Jeremy Irons Biography

JEREMY IRONS

Date of Birth: September 19, 1948

A native of Cowes, Isle of Wight, England, Jeremy Irons went to school at Sherborne. After being rejected for admission to veterinarian school he started acting classes at the Bristol Old Vic School. Following two years of study, Irons joined the Bristol Old Vic repertory company. He gained extensive experience working in everything from Shakespeare to contemporary dramas.

Jeremy moved to London in 1971 and had a number of odd jobs before landing the role of John the Baptist in the hit musical Godspell. He went on to a successful early career in West End theater and on TV, and debuted on the big screen in Nijinsky.

These appearances led to his being cast in the TV adaptation of Brideshead Revisited, Evelyn Waugh's epic novel about the intense relationship between two upper-class young Englishmen at the beginning of the century. The role garnered Jeremy international attention and Emmy, BAFTA and Golden Globe award nominations for best actor.

He went on to a steady career in film, winning honorable mentions and awards for The French Lieutenant's Woman (1981), Moonlighting (1982), Betrayal (1983), The Mission (1986), and Dead Ringers (1988).

In 1984, Jeremy debuted on Broadway opposite Glenn Close in Tom Stoppard's The Real Thing and won a Tony Award for his performance.

In 1990 he again starred opposite Glenn Close, playing Claus Von Bulow in Reversal of Fortune and was awarded both an Academy Award and a Golden Globe for Best Actor. Jeremy followed up this success with major roles in Kafka (1991), Waterland (1992), M. Butterfly (1993), Die Hard 3 (1995), Stealing Beauty (1996) and leading the three Musketeers in The Man in the Iron Mask (1998).

His distinct voice has become as in demand as the man himself. Irons has provided the voice of Scar in Disney's The Lion King (1996), he's done voiceovers for Lexus commercials, narrated for the ride Spaceship Earth at Epcot in Orlando, read the novel Lolita on tape, and recorded excerpts from the novel The Red Shoes.

In 2007, Jeremy won a second Golden Globe for his work in the TV miniseries Elizabeth I (2005). He has since continued his acting career with roles in recent feature films Margin Call (2011) and The Words (2012), plus a recurring role on the television series The Borgias. More recently, he starred in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016), Justice League (2017) and the spy thriller Red Sparrow (2018), alongside Jennifer Lawrence.

Jeremy is married to actress Sinead Cusak, with whom he appeared in Waterland and in Royal Shakespeare Company plays. They have two children together. In his spare time, Jeremy enjoys horseback riding, skiing and gardening.

* 1990 Actor in a Leading Role Oscar winner for Reversal of Fortune.

Filmography:

Red Sparrow (2018)
Justice League (2017)
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016)
Assassin's Creed (2016)
High-Rise (2016)
Race (2016)
The Man Who Knew Infinity (2015) Beautiful Creatures (2013)
The Words (2012)
Margin Call (2011)
The Pink Panther 2 (2009)
Appaloosa (2008)
Eragon (2006)
Inland Empire (2006)
Casanova (2005)
Kingdom of Heaven (2005)
Mathilde (2005)
The Merchant of Venice (2005)
Being Julia (2004)
Mathilde (2004)
Callas Forever (2002)
And Now Ladies and Gentlemen (2002)
The Time Machine (2002)
The Fourth Angel (2001)
Dungeons & Dragons (2000)
Faeries (1999) (voice)
The Man in the Iron Mask (1998)
Lolita (1997)
Chinese Box (1997)
Stealing Beauty (1996)
Die Hard: With a Vengeance (1995)
The Lion King (1994) (voice)
The House of the Spirits (1993)
M. Butterfly (1993)
Fatale (1992)
Waterland (1992)
From Time to Time (1992)
Kafka (1991)
Zebracka opera (1991)
Reversal of Fortune (1990)
Australia (1989)
A Chorus of Disapproval (1988)
Dead Ringers (1988)
The Statue of Liberty (1986)
The Mission (1986)
Un amour de Swann (1984)
Betrayal (1983)
The Wild Duck (1983)
Moonlighting (1982)
The French Lieutenant's Woman (1981)
Nijinsky (1980)