James Frain

Acted on stage in London in "King Lear"

Co-starred in the remake of "The Count of Monte Cristo"

Cast an a American who befriends a fellow prisoner (Ben Affleck) in John Frankenheimer's drama "Reindeer Games"

Returned to London stage as a gay man in "Other People"

Appeared as Bassanius in Julie Taymor's "Titus"

Portrayed Ralph Fiennes' brother in "Sunshine"; released in USA in 2000

Portrayed the legendary French filmmaker in the biopic "Vigo - Passion for Life"

Delivered a fine turn as the ambiguous Spanish ambassador to the Tudor court in "Elizabeth"

Reteamed with Watson, playing Argentine pianist Daniel Barenbohm to her cellist Jacqueline Du Pre in the biopic "Hilary and Jackie"

Initial screen teaming with Emily Watson in "The Mill on the Floss"; played Philip Wakem, the childhood sweetheart of Watson's Maggie Tulliver; aired in the USA on PBS' "Mobil Masterpiece Theatre"

Played the leading Russian assassin in the acclaimed HBO movie "Rasputin"

Breakthrough TV role as an abusive aristocrat in the series "The Buccaneers" (aired on PBS in the USA)

Played a single-minded leader of a paramilitary group of Protestants in Northern Island in "Nothing Personal"

Early TV credit as a "rent boy" in "Prime Suspect 3" (aired on PBS in the USA)

Feature acting debut as Peter Whistler, an Oxford student who clashes with C S Lewis (Anthony Hopkins), in "Shadowlands"

Just before graduating from drama school, was cast in first film role

Accepted at Central School of Speech and Drama

After secondary school, worked odd jobs and traveled before enrolling as a theater student at the University of East Anglia in 1987

As a child, decided to be an actor

Began writing, directing and acting in amateur productions as a teenager

Raised in Essex