Jonathan Rhys Meyers
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| Jonathan Rhys Meyers | |||||||||||
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 Meyers at London premiere of Mission: Impossible 3, 25 April 2006 |
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| Born | Jonathan Michael Francis O'Keeffe 27 July 1977 Dublin, Ireland |
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| Occupation | Actor | ||||||||||
| Years active | 1994–present | ||||||||||
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Jonathan Rhys Meyers (born 27 July 1977) is an Irish film and television actor. He is known for playing morally ambiguous characters with great charisma[1] and in his early career, for his androgynous appearance.[2][3] His looks and distinct style allow him to also work as a model, most notably for Club Monaco, Versace, and Hugo Boss.
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[edit] Biography
[edit] Early life
Meyers was born Jonathan Michael Francis O’Keeffe in Dublin, Ireland, the son of Geraldine Meyers and John O'Keeffe, who was a musician.[4][5] His stage name is derived from his mother's maiden name, Meyers.
Rhys Meyers was born with a serious heart problem and was baptized shortly after his birth, as it was feared he would not survive long enough for a traditional baptism ceremony. He spent the first few months of his life in hospital. Meyers still lives in County Cork, Ireland where his family moved when he was a few months old. He has three younger brothers named Jamie, Alan and Paul.
When Rhys Meyers was three years old, his parents separated. His mother raised Jonathan and his brother Alan, while his other two brothers went to live at their grandmother's house with their father. They had spoken every day for several years.
[edit] Career
Rhys Meyers was expelled from the North Monastery Secondary School at age 16, and spent much of his time hanging out in pool halls namely the Victoria Sporting Club on Patricks Quay and the Coliseum Leisure Centre on McCurtain Street. Casting agents looking for Irish boys to appear in War of the Buttons spotted Rhys Meyers at a Cork pool hall, the Victoria Sporting Club, and invited him to audition. Although he was passed over for War of the Buttons, the casting agents encouraged him to pursue a career in acting. His first film role came soon afterward, in A Man of No Importance (1994). In 1996 he appeared in Michael Collins, as Collins' assassin.
Rhys Meyers has starred in television series including Gormenghast (2000) and in the CBS 4-hour mini-series Elvis (2005) as Elvis Presley alongside Rose McGowan as Ann-Margret. The latter earned him an Emmy nomination and a Golden Globe win[6]. He is currently starring in the Showtime series The Tudors (2007) as young King Henry VIII. He was nominated for the Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Television Drama in 2007 for the role.[7]
His film roles range from a David Bowie-inspired glam rock star in Velvet Goldmine (1998) to a dedicated girls' football coach in Bend It Like Beckham (2002). He appeared in Vanity Fair (2004) alongside Reese Witherspoon. In 2005, Rhys Meyers starred in Woody Allen's film Match Point, for which he received a Chopard Trophy at the Cannes Film Festival. In 2006, he appeared in Mission: Impossible III. Other projects include August Rush (2007) and "The Children of Huang Shi" (2007). He is rumored to be appearing in Danny Glover's Haitian epic Toussaint (2008). He is also signed on to star as Lee Falk's comic strip hero Mandrake the Magician in an upcoming movie directed by Chuck Russell, but is confirmed to star in Shelter along with Julianne Moore for an expected 2009 release.
Rhys Meyers also has experience as a singer. He did much of his own singing in the role of rock star Brian Slade in Velvet Goldmine, although some of these songs were replaced on the CD release of the soundtrack with alternate tracks by better-known vocalists. Rhys Meyers also sings briefly in the TV miniseries version of The Magnificent Ambersons. His singing voice is also featured in his film August Rush and on the film's soundtrack on songs "Break," "Moondance," "This Time" and "Something Inside."
Rhys Meyers was chosen as the face for the Versace men's collection of Autumn/Winter 2006 and Spring 2007, and he has also been the face of the Hugo Boss men's fragrance range since 2005. He is signed to Independent Models in London.
[edit] Personal life
Rhys Meyers has been romantically linked to several actresses in the past, including his Velvet Goldmine co-star Toni Collette, Rachael Leigh Cook, Irish model Glenda Gilson,[8] and Estella Warren. He and co-star Scarlett Johansson both denied persistent rumors of romantic involvement while working on Match Point. His engagement to Dublin socialite/model and university student Cha Cha Seigne ended in separation in 2003.
In 2004, Rhys Meyers met Reena Hammer, London-based student and heiress to mother Ruby Hammer's cosmetics line (Ruby & Millie) and father George Hammer, owner of Urban Retreat Spa at Harrods. The relationship has been on and off through the years with frequent rumors of engagements. Ms. Hammer is often by his side for premieres, events, and at the November 2007 funeral of Jonathan's mother. They were most recently seen attending the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute Gala, in New York on Monday, May 5, 2008 together[9]. It is now rumored that he is dating The Tudors co-star Natalie Dormer.
In January 2007, Rhys Meyers checked into an undisclosed rehab facility seeking treatment for alcohol abuse. On 24 April 2007, the Associated Press reported that Rhys Meyers returned to treatment. The actor's representative Meredith O'Sullivan confirmed the news to People magazine citing his need to take a break from his busy schedule in order to maintain sobriety.[10] On Sunday 18 November 2007 Rhys Meyers was arrested in Dublin Airport and charged with being drunk and in breach of the peace. He was later released on bail to appear at the Dublin District Court on 5 December 2007.[11] He was in Dublin to promote his new movie August Rush on the Irish television programme Tubridy Tonight. The charges were later dropped.
On November 20, 2007, the actor's mother, Geraldine Meyers-O'Keeffe, died after being admitted to the Mercy Hospital in Cork. She was 50 years old.[12] He now lives in Nichols Canyon in Los Angeles.
[edit] Filmography
| Year | Film | Role | Other notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | A Man of No Importance | First young man | |
| 1996 | The Killer Tongue | Rudolph | |
| The Disappearance of Finbar | Finbar Flynn | ||
| Michael Collins | Collins' assassin | ||
| Samson and Delilah | Sansone a 14 anni | TV film | |
| 1997 | The Maker | Josh Minnell | |
| Telling Lies in America | Kevin Boyle | ||
| 1998 | Velvet Goldmine | Brian Slade | |
| The Governess | Henry Cavendish | ||
| B. Monkey | Bruno | ||
| The Tribe | Adam | ||
| 1999 | The Loss of Sexual Innocence | Nic, aged 16 | |
| Ride with the Devil | Pitt Mackeson | ||
| Titus | Chiron | ||
| 2000 | Gormenghast | Steerpike | |
| 2001 | Prozac Nation | Noah | |
| Tangled | Alan Hammond | ||
| Happy Now | Mark Wraith | ||
| 2002 | The Magnificent Ambersons | George Amberson Minafer | |
| Bend It Like Beckham | Joe | ||
| 2003 | The Tesseract | Sean | |
| Octane | The Father | ||
| I'll Sleep When I'm Dead | Davey | ||
| The Emperor's Wife | Chamberlain | ||
| The Lion in Winter | Philip | ||
| 2004 | Vanity Fair | George Osborne | |
| Alexander | Cassander | ||
| 2005 | Elvis | Elvis Presley | |
| Match Point | Chris Wilton | ||
| 2006 | Mission: Impossible III | Declan | |
| 2007-Present | The Tudors | King Henry VIII | |
| 2007 | August Rush | Louis Connelly | |
| 2008 | The Children of Huang Shi | George Hogg | |
| 2009 | Shelter | Adam | filming |
| Toussaint | TBA | pre-production | |
| Mandrake | Leon Mandrake | pre-production |
[edit] Awards and nominations
[edit] Emmy Awards
- Nominated: Outstanding Lead Actor - Miniseries or a Movie (2005), Elvis
[edit] Golden Globe Awards
- Won: Best Actor in a Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television (2006), Elvis[6]
- Nominated: Best Actor in a Television Series (2008), The Tudors[7]
[edit] Irish Film & Television Awards (IFTA)
- Won: Best Lead Actor - Television (2008), The Tudors
[edit] Other awards
- Nominated: London Film Critics Circle Awards, British Newcomer of the Year (1998), Velvet Goldmine, The Disappearance of Finbar, The Governess
- Won: Venice International Television Festival, Canal Grande Award for the Best Young Promising Actor (2002), The Magnificent Ambersons
- Won: Chopard Trophy, Outstanding Newcomer (2005), Match Point
- Won: Satellite Awards, Outstanding Actor in a Miniseries or a Motion Picture Made for Television (2005), The Tudors
- Won: GQ UK Men of the Year Awards, Lab Series Man of the Year (2006)
[edit] References
- ^ Corliss, Mary. "Cannes Diary II: Killing With Comedy", Time Magazine, 12 May 2005. Accessed 10 April 2008.
- ^ Monroe, Justin. "Reign Man", Complex, October 2007. Accessed 10 April 2008.
- ^ Wolf, Matt. "Earning an 'A' for Androgyny on the Screen", New York Times, 13 September 1998. Accessed 10 April 2008.
- ^ Film Reference.com.
- ^ Meyers biography. Yahoo! movies.
- ^ a b "2006 Golden Globe Awards Nominations & Winners", HFPA.org, January 2006. Accessed 14 April 2008.
- ^ a b "2008 Golden Globe Awards Nominations & Winners", HFPA.org, January 2008. Accessed 14 April 2008.
- ^ Ily, Chrissy. King Henry the sexy! Jonathan Rhys Meyers on how he brought a lusty monarch to life. Daily Mail. 19 October 2007
- ^ M&C News. "In photos: 'Superheroes: Fashion and Fantasy Costume Institute Gala'", Monsters & Critics, 12 May 2005. Accessed 20 May 2008
- ^ Jonathan Rhys Meyers checks into rehab. RTE.ie 24 April 2007.
- ^ Actor Rhys Meyers arrested at Dublin airport RTÉ.ie/News 18 November 2007.
- ^ Rhys Meyers mourns mother's death. BBC News. 21 November 2007.
[edit] External links
| Awards | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Geoffrey Rush for The Life and Death of Peter Sellers |
Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Mini-series or Motion Picture Made for Television 2006 for Elvis |
Succeeded by Bill Nighy for Gideon's Daughter |
