Rafe Spall is back in series 4 of Trying on Apple TV+, a show about a husband and wife who adopt children when they can’t have their own – but, in real life, he’s expecting a child with his co-star Esther Smith.
The pair fell in love on set, after his painful divorce from his wife of 11 years. Rafe and his soap star wife have three children together, who now live between the divorced pair.
Here’s everything you need to know about Rafe Spall, his wife, famous father, and his most famous roles…
Who plays Jason in Trying on Apple TV+?
Actor Rafe Spall plays Jason in the comedy drama Trying on Apple TV+. Series 1 introduced Jason and Nikki, who desperately wanted a baby. However, sadly, it was the one thing they just couldn’t have. So, they decided to adopt. With their dysfunctional friends, screwball family and chaotic lives, they had to convince the adoption panel they were ready to be parents…
Now on the fourth season of Trying, Jason and Nikki have two adopted children Princess and Tyler. We pick up six years on from the last season.
Season 4 will see Nikki and Jason now as experienced adopters with a stable family and a strong support network. However, they face the ultimate test of their parenting skills when Princess starts to yearn for a connection with her birth mother.
Joining Rafe Spall and Esther Smith in the new season will be Scarlett Rayner and Cooper Turner, taking over the roles of Princess and Tyler now that they have aged up.
Meanwhile, Blue Lights star Siân Brooke, and The Outlaws‘ Darren Boyd reprise their roles as Nikki’s sister Karen and her husband Scott. Trying season 4 will be debut with its first two episodes on Apple TV+ on Wednesday, May 22, 2024, followed by new episodes every Wednesday until July 03, 2024.
Who played David Melmont in The English?
Those who watched The English in 2022 will recognise Rafe Spall from his role as David Melmont, opposite Emily Blunt. David Melmont was a hateful villain who had wronged pretty much every character in the series.
Talking about his character, Rafe said at the time: “He commits an atrocity as part of a massacre, where 100 Native American women and children and defenceless people are murdered.
“He is truly bad to the bone, but at the same time, I’m still playing a human being – no matter how bad they are. It gives you a big launching pad to be very creative. It’s been a challenge, but one that I’ve relished and loved.”
One fan tweeted this about Rafe’s performance: “Rafe Spall has just turned up in #TheEnglish and has made my bum go squeaky. That is a TERRIFYING accent/hat combo.”
What is Rafe Spall famous for? What else has he been in?
Rafe Spall started out his career in the National Youth Theatre, before making his film debut in the 2001 film Beginner’s Luck.
A few years later, he featured in the popular comedy film Shaun of the Dead, playing Noel, opposite creators Simon Pegg and Nick Frost. He went on to star in the subsequent Edgar Wright films Hot Fuzz and The World’s End.
In 2007, he acted alongside his famous father Timothy Spall in the 2007 TV movie A Room with a View. Other notable TV roles include William ‘Maniac’ Hunt in Desperate Romantics, and Jay Wratten in The Shadow Line.
In 2011, he starred as Anne Hathaway’s awkward boyfriend Ian in the film adaptation of One Day (which recently got its very own Netflix TV series.) That same year, he portrayed journalist Pete in the comedy series Pete Versus Life.
Rafe later starred in the critically-acclaimed film Life of Pi, playing the writer who visits Pi Patel to hear his story. He also played Danny Moses in The Big Short, a film about the true story of a group of investors who bet against the US mortgage market.
He played newlywed Josh in the romcom I Give It a Year, and George in the BBC series The War of the Worlds. Perhaps one of his most famous roles was playing DS Nick Bailey in The Salisbury Poisonings.
Rafe’s other notable film roles include Eli in Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, Agent C in Men in Black: International, and Teddy in Long Story Short.
He has played Jason Ross in the Apple TV+ series Trying since 2020. The show is now on its fourth run.
How do you pronounce Rafe?
Some fans have questioned how Rafe is pronounced… After all, it’s not a common name.
Rafe is pronounced like “ray-f”.
The name has roots in Old Norse language, translating to “counsel of the wolf”. In fact, he was named after a character from The Knight of the Burning Pestle, after his father performed the play in 1981 at The Royal Shakespeare Company.
How old is Rafe Spall? Where is he from?
Rafe Joseph Spall was born on March 10, 1983, in East Dulwich, London.
He is currently 41 years old.
He’s the middle of three siblings born to mum Shane, and actor dad Timothy Spall. Having achieved poor grades at school, Haberdashers’ Aske’s Hatcham College, he left to become an actor and joined the National Youth Theatre at 15.
He told The Guardian in 2011: “I didn’t get in to Rada. So I got my education from watching the TV with my dad, with him shouting at the telly and saying what’s shit and what’s good.”
Are Timothy Spall and Rafe Spall related?
Rafe has a famous actor for a father – Timothy Spall! Timothy had Rafe with his wife Shane Spall. They also share daughters Pascale and Mercedes.
Timothy is probably known best for playing Harry Potter baddie Peter Pettigrew. He’s also famous for playing Peter Farquhar in the recent crime drama The Sixth Commandment, Lord Clarence Emsworth in The Blandings, and Bob Davies in The Syndicate. Of course, Auf Wiedersehen, Pet fans will know him best as Barry Taylor, a role he played from 1983 to 2004.
Rafe told with The Guardian that his father has never critiqued his acting. He said: “Never! You know when you do a [bleep] drawing of a car when you’re a kid and your mum says it’s brilliant? It was like that. He’s so lovely.”
Who is the wife of Rafe Spall?
Rafe was married to actress Elize du Toit from 2010 to 2021. She is probably best known for playing Izzy Davies in Hollyoaks, a role she played for four years.
The pair declared their love for each other in 2010, when they got married after just three months of dating. Rafe previously told The Independent: “We got set up on a blind date. We kissed within an hour of meeting each other, and we’ve been together ever since.”
However, in 2022, they announced they’d split up the year before, in 2021. The announcement came amid reports they’d grown apart.
In pictures obtained by The Sun around the same time, Rafe and his Trying co-star Esther – who plays Rafe’s wife – were seen walking hand-in-hand as they stepped out in London’s Notting Hill.
An onlooker said: ‘They looked very happy and comfortable in each other’s company. Both were laughing and smiling as they walked to the pub for a drink.
‘They were holding hands and seemed to be very close. They gave the impression of being a couple who have been together for some time.’
Rafe had previously described Esther as “my favourite person I’ve ever done acting with”.
Does Rafe Spall have children with his wife?
Rafe and Eliza have three children together: Lena, Rex, and their youngest, a son born in 2015 whose name has not been publicly revealed.
The couple now share custody of their shared children.
Rafe is now expected a fourth child. His girlfriend and Trying co-star Esther Smith is expecting their first child together, which they announced on Lorraine in May 2024.
Is Rafe Spall with Trying co-star Esther?
After the breakdown of his marriage to Eliza du Toit, Rafe is now dating his Trying co-star Esther Smith.
In May 2024, the pair revealed that their onscreen relationship had spilled into real life, and that they were dating. Not only that, they are expecting their first child together.
Talking to Lorraine Kelly, Rafe Spall said: “It’s really exciting, we’re really excited.”
Esther revealed: “Yeah, I’ve got a little bump.”
In an interview with The Guardian promoting Trying, Rafe recently said: “I really love acting with Esther, who’s now my partner. It’s about 18 months we’ve been together.”
He added: “Not only is she my favourite person to act with, she’s my favourite person to hang out with. And now we’re having a baby, so it’s great! It’s my fourth child, and Esther’s first. So a lot of amazing things have come from this show.”
Has Rafe Spall lost weight?
Like his father, Rafe Spall grew up struggling with his weight. He has been open about his struggles with body confidence.
He once told The Guardian he reached 18 stone: “Because I was always a fat child, I got fatter and fatter and I ended up 18 stone and with a 40-inch waist. I was a young, fat actor for maybe two years, and then I started getting sent parts for very fat people, and I thought I wanted to change this… I wanted the parts skinnier boys were playing.”
He added: “I used to be about five-and-a-half stone heavier than I am now. Keeping the weight off is not an easy thing, and there’s a social taboo about men watching what they eat. But it made a big difference to my life.”
More recently, however, Rafe Spall has admitted that he regrets telling the world he was “proud” of losing weight. In a new interview with The Independent, he opened up about the change to his physical appearance and how the narrative around his weight loss “hurt” him.
Asked whether the fat-shaming comments and reports surrounding his weight impacted his self-esteem, the actor replied: “It’s all wrong. It’s terrible. I feel bad every time I’ve ever contributed to that narrative by talking about my weight loss as being extremely positive. It’s a harmful narrative. It hurt me. And it hurts others.”
He added: “Anyone reading that with any perceived weight issue, it’s gonna make them feel crap. We shouldn’t celebrate it. Because it’s harmful.”
What height is Rafe Spall?
According to the actor’s IMDb page, he is 6 foot 1 inches.
That’s quite a bit taller than his dad, who is reportedly 5 foot 5 inches.
Read more: Rafe Spall: From Salisbury Poisonings to family life with famous dad Timothy
Trying streams on Apple TV+ from Wednesday, May 22, 2024.
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