Biography
A Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts graduate and long-time member of the Royal Shakespeare Company, Jonathan Hyde gradually became one of Britain's most respected stage thespians before switching his attention to Hollywood, appearing in a string of 1990s blockbusters including "Jumanji" (1995), "Titanic" (1997) and "The Mummy" (1999). Bon in Brisbane, Australia in 1948, Hyde moved to London in 1969 where after watching Ian McKellen's portrayal of Richard II, he decided to pursue acting as a profession and subsequently landed a place at the city's prestigious Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts. Hyde's early career largely focused on the stage, but after making his on-screen debut in an episode of chilling anthology "Supernatural" (BBC, 1977), he continued to crop up in various TV movies, miniseries and British films, most notably as Nero's chief advisor Tigellinus in the biblical epic "A.D." (NBC, 1985), early Baroque painter Baglione in the fictionalised biopic "Caravaggio" (1986) and barrister Edward Marshall Hall in Edwardian courtroom drama "Shadow Of The Noose" (BBC, 1989). But after suffering a self-described bout of 'mental fatigue' due to the treadmill of nightly theatre performances, Hyde then made a concerted attempt to break into Hollywood and soon after landed the role of Macauley Culkin's trustworthy butler Herbert in family comedy "Richie Rich" (1994). Hyde went onto grace a number of '90s box-office hits including "Jumanji" (1995) as both Robin Williams' father and intrepid hunter Van Pelt, jungle horror "Anaconda" (1997) as documentary narrator Warren Westridge, and "Titanic" (1997) as the White Star Line's managing director, Bruce Ismay. After playing Egyptologist Dr. Allen Chamberlain in "The Mummy" (1999), Hyde took a break from blockbusters in favour of smaller fare such as the biopic of seminal Russian director "Eisenstein" (2000), the small-screen adaptation of "The Prince and the Pauper" (Hallmark Channel, 2000) and Irish-American spy thriller "The Tailor Of Panama" (2001). Following roles as Roman Empire politician Flavius Felix in miniseries "Attila" (USA Network, 2001) and Prince John in action-adventure "Princess Of Thieves" (ABC, 2001), Hyde guested on the Emmy Award-winning "Dinotopia" (Disney Channel, 2002) and British crime dramas "Midsomer Murders" (ITV, 1997-) and "The Brief" (ITV, 2004-05) before showing up in political satire "Land Of The Blind" (2006) and cat-and-mouse thriller "The Contract" (2006). After returning to the RSC in a production of "King Lear," Hyde then reprised his role as the Earl Of Kent for its TV adaptation in 2008 and landed a recurring role as Russian minister Ilya Gavrik in the final series of British espionage hit "Spooks" (BBC1, 2002-2011). Appearances in "Foyle's War" (ITV, 2002-15) and "Endeavour" (ITV, 2012- ) then followed before Hyde was cast as Eldritch Palmer, the elderly billionaire who will stop at nothing to obtain immortality in Guillermo del Toro's vampire horror "The Strain" (FX, 2014- ).
