Stephen Moyer

Stephen John Emery (born 11 October 1969)^[1], known professionally as Stephen Moyer, is an English actor and film director. He is best known for portraying the vampire Bill Compton in the HBO television series True Blood.^[2][3]

This was followed by the television film Lord of Misrule, filmed in Fowey, Cornwall, which also featured Richard Wilson, Emily Mortimer and Prunella Scales. In 1997, Moyer made his big-screen debut landing the lead role in the film adaptation of the long-running comic strip Prince Valiant by Hal Foster, working alongside Ron Perlman and Katherine Heigl.^[4][5] From 2017 to 2019, he starred as Reed Strucker, the lead role in Fox series The Gifted.^[6]

Early life and career

Moyer was born in Brentwood, Essex and attended St Martin's, a comprehensive school in Hutton, Essex. He graduated from the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA).^[7] He became Brentwood Theatre's first patron in October 2007, especially supporting their "Reaching Out, Building On" campaign to help fund the 2008 completion of backstage facilities.^[8] After graduating from LAMDA, Moyer worked in theatre for five years. He worked with the National Theatre Wales, the Royal Shakespeare Company and the Oxford Stage Company, work which included going on tour and playing Romeo in productions of Romeo and Juliet. He then made the transition to television and film.^[9]

On 2 October 2017, Moyer debuted in the lead role of Reed Strucker, a district attorney whose duties include the apprehension of "mutants" with extraordinary powers, in the Fox series The Gifted, loosely based on The X-Men feature film series. The devoted family man does not realise, however, just how much his work life and family life are about to intersect. Fox ordered a 10-episode first season.^{[citation needed]}

Personal life

Moyer has a son named Billy, born in 2000, and a daughter, Lilac, born in 2002, from his first marriage to journalist Lorien Haynes.^[10]

In August 2009, Moyer became engaged to actress Anna Paquin, who played his character's love interest, Sookie Stackhouse, in the HBO series True Blood. They had been dating since filming the series pilot in 2007. His divorce was final in 2008.^[11] They married on 21 August 2010 at a private residence in Malibu, California.^[12] Moyer and Paquin have a son, Charlie, and a daughter, Poppy, who are fraternal twins.^[13][14][15] The family resides in Venice, Los Angeles.^[16]

Moyer has dealt with alcoholism in the past.^[17] In 2015, he said that he had been sober for 14 years and that the addiction stemmed from his roots in British theatre, emulating the public images of personal heroes like Peter O'Toole. At a dinner at the CLARE Foundation, a southern California non-profit facility, he stated, "There's this rush that happens from doing our job, this whirring buzz, and you want to continue that buzz." He works with CLARE Foundation to help others with rehabilitation and sobriety.^[17]

Moyer is a supporter of West Ham United F.C.^[18]

Filmography

Film

Television

Theatre

Awards

References

1. ^ "England & Wales, Birth Index: 1916–2005"; retrieved 30 March 2009.
2. ^ "Conjugal Rites". Phill.co.uk. Retrieved 27 June 2012.
3. ^ "Gwen Taylor". Gavin Barker Associates. Archived from the original on 3 March 2012. Retrieved 27 June 2012.
4. ^ "Prince Valiant: Review". TV Guide. Retrieved 18 March 2011.
5. ^ "Prince Valiant (1997) by Liz Braun". AllMoviePortal.com. Archived from the original on 7 March 2012. Retrieved 18 March 2011.
6. ^ Wagmeister, Elizabeth (May 9, 2017). "Fox Greenlights Marvel Action Series 'The Gifted' From Bryan Singer & Matt Nix – Watch First Teaser". Variety. Archived May 10, 2017 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved May 10, 2017.
7. ^ TV Guide (9 October 2008) "True Blood's Stephen Moyer Is Undead Sexy!", TV Guide; retrieved 15 December 2008.
8. ^ Harris, Matt. "Star backing from a homegrown hero". Brentwood Gazette. p. 8.
9. ^ Fish, Andrew (July 2009). "Interview with the Vampire". Venice. Retrieved 26 June 2018.
10. ^ Eggenberger, Nicole (25 September 2013). "Stephen Moyer, Anna Paquin's Premature Twins Developing Well After "Touch and Go" Birth". Us Weekly. Retrieved 15 June 2015.
11. ^ "True Blood – A love that never dies". The Independent. 17 July 2009. Archived 25 May 2022 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 26 June 2018.
12. ^ Chiu, David (22 August 2010). "'True Blood' Co-Stars Get Hitched". WNBC News. Retrieved 26 June 2018.
13. ^ Michaud, Sarah & Jordan, Julie (11 September 2012). "Anna Paquin and Stephen Moyer Welcome Twins". People. Retrieved 7 December 2017.
14. ^ "It's a Baby Boy and a Girl for Anna Paquin and Stephen Moyer!". Life & Style. 14 November 2012. Retrieved 6 December 2017.
15. ^ "Stephen Moyer Reveals Names of Twins with Anna Paquin". People. 12 June 2013. Retrieved 6 December 2017.
16. ^ "Exclusive: Anna Paquin and Stephen Moyer Get Married!". Us Weekly. 22 August 2010. Retrieved 26 June 2018.
17. ^ Rothman, Michael (6 March 2015). "Stephen Moyer Opens Up for 1st Time About Alcohol Addiction". ABC News. Retrieved 26 June 2018.
18. ^ "We All Follow The West Ham!". West Ham United F.C.. 30 August 2016. Retrieved 20 March 2021.
19. ^ Sneider, Jeff (15 September 2011). "'True Blood's Stephen Moyer takes on Jersey Devil". Vanity Fair. Retrieved 26 June 2018.
20. ^ Henerson, Evan Chicago, Starring Samantha Barks, Ashlee Simpson and Stephen Moyer, Brings "All That Jazz" to the Hollywood Bowl Playbill, July 25, 2013
21. ^ Hall, Margaret Stephen Moyer and Miriam Silverman Star in Macbeth Off-Broadway April 20 and 21 Playbill, April 20, 2024
22. ^ Miska, Brad (18 October 2009). "TV: Scream 2009 Award Winners Announced". Bloody Disgusting. Retrieved 26 June 2018.
23. ^ "New Teen Choice categories for 'True Blood,' 'Transformers'". HitFix. 8 July 2009. Archived 10 July 2009 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 26 June 2018.

External links

• Fansite
• Official website (archived)