This article was originally published in the December 2000 edition of Soul Search, the journal of The Sole Society.

Rufus was born on October 29th 1967 in Twickenham, England to Welsh mother, Jo and Australian father, Bill. He has one brother, Casper. His father, an animator known for his work on The Beatles ‘Yellow Submarine’ , ‘Pink Panther’ movies and ‘Roobarb & Custard’, died when Rufus was 10 years old.

He has a true Australian pedigree, being descended from the convict, George Sewell, who was transported to New South Wales in 1814 for burglary.

He went to drama school in 1986, at the age of 18, after a rather colourful. After 3 years of training, he made his professional theatrical debut in Shakespeare’s ‘As You Like It’ at Sheffield's Crucible Theatre. In 1991, he got his first movie break as Scottish junkie, Bobby, in ‘Twenty One’ opposite Patsy Kensit, with whom he was rumoured to be having an affair. He went on the read for the role of Lestat in Anne Rice’s ‘Interview With The Vampire’, the role that Tom Cruise won. In 1995 he ended a long-term relationship with British Actress, Helen McCrory and in 1996 he briefly dated Kate Winslet, whom he met while filming Kenneth Branagh’s Hamlet. It is rumoured he once turned down Madonna and had affairs with Patsy Kensit and Emma Thompson.

In 1997, while in Australia filming Dark City, he met Yasmin Abdallah, a former Fashion Journalist, now a Fashion Buyer. They married in a secret ceremony in Camden Registry Office on March 23^rd 1999.

1992 Making It Better – Tomas Krakty (1993 London Critics Circle Best Newcomer Award)

1993 Arcadia – Septimus Hodge (1994 Olivier Award Nomination)

1995 Translations – Owen (1995 Theatre World Award for US Broadway Debut)

1995 Rat In The Skull – Roche

1999 Macbeth – Macbeth, Thane of Cawdor

2001 In Shining Armour (formerly A Knight's tale) - Count Adhemar

2000 Bless the Child - Eric Stark

1999 Arabian Nights – Ali Baba (TV mini-series)

1998 In A Savage Land - Mike

1998 At Satchem Farm - Ross

1998 Illuminata - Dominique

1998 Martha Meet Frank, Daniel & Laurence/The Very Thought Of You – Frank

1997 Dark City – John Murdoch

1997 Woodlanders – Giles Winterbourne

1997 A Destiny Of Her Own/Dangerous Beauty – Marco Venier

1996 Hamlet – Fortinbras

1995 Victory – Martin Ricardo

1995 Henry IV – Hotspur (TV mini-series)

1995 Carrington – Mark Gertler

1995 Cold Comfort Farm – Seth Starkadder

1994 Middlemarch – Will Ladislaw (TV mini-series)

1994 A Man Of No Importance – Robbie Fay

1993 Dirty Weekend – Tim

1991 The Last Romantics (TV)

1991 A Night With A Woman, A Day With Charlie - Charlie

1991 21 – Bobby

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