This very English actor began by busking, and then joined the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School His first break came in the musical Godspell, when he played John the Baptist alongside David Essex. Once described as 'the thinking woman's pin up' he has made his name in most notable, thought provoking films such as Dead Ringers and gained a Golden Globe Award in addition to an Oscar for Best Actor in 1990 for his role as Claus von Bulow in Reversal of Fortune alongside 'Glenn Close' (q).
He won a Tony in 1984 for "The Real Thing". Father of Samuel Irons. An exceptionaly good horseman and enjoys skiing. Hates cooking, but loves gardening and the beauty of nature. Born at 2:00am-BST Was ticketed in England for driving 97 mph. on his BMW motorcycle on June 1, 1995. Irons was charged with speeding and fined $225.00 and had his motorcycle license suspended for three months. Son-in-law of Cyril Cusack. Brother-in-law of Sorcha Cusack, Niamh Cusack and Catherine Cusack. Owns Kilcoe Castle (which he had painted a rusty pink) in County Cork, Ireland, and has become involved in local politics. He has twice played characters with the same first and last name. The first in Lolita (Humbert Humbert) and second in And Now... Ladies and Gentlemen... (Valentin Valentin). In 1996, he became the fourteenth performer to win the Triple Crown of acting. Oscar: Best Actor, Reversal of Fortune, Tony: Best Actor-Play, 'The Real Thing' (1984), and Emmy: Best Voice-Over Performance, The Great War and the Shaping of the 20th Century. Narrated the "Spaceship Earth" attraction in Epcot. Won Broadway's 1984 Tony Award as Best Actor (Play) for Tom Stoppard's "The Real Thing." Two sons, Sam and Max. Member of jury at the Cannes Film Festival in 2000 At the 1990 Oscars, Irons concluded his acceptance speech for best actor in Reversal of Fortune by thanking "David". The "David" was David Cronenberg, who directed Irons the previous year in Dead Ringers. Two sons, Samuel (b. 16 September 1978) and Maximilian (b. 17 Oct 1985). The "Series of Unfortunate Events" novels by Daniel Handler make reference to three of his characters. In Reversal of Fortune, he plays Klaus von Bulow, husband to Sunny von Bulow. Two of the lead characters in Handler's novels are named Klaus and Sunny Baudelaire. In The Carnivorous Carnival, Klaus and his other sister Violet disguise themselves as circus freaks named Beverly and Elliot, which are the names of the identical twin gynecologists that Irons plays in Dead Ringers. In 2003, he appeared in a Comic Relief sketch entitled Harry Potter and the Secret Chamberpot of Azerbaijan. Irons played Severus Snape, a character played in the films by Alan Rickman. Irons and Rickman play brothers in the Die Hard films. Has a signet ring with his initials (JJI) engraved on it. He currently owns Audi A6 Quatro estate, BMW cruising bike, and Ducati motorbike. He has owned Morris Minor, Honda 50, and a Volkswagen rag-top Beetle. Son of Paul Dugan Irons and Barbara Anne Brereton Brymer. His previous jobs include assistant stage manager, house-cleaner, "busker" (singing and playing guitar outside movie theaters), and gardener. Was one of the cast members of cult seventies children's programme, Playaway, from which clips featuring him are regularly repeated on 'Before They Were Famous...' type programmes