Stephen Graham movies and TV shows span more than three decades, moving between gritty crime dramas, period pieces and Hollywood blockbusters without him ever settling into a single type of role. If you’re trying to work out where to start with his work, the short answer is: nearly anywhere, because his filmography is unusually deep for an actor who rarely takes top billing.
Born in Kirkby, Merseyside, on 3 August 1973, Graham trained at Rose Bruford College before breaking through in British film and television in the early 2000s. Today he’s known as much for his writing and producing as for his acting, following the global success of the Netflix series Adolescence in 2025 (Wikipedia).
Early Career and Breakthrough Roles
Graham’s screen career began in 1990, but it was his supporting role as Tommy in Guy Ritchie’s Snatch (2000) that first put him on wider audiences’ radar. Two years later, he appeared in Martin Scorsese’s Gangs of New York (2002), a film that connected him with a director he would go on to work with repeatedly (Rotten Tomatoes).
His defining early role came in 2006, when he played Andrew “Combo” Gascoigne in Shane Meadows’ This Is England. The performance won him a British Independent Film Award and established him as one of Britain’s most compelling character actors. He reprised the role across three television follow-ups: This Is England ’86, ’88, and ’90 (Wikipedia).
Key Film Roles
Across the 2010s, Graham built a reputation for reliable, often menacing supporting work in major productions. Notable film credits include:
- Public Enemies (2009), opposite Johnny Depp
- Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011)
- Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011) and Dead Men Tell No Tales (2017)
- The Irishman (2019), reuniting him with Scorsese
- Rocketman (2019)
- Boiling Point (2021), a single-take restaurant drama that later became a television series
- Venom: Let There Be Carnage (2021) and Venom: The Last Dance (2024)
Graham’s role in Boiling Point is worth singling out. The film, shot as one continuous take, earned strong critical notice, and Graham went on to reprise the role of chef Andy Jones in the four-part BBC series adaptation in 2023 (Wikipedia).
Television Work
Among Stephen Graham TV shows, television has arguably given him his most memorable roles. He starred in Little Boy Blue (2017), a drama about a real child murder case in Liverpool, and appeared in the fifth series of Line of Duty (2019) as undercover officer John Corbett. He also had a recurring role in HBO’s Boardwalk Empire as gangster Al Capone, one of his best-known American television credits.
He later joined the cast of Peaky Blinders for its sixth series, played a supporting role in the BBC drama Time, and appeared in the Netflix mystery series Bodies (2023), set across four different timelines in Whitechapel (Victorian Vignettes).
Adolescence and Recent Success
In 2025, Graham co-created, co-wrote and starred in Adolescence, a Netflix limited series about a 13-year-old boy charged with murdering a classmate. Graham played Eddie Miller, the boy’s father, a role he said was shaped by the working-class men he grew up around in Kirkby rather than by any single person, including his own stepfather (NewsBreak/Mirror).
The series became one of the most talked-about television events of the year. At the 77th Primetime Emmy Awards in September 2025, Adolescence won eight awards in total, including Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series. Graham personally won Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie and, alongside Jack Thorne, Outstanding Writing for a Limited or Anthology Series (Variety; Netflix Tudum).
In his acceptance speech, Graham reflected on his background: “This kind of thing doesn’t normally happen to a kid like me. I’m just a mixed-race kid from a block of flats in a place called Kirkby” (The Hollywood Reporter).
What’s Next for Stephen Graham
His upcoming projects add further range to the list of Stephen Graham movies and TV shows. He plays Douglas “Dutch” Springsteen, Bruce Springsteen’s father, in the biographical film Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere (2025). He also created and stars in the boxing drama series A Thousand Blows (2024), with a second season expected in 2026, and has an upcoming role in Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man (2026) (Movie Insider; Letterboxd).
He also appears in Animol, a British drama directed by Ashley Walters that premiered at the Berlin International Film Festival in February 2026, where it won the FIPRESCI Prize (Wikipedia).
FAQs
What is Stephen Graham’s most award-winning role?
His performance as Eddie Miller in Adolescence (2025) is his most decorated role to date, earning him a Primetime Emmy for acting and a second Emmy for writing.
Is Stephen Graham married?
Yes. He is married to actress Hannah Walters; the two wed in 2008 (Wikipedia).
What was Stephen Graham’s breakout role?
His role as Andrew “Combo” Gascoigne in This Is England (2006) is widely considered his breakthrough performance.
Has Stephen Graham worked with Martin Scorsese more than once?
Yes. He appeared in Gangs of New York (2002) and The Irishman (2019), both directed by Scorsese.
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