Toby Stephens: 'I lost my dad to cirrhosis'

Born in London, Toby Stephens, 57, is the son of actors Maggie Smith and Robert Stephens. He trained at Lamda and, in 1992, made his film debut in Orlando; in 2002 he played the Bond villain in Die Another Day. His television work includes One Day, The Split and Black Sails, and on stage he has performed for the RSC and the National Theatre.

He is currently starring in Equus at London’s Menier Chocolate Factory, until 4 July, and then Theatre Royal Bath, from 14-25 July; he is married to the actor Anna‑Louise Plowman, with whom he has three children, and lives in London. Stephens says there was a very large part of his 20s where he was an alcoholic, and an addict.

"When I lost my dad to cirrhosis, I knew that the only difference between us was that, tragically, he couldn’t stop whereas I could," he says. He names being completely alone as his greatest fear and vanity as the trait he most deplores.

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