Jonathan Rhys Meyers

Jonathan Rhys Meyers (born Jonathan Michael Francis O'Keeffe;

Meyers has continued to star in other films, such as Albert Nobbs in 2011. In 2013, Meyers appeared as the villain Valentine Morgenstern in The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones, based on Cassandra Clare's novel, City of Bones; he appeared in the 2015 film Stonewall, directed by Roland Emmerich; in 2017, he starred in The 12th Man; and in 2018 he won the Best Actor award at the Manchester Film Festival for his starring role in Damascus Cover. In 2020, he was listed as number 44 on The Irish Times’ list of Ireland's greatest film actors.

Meyers has been the face of several Hugo Boss advertising campaigns. He has also been involved in several charitable causes, including the Hope Foundation and the children's charity Barretstown. Meyers was married to Mara Lane, and they have one son together.

Early life and education Meyers was born on 27 July 1977 in Dublin, Ireland, the first of four boys for Geraldine (née Myers; 1957–2007) and folk musician John O'Keeffe, and brought up in County Cork. His family is Catholic, and his three younger brothers are professional musicians. He attended North Monastery Christian Brothers School.

After being expelled from North Monastery for truancy, he spent much of his time working and socialising in pool halls. Casting agents looking for Irish boys to appear in War of the Buttons spotted him at a Cork pool hall, the Victoria Sporting Club, and invited him to audition. Although passed over for War of the Buttons, the casting agents encouraged him to pursue a career in acting. His first acting role came in the film A Man of No Importance (1994). In 1996, he appeared in Michael Collins, as the Anti-Treaty IRA sniper who kills the title character. He played a David Bowie-inspired glam rock star in Velvet Goldmine (1998). He appeared in B. Monkey as Bruno, a small-time petty thief/criminal. In 1999, he appeared in Ride with the Devil as psychopathic Bushwhacker Pitt Mackeson, and in Titus as the sadistic Goth prince Chiron. He starred as Steerpike in the BBC's Gormenghast (2000); played a dedicated girls' football coach in Bend It Like Beckham (2002); played in Vanity Fair (2004) opposite Reese Witherspoon; and co-starred in 2004 in Oliver Stone's epic Alexander in which he played Cassander.

Breakthrough with Match Point and The Tudors (2005–2017)

The following year Meyers starred in Woody Allen's drama Match Point (2005), for which he received a Chopard Trophy at the Cannes Film Festival, and in the CBS four-hour mini-series Elvis (2005) as Elvis Presley alongside Randy Quaid as Colonel Tom Parker, but did not sing for his role in the miniseries. The latter earned him an Emmy nomination and a Golden Globe win. In 2006, he appeared in Mission: Impossible III.

He starred in the CBC/Showtime co-production The Tudors (2007) as Henry VIII. He was nominated for the Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Television Drama in 2007 for the role.

Subsequent projects include August Rush (2007). In 2008, he appeared in The Children of Huang Shi, and in 2010, Shelter and From Paris with Love.

In 2011, he starred as Solal in Belle du Seigneur, an English language film adaptation of Albert Cohen's novel Belle du Seigneur. The film was released in Russia on 29 November 2012 and in France on 19 June 2013 after premiering at the Champs Elysees Film Festival.

In 2013, Meyers was cast as Dracula in NBC's television series Dracula alongside Oliver Jackson-Cohen and Jessica De Gouw. It was also announced in May 2013 that Meyers was to participate in the recording of his brothers' album entitled Blossom, which was released on 21 April 2014.

On 23 October 2014, he received The Irish Post Legend Award at the London Hilton on Park Lane in recognition of his remarkable achievements in film and television over the previous 20 years.

In 2017, He starred in the movie Black Butterfly and was nominated for Best Supporting Actor at the Madrid International Festival. Meyers later reunited with Michael Hirst and starred as Bishop Heahmund in the television series Vikings.

Independent films and varied roles (2018–present) Meyers played the lead in the spy thriller Damascus Cover, based on the novel by Howard Kaplan. It premiered on 23 September 2017, at the Boston Film Festival and was released on July 20, 2018 by Vertical Entertainment. he won the best actor award at Boston and Manchester International Festival

Meyers portrays Patrick Pearse, a political activist and one of the leaders of the bloody 1916 Irish Easter Rising, in the centennial commemoration biopic film The Rising, written and produced by Kevin McCann.

In 2020, Meyers played in Edge of the World, a biographical picture of the British explorer Sir James Brooke, as well as the lead role in the movie American Night, a neo-noir thriller co-starring Emile Hirsch, Paz Vega, and Jeremy Piven.

In 2021, he starred as Shiro in Yakuza Princess, a Brazilian action thriller film directed by Vicente Amorim based on the graphic novel Samurai Shiro by Danilo Beyruth. He also starred in the horror-thriller Hide and Seek.

In 2022, he starred in The Good Neighbour and Wifelike.

In 2023, he starred in the thriller "Disquiet" with Rachelle Goulding. Meyers also starred in the hijacking thriller film 97 Minutes, directed by Timo Vuorensola.

Music A self-taught singer and guitarist, Meyers has appeared in a number of musical roles. His first such role was as "Brian Slade" in Velvet Goldmine; two of the songs he sang ("Baby's on Fire" and "Tumbling Down") are on the film's soundtrack. He sang briefly in the television mini-series version of The Magnificent Ambersons, performed in studio scenes of the miniseries Elvis and played the flute in Gormenghast.

In the 2007 music drama August Rush, he performed on-screen as singer-songwriter Louis Connelly and is credited for four songs on the soundtrack – "Break", "Moondance", "Something Inside" and "This Time". Of the four, "This Time" and "Break" were considered in the Best Original Song category of the 80th Academy Awards. "This Time" was not released as a single but peaked at number 84 in the Canadian Hot 100.

Upcoming projects In 2022, it was revealed that he would be joining the cast of the thriller Altitude.

Personal life

Relationships and family

For a year in the late 1990s, Meyers dated his Velvet Goldmine co-star Toni Collette. From 2004 until 2012, he was in a relationship with Reena Hammer that started when she was 17 years old and he was 27. Reena is the daughter of makeup artist Ruby Hammer.

On 20 November 2007, his mother, Mary Geraldine O'Keeffe, died at Mercy University Hospital, Cork, aged 51, following a short, undisclosed illness.

On 30 June 2011, it was reported that Meyers had been taken to hospital by ambulance after a suspected suicide attempt. In 2016, a second attempt was suspected when paramedics, responding to an emergency call, found him slumped on the floor. Anonymous sources variously claimed and denied that Meyers intended to take his own life.

In 2016, Meyers married Mara Lane. Their son was born in December 2016. In September 2017, Lane said she had miscarried a second child. Meyers and Lane separated in 2022.

In 2022, Myers listed his Nichols Canyon home in Los Angeles for sale. It was reported that the home had previously been listed for sale and was made available as a rental property until being listed for $1.6 million in 2012 and for $1.795 million in 2018. The 2022 listing had the home for sale at $1.85 million.

Meyers lost his home in Malibu to wildfires in 2025.

As of 2026, Meyers resides in Wexford, Ireland.

Issues with alcohol In 2007, Meyers' representative confirmed that Meyers had entered an alcohol-treatment programme. In November 2007, he was arrested at Dublin Airport for intoxication and disturbing the peace.

In 2009, he was detained in Paris by police for allegedly assaulting an airport lounge employee while drunk. His representative confirmed Meyers was receiving treatment again in 2010. In November 2011, he was ordered by a French court to pay restitution of €1,000 and was given a judgment of a suspended sentence for public intoxication 24 months earlier.

After his wife suffered a miscarriage in 2017, Meyers relapsed at Dublin Airport. In an interview with Larry King later that year, Meyers addressed the incident, saying, "I shouldn't drink. It doesn't suit me and I had been sober for a long time." He insisted that he had learned his lesson and was sober again. Meyers crashed his car in Malibu, California, in November 2020 and was charged with two drunk driving offences.

Honours On 5 October 2008, Meyers received an Honorary Patronage from the Trinity College Philosophical Society in Dublin.

In 2014, he was honoured at The Irish Post Awards by the presentation of the Legend Award for his contributions to the film and entertainment industry.

Charity work In February 2008, Meyers was named the ambassador for the Hope Foundation, a charity formed in his native Cork to support the street children of Calcutta.

He is also an ambassador for the Irish children’s charity Barretstown which supports children affected by serious illness. In 2019, he and fellow actor Aidan Gillen helped launch Barretstown's new Press Play campaign which aimed to raise additional funds to serve more children and their families.

Filmography

Film Year Title Role(s) Director(s) 1994 A Man of No Importance First Young Man Suri Krishnamma 1996 Michael Collins Denis "Sonny" O'Neill (Collins' Assassin) Neil Jordan Killer Tongue Rudolph Alberto Sciamma The Disappearance of Finbar Finbar Flynn Sue Clayton 1997 The Maker Josh Minnell Tim Hunter Telling Lies in America Kevin Boyle Guy Ferland 1998 Velvet Goldmine Brian Slade Todd Haynes The Governess Henry Cavendish Sandra Goldbacher The Tribe Adam Stephen Poliakoff B. Monkey Bruno Michael Radford 1999 The Loss of Sexual Innocence Nic (aged 16) Mike Figgis Ride with the Devil Pitt Mackeson Ang Lee Titus Chiron Julie Taymor 2001 Happy Now? Mark Wraith Philippa Cousins Prozac Nation Noah Erik Skjoldbjærg Tangled Alan Hammond Jay Lowi 2002 Bend It Like Beckham Joe Gurinder Chadha 2003 The Tesseract Sean Oxide Pang Chun I'll Sleep When I'm Dead Davey Graham Mike Hodges Octane The Father Marcus Adams The Emperor's Wife Chamberlain Julien Vrebos 2004 Vanity Fair Capt. George Henry Osborne Mira Nair Alexander Cassander Oliver Stone 2005 Match Point Chris Wilton Woody Allen 2006 Mission: Impossible III Declan Gormley J. J. Abrams 2007 August Rush Louis Connelly Kirsten Sheridan 2008 The Children of Huang Shi George Hogg Roger Spottiswoode A Film with Me in It Pierce 2 Ian Fitzgibbon 2010 From Paris with Love James Reese Pierre Morel Shelter Reverend Christian Moore/Adam Sabre/David Bernberg/Wesley Crite Måns Mårlind & Björn Stein 2011 Albert Nobbs Viscount Yarrell Rodrigo García 2012 A Grand Affair Solal Glenio Bonder 2013 The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones Valentine Morgenstern Harald Zwart Another Me John Moffatt Isabel Coixet 2013 6 Souls David Måns Mårlind, Björn Stein 2015 Stonewall Trevor Roland Emmerich 2016 London Town Joe Strummer Derrick Borte 2017 The Shadow Effect Reese Obin & Amariah Olsen Black Butterfly Jack Brian Goodman Holy Lands David Amanda Sthers Damascus Cover Ari Ben-Sion/Hans Hoffmann Daniel Zelik Berk The 12th Man Sturmbannführer Kurt Stage Harald Zwart 2018 The Aspern Papers Morton Vint Julien Landais 2019 Awake John Doe/Michael Winslow Aleksandr Chernyaev 2021 Edge of the World James Brooke Michael Haussman Yakuza Princess Shiro Vicente Amorim American Night John Kaplan Alessio Della Valle The Survivalist Ben Grant Jon Keeyes Hide and Seek Noah Blackwell Joel David Moore 2022 The Good Neighbour Robert Stephan Rick Wifelike William Bradwell James Bird Dangerous Game: The Legacy Murders Kyle Sean McNamara 2023 Ambush Miller Mark Burman 97 Minutes Alex Timo Vuorensola Food Fight Charlie Rexal Ford Mercy Sean Quinn Tony Dean Smith Disquiet Sam Michael Winnick 2024 The Clean Up Crew Alex Jon Keeyes Operation Blood Hunt Murphy Louis Mandylor Eyes in the Trees Vince Henway Timothy Woodward Jr. The Rising: 1916 Patrick Pearse Kevin McCann Run Orson Reed Steven C. Miller Altitude Mark Fienberg

Television Year Title Role Notes 1996 Samson and Delilah Young Samson Television film 2000 Gormenghast Steerpike Complete four-part BBC series (each episode one hour) 2002 The Magnificent Ambersons George Amberson Minafer Television film 2003 The Lion in Winter King Philip II Television film 2005 Elvis Elvis Presley Television filmGolden Globe Award for Best Actor – Miniseries or Television FilmSatellite Award for Best Actor – Miniseries or Television FilmNominated—Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie 2007–2010 The Tudors King Henry VIII 38 episodesGolden Nymph Award for Outstanding Actor in a Drama SeriesIrish Film and Television Award for Best Actor on TelevisionNominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Television Series Drama (2008–09)Nominated—Golden Nymph Award for Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series (2009–11)Nominated—Irish Film and Television Award for Best Actor on Television (2009–11) 2013–2014 Dracula Dracula / Alexander Grayson 10 episodesNominated—People's Choice Award for Favorite Actor in a New TV Series 2016 Roots Tom Lea 3 episodes 2017–2019 Vikings Heahmund 17 episodes

Discography

Awards and nominations Year Award Category Work Result 1999 London Critics Circle Film Awards British Newcomer of the Year Velvet Goldmine 2002 Venice Film Festival Canal Grande Award for the Best Young Promising Actor The Magnificent Ambersons 2005 Satellite Awards Outstanding Actor in a Miniseries or a Motion Picture Made for Television Elvis Primetime Emmy Awards Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie Cannes Film Festival Outstanding Newcomer Match Point 2006 GQ UK Men of the Year Awards / Lab Series Man of the Year Golden Globes Awards Best Performance by an Actor in a Mini-Series or a Motion Picture Made for Television Elvis 2008 Monte-Carlo Television Festival Outstanding Actor – Drama Series The Tudors Irish Film and Television Awards Best Actor in a Lead Role in Television Golden Globe Awards Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series – Drama 2009 Monte-Carlo Television Festival Outstanding Actor – Drama Series Irish Film and Television Awards Best Actor in a Lead Role in Television Golden Globe Awards Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series – Drama 2010 Irish Film and Television Awards Best Actor in a Lead Role in Television Monte-Carlo Television Festival Outstanding Actor – Drama Series 2011 Monte-Carlo Television Festival Irish Film and Television Awards Best Actor in a Lead Role in Television 2014 People's Choice Awards Favorite Actor in a New TV Series Dracula 2017 Madrid International Film Festival Best Supporting Actor Black Butterfly Boston Film Festival Best Actor Damascus Cover 2018 Manchester Film Festival