Biography for
Stephen Rea (I) More at IMDbPro »

Date of Birth

31 October 1946, Belfast, Northern Ireland, UK

Birth Name

Graham Rea

Height

5' 11" (1.80 m)

Spouse

Dolours Price

(1983 - 2003) (divorced) 2 children

Trivia

A Protestant republican, he was married to former IRA bomber Dolours Price.

Children: Danny Rea (b. 1988), Oscar Rea (b. 1990).

Acted in the Focus Company in Dublin with Gabriel Byrne and Colm Meaney in the late '70s.

Resides in Dublin, Ireland.

Was nominated for Broadway's 1993 Tony Award as Best Actor (Play) for Frank McGuinness' "Someone Who'll Watch Over Me".

Was considered for a role in Blown Away (1994). Tommy Lee Jones was cast instead.

Was offered a part in Dennis Quaid's Flight of the Phoenix (2004), but passed (source Richard E Grant diaries for Wah-Wah).

Personal Quotes

I didn't want to be seen as just a guy on a list. I'm interested in good scripts, scripts that are about something, scripts that move your acting along.

[When asked why he would have a "special thanks" credit on the Ozzy Osbourne album "Diary of a Madman"] It isn't me, man. There's a travel agent in Belfast named "Stephen Rea", and I found that out because people kept asking me that question over and over. There's also a set designer named "Stephen Rea", but that's not me either!

[Describing his 2007 movie Stuck (2007)] "Stuck" is about a desperate man who is apparently getting weaker, but is actually becoming stronger. He starts the film in a passive state of mind and retreats from all the things the world throws at him, but then because of this catastrophe, he actually becomes a tougher, more determined and focused character.