Toby Stephens April 2018. Stephens, the younger son of actors Dame Maggie Smith and Sir Robert Stephens, was born at the Middlesex Hospital in Fitzrovia, London. He was educated at Aldro and Seaford College where he was remarkably unhappy. He trained at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA). Stephens began his film career with the role of Othello in 1992, in Sally Potter's "Orlando". He has since made regular appearances on television (including in "The Camomile Lawn", 1992) and on stage. He played the title role in a Royal Shakespeare Company production of "Coriolanus" shortly after graduation from LAMDA;
Martin Stephens (actor) on those who saw it. In 2003, English broadcaster Alan Dein noted: "Children were your friends, they were fun. But not this lot. This was the first time any of us had ever seen scary children, really bad seeds, and he was the scariest of the lot. That boy gave me nightmares." Stephens himself recalled: "I knew it was an unusual part. I quietly liked it...having these very adult qualities and having control over the adult. Imagine having that power." In 1961, Stephens appeared in a smaller part in "The Hellfire Club" before landing another starring role in "The Innocents",