Jeremy Irons

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22 Feb 2024

Jeremy Irons

Jeremy Irons is a renowned English actor and activist, celebrated for his versatile performances on both stage and screen. Born on September 19, 1948, Irons received classical training at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School before embarking on his acting career in 1969.
Irons quickly established himself as a prominent stage actor, appearing in numerous West End theatre productions, including various Shakespeare plays such as "The Winter's Tale," "Macbeth," "Much Ado About Nothing," "The Taming of the Shrew," and "Richard II." In 1984, he made his Broadway debut in Tom Stoppard's "The Real Thing," earning critical acclaim and winning the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play.

His transition to film brought him his first major role in "The French Lieutenant's Woman" (1981), which earned him a BAFTA nomination for Best Actor. He continued to impress audiences and critics with his performances in dramas like "Moonlighting" (1982), "Betrayal" (1983), "The Mission" (1986), and "Dead Ringers" (1988).

In 1990, Irons received the Academy Award for Best Actor for his compelling portrayal of Claus von Bülow in "Reversal of Fortune" (1990), solidifying his status as a leading actor in Hollywood. He showcased his versatility in various genres, starring in films such as "Kafka" (1991), "Damage" (1992), "M. Butterfly" (1993), "Die Hard with a Vengeance" (1995), "Lolita" (1997), "The Merchant of Venice" (2004), "Kingdom of Heaven" (2005), "Appaloosa" (2008), and "Margin Call" (2011).

Irons's talent extends beyond live-action performances, as he lent his voice to the iconic role of Scar in Disney's "The Lion King" (1994) and portrayed Alfred Pennyworth in the DC Extended Universe series of films from 2016 to 2023.

On television, Irons gained widespread recognition for his role in the ITV series "Brideshead Revisited" (1981) and received a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or Movie for his performance in the miniseries "Elizabeth I" (2005). He further showcased his acting prowess in the historical series "The Borgias" (2011–2013) and HBO's "Watchmen" (2019), where he played Pope Alexander VI and Adrian Veidt / Ozymandias, respectively.

Beyond his acting career, Irons has been actively involved in humanitarian efforts and was appointed the Goodwill Ambassador for the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations in October 2011, reflecting his commitment to social and environmental causes.

Jeremy Irons was born on September 19, 1948, in Cowes on the Isle of Wight, to Paul Dugan Irons, an accountant, and Barbara Anne Brereton Brymer (née Sharpe). He has a brother named Christopher (born 1943) and a sister named Felicity Anne (born 1944). Irons attended the independent Sherborne School in Dorset from 1962 to 1966, where he was actively involved in music as the drummer and harmonica player in a four-man school band called the Four Pillars of Wisdom.

Jeremy Irons trained as an actor at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School and later became president of its fundraising appeal. He began his acting career on stage in 1969, appearing in numerous West End theatre productions, including various Shakespeare plays. In 1984, he made his Broadway debut in Tom Stoppard's The Real Thing, winning a Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play.

His television career started in the early 1970s on British television, with notable appearances in series such as Brideshead Revisited (1981), for which he received a Golden Globe nomination. This role significantly raised his profile, and he starred in the film The French Lieutenant's Woman (1981) around the same time.

Irons has also had a successful film career, with notable roles in movies such as Moonlighting (1982), The Mission (1986), and Dead Ringers (1988), for which he won Best Actor from the New York Film Critics Circle. He won an Academy Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of Claus von Bülow in Reversal of Fortune (1990). Other notable films include Die Hard with a Vengeance (1995), Lolita (1997), and The Man in the Iron Mask (1998).

In addition to his film and television work, Irons has been involved in various stage productions, including appearing with Laura Dern in Christopher Hampton's adaptation of Sándor Márai's novel Embers in 2006. He made his National Theatre debut playing former British Prime Minister Harold Macmillan in Never So Good in 2008. He also appeared on Broadway opposite Joan Allen in the play Impressionism in 2009.

In 2008, Jeremy Irons co-starred with Ed Harris and Viggo Mortensen in the film "Appaloosa," directed by Ed Harris. He also portrayed photographer Alfred Stieglitz alongside Joan Allen as painter Georgia O'Keeffe in the Lifetime Television biopic "Georgia O'Keeffe" (2009). Irons appeared in the documentary "Faoi Lán Cheoil" for Irish television channel TG4, where he was seen taking fiddle lessons from Caoimhín Ó Raghallaigh.

In 2011, Irons starred alongside Kevin Spacey in the thriller "Margin Call." He also guest-starred in an episode of "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" titled "Mask," playing the role of Dr. Cap Jackson, a sex therapist. Irons reprised this role in another episode titled "Totem" in the same year. Additionally, Irons starred in the US premium cable network Showtime's series "The Borgias," portraying a highly fictionalized version of the Renaissance dynasty.

Michael Radford, who directed Irons in "The Merchant of Venice," praised Irons's magnetic quality on screen and noted a sense of melancholy about him. In 2012, Irons starred in and worked as executive producer of the environmental documentary film "Trashed." He portrayed the mathematician G. H. Hardy in the 2015 film "The Man Who Knew Infinity."

Irons played Alfred Pennyworth in Warner Bros.' "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice" (2016), "Justice League" (2017), and the 2021 director's cut of the same film. He was cast as Adrian Veidt / Ozymandias in HBO's "Watchmen" series, earning a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie.

In 2018, Irons played General Vladimir Korchnoi in Francis Lawrence's spy thriller film "Red Sparrow," based on Jason Matthews's book. He portrayed Rodolfo Gucci in Ridley Scott's biographical crime drama film "House of Gucci" in 2021. In 2022, Irons portrayed British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain in the period spy thriller "Munich – The Edge of War." The following year, he reprised the role of Alfred Pennyworth in "The Flash" and returned to voice Scar in Disney's centenary animated short "Once Upon a Studio."

Jeremy Irons has showcased his distinctive voice in various audiobook recordings, including works by authors such as Evelyn Waugh, Paulo Coelho, Vladimir Nabokov, and Roald Dahl. He received praise for his readings of T. S. Eliot's poetry for BBC Radio 4, completing the entire canon of Eliot's works in 2017. Additionally, in 2020, he participated in the reading of Samuel Taylor Coleridge's "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner."

One of Irons's most notable voice roles is as Scar in Disney's "The Lion King" (1994), where he served as the main antagonist. He has provided voiceovers for various Disney World attractions, including narrating the Spaceship Earth ride at Epcot and serving as the English narrator for the Studio Tram Tour at Disneyland Paris. Irons also voiced H. G. Wells in the former Disney attraction "The Timekeeper" and reprised his role as Scar in "Fantasmic."

Furthermore, he has lent his voice to audio guides for Westminster Abbey and served as the English-language narrator for documentaries such as "The Great War and the Shaping of the 20th Century" (1997) and several big cat documentaries for National Geographic.
In 2008, Irons's voice was identified as part of "the perfect [male] voice" based on a sample of 50 voices, alongside Alan Rickman's voice. His deep, gravelly tones have been noted to inspire trust in listeners. Irons's recital of the English riddle "As I was going to St Ives" from "Die Hard with a Vengeance" has been cited as an example of his eloquent communication. He also participated in The Moody Blues' 50th Anniversary Tour of "Days Of Future Passed" in 2017, reciting spoken sections, including "Late Lament," for the video presentation.