Adolescence star Stephen Graham's life off-screen with famous wife and children

Stephen Graham stars in new Netflix drama Adolescence, which he co-wrote with Jack Thorne, and the series reunites him with his wife Hannah Walters, who is also famous

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Renowned actor Stephen Graham takes centre stage in Netflix's latest drama, Adolescence, and it's a family affair as he reunites with his talented wife, Hannah Walters. The gripping series delves into "an ordinary family's worst nightmare," with Stephen portraying a father whose world is shattered when his 13 year old son is arrested for the murder of a schoolmate.

Not only does Stephen star in this four-part thriller, but he also co-wrote the script alongside This Is England's Jack Thorne, with direction by Philip Barantini, a familiar face from Boiling Point. Hannah, an accomplished actress and producer, steps into the role of a teacher in the second episode, while also lending her expertise to script consultations and production duties. "Jack, Phil and I are three men and we very much wanted a female perspective," Stephen shared, adding that "As usual in these situations, Hannah's contribution was incredible."

Stephen revealed that Hannah reads all his scripts for him as he has dyslexia (Image: FilmMagic)

Drawing from his own upbringing in Liverpool, Stephen infused elements of his personal experiences into the series, modelling his character Eddie on his father's friends.

The actor shared insights into his character's creation, saying: "I based the idea of Eddie on a lot of working class men that I grew up around - my uncles and my friends' dads," and elaborated on his vision for the character: "I wanted him to be a kind of everyman, someone who loves his family and grafts really hard to provide for them, often without realising it's to their detriment. He goes out at 7am and comes back at 6pm and his tea is on the table and at weekends he goes down the pub or the social club with his friends and to the park on Sunday to watch his kid play football. He feels things very deeply and he's a good man but he doesn't have the tools or the background to express his feelings because it's not how he was raised," reports the Mirror.

The name of the character also holds a personal connection for the actor, as he revealed: "I was at the football watching Liverpool with my dad, my brother, my two kids and my Uncle Eddie, who I adore. I looked at him down the row and knew immediately that's what our character should be called, not just because it's a good name but because they do have quite a lot - if not all things - in common."

Now let's take a peek into Stephen's life beyond the camera.

The couple share two children and the family appeared on Celebrity Gogglebox together (Image: PA)Growing up

Stephen, 51, hails from Kirkby in Merseyside, where he was raised by his mum and stepdad. Discussing his adolescence, Stephen clarified that his character wasn't modelled on his stepfather, who didn't fit the mould of a "typical" working class man.

"I adore my Dad but he's not typical," he shared. "When I was growing up, he was head paediatric nurse at Alder Hey Children's Hospital in Liverpool, which was an unusual job for a working class man. My mum was a social worker and both of them had this amazing empathy for the job and for people in general. Luckily enough, they were really communicative with us too. I was always extremely close with my mum and my pops."

Stephen's educational journey took him from local schools to the Rose Bruford College of Theatre and Performance, where he crossed paths with his future wife, Hannah Walters.

The couple first met at drama school (Image: Getty Images)Family Life

Stephen has often spoken about how he and Hannah were "bezzie mates" before they transitioned into a romantic relationship and tied the knot in 2008. He revealed in an interview that their love story almost didn't unfold.

Reflecting on a 2019 episode of Desert Island Discs, Stephen admitted that as a young man in his twenties, he hadn't initially recognised what he truly wanted. However, Hannah's impending move to Spain forced him to confront his feelings. Stephen said: "She went to Spain for a little bit and I couldn't see her, and she was going to move out there. She came back and we hadn't been on a date in these five years, six years, just talking lots. And I said 'can I take you on a date?'"

"She went 'what?' And we went to see Saving Private Ryan, had a bite to eat in Greenwich and we were at New Cross train station and I said 'please don't go to Spain'. She asked 'why?' and I said 'Well, I love you.' She said she'd been waiting five years for me to say that. And the next day we moved in together. And we've been together ever since."

The couple once nestled into a London home but have since set up their family life with two kids in Ibstock, Leicestershire. The actor feels like he's truly become "part of the furniture" in the village, and according to a Staffordshire Live article about his local life, residents often catch glimpses of him out and about, doing everyday things like shopping and dog walking.

Their children, Alfie, 18, and Grace, 20, joined their parents for a stint on the 2023 celebrity edition of Gogglebox, making it a family affair on screen.

Stephen Graham plays a father whose son is arrested for murder in Adolesence (Image: NETFLIX)Working with Hannah

In a candid chat with the Sunday Times back in 2019, Stephen opened up about his dyslexia and shared that Hannah is the one who reads scripts for him. The duo's first big gig together was in Shane Meadows' gritty drama This Is England, where Stephen took on the role of the menacing skinhead Combo, while Hannah popped up as a shop assistant.

They continued their on-screen partnership, appearing side by side in the subsequent series, This Is England '86 and '88, with Stephen returning as Combo and Hannah stepping into the shoes of Trudy.

Both Hannah and Stephen have shared the screen in Pirates of The Caribbean: On Stranger Tides and its sequel Salazar's Revenge, as well as the film and TV series Boiling Point. In the latter, Stephen took on the role of high-strung chef Andy, while Hannah played pastry chef Emily.

The pair also portrayed a couple in the hard-hitting drama Time, and reunite on screen in the series A Thousand Blows. Here, Stephen steps into the shoes of boxer Sugar Goodson, set against the backdrop of 1880s East End London. The plot thickens as Sugar faces off with an all-female gang known as the Forty Elephants. Hannah takes on the role of Eliza, a member of this close-knit gang, which gained infamy for their large-scale shoplifting exploits in real life.

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