Irons was born on 19 September 1948 inCowes on theIsle of Wight, to Paul Dugan Irons, an accountant, and Barbara Anne Brereton Brymer (née Sharpe).[1] Irons has a brother, Christopher (born 1943), and a sister, Felicity Anne (born 1944). He was educated at the independentSherborne School[2] inDorset from 1962 to 1966. He was the drummer and harmonica player in a four-man school band called the Four Pillars of Wisdom.[3]
After years of success in theWest End in London, Irons made his New York debut as Henry, a man engaging in an affair in theTom Stoppard playThe Real Thing at thePlymouth Theatre onBroadway acting oppositeGlenn Close. Irons won theTony Award for Best Actor in a Play.Frank Rich ofThe New York Times wrote, "Given the sublime cast led by Mr. Irons and Glenn Close - and the bravura force of Mike Nichols's direction - any repeat viewings are likely to be as dazzling as the first". He added "Mr. Irons...has never been better: he captures Henry's magnetic public charm, then goes on to reveal the suffering and longing within."[7]
The role which significantly raised his profile was Charles Ryder in the television adaptation ofEvelyn Waugh'sBrideshead Revisited (1981). First broadcast onITV, the show ranks among the most successful British television dramas, with Irons receiving nominations for theBritish Academy Television Award, thePrimetime Emmy Award, and theGolden Globe Award for Best Actor.[8][9] which is frequently ranked among the greatest British television dramas as well as greatest literary adaptations.[8][10]Brideshead reunited him withAnthony Andrews, with whom he had appeared inThe Pallisers seven years earlier. Around the same time he starred in the filmThe French Lieutenant's Woman (also 1981) oppositeMeryl Streep.Vincent Canby ofThe New York Times compared him to a youngLaurence Olivier writing, "Mr. Irons seems to be one of the few actors today who could be so completely convincing as the Victorian lover who thinks he's ahead of his time, being a follower of Darwin and a socially enlightened member of his privileged class, but who finds, ultimately, that he still has a long way to go."[11]
In 2009, Irons appeared on theTouchstone albumWintercoast, recording a narrative introduction to the album.[34] Recording took place in New York City in February 2009 during rehearsals for his Broadway playImpressionism. As German villain Simon Gruber his recital of the English riddle "As I was going to St Ives" (fromDie Hard with a Vengeance) appears in the 2014 bookThe Art of Communicating Eloquently.[35] In 2017, he recited the spoken sections, most notably "Late Lament", forThe Moody Blues' 50th Anniversary Tour of "Days Of Future Passed", and also appears on the video presentation.[36] Irons also appeared in the documentary for Irish television channel TG4,Faoi Lán Cheoil, in which he is seen taking fiddle lessons fromCaoimhín Ó Raghallaigh.
At the1991 Tony Awards, Irons was one of the few celebrities to wear thered ribbon to support the fight againstAIDS. He was the first celebrity to wear it onscreen.[63][64][65] In 1998, Irons and his wife were named in the list of the biggest private financial donors to theLabour Party, a year following its return to government withTony Blair's victory in the1997 general election, following eighteen years in opposition.[66] He was also one of several celebrities who endorsed the parliamentary candidacy of theGreen Party'sCaroline Lucas at the2015 general election.[67] In 2004, he publicly declared his support for theCountryside Alliance, referring to the2004 Hunting Act as an "outrageous assault on civil liberties" and "one of the two most devastating parliamentary votes in the last century".[68]
Irons is an outspoken critic of the death penalty and has supported the campaign by the human rights organisationAmnesty International UK to abolish capital punishment worldwide.[69] Among his arguments, Irons states the death penalty "infringes on two fundamental human rights, the right to life, and no-one shall be subject to torture", adding that while the person accused of a crime "may have abused those rights, to advocate the same be done to them is to join them".[69] During a 2007 Q&A withThe Guardian, Irons namedTony Blair as the living person he most admired; reasoning "For living so publicly with the knowledge that he's not perfect." He then namedGeorge W. Bush as the living person he most despised, stating "to hold his position he should have surrounded himself with more reliable people."[70] In 2009, Irons signed a petition in support of Polish film directorRoman Polanski, calling for his release after he was arrested inSwitzerland in relation to his1977 charge for drugging and raping a 13-year-old girl.[71] In 2011, Irons was criticised in theBritish Medical Journal for his fundraising activities in support ofthe College of Medicine, analternative medicine lobby group in the UK linked toKing Charles.[72]
In 2013, Irons caused controversy for an interview with theHuffington Post, in which he said he "doesn't have a strong feeling either way" ongay marriage but expressed fears that it could "debase marital law", suggesting it could be "manipulated" to allow fathers to avoid paying tax when passing on their estates to their sons, because he supposed "incest laws would not apply to men".[73][74] He later clarified his comments, saying he was providing an example of a situation that could cause a "legal quagmire" under the laws that allow same-sex marriage, and that he had been "misinterpreted". He added that "some gay relationships are more long term, responsible and even healthier in their role of raising children, than their hetero equivalents".[75] He said in aBBC interview that he wished he had "buttoned my lip" before asking if its legalisation would see fathers marry sons.[76][77] At the70th Berlin International Film Festival in 2020, Irons said, "I applaud the legislation of same-sex marriage, wherever it has been attained. I hope that such enlightened legislation will continue to spread into more and more societies".[71]
Irons supports thelegal availability ofabortion, having said that he believes that "women should be allowed to make the decision". Irons also agreed with anabortion opponent and was quoted as saying that "the church is right to say it's a sin".[78] In 2020, Irons said, "I support wholeheartedly the right of women to have an abortion should they so decide".[71]
Irons married Julie Hallam in 1969, but they divorced later that year.[1] He married Irish actressSinéad Cusack on 28 March 1978.[1] They have two sons, Samuel "Sam" Irons (born 1978), who works as a photographer, and who co-starred with his father inDanny, the Champion of the World, andMaximilian "Max" Irons (born 1985), also an actor. Both of Irons's sons have appeared in films with their father. Irons's wife and children areCatholic; Irons has also been described as a practising Catholic,[79] yet has stated:
I don't go to church much because I don't like belonging to a club, and I don't go to confession or anything like that, I don't believe in it. But I try to be aware of where I fail and I occasionally go to services. I would hate to be a person who didn't have a spiritual side because there's nothing to nourish you in life apart from retail therapy.[80]
Elsewhere, he has described his practice of Zen meditation.[81]
In 2016, in an interview on theBBC Radio 4Today programme, Irons stated that he would decline anhonour: "I became an actor to be arogue and avagabond so I don't think it would be apt for the establishment to pull me in as one of their own, for I ain't."[86]
In 2013, Irons said he was asmoker and an avid fan ofcigars, namingRomeo y Julieta as his favourite brand. He said, "My curse is that I'm a cigarette smoker. I make my own cigarettes. So I have a tendency to inhale when I smoke a cigar. I have to keep reminding myself not to."[87]
He is the Patron of the Emergency Response Team Search and Rescue (ERTSAR),[88] which is a United Nations–recognised life saving disaster response search and rescue team and registered charity. It is based in his home County of Oxfordshire, England. He supports a number of other charities, includingThe Prison Phoenix Trust in England, and the London-based Evidence for Development, which seeks to improve the lives of the world's most needy people by preventing famines and delivering food aid, for both of which he is an active patron.[89][90][91] In 2000, Irons received the Golden Plate Award of theAmerican Academy of Achievement presented by Awards Council memberOlivia de Havilland during the International Achievement Summit in London.[92][93]
In 2010, Irons starred in a promotional video,[94] for "The 1billionhungry project" – a worldwide drive to attract at least one million signatures to a petition calling on international leaders to move hunger to the top of the political agenda.[95]
In November 2015, Irons supported the No Cold Homes campaign by the UK charityTurn2us.[99] Irons was one of nearly thirty celebrities, who includedHelen Mirren,Hugh Laurie andEd Sheeran, to donate items of winter clothing to the campaign, with the proceeds used to help people in the UK struggling to keep their homes warm in winter.[99]
On 17 December 2017, he was awarded the XVIEurope Theatre Prize, inRome.[106] The Prize organization stated, "With Jeremy Irons, life and art have been mixed to the point of creating an inimitable style, as man and actor, which blends an air of freedom with the enviable capacity to enter into the spirit of the most varied productions, in theatre, cinema and television, without ever betraying himself or giving up his independence. In productions great and small, with an unflinching love for his profession, Jeremy Irons says of himself: "I became an actor to be a rogue and vagabond, so I don't think the establishment would be able to welcome me as one of its own – because I'm not." His versatility as an actor, as much at ease in Shakespeare as in a hit television series, comes from being part of a profession that he loves and in which he is loved."[107]
Canadian Film Awards 1968–1978,Genie Awards 1980-2011,Canadian Screen Awards 2012–present. Separate awards were presented by gender prior to 2022; a single unified category for best performance regardless of gender has been presented since.
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