(Photo: Getty Images)
Happy birthday Rhys Ifans! The distinctive and prolific actor turns 55 today (July 22), so we're celebrating with 10 things we appreciate about him. Some items are career highlights, while others are fun and admirable things about his playful personality.
1. He was a joy to watch in Notting Hill.
The main event in Richard Curtis's rom-com is obviously the romance between book store owner Will (Hugh Grant) and movie star Anna (Julia Roberts). But, there's no denying Ifans is on scene-stealing form as Spike, Will's adorably slobby Welsh roommate. His choice of underwear is definitely a little questionable, though.

2. He is a very proud Welshman.
Ifans grew up bilingual speaking English and Welsh fluently, but describes the latter as his "first language." Discussing his identity in an interview with The Star, Ifans said: "There's a beautiful word in Welsh, 'hiraeth,' and it doesn't mean homesickness exactly, because it’s bigger than that. It's like a constant physical pull, like a bungee drawing me back to Wales."
3. He played iconic Welsh poet Dylan Thomas.
Ifans portrayed Thomas, writer of the famous poem "Do not go gentle into that good night," in the 2016 biopic Last Call. He also produced and starred in a 2015 film adaptation of Thomas's popular radio drama Under Milk Wood. 

4. He also played influential British comedian Peter Cook.
Ifans won a BAFTA for his performance in Not Only But Always, a TV movie about Cook's relationship with Dudley Moore, who worked together frequently in the 1960s and 1970s before drifting apart. Ifans' English accent is absolutely spot on.

5. He is definitely game for a laugh.
While promoting The King's Man, Ifans and co-star Tom Hollander sat down with MTV for a game of "two truths and a lie." It's safe to say that Hollander takes the whole thing a little more seriously, but Ifans is on fine, wise-cracking form. On this evidence, he seems like a great guy to go for a pint with. 

6. He is part of the Harry Potter family.
Ifans has a fun part in the penultimate movie as Xenophilius Lovegood, the somewhat eccentric father of Harry's classmate Luna (Evanna Lynch). He adopts an impressive Irish accent for the role.

7. He played Sherlock Holmes' brother in Elementary.
Ifans appeared in seven episodes as Mycroft Holmes, Sherlock's highly intelligent but pretty lazy older brother. He definitely puts his own spin on a fascinating character who's also been played by Andrew Scott (in Sherlock), Sam Claflin (in Enola Holmes), and Stephen Fry (in Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows).

8. He has a musical side and musical connections.
Ifans is a member of the Welsh rock supergroup Peth, who released an album called The Golden Mile in 2008. The following year, they supported one of the U.K.'s biggest bands, Oasis, at a concert in Cardiff's Millennium Stadium. It's worth nothing that Ifans and Oasis already had a working relationship because he appeared in the video for their 2005 hit "The Importance of Being Idle."  

9. He is a great raconteur.
During an appearance on the BBC's Friday Night with Jonathan Ross, Ifans shared an amusing anecdote about meeting infamous British criminal Howard Marks while being fitted for his Harry Potter costume. Sadly, Ifans has never guested on The Graham Norton Show, but after watching this clip, we'd love to see him swing by in the future.

10. And finally, he's quite a dancer.
Ifans shows off some pretty unique moves in this deleted scene from Richard Curtis's 2009 movie The Boat That Rocked. We hope he did some stretches before filming began!

What is your favorite Rhys Ifans role?