Stephen Graham was born in Kirkby, Liverpool on 3rd August 1973. He played parts in various series such as Heartbeat, Liverpool 1 and The Bill before appearing in Coronation Street as Lee Sankey in 1999.

The year after he got his big break when he accompanied a friend to an audition for the Guy Ritchie film Snatch and won the part himself based on his looks. Various parts have followed this including the Martin Scorsese film Gangs of New York in 2002.