Rupert Everett

Rupert James Hector Everett is an English actor and writer born on 29 May 1959. He first came to public attention in the early 1980s through his work in Another Country. Over a career spanning several decades, he has appeared in major films, television series, and theatrical productions, while also working as a writer, director, and voice actor. He is widely recognized for his roles in My Best Friend's Wedding and An Ideal Husband, as well as voicing Prince Charming in the animated Shrek franchise.

Everett was raised Roman Catholic by wealthy parents. His father was a British Army officer, and his maternal lineage includes naval commanders and nobility. During his youth, Everett identified as transgender from ages six to fourteen, before embracing his identity as a gay man at fifteen. After attending Farleigh School and Ampleforth College, he left school at sixteen to move to London, training as an actor at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama.

After acting at the Glasgow Citizens Theatre, Everett achieved his breakthrough in 1981 in Julian Mitchell's play Another Country. Reprising his role in the 1984 film adaptation, he earned a BAFTA Award nomination. He followed this with roles in Dance With a Stranger and the 1987 film Hearts of Fire alongside Bob Dylan. During this period, he briefly ventured into pop music, releasing the single "Generation of Loneliness" and singing on the Hearts of Fire soundtrack.

In 1989, Everett moved to Paris, published his first novel, Hello, Darling, Are You Working?, and publicly came out as gay. He authored a second novel, The Hairdressers of St. Tropez, in 1995. His screen career reached new heights with the 1997 comedy My Best Friend's Wedding, earning him Golden Globe and BAFTA nominations. He received another Golden Globe nomination for An Ideal Husband in 1999 and appeared in Inspector Gadget. He also contributed backing vocals to songs by Madonna and Robbie Williams.

During the 2000s and 2010s, Everett voiced Prince Charming in Shrek 2 (2004) and Shrek the Third (2007), and played John Lamont/Mr. Barron in Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children (2016). His theatrical career included his 2009 Broadway debut in Blithe Spirit, playing Henry Higgins in Pygmalion, and starring as Oscar Wilde in The Judas Kiss, which earned him a WhatsOnStage Award and an Olivier Award nomination. He later wrote, directed, and starred in the 2018 film The Happy Prince.

Everett's television credits include Parade's End, The Musketeers, and Quacks, along with presenting documentaries on Lord Byron and Sir Richard Burton. He published a memoir, Red Carpets and Other Banana Skins, in 2006. In his personal life, Everett has lived in London, New York City, and Wiltshire. In 2024, he married his partner, Henrique.