Biography
Irish actor Jonathan Rhys Meyers first gained notoriety for his lead role in Todd Haynes' "Velvet Goldmine" (1998), a surreal examination of 1970s glam rock in which he portrayed a sort of fictional hybrid of David Bowie and Iggy Pop. Meyers gave captivating performances in several controversial and little-seen films including Ang Lee's "Ride with the Devil" (1999) and the screen adaptation of "Prozac Nation" (2000) before receiving a profile …
Jonathan Rhys Meyers SlideShow
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Career Milestones
| First professional work, landed role in a Knorr soup commercial | ||
| Grew up in Cork, Ireland; discovered by Hubbard Casting in a pool hall there | ||
| Unsuccessfully auditioned for the lead in the feature "The War of the Buttons" | ||
1994 | Made feature debut in a bit role in "A Man of No Importance" | |
1996 | Appeared in the quirky fantasy-comedy "The Killer Tongue" | |
1996 | First significant part, Finbar in "The Disappearance of Finbar" | |
1996 | Landed pivotal role as the assassin in Neil Jordan's "Michael Collins" | |
1996 | Portrayed the young Samson in the TNT TV-movie "Samson and Delilah" | |
1997 | Co-starred with Matthew Modine in "The Maker"; aired on HBO in the USA | |
1997 | Played Kevin Boyle, the leader of a gang that bullies Brad Renfro, in "Telling Lies in America" | |
1998 | Appeared in the British TV-movie "The Tribe" | |
1998 | Filmed "B. Monkey," starring as the twisted boyfriend of Rupert Everett's Paul | |
1998 | Had featured role as the lovestruck teenage son of a wealthy British family in the 19th Century-set drama "The Governess" | |
1998 | Starred as fictional glam-rock icon Brian Slade in Todd Haynes' "Velvet Goldmine"; also performed songs for the soundtrack | |
1999 | Cast by Ang Lee in the Civil War drama "Ride With the Devil," playing a ruthless killer | |
1999 | Featured alongside Jessica Lange in "Titus," famed theater director Julie Taymor's feature directorial debut | |
1999 | Played the younger incarnation of Julian Sands' documentary filmmaker in Mike Figgis' "The Loss of Sexual Innocence" | |
2002 | Had featured role in the A&E miniseries version of "The Magnificent Ambersons" | |
2002 | Starred as the coach of a girls football (soccer) team in "Bend It Like Beckham" opposite Parminder Nagra and Keira Knightley | |
2003 | Cast in the feature based on the best selling novel "Prozac Nation" | |
2004 | Co-starred with Colin Farrell in Oliver Stone's "Alexander" | |
2004 | Starred opposite Clive Owen in "I'll Sleep When I'm Dead" | |
2005 | Played a former tennis pro opposite Scarlett Johansson in Woody Allen's "Match Point" | |
2005 | Portrayed American icon Elvis Presley in the CBS TV movie "Elvis"; earned an Emmy nomination for Best Actor | |
2006 | Cast in the J.J. Abrams-helmed "Mission: Impossible III" opposite Tom Cruise | |
2007 | Cast as Henry VIII on the Showtime series "The Tudors"; earned Golden Globe (2008, 2009) nominations for Best Actor in a Drama Series | |
2007 | Co-starred with Jonathan Keri Russell and Freddie Highmore in the child-prodigy drama "August Rush" | |
2010 | Co-starred with John Travolta in "From Paris with Love"; co-written by Luc Besson | |
2012 | Cast in the period drama "Albert Nobbs" opposite Glenn Close | |
Awards
2005 | Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Mini-series or Motion Picture Made for Television in Elvis |
2005 | Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor In a Miniseries or Movie in Elvis |
2007 | Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series - Drama in The Tudors |
2008 | Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series - Drama in The Tudors |