On this day, September 19, British actor Jeremy Irons celebrates his 75th birthday.

Jeremy Irons celebrates his 75th birthday today. The actor was born on the Isle of Wight in the English Channel, the family only moved to England once a year. He also boasts Irish ancestry on his mother's side, and nowadays he spends most of his time in the 15th-century Kilcoe Castle in Ireland, which he bought in ruins and partly renovated with his own hands - he does not deny that he took on some of his film roles specifically for this, for financial reasons.

He played the drums and accordion in the school band, and after he was not accepted to the veterinary university, he decided to become an actor. He paid for his theater studies in Bristol by working as a gardener, street musician and cleaner, his first role was as Saint John the Baptist in the musical Godspell. This was followed by TV movies:

he played Ferenc Liszt in a BBC production, and made his debut on the big screen in the drama about the ballet dancer Nyizinsky.

Critics noticed her when, following the recommendation of Nobel Prize-winning author Harold Pinter, she starred alongside Laurence Olivier and John Gielgud in the costume TV version of Evelyn Waugh's The Last Visit. The breakthrough came in 1981 with The French Lieutenant's Lover, a romantic drama set in the Victorian era, with Meryl Streep as his partner.

This was followed by the film drama Swann's Love, based on Proust's novel. In the mission, he played a South American Jesuit priest, and then played in films by directors such as Bernardo Bertolucci (Stolen Beauty), Adrian Lyne (Lolita), David Cronenberg (Butterfly Boy, Two Bodies and One Soul - in the latter he was both members of the identical twin pair), Steven Soderbergh (Kafka), Franco Zeffirelli (Mindorökké Callas) or David Lynch (Inland Empire).

He achieved one of his biggest successes in 1990 in the film A fortune turns, directed by Barbet Schroeder.

For his portrayal of Claus von Bülow, an impoverished aristocrat suspected of murdering his wife but eventually acquitted, he received the film world's most prestigious award, the Oscar and the Golden Globe.

In the costume adventure film The Iron Mask, he disguised himself as Aramis, one of the three bodyguards, and in the drama Fate, he seduced his son's love. He got a leading role in the romantic family drama The Haunted House, based on Isabel Allende's book, directed by Bille August, and he was the "main villain" terrorist in the third part of Die Hard.

He filmed a Shakespearean drama (The Venetian Squid), directed István Szabó in Wonderful Juliet, proved his talent in the Kingdom of Heaven set during the Crusades and in the fantasy Eragon, and donned a bishop's robes for a Casanova adaptation. TV viewers could see him, among others, in the series Special Case Department.

In the BBC Shakespeare series IV. He played the title role of Henrik in the American TV series about the Borgias, the first season of which was filmed in Hungary, VI. He shaped Pope Alexander.

He is a fan of Hungary

The actor has already discovered our country for himself countless times. In 1980, the 75-year-old star filmed his film Nyizsinskij in Hungary, and then he visited Budapest for the first time, then he returned to film Mr. Butterfly, Juliet and the Showtime hit series The Borgias. A few years ago, the actor wrote a rather flattering article about his experiences for The New York Times Style Magazine, in which he told that when he was not filming, he discovered the wonderful, sometimes faded beauty of the city by motorbike.

Among his films made in the last decade and a half, the most memorable are Krízispont, which tells the story of the financial collapse of 2008, and Fast Midnight to Lisbon, directed by Bille August, based on the book success of Pascal Mercier. In 2016, he starred in the film Batman v Superman, and then filmed the thriller Red Sparrow in Budapest.

Several of his films were released in 2021: in the historical film drama Munich, set in the fall of 1938, he portrayed British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain, he played in the biographical work about the Italian fashion house, The House of Gucci, which was followed by an action film, Zack Snyder: The Justice League.

This year was the premiere of the American superhero film The Flash.

In addition to his Oscar, Irons received the Emmy Award, known as the television Oscar, three times, the Golden Globe Award twice (for the historical drama Elizabeth in 2005, he was awarded both awards), and in 1984 he was also recognized with the Tony Award, considered the theater Oscar (Tom He was Glenn Close's partner in Stoppard's play The Thing on Broadway), so he is a member of the EGOT group.

He is also the recipient of the honorary César Award and the Lifetime Achievement Award of the European Film Academy, and was even nominated for a Grammy Award in 1985. He has worked with the prestigious Royal Shakespeare Company and the Bristol Old Vic theatre. After a twenty-year hiatus, he returned to the stage in 2006 as General Henrik in the adaptation of the Márai novel A gertyák csonkig égnek, and five years ago he appeared in O'Neill's play Long Road to the Night.

He lent his voice to several cartoon characters, his audio books were published, he was the narrator of educational and documentary films, and in 1985 he directed a music video for Carly Simon.

He also acted as president of the jury of several film festivals.

Jeremy Irons, with his aristocratic appearance and natural elegance, has been living with his second wife, Irish actress Sinéad Cusack, for four and a half decades, with whom he starred in two films, and even appeared in some films with Irons' two sons.

In his spare time, the environmentalist actor enjoys horse riding and gardening, is obsessed with speed, owns several motorbikes, and is an enthusiastic fan of the Portsmouth FC football team. He was one of the first celebrities to wear a red ribbon to support the fight against AIDS, and he is a supporter of many charitable foundations and events.

A decade and a half ago, British scientists came to the conclusion that his organ best approximates the perfect male voice. His characteristic, deep voice can also be heard by those who visit Westminster Abbey by using the English-language audio guide, and on the Internet he recites the poem "Life is Juicy" by the composer-conductor Leonard Bernstein.

MTI

Cover photo: Annette Bening and Jeremy Irons filmed István Szabó's film Wonderful Julia in Budapest and Kecskemét (Photo: MTI/ Attila Kovács