Jeremy Irons
Jeremy Irons is a British actor born on 19 September 1948 in Cowes, who has worked across film, television, stage, and voice performance throughout his career.
He was educated at Sherborne School before going on to train at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, a path that grounded him in the craft of stage performance early on. That theatrical foundation carried forward into a career that spans multiple disciplines — he has performed as a stage actor, a film actor, a television actor, and a voice actor, as well as working as a singer.
His work across those different disciplines has earned him a notable collection of awards. On stage, he received a Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play, marking his standing in live theatre. His film work brought him an Academy Award for Best Actor, and he has also received two Golden Globe Awards and Primetime Emmy Awards, making him one of relatively few performers to have accumulated major honours in all three of those categories. Beyond North American recognition, he has received a European Film Academy Special Achievement Award, a Europe Theatre Prize, and the Donostia Award — the honorary prize presented at the San Sebastián International Film Festival.
Taken together, those honours reflect a career built across stage, screen, and television, with Irons consistently working in both English-language film and international arenas.
Quotes by Jeremy Irons
Jeremy Irons's insights on:
I think the world is much more transparent now, and I think that's probably a good thing. On the other hand, I think it makes it really tough for people who are natural born leaders who could be guiding us and leading our countries.
I think nobody since has written such extraordinary work as Shakespeare writes. The characters he writes are full of inconsistencies, which is a great human quality - I mean, we're all very inconsistent in the way we behave.
I wanted to find a way of life that allowed me great freedom, not to be stuck. I went to a very traditional school, which prepared people for the army or for banking or for industry, and I wanted to be outside of that.
I do this work, but I am uncomfortable in situations where you're hyped into something you're not. Just because you're in a long limo doesn't mean anything.
I came to London. I spent nine months doing domestic work and gardening because I knew I wanted to get a West End show. So, when I was offered jobs in Stoke or Leicester or whatever, I'd say no. Eventually, I got 'Godspell.' It was gently building.
The film business has changed hugely. You seem to spend about 30 per cent of the time producing the films and 70 per cent talking about it.
Film wise, I invariably look at my work and reckon I could have done it better. I'm also conscious that I'm in a profession where we get more praise than we should compared to the usefulness of what we do.
