Jonathan Rhys Meyers
Jonathan Rhys Meyers is an Irish actor and model born in 1977. 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 bi-sexual glam rock singer David Bowie 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".
Not to be confused with John Rhys Davies.
Oh...and he's also rather attractive. Did we mention that?
Notable roles include:
- The Assassin, Michael Collins (1996)
- Brian Slade, Velvet Goldmine (1998)
- Pitt Mackeson, Ride With The Devil (1999)
- Chiron, Titus (1999)
- Steerpike, Gormenghast (2000, BBC mini-series)
- Joe, Bend It Like Beckham (2002)
- Davey, I'll Sleep When I'm Dead (2003)
- George Osborne, Vanity Fair (2004)
- Cassander, Alexander (2004)
- Chris Wilton, Match Point (2005)
- Elvis Presley, Elvis (2005 - TV mini-series)
- Declan, |Mission: Impossible III (2006)
- Louis Connely, August Rush (2007)
- King Henry VIII, The Tudors (2007-2010)
- James Reese, From Paris with Love (2010)
- Adam, Shelter (2010)
Tropes applicable to this actor include:
- All Girls Want Bad Boys
- Attractive Bent Gender: Although this is no longer the case in recent years, many of his early roles were highly sexually ambiguous, most notably Velvet Goldmine [dead link] and Titus.
- Bishonen: Particularly in his youth.
- Blue Eyes: He has a particularly striking pair.
- Dark and Troubled Past
- Death Glare
- Draco in Leather Pants: His villainous characters are ridiculously prone to this, for some strange reason. Yes, even the one from Match Point.
- Estrogen Brigade Bait
- Heroic Build: Jonathan deliberately strove to attain this and gained about 30lbs of muscle in 2004 to make himself suitable for more masculine roles, as he felt he was being typecast due to his bishie appearance. Check out the before and after [dead link].
- Mean Character, Nice Actor: Not only is he this trope, but it as well as its inverse seem to be his impression of most actors.
- Shirtless Scene
- Stage Name: He was originally Jonathan O’Keefe, but changed his name when he went into acting.
