Spotlight on actor Ioan Gruffudd
The Welshman shows off his acting chops in a new medical drama series
NOT SO HARROWING The handsome actor is the star of Aussie TV series Harrow, in which he plays Dr Daniel Harrow, a crime-solving forensic pathologist with a total disregard for authority. “He’s got elements of [unconventional TV doctor Gregory] ‘House’,” says Ioan (45). “He’s a bit curmudgeonly.”
It’s the kind of role the Welshman has been waiting for. “I’ve been wanting to play a character like this for a long time but haven’t been old enough, or old-looking enough. But now I’m in my forties and I’m meeting the characters I’ve always had a desire to play.”
The past year has been his best in his career so far. “It’s been amazing, to have gone from Liar [a thriller TV series in which he plays a surgeon] directly to Harrow and realising I have people all over the world who recognise me from shows such as Forever or the Fantastic 4 film.” PROUDLY WELSH His name is a bit of a tongue twister – it’s pronounced Yo-wahn Griffith – but he’s fiercely proud of his Welsh roots. “I’m determined not to lose my name. It’s who I am. It has neither aided my progress nor hampered it. It’s just who I am. My character, my make-up, my culture and heritage is a rich one. So what if it’s difficult for people to pronounce? We all learnt how to say Schwarzenegger.”
He’s lived in Los Angeles since 2003 and says there’s a physicality and confidence to Americans that he loves. “They’re very present. That’s something I enjoy being around because it rubs off on you.”
This year he appears on the big screen opposite two Oscar winners – Mel Gibson and Sean Penn – in The Professor and the Madman, about a professor in the 19th century who starts compiling the Oxford English Dictionary with the help of a criminal. FAMILY MAN Ioan is married to British actress Alice Evans (47), whom he met on the set of 102 Dalmatians in 2000. They wed in 2007 and have had two daughters – Ella (9) and Elsie (5) – with the help of in vitro fertilisation (IVF), a topic they’re open about.
“It’s a real struggle for many couples, just because it’s the nature of the beast where people are marrying and starting families later on in life,” he says. “We wanted to share our struggle and also, in a positive light, show this can actually work.”
When he’s not working or with his family, Ioan likes to hang out in his garage, which doubles as a “man cave” for him and fellow Welsh actors Michael Sheen (Masters of Sex) and best buddy Matthew Rhys (The Americans).
SOURCES: VARIETY.COM, WHO.COM.AU ‘Being attractive, it’s not something I do consciously. It’s incredibly flattering but that’s a gift from my parents. My acting, my personality – that’s what it’s about’