An English actor, born in 1967 in London, as Christopher Stephens. He is from an artistic family, as he is the son of the actress Maggie Smith and the late Sir Robert Stephens and his brother is the actor Toby Stephens. He is also the brother-in-law of Anna-Louise Plowman. He took his surname from the poet Philip Larkin. He studied at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. He is married to Victoria "Suki" Steadman since 2005 and they have two children. He is known for Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (2003), Valkyrie (2008), and Official Secrets (2019).