Jonathan Rhys Meyers (born Jonathan Michael Francis O'Keeffe, 27 July 1977 in Dublin, Ireland) is an Irish actor and model.
He is best known for his portrayal of Henry VIII in Showtime's hit TV series The Tudors, though his first big break came in 1998 in the form of Todd Haynes' Velvet Goldmine, in which he played bisexual glam rock singer Brian Slade, to considerable critical acclaim. Meyers' international fame was boosted after his leading role in Woody Allen's Match Point, and his Golden Globe-winning portrayal of Elvis Presley in the 2005 TV miniseries, "Elvis". He is Dracula in a NBC series based on Bram Stoker's classic tale, and Big Bad Valentine Morgenstern in the film adaptation of The Mortal Instruments.
Not to be confused or related with John Rhys-Davies.
Notable roles include:
- Michael Collins (1996) as The Assassin
- Velvet Goldmine (1998) as Brian Slade
- Titus (1999) as Chiron
- Ride with the Devil (1999) as Pitt Mackeson
- Titus (1999) as Chiron
- Gormenghast (2000, BBC mini-series) as Steerpike
- Tangled (2001) as Alan Hammond
- Bend It Like Beckham (2002) as Joe
- I'll Sleep When I'm Dead (2003) as Davey
- Vanity Fair (2004) as George Osborne
- Alexander (2004) as Cassander
- Match Point (2005) as Chris Wilton
- Elvis (2005, TV mini-series) as Elvis Presley
- Mission: Impossible III (2006) as Declan
- August Rush (2007) as Louis Connely
- The Tudors (2007-10) as King Henry VIII
- A Film with Me in It (2008) Pierce 2
- From Paris with Love (2010) as James Reese
- 6 Souls (2010) as Adam
- Shelter (2010) as Adam
- Albert Nobbs (2011) as Viscount Yarrell
- The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones (2013) as Valentine Morgenstern
- Another Me (2013) as John
- Dracula (2013-14) as Dracula
- Stonewall as Trevor
- Roots (2016) as Tom Lea
- The 12th Man (2017) as Major Kurt Stage
- Vikings (2017-18) as Bishop Heahmund
Tropes applicable to this actor's work include:
- Underage Casting:
- In The Tudors he plays Henry VIII, while from Season 2 onwards, Sarah Bolger plays his daughter Mary; there are only 14 years between the actors and Meyers looks his age most of the time, though later in the series the make-up department did start adding gray hair and wrinkles to make him look older.
- In The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones, he plays the father of Lily Collins's character, despite only being 12 years older than her. The character also claims to be the father of Jace, played by Jamie Campbell Bower, who is just 11 years younger. Meyers wasn't made to look older, either, even outside of flashbacks, so it's noticeable.
