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Russell George Tovey (born 14 November 1981) is a British actor. He is best known for playing the role of werewolf George Sands in the BBC's supernatural comedy-drama Being Human, Rudge in both the stage and film versions of The History Boys, Steve in the BBC Three sitcom Him & Her, Kevin Matheson in the HBO original series Looking and its subsequent series finale television film , and Patrick Read in .
Tovey noted that as a boy he "was an avid collector of various things and prone to participating in fads." His parents supported his efforts, taking him to archaeological digs and museums, buying him a metal detector and going to conventions for mineralogists. For a time he wanted to be a history teacher, but after seeing Dead Poets Society, The Goonies, and Stand By Me he decided to be an actor. For a time during his teens he worked as a kitchen assistant in Billericay's King's Head pub.
He left secondary school at the age of 16 and started a BTEC in performing arts at Barking College. He was expelled after a year for refusing a role in the school play in favour of a paying acting job. He acted in plays in Chichester under the direction of Debra Gillett, wife of Patrick Marber. He met Marber through Gillett, and Marber cast him in the play Howard Katz at the National Theatre. He also performed in His Girl Friday and His Dark Materials there.
In 2004, he took the role of Rudge in Alan Bennett's play The History Boys at the Royal National Theatre as well as touring to Broadway theatre, Sydney, Wellington and Hong Kong and playing the role in the radio and film adaptations.. Retrieved 5 November 2006 The History Boys 2004 , Royal National Theatre. Retrieved 17 October 2006 He originally auditioned for the role of Crowther but agreed to act the part of Rudge after Bennett promised to beef up the role. Insecure because he had not attended drama school as many of his peers had, he enrolled in numerous workshops and readings offered by the National Theatre.
In spring 2007, Tovey had a recurring role in BBC Three comedy Rob Brydon's Annually Retentive, playing Rob's producer, Ben. He played Midshipman Alonso Frame, in 2007 Doctor Who Christmas Special "Voyage of the Damned". Russell T. Davies, the show's executive producer and lead writer, had suggested Tovey as a future replacement for David Tennant, before it was announced that the Eleventh Doctor would be played by Matt Smith. Tovey reprised his role as Midshipman Alonso Frame in the 2009-10 Doctor Who Christmas special, "The End of Time".
Tovey played werewolf George Sands, one of three supernatural housemates in the drama Being Human. The pilot premiered on BBC Three on 18 February 2008. A six-part series was commissioned with the first episode broadcast on 25 January 2009. Tovey left the regular cast of the show at the start of the fourth season on 5 February 2012. In November 2012 AudioGO Ltd released an audiobook version of Mark Michalowski's Being Human tie-in novel Chasers, which is narrated by Tovey.
In a 2008 interview in Attitude, Tovey expressed his desire to play darker roles: "really dark, fucked-up characters... like , rent boys, someone who has been abused, a rapist", though noting that he does not consider himself "fucked-up"., cited in UK actor Russell Tovey – Talented, gorgeous, and gay to boot!!! , After Elton, 14 January 2008
In March 2009, the actor played a leading role in A Miracle at the Royal Court Theatre as Gary Trudgill, a British soldier returning to Norfolk from abroad. On 8 March 2009 he presented the Award for Best Actress to Margaret Tyzack for her performance in The Chalk Garden at the Laurence Olivier Awards in Grosvenor House.
In 2009, Tovey worked on the film Huge UK comedy Huge starts shooting in London , Screen Daily, 17 June 2009. Retrieved 27 August 2009 and starred in two television pilots: Young, Unemployed and Lazy (a BBC Three sitcom), renamed to Him & Her in 2010, and The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret (part of Comedy Showcase), a Channel 4 comedy with Spike Jonze and Will Arnett, written by David Cross and Shaun Pye.
He also appeared in short subject:
In 2011, he became the voice over/narrator for the BBC Three show Sun, Sex and Suspicious Parents and its spinoffs, which ran for five series up to July 2015. Tovey narrated every episode aired.
Tovey played Budgie, one of Gavin's friends, in the BBC comedy-drama Gavin & Stacey. In January 2012, he appeared in the British crime drama Sherlock, playing Henry Knight in the episode "The Hounds of Baskerville". He had a lead role in the ITV Network sitcom The Job Lot which aired in 2013 and is set in a busy unemployment bureau in the West Midlands.
In 2013, Tovey signed on to appear in the American television series Looking, about a group of gay friends living in San Francisco. Its 8-episode first season broadcast on HBO in 2014. Tovey was promoted to series regular for the second season.
In 2015, Tovey starred in Banished, a historical drama series written by Jimmy McGovern about a group of British convicts in Australia in the 18th century.
Also in 2015, Tovey made his first of many live appearances for arts and entertainment company Pin Drop Studio, reading a short story to an audience followed by an interview by Simon Oldfield.
In 2016, Tovey was cast in the ABC network thriller drama Quantico for the series regular role of Harry Doyle.
In April 2017, Tovey returned to the Royal National Theatre to appear in Marianne Elliot's revival of the Tony Kushner play Angels in America, opposite Andrew Garfield and Nathan Lane.
In September 2017, it was revealed that Tovey would be voicing Ray Terrill / The Ray, a reporter who gains light-based powers after being exposed to a genetic light bomb, in the animated web series on CW Seed. Tovey appeared in "Crisis on Earth-X", the Arrowverse crossover event between Supergirl, Arrow, The Flash and Legends of Tomorrow.
In 2019, Tovey co-starred in an ensemble cast on the show Years and Years, and appeared with Helen Mirren and Ian McKellen in the drama film The Good Liar.
Tovey was awarded the Culture Award at the ninth annual Virgin Atlantic Attitude Awards.
It was announced in 2021 that Tovey had been cast in Allelujah, a film adaptation of Alan Bennett's play of the same name.
The following year, in 2022, Tovey started a role as Patrick Read in .
In 2024, Tovey starred as John O'Shea, Truman Capote's on-again-off-again lover, in FX's anthology series .
In July 2024, it was announced that Tovey will return to the Doctor Who universe as a new character in the spin-off series The War Between the Land and the Sea.
In 2021, he published, with his friend Robert Diament, the book Talk Art.
Tovey presents the podcast Talk Art alongside Robert Diament. The podcast is about the contemporary art world featuring interviews with artists such as Marina Abramović, Roberta Smith, and Ai Weiwei.
Russel Tovey appeared as a guest judge on Season 3, Episode 8 of the hit TV show, RuPaul's Drag Race UK.
Since 2018, Tovey has hosted a podcast called Talk Art with his friend, the gallerist Robert Diament of Carl Freedman gallery, in which the pair talk to their favourite artists, curators and art enthusiasts. In the over 120 episodes, guests have included Ryan Gander, Judy Chicago, Roberta Smith, Ai Weiwei, Marina Abromovic, Rose Wylie, Anthony Cudahy and Ian Lewandowski, Zawe Ashton, Jenna Gribbon, Math Bass, Oscar yi Hou, Doron Langberg, Sharon Stone, Gus Van Sant, Nash Glynn, Hans Ulrich Obrist, and many more.
In 2019, Tovey guest curated Margate Now, an arts festival based in Margate. He has since curated a number of exhibitions for various galleries, as well as a contemporary art auction for Sotheby's.
Tovey was part of the jury of the 2021 Turner Prize.
Tovey was appointed the 2022 patron for the Art UK charity.
From 2016, Tovey was in a relationship with rugby player and coach Steve Brockman. In March 2018, Tovey revealed the pair were engaged to be married, however, by June 2018, he confirmed they had split up. They reunited, but by 2023, it appeared they had broken up again.
In 2015, Tovey was the subject of public criticism from the LGBT+ press regarding comments he made about effeminate gay men. In his interview with Tom Lamont of The Observer the actor stated that his schooling made him feel as though he "had to toughen up", going on to say "If I'd have been able to relax, prance around and sing in the street, I might be a different person now." Much of the criticism centred on what was perceived to be a passive criticism of effeminate gay men, with Tovey saying that "I thank my dad for that, for not allowing me to go down the path." Tovey later apologised for the remarks and suggested they did not reflect his views.
Tovey has read several books for audio, notably a 2017 performance of The Picture of Dorian Gray. He is the narrator for the 20th anniversary edition audiobook of Nick Hornby's High Fidelity, released in 2015. Also, since 2016, he is the reader for audiobooks of Liz Pichon's Tom Gates book series, starting from book 10, Super Good Skills (Almost...), taking over from Rupert Grint.
Filmography
Film
Peter Rudge Short film Carl Voice (UK version) George Delivery Man Jack Tim Voice Dog Jason Paul Melly Rupert Keynes Short film Steven Colin Colman In post-production Love Again Billy Brooks
Television
All episodes Dennis Sealey Episode: "" Episode 2.2 Episode: "Evil Under the Sun" 2 episodes Episode: "Borrowed Time" Episode: "The Killing House" Episode: "Kith and Kill" (2 parts) Episode: "068" Episode 4 John Walters Episode: "Soft Centred" 3 episodes Television film 5 episodes 5 episodes 2 episodes: "Voyage of the Damned" and "" 24 episodes Episode: "Episode 5" Episode 5 10 episodes Episode: "Murder is Easy" Pilot Only 25 episodes 14 episodes Episode: "The Hounds of Baskerville" 2 episodes 10 episodes 4 episodes 18 episodes 15 episodes Episode 6 7 episodes Television film Television film Episode 1 Series regular All episodes BBC4 TV monologue Episode: "Crisis on Earth-X, Part 3" Episode: "Crisis on Earth-X, Part 4" Channel 4's Great British Bake Off Special for Stand Up To Cancer – Series 2, Episode 2 Main role (4 episodes)
Nominated — Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Movie/MiniseriesUncredited; Episode: "Crisis on Infinite Earths, Part 1" 4 episodes The Sister Nathan Guest judge Patrick Read| Main role (10 episodes)
Juice Guy| 12 episodes
3 episodes 2025 Brian Paddick 4 episodes 2026 Barclay Lead role; 5 episodes
Web
2017–2018 Ray Terrill / The Ray Animated series 2021 The Picture of Dorian Gray Basil Hallward Online production
Other credits
Theatre
Chichester London London Plasticine by Vassily Sigarev, Nick Hern Books, 2002 London London London London Sound Theatre London Hong Kong Wellington Sydney New York London London London London Royal Court Theatre New York London Harold Pinter Theatre New York London
Radio and readings
Peter Rudge Dan Gendarme Crichton Newfangle Briggsy Dom Simon
External links
Categories: 1981 Births, 20th-century English Lgbtq People, 20th-century English Male Actors, 21st-century English Lgbtq People, 21st-century English Male Actors, Actors From Billericay, English Dramatists And Playwrights, English Gay Actors, English Male Dramatists And Playwrights, English Male Film Actors, English Male Radio Actors, English Male Shakespearean Actors, English Male Stage Actors, English Male Television Actors, English Male Voice Actors, Living People, Male Actors From Essex, Writers From Essex, Gay Actors
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