When the Outlander credits rolled and viewers saw the menacing name Richard Brown, few realized that he was being played by none other than Chris Larkin, the son of the legendary Dame Maggie Smith. Yet Larkin intentionally obscured that connection by adopting a different surname—and his journey into a complex villain in one of television’s most passionate historical dramas is as fascinating as the character he portrays.
Born Christopher Larkin Stephens in 1967, Chris is Maggie Smith’s elder son (his younger brother is Toby Stephens). Despite growing up in an acting household, he made a deliberate decision early in his career to drop the “Stephens” surname. As he later explained, he did not want his work to be overshadowed by his mother or father’s legacy. “I wanted to do it on my own,” he told The Times, rejecting pressures to trade on the family name.
His father, Robert Stephens, questioned the name change, sometimes urging Chris to “change it back.” But Chris stood firm, saying reverting would feel like admitting defeat. In a business as brutal and exposure-driven as acting, forging your own path can feel not just commendable—but necessary.
Interestingly, he once revealed that he didn’t decide to train as an actor until his early twenties—relatively late by industry norms—and entered LAMDA (London Academy of Music & Dramatic Art) as a mature student.
The article is not finished. Click on the next page to continue.
The article is not finished. Click on the next page to continue.
Next page
