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Jeremy Irons

EREMY IRONS began his career in England at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre Company and later debuted in London in Godspell as 'John the Baptist.' His work in the West End and at Stratford-upon-Avon culminated with his performance of Richard II for the Royal Shakespeare Company. He made his Broadway debut in 1984 in Tom Stoppard's The Real Thing, opposite Glenn Close, for which he won both the Drama League Award and a Tony Award for 'Best Actor.'

Irons has played many roles for television, most notably Love For Lydia and Christopher Hampton's Tales From Hollywood. His performance in Brideshead Revisited brought him worldwide acclaim, as well as the Golden Globe for 'Best Actor' and nominations for an Emmy and a BAFTA. He then continued as director and co-star opposite his wife, actress Sinead Cusack, in Mirad: A Boy From Bosnia, a Channel 4 Television film about refugees written by Ad De Bont. Irons won an Emmy for 'Outstanding Voice-Over Performance' for the PBS production The Great War And The Shaping Of The 20th Century. In 2006, Irons co-starred with Helen Mirren in Elizabeth, garnering the Emmy, Golden Globe and SAG Awards for 'Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries.' He also co-starred opposite Joan Allen in the Emmy nominated TV movie O'Keeffe, as Georgia O'Keeffe's husband 'Alfred Stieglitz.' For his portrayal of Stieglitz, Irons was nominated for both a Screen Actors Guild Award and a Golden Globe Award for 'Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries.'

On the big screen, he has starred in such films as Moonlighting, Betrayal, Swann In Love and The Mission with Robert De Niro. Irons played opposite Meryl Streep in The French Lieutenant's Woman, for which he received the Variety Club Award for 'Best Actor' and a BAFTA nomination, and played opposite his son Sam in Roald Dahl's Danny, Champion Of The World. His performance in David Cronenberg's Dead Ringers brought him a 'Best Actor' Award from the New York Film Critics Circle and a Canadian Genie. Irons' performance in Reversal Of Fortune, earned him the 1990 Academy Award and Golden Globe Award for 'Best Actor.' During the 1990s, Irons concentrated on films, including Kafka, M. Butterfly and The House Of The Spirits, once again with Streep and Close. In 1994, Irons created the voice of 'Scar' for Disney's animated film The Lion King. He followed with the action film Die Hard With A Vengeance, co-starring Bruce Willis; and Stealing Beauty, co-starring Liv Tyler. In 1998, Irons traveled to Hong Kong to make Wayne Wang's Chinese Box, followed by Man In The Iron Mask, in which he co-starred with Leonardo DiCaprio and John Malkovich. He also played 'Humbert Humbert' in Adrian Lyne's controversial film Lolita, which aired on SHOWTIME. This was followed by Longitude, an A&E Granada film that premiered on the BBC. In 2001, Irons starred in And Now…Ladies And Gentleman, The Time Machine, Callas Forever and Last Call, a SHOWTIME Original Picture. He also starred in Being Julia, opposite Annette Bening; The Merchant Of Venice, Kingdom Of Heaven, Casanova, Eragon and Inland Empire.

Theatre has continued to play a large part in Irons' career. In 2003, he went back to his roots in theatre for the New York City Opera production of Stephen Sondheim's A Little Night Music in the role of 'Frederik,' directed by Scott Ellis. He then appeared in the Hollywood Bowl's production of Camelot as 'King Arthur'; Embers, a play on London's West End; Never So Good and Impressionism on Broadway. Irons appeared on the London stage in early 2010 as 'Colm,' the central character in the Royal Shakespeare Company's production of Dennis Kelly's new drama The Gods Weep.


Note: This profile was written in or before 2011.
Read earlier biographies on this page.

Jeremy Irons Facts

Birth NameJeremy John Irons
OccupationActor
BirthdaySeptember 19, 1948 (75)
SignVirgo
BirthplaceCowes, Isle of Wight, England, United Kingdom
Height6' 2" (1m88)  How tall is Jeremy Irons compared to you?
Awards2007 Golden Globe Awards: Best Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or TV Movie (for Elizabeth I)
2007 Screen Actors Guild Awards: Best Male Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries (for Elizabeth I)
2006 Emmy Awards: Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie (for Elizabeth I)
1991 Academy Awards: Best Actor (for Reversal of Fortune)
1991 Golden Globe Awards: Best Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama (for Reversal of Fortune)

Selected Filmography

Margin Call
Assassin's Creed
The Words
Batman v Superman: Dawn Of Justice
The Man Who Knew Infinity
Race
Beautiful Creatures
Kingdom Of Heaven
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