Jeremy Irons
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.
Known For
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
1962
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
1999
The Simpsons
1989
Late Night with Seth Meyers
2014
Saturday Night Live
1975
The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson
2005
The View
1997
Late Night with Conan O'Brien
1993
Great Performances
1971
0Tony Awards
1956
American Playhouse
1982
Nature
1982
Filmography
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
as Self · 1962
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
as Dr. Cap Jackson · 1999
The Simpsons
as Bar Rag (voice) · 1989
Late Night with Seth Meyers
as Self · 2014
Saturday Night Live
as Self - Host · 1975
The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson
as Self · 2005
The View
as Self · 1997
Late Night with Conan O'Brien
as Self - Guest · 1993
Great Performances
as Self · 1971
Tony Awards
as Self - Host · 1956
American Playhouse
as Ödön von Horváth · 1982
Nature
as Narrator · 1982
Wetten, dass..?
as Self · 1981
The Morning Show
as Martin Levy · 2019
BBC Play of the Month
as Edward Voysey · 1965
Kingdom of Heaven
as Tiberias · 2005
The Lion King
as Scar (voice) · 1994
Film '72
as Self · 1971
The Beekeeper
as Wallace Westwyld · 2024
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice
as Alfred · 2016
The Borgias
as Rodrigo Borgia · 2011
The Oscars
as Self · 1953
Who Do You Think You Are?
as Self · 2004
The Flash
as Alfred Pennyworth · 2023
Performance
as Odon Von Horvath · 1991
Zack Snyder's Justice League
as Alfred · 2021
Brisant
as Self · 1994
Justice League
as Alfred · 2017
Lolita
as Humbert Humbert · 1997
Watchmen
as Adrian Veidt / Ozymandias · 2019
The Count of Monte Cristo
as Abbé Faria · 2025
BBC2 Play of the Week
as Otto Beck · 1977
Churchill's People
as Samuel Ross · 1974
StarTalk with Neil deGrasse Tyson
as Self · 2015
Daytime Live
· 1987
The Hollow Crown
as Henry IV · 2012
HBO First Look
· 1992
Die Hard: With a Vengeance
as Simon · 1995
Red Sparrow
as Vladimir Korchnoi · 2018
House of Gucci
as Rodolfo Gucci · 2021
The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes
as Nephew · 1971
The Man in the Iron Mask
as Aramis · 1998
The Civil War
as Various (voice) · 1990
Brideshead Revisited
as Charles Ryder · 1981
Once Upon a Studio
as Scar (voice) · 2023
Margin Call
as John Tuld · 2011
The Time Machine
as Über-Morlock · 2002
The Colour of Magic
as Patrician · 2008
The Pallisers
as Frank Tregear · 1974
Assassin's Creed
as Alan Rikkin · 2016
The Mission
as Father Gabriel · 1986
Inland Empire
as Kingsley Stewart · 2006
Beautiful Creatures
as Macon Ravenwood · 2013
The Statue of Liberty
as Self (voice) · 1985
Damage
as Dr. Stephen Fleming · 1992
The Pentaverate
as Jeremy Irons · 2022
The Pink Panther 2
as Avellaneda · 2009
Prohibition
as Reader (voice) · 2011
Stealing Beauty
as Alex Parrish · 1996
High-Rise
as Anthony Royal · 2015
The House of the Spirits
as Esteban Trueba · 1993
The Man Who Knew Infinity
as G. H. Hardy · 2016
Their Finest
as Secretary of War · 2017
Eragon
as Brom · 2006
Longitude
as Rupert Gould · 2000
The Lion King at the Hollywood Bowl
as Self · 2025
Comic Relief
· 1988
Dungeons & Dragons
as Profion · 2000
Race
as Avery Brundage · 2016
The Merchant of Venice
as Antonio · 2004
The Beekeeper 2
as Wallace Westwyld · 2027
Elizabeth I
as Earl of Leicester · 2005
Munich - The Edge of War
as Neville Chamberlain · 2021
Dead Ringers
as Beverly Mantle / Elliot Mantle · 1988
Palestine 36
as High Commissioner Wauchope · 2025
Appaloosa
as Randall Bragg · 2008
Night Train to Lisbon
as Raimund · 2013
Casanova
as Pucci · 2005
E! True Hollywood Story
· 1996
Shakespeare Uncovered
as Himself · 2012
The Words
as The Old Man · 2012
Working Shakespeare
as Host · 2003
The French Lieutenant's Woman
as Charles Henry Smithson / Mike · 1981
Liv Ullmann: A Road Less Travelled
as Self · 2023
Reversal of Fortune
as Claus von Bülow · 1990
M. Butterfly
as René Gallimard · 1993
Love, Weddings & Other Disasters
as Lawrence Philips · 2020
Metropolis
· 2015
Love for Lydia
as Alex Sanderson · 1977
Chinese Box
as John · 1997
Racing Legends
as Self · 2012
Highlander
Kafka
as Kafka · 1991
Swann in Love
as Charles Swann · 1984
Being Julia
as Michael Gosselyn · 2004
Waking Sleeping Beauty
as Self (archive footage) · 2010
Correspondence
as Ed Phoerum · 2016
Mara: Rebirth
as Narrator (voice) · 2025
Broadway: The Next Generation
as Self
The Fourth Angel
as Jack Elgin · 2001
Muse of Fire
as Self · 2013
DC Films Presents Dawn of the Justice League
· 2016
Moonlighting
as Nowak · 1982
Night of 100 Stars II
as Self · 1985
Inside the Actors Studio
as Self · 1994
The Hittites: A Civilization that Changed the World
as Narrator · 2003
Earthquake On Everest
as Narrator (voice) · 2015
Waterland
as Tom Crick · 1992
An Actor Prepares
as Atticus · 2018
Looney Tunes 50th Anniversary
as Self · 1986
Notorious Woman
as Franz Liszt · 1974
A Chorus of Disapproval
as Guy Jones · 1989
Sesame Street | All-Star 25th Birthday: Stars and Street Forever!
as Self (archive footage) · 1994
Georgia O'Keeffe
as Alfred Stieglitz · 2009
Making The Flash: Worlds Collide
as Self - 'Alfred' · 2023
Danny the Champion of the World
as William Smith · 1989
Game of Lions
as Narrator (voice) · 2013
Check the Gate: Putting Beckett on Film
as Self - Reader / Self - Listener ("Ohio Impromptu") · 2003
Bill Moyers: Amazing Grace
as John Newton (voice) · 1990
The Color of Magic 2in1
as Patricij · 2010
Kingdom of David: The Saga of the Israelites
as Readings (Voice) · 2003
The First 100 Years: A Celebration of American Movies
as Self · 1995
And Now... Ladies and Gentlemen...
as Valentin Valentin · 2002
Broadway: The Golden Age, by the Legends Who Were There
as Self · 2003
Birds Like Us
as Mi (voice) · 2017
The Path to Redemption
as Self · 2006
Last Call
as F. Scott Fitzgerald · 2002
Last Movies
as Self - Narrator · 2026
Earth and the American Dream
as Reader (voice) · 1992
Sesame Street: Put Down the Duckie
as Self · 1988
Longitude
as Rupert Gould · 2000
Callas Forever
as Larry Kelly · 2002
Tom Hanks: The Nomad
as Self (archive footage) · 2023
Heart of the Festival
as Self (archive footage) · 2002
A Night to Die For
as Self · 1995
Prisoners of Our Own History: The First Four Films of Roland Joffé
as Self (archive footage) · 2022
Jade Eyed Leopard
as Narrator (voice) · 2020
Lynch 2
as Self · 2007
The Making of the Lion King
as Self · 1994
The Secret Policeman's Ball: The Ball in the Hall
as Self · 2006
Harold Pinter: A Celebration
as Self · 2010
Trashed
as Himself · 2012
The Color of Magic - Die Reise des Zauberers Teil 2
as Patrician · 2008
The Way of the Cheetah
as Narrator (voice) · 2022
The Color of Magic - Die Reise des Zauberers Teil 1
as Patrician · 2008
The Crystal Planet
as Governor Mordokan (voice) · 2026
The Merchant of Venice
as Himself · 2005
Better Start Running
as Garrison · 2018
The Prado Museum: A Collection of Wonders
as Self - Host / Narrator (voice) · 2019
Nijinsky
as Mikhail Fokine · 1980
The Chronoscope
as Narrator · 2009
History of the Emirates
as Narrator · 2019
The Genius of George Boole
as Narrator (voice) · 2015
Encore
as Nigel
Rabbit Ears - The Steadfast Tin Soldier
as Narrator (voice) · 1986
Gallipoli
as Narrator · 2005
From Time to Time
as H.G. Wells · 1992
This Ordinary Thing
as Self (voice) · 2025
Endless Corridor
as Narrator · 2014
Alec Guinness: A Class Act
as self · 2024
Rihana
as Julian Miles
The Making of "Dungeons and Dragons"
as Self · 2001
Faeries
as The Shapeshifter (voice) · 1999
Sesame Street: Sing Yourself Silly!
as Self (archive footage) · 1990
Quintessentially Irish
as Self · 2024
The Making of Dead Ringers
as Self - Actor · 1988
The Last Lions
as Narrator · 2011
The Cello
as Francesco · 2023
Ohio Impromptu
as Reader / Listener · 2002
J.M.W. Turner: A National Gallery of Art Film Presentation
as Narrator · 2007
Franco Zeffirelli: Rebel Conformist
as Self · 2022
Fiat Croma
as Lead · 2005
Langrishe, Go Down
as Otto Beck · 1978
RSC Meets USA: Working Shakespeare
as Self (Host)
Armin Mueller-Stahl - Ein Gaukler in Hollywood
as Self · 2021
Danny and the Dirty Dog: The Making of 'Roald Dahl's Danny the Champion of the World'
as Narrator · 1989
Revisiting Brideshead
as Self · 2005
Eye of the Leopard
as Narrator · 2006
Relentless Enemies: Lions and Buffalo
as Narrator (voice) · 2006
Tales from Hollywood
as Odon Von Horvath · 1992
The Short Life of Anne Frank
as Narrator (English version) · 2001
The Majestic Plastic Bag
as Narrator · 2010
Ultimate Enemies: Elephants and Lions
as Narrator (voice) · 2003
The Captain's Doll
as Captain Alexander Hepburn · 1983
I Wish For You
as Grandfather · 2016
Blast 'Em
as Self (uncredited) · 1992
The Wild Duck
as Harold · 1984
Betrayal
as Jerry · 1983
Dracula's Hidden Kingdom
as Self - Narrator · 2026
Eye of the Leopard: Revealed
as Narrator (voice) · 2022
What is dyslexia?
as The Inventor · 2026
The Well of Saint Nobody
as William
Marina Cicogna - La vita e tutto il resto
as Self · 2021
Living With Big Cats: Revealed
as Narrator · 2022
Codice Carla
as Self · 2023
The Sunflower Superjam 2012
as Self · 2013
Napoleon: In the Name of Art
· 2021
Architects of Ancient Arabia
as Narrator · 2021
The Sultan and the Saint
as Narrator · 2016
The Immortals: The Wonder of the Museo Egizio
· 2024
Eden at the End of the World
as Narrator · 2008
A Magnificent Death from a Shattered Hand
'Still Life' at the Penguin Cafe
as Narrator · 1991
Eternal Enemies: Revealed
as Narrator (voice) · 2022
The Power of the Powerless
· 2009
Emotional Uncertainties
as Self · 2015
Magic in the air, Bantry House Music
as Festival audience member · 2008
Australia
as Edouard Pierson · 1989
Seeds of Freedom
as Narator · 2012
Ultimate Enemies: Revealed
as Narrator (voice) · 2022
Relentless Enemies: Revealed
as Narrator (voice) · 2022
Mr. Kneff
as Kneff
The Lolita Story
as Himself · 1998
1984
as Television Voice · 2008
The Beggar's Opera
as Prisoner · 1991
Water People: The Story of Us
as The Ocean (voice)
The Wind Gods
as Narrator (voice) · 2013
Mathilde
as Col. De Petris · 2006
Goodbye Granadaland
as Self · 2013
The Voysey Inheritance
as Edward Voysey · 2014
The Dream
· 1989
Another Way Home
as Narrator · 2012