Jonny Lee Miller | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Miller at the 2017Berlinale | |
| Born | Jonathan Lee Miller (1972-11-15)15 November 1972 (age 53) Kingston-upon-Thames,London, England |
| Citizenship |
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| Education | Tiffin School |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1982–present |
| Spouses | |
| Children | 1 |
| Relatives | Bernard Lee (grandfather) |
Jonathan Lee Miller (born 15 November 1972)[2] is an English actor. He achieved early success for his portrayal of Simon "Sick Boy" Williamson in the dark comedy-drama filmTrainspotting (1996) and as Dade Murphy inHackers (1995), then earning further critical recognition for his performances inAfterglow (1997),Mansfield Park (1999),Mindhunters (2004),The Flying Scotsman (2006),Endgame (2009), andT2 Trainspotting (2017). ForThe Flying Scotsman he received aLondon Film Critics' Circle nomination forActor of the Year.[3] He was also part of the principal cast in the filmsMelinda and Melinda (2004),Dark Shadows (2012), andByzantium (2013). He has appeared in several theatrical productions, most notablyAfter Miss Julie andFrankenstein, the latter of which earned him anOlivier Award forBest Actor.[4]
Miller starred as the title character in theABCcomedy dramaEli Stone, for which he received aSatellite Award nomination forBest Actor. This was followed by another starring role in theBBCcostume dramaEmma and a supporting role asJordan Chase in thefifth season of theShowtime dramaDexter. From 2012 to 2019, he starred as a modern-day version ofSherlock Holmes in theCBS crime dramaElementary, which earned him his secondSatellite Award nomination forBest Actor.[5] In 2022, he played British prime ministerJohn Major in thefifth season of theNetflix historical dramaThe Crown.
Miller was born on 15 November 1972, inKingston-upon-Thames,Greater London and was raised in south-west London. The son of Ann (née Lee) and Alan Miller, he was inspired by his parents to go into acting. Both were theatre actors.[6] His maternal grandfather was actorBernard Lee, who playedM in the first elevenJames Bond films.[6]
Miller attendedTiffin School as a child. He appeared in several school plays such asThe Ragged Child and performed as part of theTiffin Swing Band. He joined theNational Youth Music Theatre, where he met fellow actorJude Law. He left school, aged 16, after taking hisGCSEs, to pursue an acting career.[6]
Miller made his television debut with an uncredited appearance in theBBC seriesDoctor Who at the age of nine in the 1982 episodeKinda. The following year he appeared inJemima Shore and had a role as Charles Price in the serial dramaMansfield Park. In 1991, he co-starred withAlexei Sayle in'Itch, which was broadcast on Channel 4 as part of the 4 Play strand, a platform for a series of one-off plays that ran from 1989 to 1991. The play was written byAlexei Sayle andDavid Stafford. Miller played Dennis Turnbull, the teenaged son of Gordon and Susan Turnbull.[7] He then appeared in various television shows throughout the 1990s. These includedKeeping Up Appearances in 1990, followed byInspector Morse andMinder in 1991. He appeared in two separate guest roles in theITV police dramaThe Bill, one in 1991 and another in 1993, as well as single-episode roles in theBBC dramaBetween the Lines and themedical dramaCasualty, both of which were broadcast in 1992.[citation needed]
In 1993's third instalment ofPrime Suspect, Miller played a young man who had been victimised as a child by apaedophile. His first notable acting role that year was in the soap operaEastEnders, wherein he playedJonathan Hewitt. Miller later revealed he had been offered a contract to remain on the show but declined: "It was five weeks' work and I made more money there than I ever had in my life. Then they offered me a year's contract. I said no, thank God. I thought I should get out of there while I still could."[6]
In 2003, Miller appeared in theBBC modernisation ofThe Canterbury Tales in the episodeThe Pardoner's Tale and had a starring role asLord Byron in the television filmByron. He then starred alongsideRay Liotta in theCBS dramaSmith. However, the show was cancelled after only seven episodes. Miller was then cast as the title character in the legalcomedy dramaEli Stone. The show ran for two seasons onABC and he received aSatellite Award nomination forBest Actor. He then co-starred withRomola Garai in the 2009BBC costume dramaEmma asGeorge Knightley.
Miller appeared in a guest role asJordan Chase in thefifth season of theShowtime dramaDexter, for which he received a nomination forScreen Actors Guild Award for being part of the main cast in the category ofOutstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series. In early 2010, it was reported he was set to portrayRick Grimes in thetelevision adaptation of the comicThe Walking Dead. It was later revealed thatAndrew Lincoln had been cast.[8] In 2011, Miller auditioned for the role ofSherlock Holmes in theCBS adaptation based on theworks ofArthur Conan Doyle. He originally turned down the part, as he feared it would be too similar to theBBC versionSherlock. However, after reviewing the script he accepted the part, and it was officially announced he would star inElementary, alongsideLucy Liu.[9] This earned him his secondSatellite Award nomination forBest Actor.[5]
In 2021, it was announced that he was to star in season five ofThe Crown, as formerBritish Prime MinisterJohn Major.[10]
He first starred in the filmHackers (1995), withAngelina Jolie, whom he married in 1996.[6] Shortly afterHackers, Miller was cast as Sick Boy inTrainspotting. He was suggested for the role byEwan McGregor.[11] The accent he used in the film was regarded as convincing, leading some people to incorrectly believe that he was Scottish.[11] Miller has stated: "I had to do a lot of work. I read and re-read the book and I pretended to be Scottish all the time I was inGlasgow, hanging around with Scots, picking up bits and pieces on the street and in bars. Everyone's been very encouraging and Danny [Boyle, the director] thinks that I've got it about right. Of course, the others are from all over Scotland and have different accents themselves, so I've tried to just pick up a general, composite accent."[citation needed]
In 1997, he playedBilly Prior in the film adaptation ofPat Barker'sWorld War I novelRegeneration. In 2000, he played Cameron Colley inComplicity, based on the book byIain Banks. He co-starred in the filmLove, Honour and Obey as Johnny, a London street kid getting mixed up with a notorious British gangster. Also in 2000, he appeared as Simon Sheppard inWes Craven'sDracula 2000. In 2006 Miller portrayed cyclistGraeme Obree inThe Flying Scotsman.
He was considered as the third teammate to joinBen Fogle andJames Cracknell in Team QinetiQ for the Amundsen Omega 3 South Pole Race in January 2009. He participated in training for the event inNorway, which was televised for aBBC2 documentary seriesOn Thin Ice.[12] He was not able to attend the race because of filming commitments, afterEli Stone was extended for a second season.[13]
In 1997, he was involved with the creation and operation of the production companyNatural Nylon with friendJude Law.[6] The company folded in 2003.
In November 1999, he played Brito in Paul Corcoran'sFour Nights in Knaresborough at the Tricycle Theatre, London. In March 2011, at theRoyal National Theatre, he played bothVictor Frankenstein andFrankenstein's Monster on alternate nights, oppositeBenedict Cumberbatch, in a stage adaptation ofFrankenstein. Directed by Danny Boyle, the play was broadcast to cinemas worldwide as part ofNational Theatre Live on 17 March 2011 and additional dates throughout March and April.[14] He also appeared on Broadway in a production ofAfter Miss Julie, with his performance receiving very positive reviews.[15] In March 2004, he played Christian inFesten byDavid Eldridge at The Almeida Theatre in London.[16]
Miller marriedHackers co-starAngelina Jolie on 28 March 1996.Jude Law served as the best man.[18] They separated in September 1997 and divorced in 1999.[6][19] He began datingMichele Hicks in 2006. They married in July 2008 inMalibu, California.[20] The couple has one son, Buster Timothy Miller, born in December 2008.[20] They divorced in 2018.[21]
Miller is a marathon runner, often supporting the charityMencap. He was signed up to run the 2006Marathon des Sables but dropped out due to filming commitments.[22] He ran the 2008London Marathon in 3:01:40.[23] Miller is an advocate for finding treatment and cure forSanfilippo syndrome. In 2014, he addressed the Congressional caucus in Washington, D.C., on behalf ofrare disease organisations, in the hope of securing funding for treatment research.[24]
In November 2014, he became an American citizen. He is qualified as a volunteer firefighter inNew York.[25]
Miller has trained in bothMuay Thai andBrazilian jiu-jitsu at Evolution Muay Thai inNew York City. In May 2018, he took part in an exhibition Muay Thai bout held at Chok Sabai Gym in New York City, which followed a five-week training camp leading up to the event.[26]
On 1 February 2019, Miller made his Muay Thai debut at Broad Street Ballroom in New York City. He won the fight by knockout in the final round.[27]
| Kickboxing record | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Win, 0 Losses, 0 Draw, 1 KO, 1 NC | ||||||||
| Date | Result | Opponent | Event | Location | Method | Round | Time | |
| 2019-02-01 | Win |  Robert Bermudez | Friday Night Fights | Broad Street Ballroom, New York City, NY | KO (Punches) | 3 | ||
Legend: Win Loss Draw/No contest Notes
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | Hackers | Dade Murphy [aka "Zero Cool" / "Crash Override"] | |
| 1996 | Trainspotting | Simon "Sick Boy" Williamson | |
| Dead Man's Walk | Woodrow F. Call | ||
| 1997 | Afterglow | Jeffrey Byron | |
| Regeneration | 2nd Lt. Billy Prior | ||
| 1999 | Plunkett & Macleane | Macleane | |
| Mansfield Park | Edmund Bertram | ||
| 2000 | Love, Honour and Obey | Jonny | |
| Complicity | Cameron Colley | ||
| Dracula 2000 | Simon Sheppard | ||
| 2002 | The Escapist | Denis Hopkins | |
| 2004 | Mindhunters | Lucas Harper | |
| Melinda and Melinda | Lee | ||
| 2005 | Æon Flux | Oren Goodchild | |
| 2006 | The Flying Scotsman | Graeme Obree | |
| 2009 | Endgame | Michael Young | |
| 2012 | Dark Shadows | Roger Collins | |
| Byzantium | The Captain | ||
| 2017 | T2 Trainspotting | Simon "Sick Boy" Williamson | |
| 2020 | Funny Face | Developer | |
| 2021 | Settlers | Reza | |
| 2022 | Alice | Paul Bennet | |
| 2023 | The Covenant | Colonel Vokes | |
| TBA | The Uprising† | Filming |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | Doctor Who | Kinda child(uncredited) | Episode: "Kinda: Part One" |
| 1983 | Jemima Shore Investigates | Boy with dog | Episode: "A Little Bit of Wildlife" |
| Mansfield Park | Charles Price | 2 episodes | |
| 1990 | Keeping Up Appearances | The Youth | Episode: "Daisy's Toyboy" |
| 1991 | 4 Play | Dennis Turnbull | Episode: "Itch" |
| The Bill | Simon Cooper | Episode: "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" | |
| Inspector Morse | Student | Episode: "Greeks Bearing Gifts" | |
| Minder | Auctioneer's assistant | Episode: "Three Cons Make a Mountain" | |
| 1992 | EastEnders | Jonathan Hewitt | 6 episodes |
| Between the Lines | David Ringwood | Episode: "The Only Good Copper" | |
| Casualty | Matt | Episode: "Tender Loving Care" | |
| Second Thoughts | Chas | Episode: "Short Change" | |
| Goodbye Cruel World | Mark | Miniseries | |
| 1993 | Prime Suspect 3 | Anthony Field | Episode: "Part II" |
| The Bill | Lee Gibson | Episode: "Mighty Atoms" | |
| 1994 | Cadfael | Edwin Gurney | Episode: "Monk's Hood" |
| 1996 | Dead Man's Walk | Woodrow Call | 3 episodes |
| 1999 | Operation Good Guys | Himself | Episode: "Stardust" |
| 2003 | The Canterbury Tales | Arty | Episode: "The Pardoner's Tale" |
| Byron | Lord Byron | 2 episodes | |
| 2006–2007 | Smith | Tom | 7 episodes |
| 2008–2009 | Eli Stone | Eli Stone | 26 episodes |
| 2009 | Emma | Mr. Knightley | 4 episodes |
| 2010 | Dexter | Jordan Chase | 6 episodes |
| 2012–2019 | Elementary | Sherlock Holmes | Main role, 154 episodes, also director of 3 episodes |
| 2022[28] | The Crown | John Major[29] | Main role (season 5) |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | Beautiful Thing | Ste | Bush Theatre |
| 1999 | Four Knights in Knaresborough | Brito | Tricycle Theatre |
| 2004 | Festen | Christian | Almeida Theatre |
| 2005 | Someone Who'll Watch Over Me | Adam | Ambassadors Theatre |
| 2009 | After Miss Julie | John | American Airlines Theatre |
| 2011 | Frankenstein | Victor Frankenstein Frankenstein's monster | Royal National Theatre |
| 2019 | Ink | Larry Lamb | Manhattan Theatre Club |
| 2023 | A Mirror | Čelik | Almeida Theatre |
| 2024[30] | A Mirror | Čelik | Trafalgar Theatre |
| Year | Award | Category | Nominated work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | BAFTA Award | Best Actor in a Scottish Film | The Flying Scotsman | Nominated |
| London Film Critics Circle Award | Best British Actor of the Year | Nominated | ||
| 2008 | Satellite Award | Best Actor – Television Series Musical or Comedy | Eli Stone | Nominated |
| 2010 | Screen Actors Guild Award | Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series | Dexter | Nominated |
| 2012 | Olivier Award | Best Actor in a Play | Frankenstein | Won |
| Satellite Award | Best Actor – Television Series Drama | Elementary | Nominated | |
| Teen Choice Award | Choice TV Actor – Action | Nominated |
