Andrew ‘Combo’ Gascoigne, the leader of a group of skinheads. Combo is at times funny, hugely charismatic and loyal, but he is also controlling, racist and prone to bouts of terrifying violence – and can flip between moods in a heartbeat.
Graham reprised the role in three subsequent sequel TV series – This is England ’86, This is England ’88 and This is England ’90.
Boardwalk Empire
This glossy gangster-based drama ran from 2010-14 and Graham had the recurring role of notorious gangster Al Capone. In the show, Graham’s character evolved from a brash young hot-head into the calculating and ruthless crime boss that we know from history.
His performance was critically acclaimed at the time, and his portrayal is regarded by some as one of the best on-screen versions of Capone of all time.
Boiling point
This 2021 drama starred Graham as Andy Jones, the head chef of an upmarket restaurant in London. The action takes place on one chaotic night in the restaurant, where a series of mishaps and revelations put Andy and his staff under huge amounts of stress and pressure. As events unfold, the pressure becomes too much for alcoholic Andy, with devastating consequences.
The movie, which was shot in real-time as critically acclaimed, and received four Oscar nominations, including for Graham as best actor.
Graham reprised his role as Andy in a sequel TV series, which aired in 2023.
Matilda The Musical
To show the range that Graham has, he also had a scene-stealing turn as Mr Wormwood in the 2022 movie Matilda The Musical.
Playing Matilda’s neglectful and money-obsessed father, he tells headmistress Mrs Trunchbull that Matilda is a horrible child. In revenge, she mixes green hair dye into his hair tonic.
Graham said at the time that if he didn’t take the role, his daughter would have never forgiven him.
