| Birth name | Alice Jane Evans |
|---|---|
| Birth place | New Jersey, U.S. |
| Citizenship | United Kingdom · United States[1] |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active |
|
| Spouse | Ioan Gruffudd (m. 2007; div. 2023) |
| Parents | David Evans |
Alice Evans is a British-American actress. She played Chloe Simon in the film 102 Dalmatians and Esther Mikaelson in the third season of the CW's The Vampire Diaries and its spin off The Originals.
Early life
Evans was born in New Jersey, U.S.,[2] the daughter of a professor in applied mathematics and a teacher of English literature, and was raised in Bristol, England. She attended Henbury School, along with her two brothers.[3] She graduated from University College London with a degree in French and Italian.[3]
Career
After graduation, she enrolled at the Cours Florent in Paris. She gained work in French television, with her breakthrough role as French student Susan in the French sitcom, Elisa Top Model, which ran for 18 months. Next, she went to Italy to play "Nathalie", in the 1998 Italian miniseries Le ragazze di Piazza di Spagna. Her first English-speaking role was in the Highlander episode 'Patient Number 7'. After making her first film, Monsieur Naphtali (1999), director Claude Lelouch cast Evans as Macha in Une pour toutes (1999), alongside Samy Naceri and Anne Parillaud.
In 1999, Disney cast Evans alongside Glenn Close, Gérard Depardieu, and her later husband, Ioan Gruffudd, in 102 Dalmatians.[4][5]
After appearing in Blackball, she moved to Los Angeles in 2003. She has since appeared in both in films and in television series, including The Mentalist, Brothers & Sisters, Lost, and Grimm. Evans also had a recurring turn as the villainous Esther on The Vampire Diaries[6] and The Originals.
Personal life
Evans met actor Ioan Gruffudd during the filming of 102 Dalmatians.[7] They became engaged on New Year's Day 2006 and married on 14 September 2007 in Mexico.[8] They have two daughters, born in 2009 and 2013.[9] In January 2021, Evans announced their separation, which Gruffudd initiated.[10] In March 2021, Gruffudd filed for divorce from Evans.[11] In February 2022, Gruffudd was granted a temporary domestic violence restraining order against Evans; he was then granted a three-year permanent restraining order in August 2022.[12] In January 2023, Evans faced charges over allegedly breaching her restraining order on two occasions.[13] Evans pleaded not guilty to the charges, which were dropped in March 2023.[14] In February 2026, the restraining order was renewed for five years, due to repeated violations.[15]
In 2017, following a slew of sexual assault allegations against film producer Harvey Weinstein, Evans claimed that Weinstein had made sexual advances towards her in 2002, which she had declined. Evans said that Weinstein insinuated that her rejection would affect her and Gruffudd's careers.[16]
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Rewind | Helga | |
| 1999 | The Escort | Sue | |
| 2000 | One 4 All | Macha Desachy | |
| 2000 | 102 Dalmatians | Chloe Simon | |
| 2001 | My Wife Maurice | Emmanuelle | |
| 2002 | The Abduction Club | Catherine Kennedy | |
| 2003 | Blackball | Kerry Speight | |
| 2004 | Fascination | Kelly Vance | |
| 2005 | Four Corners of Suburbia | Susan Harris | |
| 2006 | Hollywood Dreams | Vida | |
| 2006 | The Christmas Card | Faith Spelman | |
| 2006 | Dangerous Parking | Etta | |
| 2007 | Save Angel Hope | Sonia Zeller | |
| 2007 | Agent Crush | Alex | Voice |
| 2009 | Reunion | Minerva | |
| 2013 | Liars All | Sandra | |
| 2018 | The Liquid Psychologist | Herself | Short |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996–99 | Elisa Top Modèle | Clara | 22 episode; aka Elisa |
| 1996 | Strangers | Charlotte | Episode: "Crash" |
| 1997 | Highlander: The Series | Kyra | Episode: "Patient Number 7" |
| 1998 | Au cœur de la loi | Muriel Highsmith | Episode: "En vert et contre tous" |
| 1998 | H | Sabri's Girlfriend | Episode: "Une belle maman" |
| 1998–2000 | Le Ragazze di Piazza di Spagna | Nathalie | 6 episodes |
| 2001 | Best of Both Worlds | Diane Sullivan | 3 episodes |
| 2003 | ' | Leslie Warner | Episode: "Bait" |
| 2006 | Mayo | Clair Wishart | Episode: "Killing Me Softly" |
| 2006 | The Christmas Card | Faith Spelman | Television film |
| 2007 | Curb Your Enthusiasm | Heather Mills | Voice; episode: "The Freak Book" |
| 2009 | Lost | Younger Eloise Hawking | 3 episodes |
| 2010 | The Mentalist | Ilsa Engels | Episode: “Red Letter” |
| 2010 | Brothers & Sisters | Dr. Evans | Episode: "Get a Room" |
| 2011–12 | The Vampire Diaries | Esther Mikaelson | 6 episodes |
| 2011 | Brothers & Sisters | Dr. Felicity Milton | Episode: "Brody" |
| 2011 | American Dad! | Birth Show Narrator | Episode: "Home Wrecker" |
| 2012 | Grimm | Mia Gaudot | Episode: "Over My Dead Body" |
| 2014–15 | The Originals | Esther Mikaelson | 3 episodes |
Video games
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | MegaRace 2 | Co-host of the racing show MegaRace 2 | Her name is different each time it is mentioned.[17][18] |
References
- ^ Alice Evans' biodata, mtv.com; accessed 25 September 2014.
- ^ Turner, Robin (21 April 2009). "Ioan Gruffudd expecting first child". Wales Online
- ^ "Meet La Belle Anglaise" by Anna Pursglove, Evening Standard, 15 December 2000.
- ^ Mia Sulpor (15 November 2000). "Disney lets dogs out". Variety. Archived 16 August 2024 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2 June 2016.
- ^ "102 Dalmatians (2000)". British Board of Film Classification. Archived from the original on 17 November 2015. Retrieved 15 November 2015.
- ^ Shaunna Murphy (9 February 2012). "'The Vampire Diaries': Talk tonight's shocking twist, and find out what's next from producer Julie Plec". Entertainment Weekly. Archived 8 November 2016 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2 June 2016.
When Original vampire mama Esther (Alice Evans) returned to Mystic Falls after spending the last millennium six feet under, we knew she’d have some deeply hidden tricks up her sleeve.
- ^ Ioan Gruffudd, Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, 21 February 2007.
- ^ Mary Margaret (15 September 2007). "Fantastic Four Star Ioan Gruffudd Gets Married". People. Archived from the original on 31 October 2008. Retrieved 23 September 2014.
- ^ Andrew Asare (2 October 2013). "Ioan Gruffudd and Alice Evans welcome second child". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2 June 2016.
- ^ Juneau, Jen (26 January 2021). "Alice Evans Tweets Husband Ioan Gruffudd 'Has Announced He Is to Leave His Family': We Are 'Confused and Sad'". People. Archived 5 February 2021 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 6 March 2021.
- ^ "Welsh actor Ioan Gruffudd files for divorce from Alice Evans". South Wales Argus. 3 March 2021. Archived 3 March 2021 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 6 March 2021.
- ^ Fernández, Alexia (16 February 2022). "Ioan Gruffudd Files for Domestic Violence Restraining Order Against Estranged Wife Alice Evans". People. Archived 18 February 2022 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 18 February 2022.
- ^ Lewis, Isobel (28 January 2023). "Alice Evans 'facing arrest after missing court appearance' over ex Ioan Gruffudd's restraining order". independent. Archived 28 January 2023 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 28 January 2023.
- ^ "Alice Evans Thanks Fans After Charges Are Dropped in Ioan Gruffudd Restraining Order Case (Report)". Peoplemag. Archived 16 August 2024 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2024-04-17.
- ^ Stolworthy, Jacob (5 March 2026). "Ioan Gruffudd wins restraining order court case against ex-wife Alice Evans". The Independent. Retrieved 7 March 2026.
- ^ Kiefer, Halle (14 October 2017). "Actress Alice Evans Wonders What Effect Rejecting Harvey Weinstein Had on Her and Her Husband's Careers". Retrieved 3 March 2021.
- ^ "Alice Evans". Lockerdome. Archived 22 December 2015 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 15 December 2015.
- ^ "MegaRace 2 (DOS)". Moby Games. Archived 16 August 2024 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 15 December 2015.
External links
- Alice Evans on Instagram
- Alice Evans at IMDb