Rufus Wright
Rufus Wright, a.k.a. Rufus Gerrard-Wright, met Stephen Merchant in 1995 at the University of Warwick in Coventry, where they worked on an ill fated student revue for Edinburgh, and on student radio. Steve often describes Rufus as "super posh," referencing his swanky upper-class family and his boy's school education. Six weeks into The Steve Show, Steve brought his old mate Rufus in to the studio, to the almost instant delight of the listeners. Rufus became a regular contributor to the show and is considered consistently funny and charming, particularly in the role of the "dandy" archetype.
Rufus described himself on The Steve Show as an "actor, a painter, and a crime fighter".
During the Xfm years, Steve mentioned Rufus a couple of times, perhaps most notably as his friend whose family had moved from Folkingham to Fingringhoe.
On the 16 September 2007 show, Rufus announced on-air that he had gotten engaged to his girlfriend that weekend.
Acting Career
Rufus made a guest appearance in the fifth episode of the second series of Extras as an actor named Leslie who plays Fran, the co-lead in the gay-themed Ian McKellen play, A Month of Summers. When Andy Millman's school friends turn up, Andy loses his nerve to the point of leaving the play in the middle of a scene. In 2001, Rufus had a role in the film Spy Game with Brad Pitt and Robert Redford. He was also one of Steve's mates to star in the comedy sitcom pilot No Skillz. In 2007, Rufus played John Birt, David Frost's producer in the play Frost/Nixon and also understudied Michael Sheen, who played David Frost. That year he also played the part of a posh businessman in the comedy series Christie.
Rufus had a small part in the 2008 Bond film Quantum of Solace, playing "Treasury Agent".
