JONATHAN RHYS-MEYERS
Name: Jonathan Rhys Meyers
Birth name: Jonathan Michael O'Keeffe
Born: 27 July 1977 Dublin, Ireland
Jonathan Rhys Meyers (born 27 July 1977) is an Irish Golden Globe-winning actor
and fashion model.
Meyers was born Jonathan Michael Francis O'Keeffe in Dublin, Ireland, the son of
Geraldine Meyers and John O'Keeffe, who was a musician. His stage name is
derived from his mother's maiden name, Myers.
Rhys Meyers was born with a serious heart problem and was baptised 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.
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.
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 not been in close contact
for some years.
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.
He is currently starring in the Showtime 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.
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 Mission:
Impossible III. Other projects include August Rush (2007) and "The Children of
Huang Shi" (2007). He is in talks to play Branwell Brontë in the movie Bronte,
and is rumored to be appearing in Danny Glover's Haitian epic Toussaint (2008).
He is also signed on to star as Lee Falk's comic strip hero Mandrake the
Magician in an upcoming movie directed by Chuck Russell.
Rhys Meyers also has experience as a singer. He did much of his own singing in
the role of rock star Brian Slade in Velvet Goldmine, although some of these
songs were replaced on the CD release of the soundtrack with alternate tracks by
better-known vocalists. Rhys Meyers also sings briefly in the TV miniseries
version of The Magnificent Ambersons. His singing voice is also featured in his
film August Rush.
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.
Name: Jonathan Rhys Meyers
Birth name: Jonathan Michael O'Keeffe
Born: 27 July 1977 Dublin, Ireland
Jonathan Rhys Meyers (born 27 July 1977) is an Irish Golden Globe-winning actor
and fashion model.
Meyers was born Jonathan Michael Francis O'Keeffe in Dublin, Ireland, the son of
Geraldine Meyers and John O'Keeffe, who was a musician. His stage name is
derived from his mother's maiden name, Myers.
Rhys Meyers was born with a serious heart problem and was baptised 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.
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.
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 not been in close contact
for some years.
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.
He is currently starring in the Showtime 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.
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 Mission:
Impossible III. Other projects include August Rush (2007) and "The Children of
Huang Shi" (2007). He is in talks to play Branwell Brontë in the movie Bronte,
and is rumored to be appearing in Danny Glover's Haitian epic Toussaint (2008).
He is also signed on to star as Lee Falk's comic strip hero Mandrake the
Magician in an upcoming movie directed by Chuck Russell.
Rhys Meyers also has experience as a singer. He did much of his own singing in
the role of rock star Brian Slade in Velvet Goldmine, although some of these
songs were replaced on the CD release of the soundtrack with alternate tracks by
better-known vocalists. Rhys Meyers also sings briefly in the TV miniseries
version of The Magnificent Ambersons. His singing voice is also featured in his
film August Rush.
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.