Inside the life of Ralph Ineson from family life to 'footballer lookalike' (original) (raw)
The Leeds-born actor first rose to fame playing cocky sales representative Chris Finch in the UK sitcom The Office and later made appearances on Coronation Street, Waterloo Road and Peaky Blinders
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Ludwig: Official BBC trailer
Ralph Ineson is a familiar face and voice to many British TV and film fans. The Leeds-born actor first rose to fame playing the “bloody good” sales representative Chris Finch in the UK sitcom The Office and made appearances on Coronation Street, Waterloo Road, Waking The Dead, Peaky Blinders and Sherlock.
He also featured in the Harry Potter films, Kingsman: The Secret Service, The Last Jedi and horror film The Witch. The Yorkshire man will make his Marvel Cinematic Debut when he stars as villain Galactus in the new Fantastic Four film, which is released in 2025.
Currently Ralph Ineson plays Chief Constable Ziegler in BBC comedy drama Ludwig as John 'Ludwig' Taylor grows suspicious about his role in his brother's disappearance. Outside of work, he's either walking his dogs or supporting his beloved Leeds United
But what do we know about the life of actor Ralph Ineson?
Early life and career of Ralph Ineson
Ralph Ineson is widely known for playing arrogant salesman Chris Finch in The Office (
Image:
© BBC)
Ralph Ineson was born in Leeds on December 15, 1969 to parents retired managing director Mike and Lorraine.
He was educated at the private school Pocklington School where he was head boy and cricket captain. It was here where he caught the acting bug while taking part in York's Mystery Plays, where he met Soldier, Soldier star Robson Green.
He went on to study theatre at Lancaster University's Furness College where he also worked as a security man at The Dukes and assisted the theatre's open-air productions of Shakespeare in Williamson Park.
Ralph made fleeting appearances on British TV including The Bill, All Quiet on the Preston Front, Harry and This Life. Ralph's first regular role was as Luke Mullen in Playing the Field before he played the arrogant and unpleasant Chris Finch in The Office.
Ralph continued to make a name for himself in British TV as he made appearances on Coronation Street, Waterloo Road, Waking The Dead, The IT Crowd, and Sherlock.
In recent years, Ralph has appeared as Dagmer Cleftjaw in Game of Thrones, Connor Nutley in Peaky Blinders, D.I Morgan in ITV drama The Jetty and Chief Constable Ziegler in Ludwig. You may also recgonise his thick Yorkshire accent on Dacia car adverts.
He also featured in the Harry Potter films, Kingsman: The Secret Service, The Last Jedi, The Witch and will appear as Marvel villain Galactus in the new Fantastic Four film.
How Ross Kemp helped Ralph Ineson land lucrative voice over work
Actor Ralph Ineson attends the European Premiere of Ready Player One (
Image:
Getty Images)
In the 2000s, Ralph was a TV actor that made appearances on various TV series but never had a regular line of work. But it was a chance encounter with EastEnders and TV presenter Ross Kemp that sparked his career in voice acting.
He told The Times: "Getting Ross Kemp, who I worked with in the ITV drama A Line in the Sand, to talk to his voiceover agent for me.
" hadn’t done any voiceover work until then but he connected us and 15 years later we have made a tidy sum together. I’ve done voiceovers for everything from the Dacia cars advert to Quest TV’s Salvage Hunters series."
With his smooth Yorkshire accent, Ralph has narrated the BBC One documentary Series Gears and Tears which followed drivers in British BriSCA Formula 1 Stock Cars, Charles Vane in Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag, Lorath Nahr in Diablo IV, and Cidolfus Telamon in Final Fantasy XVI.
Ralph's love of football and Leeds United
Ralph Ineson is a massive Leeds United fan and shared a photo of himself wearing a t-shirt dedicated to Marcelo Bielsa (
Image:
Ralph Ineson)
Ralph Ineson is a vocal Leeds United supporter and often follows and watches their games whenever he can. He has also done a number of projects with Leeds United and he even featured in a film dedicated to the club.
Ineson narrated a video to celebrate Leeds United's return to the Premier League in 2020. Alongside this, he played a reporter in The Damned United with the film documenting Brian Clough’s ill-fated 44-day tenure as manager of the Whites.
The film was released in 2009 and starred Michael Sheen as the enigmatic Brian Clough.
When asked who would play him in a movie of his life, he replied: "The footballer Harry Kane. I keep being told that I look like him."
Is Ralph Ineson married?
Ralph Ineson with his daughter Rebecca Ineson (
Image:
PA)
Ralph Ineson is currently married to Ali Milner after they tied the knot in 2003. They have two children together, Luc and Becky, and live with their four dogs.
During the pregnancy of their first child, Alison suffered abnormal bleeding caused by a benign tumour during her touch-and-go pregnancy. She gave birth by caesarean section to the dangerously-underweight Luc in February 1999 in a special baby unit at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital.
Ralph's father spoke of his pride to the Evening Press: "It was a very worrying time for all of us during Alison's pregnancy, and that meant the christening was even more of a special day.
"I don't think there can be anything better than seeing your son holding your grandson and I don't think I have ever seen Ralph look as pleased as he did.
"I never could have imagined that kind of feeling before. I was full of pride. It was almost like having your own child again.
"Luc is a fantastic little chap with plenty of character. He just laughs all the time. I think we might have another actor in the family."
Inside Ralph Ineson's quiet home life
Ralph and his family live in a new-build semi-detached four-bedroom house in southwest London with their children.
He has previously revealed he loves walking his dogs, Billy and Grayson, on Wimbledon Common who are both named after Leeds United legend Billy Bremner and former manager Simon Grayson.