Jeremy Irons
Born: 1948-09-19 in Cowes, Isle of Wight, England, UK
Known For: Acting
Biography
Jeremy John Irons (born 19 September 1948) is an English actor and activist. After receiving classical training at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, Irons began his acting career on stage in 1969 and has appeared in many West End theatre productions, including the Shakespeare plays 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, receiving the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play. Irons's break-out role came in the ITV series Brideshead Revisited (1981) and is frequently ranked among the greatest British television dramas as well as greatest literary adaptations. It would earn him a Golden Globe Award nomination. His first major film role came in the romantic drama The French Lieutenant's Woman (1981), for which he received a BAFTA nomination for Best Actor. After starring in dramas, such as Moonlighting (1982), Betrayal (1983), and The Mission (1986), he was praised for portraying twin gynaecologists in David Cronenberg's psychological thriller Dead Ringers (1988). Irons has won multiple awards, including the Academy Award for Best Actor, for his portrayal of the accused attempted murderer Claus von Bülow in Reversal of Fortune (1990). Irons had roles in Steven Soderbergh's mystery thriller Kafka (1991), the period drama The House of the Spirits (1993), the romantic drama M. Butterfly (1993), voiced Scar in Disney's The Lion King (1994), played Simon Gruber in the action film Die Hard with a Vengeance (1995), Humbert Humbert in Lolita (1997) and Aramis in The Man in the Iron Mask (1998). He starred in the action adventure Dungeons & Dragons (2000), played Antonio in The Merchant of Venice (2004), appeared in Being Julia (2004), the historical drama Kingdom of Heaven (2005), the fantasy-adventure Eragon (2006), the Western Appaloosa (2008), and the indie drama Margin Call (2011). In 2016, he appeared in Assassin's Creed and portrayed Alfred Pennyworth in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Justice League (2017), and Zack Snyder's Justice League (2021). On television, Irons appeared in the historical miniseries Elizabeth I, receiving a Golden Globe and an Emmy Award for Best Supporting Actor. From 2011 to 2013, he starred as Pope Alexander VI in the Showtime historical series The Borgias. In 2019, he appeared as Adrian Veidt / Ozymandias in HBO's Watchmen. He is one of the few actors who have achieved the "Triple Crown of Acting" in the US, winning an Oscar for film, an Emmy for television and a Tony Award for theatre. In October 2011, he was nominated the Goodwill Ambassador for the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
Filmography
2027
- The Beekeeper 2 as Wallace Westwyld
2026
- The Crystal Planet as Governor Mordokan (voice)
- What is dyslexia? as The Inventor
- Last Movies as Self - Narrator
- Wild Transylvania – Dracula's Hidden Kingdom as Narrator
2025
- The Count of Monte Cristo as Abbé Faria
- Palestine 36 as High Commissioner Wauchope
- The Lion King at the Hollywood Bowl as Self
- This Ordinary Thing as Self (voice)
- Mara: Rebirth as Narrator (voice)
2024
- The Beekeeper as Wallace Westwyld
- Quintessentially Irish as Self
- The Immortals: The Wonder of the Museo Egizio
- Alec Guinness: A Class Act as self
2023
- The Flash as Alfred Pennyworth
- Once Upon a Studio as Scar (voice)
- Liv Ullmann: A Road Less Travelled as Self
- The Cello as Francesco
- Making The Flash: Worlds Collide as Self - 'Alfred'
- Tom Hanks: The Nomad as Self (archive footage)
- Codice Carla as Self
2022
- The Pentaverate as Jeremy Irons
- Prisoners of Our Own History: The First Four Films of Roland Joffé as Self (archive footage)
- The Way of the Cheetah as Narrator (voice)
- Franco Zeffirelli: Rebel Conformist as Self
- Relentless Enemies: Revealed as Narrator (voice)
- Eye of the Leopard: Revealed as Narrator (voice)
- Eternal Enemies: Revealed as Narrator (voice)
- Ultimate Enemies: Revealed as Narrator (voice)
- Living With Big Cats: Revealed as Narrator
2021
- Zack Snyder's Justice League as Alfred
- House of Gucci as Rodolfo Gucci
- Munich - The Edge of War as Neville Chamberlain
- Napoleon: In the Name of Art
- Marina Cicogna - La vita e tutto il resto as Self
- Armin Mueller-Stahl - Ein Gaukler in Hollywood as Self
- Architects of Ancient Arabia as Narrator
- Nepal Beyond ... (Executive Producer)
2020
- Love, Weddings & Other Disasters as Lawrence Philips
- Jade Eyed Leopard as Narrator (voice)
2019
- The Morning Show as Martin Levy
- Watchmen as Adrian Veidt / Ozymandias
- The Prado Museum: A Collection of Wonders as Self - Host / Narrator (voice)
2018
- Red Sparrow as Vladimir Korchnoi
- Better Start Running as Garrison
- An Actor Prepares as Atticus
2017
- Justice League as Alfred
- Their Finest as Secretary of War
- Birds Like Us as Mi (voice)
2016
- Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice as Alfred
- Assassin's Creed as Alan Rikkin
- The Man Who Knew Infinity as G. H. Hardy
- Race as Avery Brundage
- Correspondence as Ed Phoerum
- DC Films Presents Dawn of the Justice League
- The Sultan and the Saint as Narrator
- I Wish For You as Grandfather
2015
- StarTalk with Neil deGrasse Tyson as Self
- High-Rise as Anthony Royal
- Metropolis
- Earthquake On Everest as Narrator (voice)
- Emotional Uncertainties as Self
- The Genius of George Boole as Narrator (voice)
2014
- Late Night with Seth Meyers as Self
- Endless Corridor as Narrator
- The Voysey Inheritance as Edward Voysey
2013
- Beautiful Creatures as Macon Ravenwood
- Night Train to Lisbon as Raimund
- Muse of Fire as Self
- Goodbye Granadaland as Self
- Game of Lions as Narrator (voice)
- The Sunflower Superjam 2012 as Self
- The Wind Gods as Narrator (voice)
2012
- The Hollow Crown as Henry IV
- The Words as The Old Man
- Shakespeare Uncovered as Himself
- Racing Legends as Self
- Trashed as Himself
- Another Way Home as Narrator
- Seeds of Freedom as Narator
2011
- The Borgias as Rodrigo Borgia
- Margin Call as John Tuld
- Prohibition as Reader (voice)
- The Last Lions as Narrator
2010
- Harold Pinter: A Celebration as Self
- The Majestic Plastic Bag as Narrator
2009
- The Pink Panther 2 as Avellaneda
- Waking Sleeping Beauty as Self (archive footage)
- Georgia O'Keeffe as Alfred Stieglitz
- The Power of the Powerless
- The Chronoscope as Narrator
2008
- The Colour of Magic as Patrician
- Appaloosa as Randall Bragg
- 1984 as Television Voice
- Magic in the air, Bantry House Music as Festival audience member
- Eden at the End of the World as Narrator
2007
- Lynch 2 as Self
- J.M.W. Turner: A National Gallery of Art Film Presentation as Narrator
2006
- Eragon as Brom
- Inland Empire as Kingsley Stewart
- The Path to Redemption as Self
- Mathilde as Col. De Petris
- Relentless Enemies: Lions and Buffalo as Narrator (voice)
- Eye of the Leopard as Narrator
- The Secret Policeman's Ball: The Ball in the Hall as Self
2005
- The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson as Self
- Kingdom of Heaven as Tiberias
- Elizabeth I as Earl of Leicester
- Casanova as Pucci
- Gallipoli as Narrator
- Revisiting Brideshead as Self
- The Merchant of Venice as Himself
- Fiat Croma as Lead
2004
- Who Do You Think You Are? as Self
- The Merchant of Venice as Antonio
- Being Julia as Michael Gosselyn
2003
- Working Shakespeare as Host
- Kingdom of David: The Saga of the Israelites as Readings (Voice)
- Broadway: The Golden Age, by the Legends Who Were There as Self
- The Hittites: A Civilization that Changed the World as Narrator
- Check the Gate: Putting Beckett on Film as Self - Reader / Self - Listener ("Ohio Impromptu")
- Ultimate Enemies: Elephants and Lions as Narrator (voice)
2002
- The Time Machine as Über-Morlock
- Last Call as F. Scott Fitzgerald
- Heart of the Festival as Self (archive footage)
- Callas Forever as Larry Kelly
- Ohio Impromptu as Reader / Listener
- And Now... Ladies and Gentlemen... as Valentin Valentin
2001
- The Fourth Angel as Jack Elgin
- The Making of "Dungeons and Dragons" as Self
- The Short Life of Anne Frank as Narrator (English version)
2000
- Longitude as Rupert Gould
- Dungeons & Dragons as Profion
- Longitude as Rupert Gould
1999
- Law & Order: Special Victims Unit as Dr. Cap Jackson
- Faeries as The Shapeshifter (voice)
1998
- The Man in the Iron Mask as Aramis
- The Lolita Story as Himself
1997
- The View as Self
- Lolita as Humbert Humbert
- Chinese Box as John
1996
- Stealing Beauty as Alex Parrish
- E! True Hollywood Story
1995
- Die Hard: With a Vengeance as Simon
- The First 100 Years: A Celebration of American Movies as Self
- A Night to Die For as Self
1994
- The Lion King as Scar (voice)
- Brisant as Self
- Inside the Actors Studio as Self
- Sesame Street | All-Star 25th Birthday: Stars and Street Forever! as Self (archive footage)
- The Making of the Lion King as Self
1993
- Late Night with Conan O'Brien as Self - Guest
- The House of the Spirits as Esteban Trueba
- M. Butterfly as René Gallimard
1992
- Damage as Dr. Stephen Fleming
- HBO First Look
- Earth and the American Dream as Reader (voice)
- Waterland as Tom Crick
- From Time to Time as H.G. Wells
- Tales from Hollywood as Odon Von Horvath
1991
- Performance as Odon Von Horvath
- Kafka as Kafka
- The Beggar's Opera as Prisoner
- 'Still Life' at the Penguin Cafe as Narrator
1990
- The Civil War as Various
- Reversal of Fortune as Claus von Bülow
- Sesame Street: Sing Yourself Silly! as Self (archive footage)
1989
- The Simpsons as Bar Rag (voice)
- Danny the Champion of the World as William Smith
- A Chorus of Disapproval as Guy Jones
- Australia as Edouard Pierson
- The Dream
- Danny and the Dirty Dog: The Making of 'Roald Dahl's Danny the Champion of the World' as Narrator
1988
- Dead Ringers as Beverly Mantle / Elliot Mantle
- Comic Relief
- Sesame Street: Put Down the Duckie as Self
- The Making of Dead Ringers as Self - Actor
1987
1986
- The Mission as Father Gabriel
- Looney Tunes 50th Anniversary as Self
- Rabbit Ears - The Steadfast Tin Soldier as Narrator (voice)
1985
- Night of 100 Stars II as Self
- The Statue of Liberty as Self (voice)
1984
- Swann in Love as Charles Swann
- The Wild Duck as Harold
1983
- Betrayal as Jerry
- The Captain's Doll as Captain Alexander Hepburn
1982
- Nature as Narrator
- Moonlighting as Nowak
1981
- Wetten, dass..? as Self
- Brideshead Revisited as Charles Ryder
- The French Lieutenant's Woman as Charles Henry Smithson / Mike
1980
- Nijinsky as Mikhail Fokine
1978
- Langrishe, Go Down as Otto Beck
1977
- BBC2 Play of the Week as Otto Beck
- Love for Lydia as Alex Sanderson
1975
- Saturday Night Live as Self - Host
1974
- Churchill's People as Samuel Ross
- The Pallisers as Frank Tregear
- Notorious Woman as Franz Liszt
1971
- Great Performances as Self
- The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes as Nephew
1965
- BBC Play of the Month as Edward Voysey
1962
1956
- Tony Awards as Self - Host
1953
- The Oscars as Self