Toby-Alexander Smith
Smith in 2019
Born (1991-02-26) 26 February 1991 (age 32)
Lichfield, Staffordshire, England
EducationArts Educational Schools
OccupationActor
Years active2016–present
Known forRole of Gray Atkins in EastEnders
Spouse
​
(m. 2023)​
Children1
FamilyKimberley Walsh (sister-in-law)

Toby-Alexander Smith (born 26 February 1991) is an English actor, known for portraying the role of Gray Atkins in the BBC soap opera EastEnders from 2019 to 2022.

Early life and education

Smith was born on 26 February 1991 in Lichfield, Staffordshire and developed a passion for acting whilst at school. He went to Arts Educational Schools in London, where he trained as an actor.[1]

Career

His first television appearance was in an episode of the American Epix drama series Berlin Station in 2016. He then appeared in the BBC soap opera Doctors as Jason Carswell.[2] In 2019, Smith appeared as Terry in the series Flack [3] and later in the DC universe's Krypton as Lo-Ran.[4]

On 11 March 2019, it was announced that Smith had joined the cast of EastEnders as Gray Atkins, the husband of Chantelle Atkins, played by Jessica Plummer. His first appearance was in the episode broadcast on 29 March 2019.[5] In episodes broadcast in July 2019, it is revealed that Smith's character Gray has been domestically abusing his wife Chantelle. Smith alongside Plummer and the EastEnders team, worked closely with Women's Aid and Refuge to ensure that the domestic abuse storyline had been told accurately. Commenting on the storyline, Smith said: "I just hope that anyone experiencing any sort of behaviour like that will talk about it and relate to it. I’ve already been told by Woman’s Aid that people have contacted them and said they think their friend is in a similar situation to Gray and Chantelle in EastEnders." This led to Smith becoming an ambassador for Women's Aid.[6] In September 2020, the storyline ended with Gray murdering Chantelle. In February 2022, it was announced that Smith would be leaving the series, and his character departed in March 2022. For their portrayal of domestic violence, Smith and Plummer were nominated for a BAFTA award in 2021, and Smith was also shortlisted for "Best Villain" at the Inside Soap Awards in 2020 and longlisted in 2021.[7][8]

Personal life

Smith has been in a relationship with Emmerdale actress Amy Walsh, sister of Kimberley Walsh, since 2020, having met in the Strictly Come Dancing audience in 2019. They have a daughter, Bonnie-Mae, born in December 2021.[9] The couple live in East London.[10] Smith married Walsh in September 2023. His friend and EastEnders co-star Shona McGarty, performed a song at the wedding.[11]

Smith plays rugby and can also sing and dance.[6]

Filmography

Year Title Role Notes
2016 Berlin Station George Episode: "Station to Station"
2018 Doctors Jason Carswell Episode: "The Beautiful Game"
2019 Flack Terry Episode: "Patrick"
2019–2022 EastEnders Gray Atkins Regular role; 276 episodes
2019 Krypton Lor-Ran Episode: "Ghost in the Fire"
2020 EastEnders: Secrets from the Square Himself Episode: "Karen, Chantelle and Gray"
2020–2022 Loose Women Himself 3 episodes
2022 The One Show Himself 1 episode

Awards and nominations

Year Award Category Result Ref.
2019 I Talk Telly Awards Best Soap Newcomer Nominated [12]
2020 I Talk Telly Awards Best Soap Partnership (shared with Jessica Plummer) Nominated [13]
Inside Soap Awards Best Villain Shortlisted [14]
2021 Version Soap Awards Best Villain Won [15]
British Academy Television Awards Must-See Moment Nominated [16]
Inside Soap Awards Best Villain Nominated [8]
2022 The British Soap Awards Villain of the Year Nominated [17]
Inside Soap Awards Best Villain Nominated [18]

References

  1. ^ "Who plays Gray Atkins in EastEnders? Everything you need to know about Toby Alexander Smith". Heart. Heart. Retrieved 2 April 2022 – via www.heart.uk.
  2. ^ "Toby-Alexander Smith - Jonathan Arun Group". jag-london.com. Retrieved 2 April 2022.
  3. ^ "Terry - Flack". TVmaze. Retrieved 2 April 2022.
  4. ^ "Toby-Alexander Smith - news on the EastEnders and Krypton actor - page 28". metro.co.uk. Retrieved 2 April 2022.
  5. ^ "EastEnders unveils first look at Karen Taylor's daughter Chantelle as new family arrive". digitalspy.com. Retrieved 2 April 2022.
  6. ^ a b "Toby-Alexander Smith - things you didn't know about the EastEnders actor". What to Watch. Retrieved 2 April 2022.
  7. ^ "Inside Soap Awards announce full shortlist for 2020 event". digitalspy.com. Retrieved 2 April 2022.
  8. ^ a b "Inside Soap Awards announces 2021 longlist as voting opens". digitalspy.com. Retrieved 2 April 2022.
  9. ^ Victoria Johns. "EastEnders' Toby-Alexander Smith opens up about his dramatic exit from BBC soap". Mirror Online. Retrieved 2 April 2022.
  10. ^ Sue Crawford, I feared my traumatic Emmerdale plot would affect our unborn baby. Daily Mirror, London, 14 January 2022, page 15.
  11. ^ https://www.digitalspy.com/soaps/emmerdale/a45077108/amy-walsh-toby-alexander-smith-married-wedding/
  12. ^ Gonzalez, Elliot (2 November 2019). "I TALK TELLY AWARDS 2019 Nominees". I Talk Telly.
  13. ^ Gonzalez, Elliot (8 November 2020). "I TALK TELLY AWARDS 2020 Nominees". I Talk Telly.
  14. ^ "Inside Soap Awards announce full shortlist for 2020 event". Digital Spy. 16 November 2020. Retrieved 2 April 2022.
  15. ^ "The Version 2021 Soap Awards winners announced! — The Version". theversion.co. Archived from the original on 21 April 2021.
  16. ^ "twitter.com/_tobyalexander/status/1387054480559063040". twitter.com. Retrieved 2 April 2022.[self-published]
  17. ^ Warner, Sam (10 May 2022). "British Soap Awards 2022 announces full nominations shortlist". Digital Spy. (Hearst Communications). Retrieved 11 May 2022.
  18. ^ Harp, Justin (18 July 2022). "Inside Soap Awards announces nominations and new category for 2022 event". Digital Spy. (Hearst Communications). Retrieved 19 July 2022.

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