Stephen Graham almost quit acting after he was left unemployed for almost a year

Stephen Graham almost quit acting after he was left unemployed for almost a year.

The Adolescence star, 53, has revealed his career took a turn for the worse after he filmed 2006 soccer hooligan movie This Is England as he didn't land another role for nine months - and Stephen has now revealed he considered walking away from the entertainment business to work with disadvantaged kids instead.

He told The Sunday Times newspaper: "After This Is England I didn’t work for nine months and couldn’t get a job. I was going to pack it in to become a youth worker."

However, Stephen persevered and he landed more roles in Hollywood, including Public Enemies, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides and London Boulevard before the end of the decade.

He has worked consistently ever since and is now hugely in demand following the massive success of his Netflix series Adolescence - and Stephen admits he feels grateful to have such a wonderful career and home life with his wife Hannah Walters.

He told the publication: "We’ve got a really nice house, a wonderful family, and I often find myself in moments of overwhelming gratitude because of how my life has turned out."