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© Getty Images
0 / 28 Fotos
Roots
- Jeremy Irons was born on September 19, 1948 in Cowes, Isle of Wight, England.
© Getty Images
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Music
- Irons played drums and harmonica in a band called Four Pillars of Wisdom when he was a student at Sherborne School in Dorset.
© Getty Images
2 / 28 Fotos
Actor
- He attended the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School where he trained as an actor and performed.
© Getty Images
3 / 28 Fotos
Theater
- Irons then moved to London, where he pursued a career in theater. He had his first big break in the hit musical 'Godspell' in the early 1970s.
© Getty Images
4 / 28 Fotos
Broadway debut
- The actor made his New York debut in 1984 with 'The Real Thing.' His performance opposite Glenn Close won him a Tony Award.
© Getty Images
5 / 28 Fotos
Television
- The actor then started taking up roles in a number of British TV shows, including 'Notorious Woman,' 'Love for Lydia,' and 'Langrishe, Go Down.'
© Getty Images
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TV success
- Irons did achieve some success in TV in the '70s, but in 1981 he raised his profile as an actor in 'Brideshead Revisited,' earning him a Golden Globe nomination for his performance.
© Getty Images
7 / 28 Fotos
Iconic role
- Around the same time, Irons started delving into film. After his debut in 'Nijinsky' in 1980, he co-starred with Meryl Streep in the film 'The French Lieutenant's Woman.'
© Getty Images
8 / 28 Fotos
1980s
- In the '80s, we saw Irons starring in movies such as Jerzy Skolimowski's 'Moonlighting' (1982), the Cannes Palme d'Or winner 'The Mission' (pictured), and in David Cronenberg's 'Dead Ringers.'
© Getty Images
9 / 28 Fotos
1990s
- The 1990s were also a brilliant decade for Jeremy Irons. We could see him in movies such as 'Kafka,' 'Damage,' 'M. Butterfly,' 'The House of the Spirits,' and voicing Scar in 'The Lion King.'
© Getty Images
10 / 28 Fotos
'Lolita'
- Irons also starred in the 1997 remake directed by Adrian Lyne.
© Getty Images
11 / 28 Fotos
Tough guy
- Other successes included 'Die Hard with a Vengeance,' where he co-starred with Bruce Willis and Samuel L. Jackson.
© BrunoPress
12 / 28 Fotos
'The Man in the Iron Mask'
- The actor played the musketeer Aramis in the star-studded 1998 film 'The Man in the Iron Mask.'
© Getty Images
13 / 28 Fotos
Turn of the century
- The turn of the century saw Irons starring in a number of acclaimed movies, including 'Dungeons and Dragons' (2000), 'Longitude' (2000), 'The Time Machine' (2002), and 'The Merchant of Venice' (2004).
© Getty Images
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2000s
- In 2005, he starred in Ridley Scott's 'Kingdom of Heaven.' He also co-starred with John Malkovich again (after 'The Man in the Iron Mask') in 2006's 'Eragon.'
© BrunoPress
15 / 28 Fotos
Recent works
- More recently, we saw the actor in movies such as 'The Man Who Knew Infinity' (2015), 'Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice' (2016), and 'Justice League' (2017). In 2018, the actor starred in 'Red Sparrow.'
© BrunoPress
16 / 28 Fotos
Wife
- Irons has been married to Irish actress Sinéad Cusack since 1978.
© Getty Images
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AIDS red ribbon
- Jeremy Irons was the first celebrity to wear the red ribbon, at the 1991 Tony Awards in New York City.
© Getty Images
18 / 28 Fotos
Oscar winner
- Jeremy Irons won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance in the 1991 movie 'Reversal of Fortune.'
© Getty Images
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He owns a 15th-century castle
- The actor owns Kilcoe Castle in Ireland. Irons initially faced some criticism from the locals for his choice of color.
© Getty Images
20 / 28 Fotos
Voice
- Irons is also known for his voice. He has read a number of audio books, narrated documentaries and animations, and even recorded an audio guide for Westminster Abbey in London.
© Getty Images
21 / 28 Fotos
Music
- Irons also likes to sing. He has in fact performed and recorded a few songs.
© Getty Images
22 / 28 Fotos
Dream dinner party guests
- Jeremy Irons once said that Jesus Christ and Marilyn Monroe would be among his guests in a dream dinner party.
© Shutterstock
23 / 28 Fotos
The person he admires the most
- When asked in an interview who he admires the most and why, the actor responded, “Tony Blair, for living so publicly with the knowledge that he's not perfect.”
© Getty Images
24 / 28 Fotos
He’s a supporter of yoga for prisoners
- The actor has been a supporter of a health program for prisoners. Irons is a patron of The Prison Phoenix Trust, a charity that offers help to prisoners through meditation and yoga.
© Getty Images
25 / 28 Fotos
Controversial views
- Irons is known to have been critical of the fox hunting ban in the UK. He has even attended pro-hunting demonstrations.
© Getty Images
26 / 28 Fotos
Smoker
- The actor has also shared his discontent with smoking bans. He said: "I really think I should have the right to smoke in the street or in the park or at the beach."
© Getty Images
27 / 28 Fotos
© Getty Images
0 / 28 Fotos
Roots
- Jeremy Irons was born on September 19, 1948 in Cowes, Isle of Wight, England.
© Getty Images
1 / 28 Fotos
Music
- Irons played drums and harmonica in a band called Four Pillars of Wisdom when he was a student at Sherborne School in Dorset.
© Getty Images
2 / 28 Fotos
Actor
- He attended the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School where he trained as an actor and performed.
© Getty Images
3 / 28 Fotos
Theater
- Irons then moved to London, where he pursued a career in theater. He had his first big break in the hit musical 'Godspell' in the early 1970s.
© Getty Images
4 / 28 Fotos
Broadway debut
- The actor made his New York debut in 1984 with 'The Real Thing.' His performance opposite Glenn Close won him a Tony Award.
© Getty Images
5 / 28 Fotos
Television
- The actor then started taking up roles in a number of British TV shows, including 'Notorious Woman,' 'Love for Lydia,' and 'Langrishe, Go Down.'
© Getty Images
6 / 28 Fotos
TV success
- Irons did achieve some success in TV in the '70s, but in 1981 he raised his profile as an actor in 'Brideshead Revisited,' earning him a Golden Globe nomination for his performance.
© Getty Images
7 / 28 Fotos
Iconic role
- Around the same time, Irons started delving into film. After his debut in 'Nijinsky' in 1980, he co-starred with Meryl Streep in the film 'The French Lieutenant's Woman.'
© Getty Images
8 / 28 Fotos
1980s
- In the '80s, we saw Irons starring in movies such as Jerzy Skolimowski's 'Moonlighting' (1982), the Cannes Palme d'Or winner 'The Mission' (pictured), and in David Cronenberg's 'Dead Ringers.'
© Getty Images
9 / 28 Fotos
1990s
- The 1990s were also a brilliant decade for Jeremy Irons. We could see him in movies such as 'Kafka,' 'Damage,' 'M. Butterfly,' 'The House of the Spirits,' and voicing Scar in 'The Lion King.'
© Getty Images
10 / 28 Fotos
'Lolita'
- Irons also starred in the 1997 remake directed by Adrian Lyne.
© Getty Images
11 / 28 Fotos
Tough guy
- Other successes included 'Die Hard with a Vengeance,' where he co-starred with Bruce Willis and Samuel L. Jackson.
© BrunoPress
12 / 28 Fotos
'The Man in the Iron Mask'
- The actor played the musketeer Aramis in the star-studded 1998 film 'The Man in the Iron Mask.'
© Getty Images
13 / 28 Fotos
Turn of the century
- The turn of the century saw Irons starring in a number of acclaimed movies, including 'Dungeons and Dragons' (2000), 'Longitude' (2000), 'The Time Machine' (2002), and 'The Merchant of Venice' (2004).
© Getty Images
14 / 28 Fotos
2000s
- In 2005, he starred in Ridley Scott's 'Kingdom of Heaven.' He also co-starred with John Malkovich again (after 'The Man in the Iron Mask') in 2006's 'Eragon.'
© BrunoPress
15 / 28 Fotos
Recent works
- More recently, we saw the actor in movies such as 'The Man Who Knew Infinity' (2015), 'Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice' (2016), and 'Justice League' (2017). In 2018, the actor starred in 'Red Sparrow.'
© BrunoPress
16 / 28 Fotos
Wife
- Irons has been married to Irish actress Sinéad Cusack since 1978.
© Getty Images
17 / 28 Fotos
AIDS red ribbon
- Jeremy Irons was the first celebrity to wear the red ribbon, at the 1991 Tony Awards in New York City.
© Getty Images
18 / 28 Fotos
Oscar winner
- Jeremy Irons won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance in the 1991 movie 'Reversal of Fortune.'
© Getty Images
19 / 28 Fotos
He owns a 15th-century castle
- The actor owns Kilcoe Castle in Ireland. Irons initially faced some criticism from the locals for his choice of color.
© Getty Images
20 / 28 Fotos
Voice
- Irons is also known for his voice. He has read a number of audio books, narrated documentaries and animations, and even recorded an audio guide for Westminster Abbey in London.
© Getty Images
21 / 28 Fotos
Music
- Irons also likes to sing. He has in fact performed and recorded a few songs.
© Getty Images
22 / 28 Fotos
Dream dinner party guests
- Jeremy Irons once said that Jesus Christ and Marilyn Monroe would be among his guests in a dream dinner party.
© Shutterstock
23 / 28 Fotos
The person he admires the most
- When asked in an interview who he admires the most and why, the actor responded, “Tony Blair, for living so publicly with the knowledge that he's not perfect.”
© Getty Images
24 / 28 Fotos
He’s a supporter of yoga for prisoners
- The actor has been a supporter of a health program for prisoners. Irons is a patron of The Prison Phoenix Trust, a charity that offers help to prisoners through meditation and yoga.
© Getty Images
25 / 28 Fotos
Controversial views
- Irons is known to have been critical of the fox hunting ban in the UK. He has even attended pro-hunting demonstrations.
© Getty Images
26 / 28 Fotos
Smoker
- The actor has also shared his discontent with smoking bans. He said: "I really think I should have the right to smoke in the street or in the park or at the beach."
© Getty Images
27 / 28 Fotos
What you don't know about the great Jeremy Irons
The accomplished actor turns 77 on September 19
© <p>Getty Images</p>
Jeremy Irons is one of the world's most accomplished actors. The Englishman, with Scottish and Irish ancestry, has had a successful career in theater, TV, and film. But there's a lot more to Jeremy Irons than just his talent for acting. Did you know that he supports yoga for prisoners, or that he was the first celebrity to wear the AIDS red ribbon in public? These are just a few of the many amazing things you probably don't know about the masterful performer.
Click through to discover more fascinating facts about Jeremy Irons.
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