Jonathan Rhys Meyers (born Jonathan Michael Francis O'Keeffe;[1] 27 July 1977) is an Irish actor. He is known for his roles in the films Michael Collins (1996), Velvet Goldmine (1998), Titus (1999), Bend It Like Beckham (2002), Alexander (2004), Match Point (2005), Mission: Impossible III (2006) and his television roles as Elvis Presley in the biographical miniseries Elvis (2005), for which he won a Golden Globe Award and earned a Primetime Emmy Award nomination, as King Henry VIII in the historical drama The Tudors (2007–10), which earned him two Golden Globe Award nominations, and in the NBC drama series Dracula (2013–14) as the title character. He also starred as Bishop Heahmund, a character inspired by the Catholic Saint of the same name, in the History Channel television series Vikings.[2][3]
Jonathan Rhys Meyers | |
|---|---|
 Meyers at the Cabourg Film Festival in June 2013 | |
| Born | Jonathan Michael Francis O'Keeffe 27 July 1977 Dublin, Ireland |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1994–present |
| Spouse |
Mara Lane (m. 2016) |
| Children | 1 |
Meyers has continued to star in other films, such as Albert Nobbs in 2011. In 2013, Meyers appeared as the villain Valentine Morgenstern in The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones, based on Cassandra Clare's novel, City of Bones; he appeared in the 2015 film Stonewall, directed by Roland Emmerich; in 2017, he starred in The 12th Man; and in 2018 he won the Best Actor award at the Manchester Film Festival for his starring role in Damascus Cover.[4] In 2020, he was listed as number 44 on The Irish Times’ list of Ireland's greatest film actors.[5]
Meyers has been the face of several Hugo Boss advertising campaigns.[6] He has also been involved in several charitable causes, including the Hope Foundation and the children's charity Barretstown. Meyers is married to Mara Lane, and they have one son together.
Early life
editMeyers was born on 27 July 1977 in Dublin, Ireland, the first of four boys for Geraldine (née Myers; 1957–2007) and folk musician John O'Keeffe, and brought up in County Cork.[7][1] His family is Catholic,[8] and his three younger brothers are professional musicians.[9] He attended North Monastery Christian Brothers School.[10]
After being expelled from North Monastery for truancy, he spent much of his time working and socialising in pool halls. Casting agents looking for Irish boys to appear in War of the Buttons spotted him at a Cork pool hall, the Victoria Sporting Club, and invited him to audition.[11] Although passed over for War of the Buttons, the casting agents encouraged him to pursue a career in acting.[1]
Career
editEarly work (1994–2004)
editO'Keeffe adopted the stage name Jonathan Rhys Meyers because he thought his real name was boring.[12] His first acting role came in the film, A Man of No Importance (1994). In 1996, he appeared in Michael Collins, as the Anti-Treaty IRA sniper who kills the title character. He played a David Bowie-inspired glam rock star in Velvet Goldmine (1998). He appeared in B. Monkey (a British-American 1998 neo-noir crime film directed by Michael Radford) as Bruno, a small-time petty thief/criminal. In 1999, he appeared in Ride with the Devil as psychopathic Bushwhacker Pitt Mackeson, and in Titus as the sadistic Goth prince Chiron. He starred as Steerpike in the BBC's Gormenghast (2000); played a dedicated girls' football coach in Bend It Like Beckham (2002); played in Vanity Fair (2004) opposite Reese Witherspoon; and co-starred in 2004 in Oliver Stone's epic Alexander in which he played Cassander.[13]
Breakthrough with Match Point and The Tudors (2005–2017)
edit
The following year Meyers starred in Woody Allen's drama Match Point (2005), for which he received a Chopard Trophy at the Cannes Film Festival, and in the CBS 4-hour mini-series Elvis (2005) as Elvis Presley alongside Randy Quaid as Colonel Tom Parker, but did not sing for his role in the miniseries.[14] The latter earned him an Emmy[15] nomination and a Golden Globe win.[16] In 2006, he appeared in Mission: Impossible III.
He starred in the CBC/Showtime co-production The Tudors (2007) as Henry VIII. He was nominated for the Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Television Drama in 2007 for the role.[17]
Subsequent projects include August Rush (2007). In 2008, he appeared in The Children of Huang Shi, and in 2010, Shelter and From Paris with Love.[18]
In 2011, he starred as Solal in Belle du Seigneur, an English language film adaptation of Albert Cohen's novel Belle du Seigneur. The film was released in Russia on 29 November 2012 and in France on 19 June 2013 after premiering at the Champs Elysees Film Festival.
In 2013, Meyers was cast as Dracula in NBC's television series Dracula alongside Oliver Jackson-Cohen and Jessica De Gouw.[19] It was also announced in May 2013 that Meyers was to participate in the recording of his brothers' album entitled Blossom, which was released on 21 April 2014.
On 23 October 2014, he received The Irish Post Legend Award at the London Hilton on Park Lane in recognition of his remarkable achievements in Film & Television over the previous 20 years.[20]
In 2017, He starred in the movie Black Butterfly and was nominated for Best supporting Actor at the Madrid International Festival. Meyers later reunited with Michael Hirst and starred as Bishop Heahmund in the television series Vikings.[21]
Independent films and varied roles (2018–present)
editMeyers played the lead in the spy thriller Damascus Cover, based on the novel by Howard Kaplan.[22] It premiered on 23 September 2017, at the Boston Film Festival and was released on July 20, 2018 by Vertical Entertainment.[23] he won the best actor award at Boston and Manchester International Festival[24]
Meyers portrays Patrick Pearse, a political activist and one of the leaders of the bloody 1916 Irish Easter Rising, in the centennial commemoration biopic film The Rising, written and produced by Kevin McCann.[25]
In 2020, Meyers played in Edge of the World, a biographical picture of the British explorer Sir James Brooke, as well as the lead role in the movie American Nights, a neo-noir thriller co-starring Emile Hirsch, Paz Vega, and Jeremy Piven.
In 2021, he starred as Shiro in Yakuza Princess, a Brazilian action thriller film directed by Vicente Amorim based on the graphic novel Samurai Shiro by Danilo Beyruth. He also starred in the horror-thriller Hide and Seek.
In 2022, he starred in The Good Neighbour and Wifelike.
In 2023, he starred in the thriller "Disquiet" with Rachelle Goulding. Meyers also starred in the hijacking thriller film 97 Minutes, directed by Timo Vuorensola.[26]
Music
editA self-taught singer and guitarist, Meyers has appeared in a number of musical roles. His first such role was as "Brian Slade" in Velvet Goldmine; two of the songs he sang ("Baby's on Fire" and "Tumbling Down") are on the film's soundtrack. He sang briefly in the television mini-series version of The Magnificent Ambersons, performed in studio scenes of the miniseries Elvis and played the flute in Gormenghast.[citation needed]
In the 2007 music drama August Rush, he performed on-screen as singer-songwriter Louis Connelly and is credited for four songs on the soundtrack – "Break", "Moondance", "Something Inside" and "This Time". Of the four, "This Time" and "Break" were considered in the Best Original Song category of the 80th Academy Awards. "This Time" was not released as a single but peaked at number 84 in the Canadian Hot 100.
Upcoming projects
editIn 2022, it was revealed that he would be joining the cast of the thriller Altitude.[27]
Personal life
edit
Relationships and family
editFor a year in the late 1990s, Meyers dated his Velvet Goldmine co-star, Toni Collette.[28]
From 2004 until 2012, he was in a relationship with Reena Hammer when she was 17 years old and he was 27. Reena is the daughter of makeup artist Ruby Hammer.[29][30]
On 20 November 2007, his mother, Mary Geraldine O'Keeffe, died at Mercy University Hospital, Cork, aged 51, following a short, undisclosed illness.[31]
On 30 June 2011 it was reported that he was taken to hospital by ambulance after a suspected suicide attempt. In 2016, a second attempt was suspected when paramedics, responding to an emergency call, found him slumped on the floor. Anonymous sources variously claimed and denied that Meyers intended to take his own life.[32]
During 2016, he married Mara Lane.[33] Their son was born in December 2016.[34] In September 2017, Lane revealed that she had miscarried a second child.[33][35]
In 2019, Meyers credited his family, and fatherhood in particular, with making him the happiest he has ever been: "Once you have your first child, you become the past. We're all busy giving out to ourselves and driving ourselves forward. A child gives you a new perspective on life."[36]
In 2022 he listed his Nichols Canyon home in Los Angeles for sale. It was reported that the home had previously been listed for sale and was made available as a rental property until 2012 when it was listed for $1.6 million and again in 2018 it was offered for $1.795 million. The 2022 listing has the home for sale at $1.85 million.[37]
Issues with alcohol
editIn 2007, Meyers' representative confirmed that Meyers had entered an alcohol-treatment programme.[38][39]
In November 2007, he was arrested at Dublin Airport for intoxication and disturbing the peace.[40][41]
In 2009, he was detained in Paris by French police for allegedly assaulting an airport lounge employee while drunk.[40]
In 2010, at John F. Kennedy International Airport, he verbally abused and used racist language against airline staff and officials, who had refused him access to the boarding area after he had become intoxicated in the first-class lounge. He was banned by United Airlines as a result.[40][42]
His representative confirmed Meyers was receiving treatment again in 2010.[43] In November 2011, he was ordered by a French court to pay restitution of €1,000 and was given a judgment of a suspended sentence for public intoxication 24 months earlier.[44]
After his wife suffered a miscarriage in 2017, Meyers relapsed at Dublin Airport.[33]
In 2018, he broke his sobriety on a flight, resulting in a dispute with his wife at Los Angeles International Airport.[45] In an interview with Larry King later that year, Meyers addressed the incident, stating "... I shouldn't drink. It doesn't suit me and I had been sober for a long time." He insisted that he had learned his lesson and was sober again.[46]
Meyers crashed his car in Malibu, California, in November 2020. Responding police discovered he was intoxicated after a field test was performed and he was charged with two drunk driving offences. Court documents obtained by TMZ showed that he received a $500 fine and an order to attend alcohol and counselling programmes as part of his agreeing to the court's plea deal. He was further ordered to undergo a 12-month summary probation with no jail time, provided that he did not break the law during that period.[47]
Honours
editOn 5 October 2008, Meyers received an Honorary Patronage from the Trinity College Philosophical Society in Dublin.[48]
In 2014, he was honoured at The Irish Post Awards by the presentation of the Legend Award for his contributions to the film and entertainment industry.[49]
Charity work
editIn February 2008, Meyers was named the ambassador for the Hope Foundation, a charity formed in his native Cork to support the street children of Calcutta.[50][51]
He is also an ambassador for the Irish children’s charity Barretstown which supports children affected by serious illness. In 2019, he and fellow actor Aidan Gillen helped launch Barretstown's new Press Play campaign which aimed to raise additional funds to serve more children and their families.[52][53]
Filmography
editFilm
editTelevision
editDiscography
edit| Year | Soundtrack | Song | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Velvet Goldmine | Tumbling Down | [55] |
| Baby's on Fire | |||
| 2007 | August Rush | Break | [56] |
| This Time | |||
| Something inside | |||
| Moondance |
Awards and nominations
edit| Year | Group | Award | Result | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | London Critics Circle Film Awards | British Newcomer of the Year | Nominated | Velvet Goldmine |
| 2002 | Venice Film Festival | Canal Grande Award for the Best Young Promising Actor | Won | The Magnificent Ambersons |
| 2005 | Satellite Awards | Outstanding Actor in a Miniseries or a Motion Picture Made for Television | Won | Elvis |
| Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie | Nominated | ||
| Cannes Film Festival | Outstanding Newcomer | Won | Match Point | |
| 2006 | GQ UK | Men of the Year Awards / Lab Series Man of the Year | Won | |
| Golden Globes Awards | Best Performance by an Actor in a Mini-Series or a Motion Picture Made for Television | Won | Elvis | |
| 2008 | Monte-Carlo Television Festival | Outstanding Actor – Drama Series | Won | The Tudors |
| Irish Film and Television Awards | Best Actor in a Lead Role in Television | Won | ||
| Golden Globe Awards | Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series – Drama | Nominated | ||
| 2009 | Monte-Carlo Television Festival | Outstanding Actor – Drama Series | Nominated | |
| Irish Film and Television Awards | Best Actor in a Lead Role in Television | Nominated | ||
| Golden Globe Awards | Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series – Drama | Nominated | ||
| 2010 | Irish Film and Television Awards | Best Actor in a Lead Role in Television | Nominated | |
| Monte-Carlo Television Festival | Outstanding Actor – Drama Series | Nominated | ||
| 2011 | Monte-Carlo Television Festival | Nominated | ||
| Irish Film and Television Awards | Best Actor in a Lead Role in Television | Nominated | ||
| 2014 | People's Choice Awards | Favorite Actor in a New TV Series | Nominated | Dracula |
| 2017 | Madrid International Film Festival | Best Supporting Actor | Nominated | Black Butterfly |
| Boston Film Festival | Best Actor | Won | Damascus Cover | |
| 2018 | Manchester Film Festival | Won |
References
edit- ^ a b c "Jonathan Rhys Meyers". Yahoo! Movies. Archived from the original on 29 June 2011. Retrieved 31 July 2010.
Grew up in Cork, Ireland
- ^ Wolf, Matt. "Earning an 'A' for Androgyny on the Screen", The New York Times, 13 September 1998; retrieved 10 April 2008.
- ^ Keveney, Bill. "Rhys Meyers joins History's 'Vikings' for Season 5". USA Today. Retrieved 11 April 2020.
- ^ Haring, Bruce (29 September 2017). "Final John Hurt Film, 'Damascus Cover', Tops Boston Film Fest With Six Awards". Deadline. Retrieved 12 April 2020.
- ^ "The 50 greatest Irish film actors of all time – in order". The Irish Times.
- ^ "Jonathan Rhys Meyers – New Face of Hugo man – Hugo by Hugo Boss". 26 June 2010. Archived from the original on 26 June 2010. Retrieved 11 April 2020.
- ^ "Jonathan Rhys-Meyers [sic] Biography (1977-)". FilmReference.com. Retrieved 26 May 2015.
[Born] 27 July 1977 in Dublin, Ireland; raised in County Cork, Ireland;
- ^ Waxman, Sharon (6 November 2005). "At Home in Oliver's Macedonia68 and Woody's London". The New York Times. Retrieved 8 January 2011.
- ^ "Jersey – Entertainment – the OKs". BBC. 30 August 2005. Archived from the original on 8 January 2016.
- ^ Roche, Barry (7 April 2011). "Council celebrates 200th anniversary of North Monastery school's founding". The Irish Times. Archived from the original on 6 March 2016. Retrieved 24 August 2011.
- ^ "Comment:a chameleon from Cork who can pass for the King". The Sunday Times. 22 January 2006. Retrieved 24 August 2011.[dead link]
- ^ Anderson, Aoife (13 November 2007). "Name change: 'Johnny O'Keefe' doesn't have the star quality of 'Jonathan Rhys Meyers'". Irish Independent. Retrieved 2 October 2018.
- ^ Tartaglione, Nancy "Alexander (2004)", IMDb, 24 November 2004; Retrieved 29 January 2019.
- ^ "In Step With: Jonathan Rhys Meyers". Parade. 1 May 2005. Archived from the original on 31 August 2009.
- ^ "Jonathan Rhys Meyers Emmy Award Nominee". Emmys.com. Retrieved 2 October 2015.
- ^ "2006 Golden Globe Awards Nominations & Winners" Archived 13 February 2008 at the Wayback Machine, HFPA, January 2006; Retrieved 14 April 2008.
- ^ "2008 Golden Globe Awards Nominations & Winners", HFPA, January 2008; Retrieved 14 April 2008.
- ^ Tartaglione, Nancy "EuropaCorp begins shoot on From Paris With Love" Archived 6 December 2017 at the Wayback Machine, Screen Daily, 23 September 2008; Retrieved 24 September 2008.
- ^ "'Dracula' NBC TV show official trailer released". Hypable. 13 May 2013. Retrieved 3 August 2013.
- ^ "'Being Irish is special' – Irish Post Legend Award winner Jonathan Rhys Meyers". Hypable. 24 October 2014. Retrieved 15 May 2015.
- ^ January 26, Darren Franich; EST, 2017 at 12:29 PM. "'Vikings' Creator Talks Jonathan Rhys Meyers' New Character". EW.com. Retrieved 28 January 2023.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ Steinberg, Jessica. "From Damascus to Jerusalem, a 39-year-old novel reaches the big screen". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 12 April 2020.
- ^ "First Trailer for 'Damascus Cover' with Jonathan Rhys Meyers as a Spy | FirstShowing.net". www.firstshowing.net. 8 June 2018. Retrieved 28 January 2023.
- ^ "Schedule". Boston Film Festival. Archived from the original on 12 September 2017. Retrieved 12 September 2017.
- ^ "Rhys Meyers cast in The Rising". The Anglo Celt. Cavan, Ireland: Celtic Media Group. 4 September 2015. Retrieved 4 September 2015.
- ^ Grobar, Matt (16 February 2022). "Jonathan Rhys Meyers, MyAnna Buring Join Alec Baldwin in Hijacking Thriller '97 Minutes'". Deadline.
- ^ Kay, Jeremy. "Jonathan Rhys Meyers hot air balloon thriller 'Altitude' boards 13 Films AFM slate". Screen. Retrieved 3 May 2020.
- ^ Waxman, Sharon (7 May 2006). "Toni Collette, Lovely When Necessary but Vulnerable Always". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 11 April 2020.
- ^ Eden, Richard (21 November 2009). "Marriage to Jonathan Rhys Meyers 'would be lovely', says Reena Hammer". The Daily Telegraph. London, England. Retrieved 1 May 2012.
- ^ Walker, Tim (18 January 2013). "Jonathan Rhys Meyer's former girlfriend finds a man she can bank on". The Daily Telegraph. London, England. Retrieved 15 February 2013.
- ^ "Rhys Meyers's mother dies in hospital". irishexaminer.com. 21 November 2007. Archived from the original on 11 April 2020. Retrieved 11 April 2020.
- ^ "'Tudors' Star Jonathan Rhys Meyers in Suspected Suicide Attempt". Fox News. 26 March 2015.
- ^ a b c Schnurr, Samantha (11 September 2017). "Jonathan Rhys Meyers Publicly Relapsed After Wife Mara Lane Suffered a Miscarriage". E! News. NBCUniversal. Retrieved 11 September 2017.
- ^ Fisher, Kendall; Passalaqua, Holly (4 January 2017). "Exclusive! Jonathan Rhys Meyers and Fiancée Mara Lane Welcome a Baby Boy: Find Out His Unique Name". E! News. NBCUniversal. Retrieved 24 January 2017.
- ^ Rhys Meyers, Mara Lane (9 September 2017). "With much sadness..." Mara Lane Rhys Meyers Instagram page. Archived from the original on 26 December 2021. Retrieved 11 September 2017.
J and I lost our second child, who was baking in the oven.
- ^ "'I'm much happier than I have ever been' – Jonathan Rhys Meyers on the joy of fatherhood". independent. 28 January 2019. Retrieved 3 May 2020.
- ^ "Jonathan Rhys Meyers Gives it Another Go in the Hollywood Hills". 9 March 2022.
- ^ "Jonathan Rhys Meyers checks into rehab". RTÉ. 24 April 2007. Archived from the original on 27 April 2007.
- ^ McDonald, Ray (30 April 2007). "Actor Jonathan Rhys-Meyers Enters Rehab". VOA News. Washington DC: Voice of America. Archived from the original on 19 November 2008. Retrieved 25 December 2008.
- ^ a b c "Airline grounds Rhys Meyers over drunken racist rant". Irish Examiner. 18 May 2010. Retrieved 24 July 2018.
- ^ "Rhys-Meyers arrested in Dublin airport". The Irish Times. Retrieved 13 October 2021.
- ^ Andrews, Amy (17 May 2010). "Jonathan Rhys Meyers accused of being racist". Retrieved 24 July 2018.
- ^ "Jonathan Rhys Meyers Returns to Rehab". People. 18 May 2010. Retrieved 26 May 2015.
- ^ "Jonathan Rhys Meyers fined for threatening To kill French policemen". MSN. 17 November 2011. Archived from the original on 9 July 2009. Retrieved 26 December 2011.
- ^ "Jonathan Rhys Meyers breaks silence after incident at LAX: 'I shouldn't drink...it doesn't suit me'". independent. 20 July 2018. Retrieved 13 October 2021.
- ^ Lonergan, Aidan. "'I shouldn't drink, it doesn't suit me': Irish actor Jonathan Rhys Meyers breaks silence after drunken outburst at LAX". The Irish Post. Retrieved 3 May 2020.
- ^ "Jonathan Rhys Meyers to avoid jail and pay $500 fine after entering plea deal over DUI arrest, legal documents show". 28 February 2022.
- ^ "Trinity College to honour Rhys Meyers". irishexaminer.com. 19 September 2008. Retrieved 18 May 2020.
- ^ "Jonathan Rhys Meyers honoured with Irish Post Legend Award in London". The Irish Post. Retrieved 18 May 2020.
- ^ "Rhys Meyers to help Calcutta children". 18 February 2008.
- ^ "Rhys Meyers takes charity lead role". irishexaminer.com. 19 February 2008. Retrieved 12 April 2020.
- ^ "Aidan Gillen & Jonathan Rhys Meyers Launch Major Barretstown Fundraising Campaign". IndulgeMe. 27 January 2019. Retrieved 11 April 2020.
- ^ "'I'm much happier than I have ever been' – Jonathan Rhys Meyers on the joy of fatherhood". independent. 28 January 2019. Retrieved 11 April 2020.
- ^ "Jonathan Rhys Meyers on His New 'Vikings' Role – And Why It Kept Him Away From His Pregnant Wife And Unborn Son". February 2017. Archived from the original on 2 February 2017. Retrieved 2 February 2017.
- ^ Velvet Goldmine, F F R R (Universal Music), 30 November 1998, retrieved 14 April 2020
- ^ "Jonathan Rhys Meyers – Listen on Deezer | Music Streaming". Deezer. Retrieved 14 April 2020.
External links
edit