Jeremy Irons
- Actor
- Producer
- Director
British actor Jeremy Irons was born in Cowes, Isle
of Wight, a small island off the south coast of England. He is the
son of Barbara Anne Brereton (Sharpe) and Paul Dugan Irons, an
accountant. Young Jeremy didn't prove very fond of figures. He visited mainland England only once a year. He wound
up being grounded when his family settled down in Hertfordshire. At the
age of 13 he enrolled in Sherborne School, Dorset, where he could practice his favorite sport, horse-riding. Before becoming
an actor, he had considered a veterinarian surgeon's career.
He trained at the Bristol Old Vic School for two years, then joined
Bristol Old Vic repertory company where he gained experience
working in everything from Shakespeare to contemporary dramas. He moved
to London in 1971 and had a number of jobs before landing the role
of "John the Baptist" in the hit musical "Godspell". He went on to have a
successful early career in the West End theatre and on TV, and debuted
on-screen in Nijinsky (1980). In the
early 80s, he gained international attention with his starring role in
the Granada Television serial adaptation of Evelyn Waugh's classic
novel
Brideshead Revisited (1981),
after which he was much in demand as a romantic leading man. He went on
to a steady film career. In 1984, he debuted on Broadway opposite:
Glenn Close in
Tom Stoppard's "The Real Thing" and, in the
mid-80s, he appeared in three lead roles with the Royal Shakespeare
Company.
Once described as
'the thinking woman's pin up', he has made his name in thought provoking films such as David Cronenberg's
Dead Ringers (1988), for which he
won the New York Critics Best Actor Award. He gained a Golden Globe
Award in addition to an Oscar for Best Actor in 1990 for his role as
Claus von Bulow in
Reversal of Fortune (1990)
alongside Glenn Close. Among his many
achievements, his role as Professor Higgins in Loewe-Lerner's famous
musical "My Fair Lady" mustn't be forgotten. It was in London, back in
1987.
He is married to actress Sinéad Cusack,
with whom he appeared in
Waterland (1992) and in the Royal
Shakespeare Company plays. He appeared with his son
Samuel Irons and his father-in-law
Cyril Cusack in the film
Danny the Champion of the World (1989).
His son Max Irons is also an actor.
of Wight, a small island off the south coast of England. He is the
son of Barbara Anne Brereton (Sharpe) and Paul Dugan Irons, an
accountant. Young Jeremy didn't prove very fond of figures. He visited mainland England only once a year. He wound
up being grounded when his family settled down in Hertfordshire. At the
age of 13 he enrolled in Sherborne School, Dorset, where he could practice his favorite sport, horse-riding. Before becoming
an actor, he had considered a veterinarian surgeon's career.
He trained at the Bristol Old Vic School for two years, then joined
Bristol Old Vic repertory company where he gained experience
working in everything from Shakespeare to contemporary dramas. He moved
to London in 1971 and had a number of jobs before landing the role
of "John the Baptist" in the hit musical "Godspell". He went on to have a
successful early career in the West End theatre and on TV, and debuted
on-screen in Nijinsky (1980). In the
early 80s, he gained international attention with his starring role in
the Granada Television serial adaptation of Evelyn Waugh's classic
novel
Brideshead Revisited (1981),
after which he was much in demand as a romantic leading man. He went on
to a steady film career. In 1984, he debuted on Broadway opposite:
Glenn Close in
Tom Stoppard's "The Real Thing" and, in the
mid-80s, he appeared in three lead roles with the Royal Shakespeare
Company.
Once described as
'the thinking woman's pin up', he has made his name in thought provoking films such as David Cronenberg's
Dead Ringers (1988), for which he
won the New York Critics Best Actor Award. He gained a Golden Globe
Award in addition to an Oscar for Best Actor in 1990 for his role as
Claus von Bulow in
Reversal of Fortune (1990)
alongside Glenn Close. Among his many
achievements, his role as Professor Higgins in Loewe-Lerner's famous
musical "My Fair Lady" mustn't be forgotten. It was in London, back in
1987.
He is married to actress Sinéad Cusack,
with whom he appeared in
Waterland (1992) and in the Royal
Shakespeare Company plays. He appeared with his son
Samuel Irons and his father-in-law
Cyril Cusack in the film
Danny the Champion of the World (1989).
His son Max Irons is also an actor.