Graham Suffered Breakdown Following Family Tragedy

British actor Stephen Graham turned to drugs and suffered a nervous breakdown at university after his grandmother died.

The Boardwalk Empire star, 37, studied drama in London, but shortly before his move to the U.K. capital from his native Merseyside, north-west England, he was plunged into mourning.

His grandmother died and his parents lost a baby - and Graham admits the grief affected him greatly.

He tells Britain's The Times, "When I first went to university, I smoked a lot of weed and all that, and I had a little bit of drug psychosis. Ilost the plot. Basically I had a nervous breakdown. "Suddenly I'm studying drama and having to dive in and use all these emotions and do exercises about death.

I think that was the catalyst".