Jonathan Rhys Meyers

Infobox actor

---

caption = Meyers at London premiere of
"", 25 April 2006
birthname = Jonathan Michael Francis O'Keeffe
birthdate = birth date and age|1977|7|27
birthplace = Cork, Ireland
occupation = Actor
yearsactive = 1994 – present
domesticpartner = Reena Hammer (2004-)
goldenglobeawards = Best Actor - Miniseries or TV Movie
2005 "Elvis"
iftaawards = Best Actor in Television
2007 "The Tudors"
awards = Satellite Award for Best Actor - Miniseries or TV Film
2005 "Elvis"

Jonathan Rhys Meyers (born Jonathan Michael Francis O’Keeffe; 27 July 1977) is an Irish film and television actor. He is best known for playing King Henry VIII in the Showtime cable television drama The Tudors and for his androgynous appearance.Monroe, Justin. [http://www.complex.com/CELEBRITIES/Cover-Story/Jonathan-Rhys-Meyers "Reign Man"] , "Complex", October 2007. Accessed 10 April 2008.] Wolf, Matt. [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C04EFDF123EF930A2575AC0A96E958260 "Earning an 'A' for Androgyny on the Screen"] , "New York Times", 13 September 1998. Accessed 10 April 2008.] His looks and distinct style allow him to also work as a model, most notably for Club Monaco, Versace, and Hugo Boss.

Biography

Early life

Rhys Meyers was born Jonathan Michael Francis O’Keeffe in Dublin, Ireland, the son of Geraldine Meyers and musician John O'Keeffe. [ [http://www.filmreference.com/film/26/Jonathan-Rhys-Meyers.html Film Reference.com] .] [ [http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/contributor/1800019579/bio Meyers biography. Yahoo! movies.] ] His stage name is derived from his mother's maiden name, Meyers.

Rhys Meyers was born with a serious heart problem and was baptized shortly after his birth, as it was feared he would not survive long enough for a traditional baptism ceremony. He spent the first few months of his life in the hospital. Rhys Meyers still lives in County Cork, Ireland where his family moved when he was a few months old. He has three younger brothers named Jamie, Alan and Paul, who are all professional musicians. [http://www.bbc.co.uk/jersey/content/articles/2005/08/30/theoks_group.shtml "BBC - Jersey - Entertainment - the OKs"] , BBC.co.uk ] [http://www.myspace.com/oksofficial "The OKs Official Myspace"] Accessed 30 September 2008] .

When Rhys Meyers was three years old, his parents separated. His mother raised Jonathan and his brother Alan, while his other two brothers went to live at their grandmother's house with their father. They had spoken every day for several years.

Career

Rhys Meyers was expelled from the North Monastery Secondary School at age 16, and spent much of his time hanging out in pool halls namely the Victoria Sporting Club on Patricks Quay and the Coliseum Leisure Centre on McCurtain Street. Casting agents looking for Irish boys to appear in "War of the Buttons" spotted Rhys Meyers at a Cork pool hall, the Victoria Sporting Club, and invited him to audition. Although he was passed over for "War of the Buttons", the casting agents encouraged him to pursue a career in acting. His first film role came soon afterward, in "A Man of No Importance (1994)." In 1996 he appeared in "Michael Collins", as Collins' assassin.

Rhys Meyers has starred in television series including "Gormenghast" (2000) and in the CBS 4-hour mini-series "Elvis" (2005) as Elvis Presley alongside Rose McGowan as Ann-Margret. The latter earned him an Emmy nomination and a Golden Globe win. [http://www.goldenglobes.org/nominations/year/2005 "2006 Golden Globe Awards Nominations & Winners"] , "HFPA.org", January 2006. Accessed 14 April 2008] He is currently starring in the Showtime cable series "The Tudors" (2007) as young King Henry VIII. He was nominated for the Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Television Drama in 2007 for the role. [http://www.goldenglobes.org/nominations/year/2007 "2008 Golden Globe Awards Nominations & Winners"] , "HFPA.org", January 2008. Accessed 14 April 2008.]

His film roles range from a David Bowie-inspired glam rock star in "Velvet Goldmine" (1998) to a dedicated girls' football coach in "Bend It Like Beckham" (2002). He appeared in "Vanity Fair" (2004) alongside Reese Witherspoon. In 2005, Rhys Meyers starred in Woody Allen's film "Match Point", for which he received a Chopard Trophy at the Cannes Film Festival. In 2006, he appeared in "". Other projects include "August Rush" (2007) and "The Children of Huang Shi" (2008). He is rumored to be appearing in Danny Glover's Haitian epic "Toussaint" (2008) and signed on to star as Lee Falk's comic strip hero "Mandrake the Magician" in an upcoming movie directed by Jay Russell. Upcoming projects include "Shelter", co-starring Julianne Moore, and "From Paris With Love", co-starring John TravoltaTartaglione, Nancy [http://www.screendaily.com/ScreenDailyArticle.aspx?intStoryID=41014&Category "EuropaCorp begins shoot on From Paris With Love"] , "Screen Daily", September 23, 2008. Accessed 24 September 2008.] .

Rhys Meyers, a self-taught singer and guitarist, has appeared in a number of musical roles. His first such role was that of rock star Brian Slade in "Velvet Goldmine"; two of the songs he sang ("Baby's On Fire" and "Tumbling Down") are on the film's soundtrack. He sang briefly in the TV miniseries version of "The Magnificent Ambersons", performed in studio scenes of the miniseries "Elvis" and played the flute on several occasions in "Gormenghast". In the 2007 music drama "August Rush", Rhys Meyers performed on-screen as singer-songwriter Louis Connelly and is credited for four songs on the soundtrack - "Break", "Moondance", "Something Inside" and "This Time". Of the four, "This Time" and "Break" were considered in the Best Original Song category of the 80th Academy Awards [http://www.oscars.org/press/pressreleases/2007/07.12.12.html "59 Songs Tune Up for 2007 Oscar"] , "Oscars.org", December 12, 2007] "This Time" was not released as a single but peaked at #84 of the Canadian Hot 100 [http://acharts.us/song/35132 "Jonathan Rhys Meyers - This Time"] , "aCharts.us". Accessed 30 September 2008] .

Rhys Meyers was chosen as the face for the Versace men's collection of Autumn/Winter 2006 and Spring 2007, and he has also been the face of the Hugo Boss men's fragrance range since 2005. He is signed to Independent Models in London.

Rhys Meyers recently added philanthropy to his already impressive CV. In February of 2008 he became a celebrity ambassador for [http://www.http://www.hopefoundation.ie/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&layout=blog&id=46&Itemid=13.com The Hope Foundation] . This Cork-based charity aims to provide shelter and supplies to Calcutta's impoverished street children. Rhys Meyers hopes that lending his name to the organization will help raise awareness of the issue. As Ambassador he is expected to visit India and record a TV documentary for the charity. [http://www.rte.ie/arts/2008/0218/rhysmeyersj.html "Rhys Meyers to help Calcutta children"] , "RTE Entertainment", February 18, 2008. Accessed 06 October 2008]

On October 5th, 2008, Rhys Meyers received an Honourary Patronage from the Trinity College Philosophical Society in Dublin, Ireland.

Personal life

Rhys Meyers has been romantically linked to several actresses in the past, including his "Velvet Goldmine" co-star Toni Collette. The pair were together for a year following the completion of the film. Other short relationships include Rachael Leigh Cook (rumoured), Asia Argento (during the filming of B. Monkey), Irish model Glenda Gilson (rumoured), [Ily, Chrissy. [http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/showbiz/showbiznews.html?in_article_id=488463&in_page_id=1773 King Henry the sexy! Jonathan Rhys Meyers on how he brought a lusty monarch to life.] Daily Mail. 19 October 2007] and Estella Warren (rumoured). He and co-star Scarlett Johansson both denied persistent rumors of romantic involvement while working on "Match Point". His engagement to Dublin socialite/model Cha Cha Seigne, whom he considers his first true love, ended in separation in 2002. He has also been linked to English socialite Lady Victoria Hervey in the past and dated fashion model Lisa Butcher on and off for a year, beginning in the summer of 2002, where they met in France at a party held for the film The Importance of Being Earnest.

In 2004, Rhys Meyers met Reena Hammer, London-based student and heiress to mother Ruby Hammer's cosmetics line (Ruby & Millie) and father George Hammer, owner of Urban Retreat Spa at Harrods. The relationship has been on and off through the years with frequent rumors of engagements. Ms. Hammer is often by his side for premieres, events, and at the November 2007 funeral of Jonathan's mother. They attended the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute Gala, in New York on Monday, May 5, 2008M&C News. [http://www.monstersandcritics.com/people/features/article_1404286.php/In_photos_Superheroes_Fashion_and_Fantasy_Costume_Institute_Gala?page=27 "In photos: 'Superheroes: Fashion and Fantasy Costume Institute Gala'"] , "Monsters & Critics", 12 May 2005. Accessed 20 May 2008] and were most recently seen together on June 12, 2008 attending the Monte Carlo Television Festival.

In May 2005, Rhys Meyers checked into rehab facility Promises in California seeking treatment for alcohol abuse. On 24 April 2007, the Associated Press reported that Rhys Meyers returned to treatment. The actor's representative Meredith O'Sullivan confirmed the news to People magazine citing his need to take a break from his busy schedule in order to maintain sobriety. [ [http://www.rte.ie/arts/2007/0424/rhysmeyersj.html Jonathan Rhys Meyers checks into rehab.] RTE.ie 24 April 2007.] On Sunday 18 November 2007 Rhys Meyers was arrested in Dublin Airport and charged with being drunk and in breach of the peace. He was later released on bail to appear at the Dublin District Court on 5 December 2007. [ [http://www.rte.ie/news/2007/1118/rhysmeyersj.html Actor Rhys Meyers arrested at Dublin airport] RTÉ.ie/News 18 November 2007.] He was in Dublin to promote his new movie "August Rush" on the Irish television programme "Tubridy Tonight". The charges were later dropped.

On November 20, 2007, the actor's mother, Geraldine Meyers-O'Keeffe, died after being admitted to the Mercy Hospital in Cork. She was 50 years old. [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/7105386.stm "Rhys Meyers mourns mother's death".] BBC News. 21 November 2007.]

He owns houses and apartments in Nichols Canyon, Dublin, London and Morocco, splitting his time between Los Angeles and London when not working.

Filmography

Feature films

Television

Awards and nominations

Emmy Awards

* Nominated: Outstanding Lead Actor - Miniseries or a Movie (2005), "Elvis"

Golden Globe Awards

* Won: Best Actor in a Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television (2006), "Elvis"
* Nominated: Best Actor in a Television Series (2008), "The Tudors"

Irish Film & Television Awards (IFTA)

* Won: Best Lead Actor - Television (2008), "The Tudors"

Other awards

* Nominated: London Film Critics Circle Awards, British Newcomer of the Year (1998), "Velvet Goldmine", "The Disappearance of Finbar", "The Governess"
* Won: Venice International Television Festival, Canal Grande Award for the Best Young Promising Actor (2002), "The Magnificent Ambersons"
* Won: Chopard Trophy, Outstanding Newcomer (2005), "Match Point"
* Won: Satellite Awards, Outstanding Actor in a Miniseries or a Motion Picture Made for Television (2005), "The Tudors"
* Won: "GQ UK" Men of the Year Awards, Lab Series Man of the Year (2006)
* Won: "Monte Carlo Television Festival" Golden Nymph Awards, Best Performance by an Actor - Drama (2008), "The Tudors"Whelan, Natalie. [http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2008/jun/13/television2 "Brits dominate Golden Nymph Awards"] , "The Guardian", 13 June 2008. Accessed 13 June 2008.]

References

External links

*imdb name|id=0001667|name=Jonathan Rhys Meyers