Jonny Lee Miller

Jonathan "Jonny" Lee Miller (born 15 November 1972) is an English actor. During the initial days he was best known for his roles in the 1996 films Trainspotting and Hackers. Miller worked steadily in film and theatre with less public notice until 2008, when he starred in two seasons of American TV series Eli Stone followed by lead roles in the Broadway play After Miss Julie and the BBC production of Emma. In 2010 he had a featured role on the Showtime series Dexter as the fifth season's chief antagonist Jordan Chase. In 2011 he starred, along with Benedict Cumberbatch, in the play Frankenstein at the National Theatre. In May 2011 it was announced that he will play Roger Collins in Tim Burton's film Dark Shadows.

Early life

Miller was born in Kingston upon Thames, Surrey, England, the son of Anne Lee, who worked in theatre production and starred in many films like Lost & Found, and Alan Miller, a stage actor and later a stage manager at the BBC.^[1] Miller's maternal grandfather was Bernard Lee, famous for playing the character M in the earlier James Bond films. Miller has stated that he has fond memories of being at the Television Centre with his sister and watching Top of the Pops and Blue Peter being made.^[2] He made an uncredited appearance in the BBC TV series Doctor Who as a child in the 1982 story Kinda. Miller was educated at Tiffin School in Kingston upon Thames where he gained his first acting experience (notably in the musical October's Children) and played in the Tiffin Swing Band.^[3] Miller left school at age 17 to pursue his acting career.^[4]

Career

After a stint in EastEnders as Jonathan Hewitt, Miller got his big break in the film Hackers (1995), co-starring Angelina Jolie whom he married in 1996. In 1997, Miller was involved with the creation and operation of Natural Nylon along with friends Jude Law (whom he met in the National Youth Music Theatre), Sadie Frost, Ewan McGregor, Sean Pertwee, Damon Bryant and Bradley Adams. Natural Nylon folded in 2003.

Aside from EastEnders he has appeared on television in the BBC's modernization of The Canterbury Tales, as Artie in The Pardoner's Tale and as Lord Byron in a BBC production about the life of the poet. He worked on the US television series Smith (CBS, Fall 2006). His first appearance on US Television was the 1996 miniseries Dead Man's Walk.

Shortly after Hackers, Miller was cast in Trainspotting (1996) as Sick Boy, a role which gained him recognition. He was suggested for that role by Ewan McGregor. The accent he used in the film was so convincing that it led many people to erroneously believe he was from Scotland. It states on Miller's website, "As the only non-Scot in the cast Jonny has had to master the accent. "I had to do a lot of work," he confesses, " I read and re- read the book and I pretended to be Scottish all the time I was in Glasgow, hanging around with Scots, picking up bits and pieces on the street and in bars. Everyone's been very encouraging and Danny thinks that I've got it about right. Of course, the others are from all over Scotland and have different accents themselves, so I've tried to just pick up a general, composite accent."^[5]

In 1997, he played Billy Prior in the film adaptation of Pat Barker's World War I novel, Regeneration, in 2000 he played the role of Cameron Colley in Complicity (video title Retribution), based on the book by Iain Banks. He costarred alongside Jude Law and Ray Winstone in the film "Love, Honor, And Obey" as Johnny, a London street kid getting mixed-up with a notorious Brit gangster. Also in 2000, he appeared as Simon Sheppard in Wes Craven's Dracula 2000.

In 2005, he was considered for the role of James Bond, to replace Pierce Brosnan. The role went to Daniel Craig. The following year, Miller portrayed cyclist Graeme Obree in The Flying Scotsman. In 2007, Miller was selected to play the lead role in the series for ABC, called Eli Stone; the series was cancelled after two seasons. The first season had been interrupted by a lengthy writers' strike.

He was considered as the third team-mate to join Ben Fogle and James Cracknell in Team QinetiQ for the Amundsen Omega 3 South Pole Race (January 2009). He participated in training for the event in Norway which was televised for a BBC2 documentary series On Thin Ice.^[6] He was not able to attend the race due to filming commitments of Eli Stone being extended for a second season.

In 2009 he played Mr. Knightley in a BBC adaptation of Jane Austen's Emma.^[7] He also appeared on Broadway with Sienna Miller in a production of "After Miss Julie", his performance receiving generally excellent reviews.

In early 2010, a rumour was floated that Miller was in talks to portray Rick Grimes in the Frank Darabont film adaptation of the comic The Walking Dead^[8] but the part went to Andrew Lincoln. He has also starred in the fifth season of Dexter^[9] as Jordan Chase, a highly popular motivational speaker who is suspected of leading a gang of serial rapists/murderers.

In March, 2001, at the National Theatre, he played, on alternate nights, both Dr Frankenstein and his creature, opposite Benedict Cumberbatch, in a stage adaptation of Frankenstein.^[10] Frankenstein, directed by Danny Boyle, was broadcast to cinemas worldwide as part of National Theatre Live on 17 March 2011 and additional dates throughout March and April.^[11]

In May 2011 it was announced that he would have a role in Tim Burton's film Dark Shadows.

Personal life

Miller married actress Angelina Jolie on 28 March 1996. They separated eighteen months later^[12] and were divorced on 9 February 1999. He began dating actress/model Michele Hicks in 2006.^[13] Miller and Hicks married in Malibu in July 2008. Their son, Buster Timothy Miller, was born December 3, 2008 in Los Angeles.

Miller is a supporter of Chelsea FC.^[14] He is a marathon runner, often supporting the charity Mencap. He ran the 2008 London Marathon in 3:01:40. Miller was signed up to run the 2006 Marathon des Sables but had to drop out due to contractual obligation to Smith, which was cancelled after three episodes. In 2010 he ran the New York Marathon with his Dexter costar Jennifer Carpenter.

Selected works

References

External links

• Jonny Lee Miller at the Internet Movie Database