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". Born at 2:00am-BST. Son-in-law of Cyril Cusack. Owns Kilcoe Castle (which he had painted a rusty pink) in County Cork, Ireland, and has become involved in local politics. In 1996, he became the fourteenth performer to win the Triple Crown of acting. Oscar: Best Actor, Reversal of Fortune (1990), Tony: Best Actor-Play, "The Real Thing" (1984) and Emmy: Best Voice-Over Performance, "The Great War and the Shaping of the 20th Century" (1996). Won Broadway's 1984 Tony Award as Best Actor (Play) for Tom Stoppard's "The Real Thing." At the 1990 Oscars, Irons concluded his acceptance speech for best actor in Reversal of Fortune (1990) by thanking "David". The "David" was David Cronenberg, who directed Irons the previous year in Dead Ringers (1988). The "Series of Unfortunate Events" novels by Daniel Handler make reference to three of his characters. In Reversal of Fortune, he plays Klaus von Bülow, husband to Sunny von Bülow. 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. Has a signet ring with the insignia PDI engraved on it. It belonged to his father Paul Dugan Irons. Born to Paul Dugan Irons, an accountant, and Barbara Anne Sharpe a homemaker, he has a brother, Christopher and a sister Felicity. 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 One of the first celebrities to wear the recently created Red Ribbon, supporting the fight against AIDS (1991). Attended Sherborne School in Dorset until 1966. Helped to financially Sponser British Character Actor Stephen Manwaring whilst Stephen was at The Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts in 1999-2002. In 2004 he declared his support for the Countryside Alliance. Confessed to Pat Kenny on Irish TV, "The Late Late Show" (1962), that one of his guilty pleasures was sifting through dumpsters in search of discarded "treasures".