Biography
Bearing the sort of sensual, androgynous looks that would have landed him in Calvin Klein ads if he hadn't gone into acting, Jonathan Rhys-Meyers has been making a name for himself in roles that call for a certain kind of alluringly deviant behavior. Since 1996, Rhys-Meyers has given trouble a good name in such films as
Velvet Goldmine and
The Governess.
Born July 27, 1977, in Dublin, Ireland, Rhys-Meyers led a tumultuous childhood after his father abandoned his family when the actor was only two and a half. His troubles accumulated as he grew older, culminating with his being kicked out of school at the age of 16. Rhys-Meyers took to hanging about in pool halls, where he was discovered by a casting agent. The agent encouraged him to audition for the film
War of the Buttons; when Rhys-Meyers failed to get the part, he gave up on acting. However, he was soon asked to do some commercials, which in turn led to his film debut with a small role in
A Man of No Importance (1994). A starring role as an errant runaway in
The Disappearance of Finbar (1996) followed, as did a brief but memorable turn as the assassin of the titular hero in
Michael Collins (1996).
After more film work, including a supporting role as
Brad Renfro's nemesis in
Telling Lies in America, Rhys-Meyers landed the lead in
Todd Haynes' much-anticipated
Velvet Goldmine (1998). Despite the hype surrounding the director's celebration of and requiem for the early-'70s glam rock scene, as well as the presence of actors
Christian Bale,
Toni Collette, and
Ewan McGregor, the film was far from a critical or box office smash, despite developing a loyal cult following. However, Rhys-Meyers continued to stay busy, making
The Governess with
Minnie Driver the same year and
Michael Radford's B. Monkey the next (the film would eventually be released the following year). In 1999, he starred in a number of high-profile projects: in addition to
Mike Figgis'
The Loss of Sexual Innocence, he appeared as part of a "hot young things" lineup in
Ang Lee's
Ride With the Devil, starring with such up-and-comers as
Tobey Maguire and
Skeet Ulrich, and then turned his talents to interpreting Shakespeare in
Titus, Julie Taymor's adaptation of Titus Andronicus.
While continuing to appear in independent, left-of-center films such as
Prozac Nation and
Happy Now, Rhys-Meyers had a bit of a mainstream breakthrough when the indie comedy
Bend It Like Beckham became a surprise hit in 2003. This might have made the actor's unique face more familiar to movie makers, as he was soon seen with
Reese Witherspoon in the period movie
Vanity Fair, and in the
Oliver Stone epic
Alexander. These main-stream successes were nothing, however, compared to the coveted role of
Elvis Presley that he won in 2005. The high-profile CBS mini series
Elvis exposed Rhys-Myers to American audiences like never before, and he picked up a Golden Globe Award for his performance.
That same year, the Irish lad starred with
Scarlett Johansson in the
Woody Allen drama
Match Point. Widely regarded as the best movie from the legendary director in well over ten years, the role helped to cement Rhys-Myer's position in American cinema, as evidenced by the fact that he soon afterward joined the cast of action thriller Mission Impossible III.
~ Rebecca Flint Marx, All Movie Guide