Biography
Welsh actor Jonathan Pryce turned a successful stage career into an equally prominent position in film and television. Born in Carmel in Flintshire County, Wales, he studied at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. He began his stage career in Liverpool, acting occasionally on screen as well, most notably in the Stephen Frears' TV movies "Daft as a Brush" (BBC Two, 1975) and "Play Things" (BBC Two, 1976). His star rose considerably with the starring role in the Trevor Griffiths play "Comedians" in 1975. Pryce moved with the show to Broadway in a Mike Nichols directed production in 1977 and earned a Tony Award. He maintained a presence on screen, appearing in films like "Breaking Glass" (1980) and on television in the sitcom "Roger Doesn't Live Here Anymore" (BBC Two, 1981). His film career began to gain traction with his role as Mr. Dark in the big screen adaptation of Ray Bradbury's "Something Wicked This Way Comes" (1983). He gained notice on both sides of the Atlantic with the starring role in Terry Gilliam's critically acclaimed fantasy "Brazil" (1985). He began appearing in more Hollywood fare, including the Whoopi Goldberg comedy "Jumpin' Jack Flash" (1986), while also reteaming with Gilliam for "The Adventures of Baron Munchausen" (1988). On stage, he originated the role of The Engineer in both the West End and Broadway productions of the landmark musical "Miss Saigon." In the 1990s, his presence in America continued to grow with roles in "Glengarry Glen Ross" (1992) and "The Age of Innocence" (1993). On television, he earned critical praise for playing billionaire Henry Kravis in "Barbarians at the Gate" (HBO, 1993). He was given the opportunity to show off his musical talents when he was cast as Juan Peron, alongside Madonna and Antonio Banderas, in the film adaptation of the Andrew Lloyd Weber-Tim Rice musical "Evita" (1996). He also had the opportunity to join the world of James Bond with his role as the villainous Elliot Carver in "Tomorrow Never Dies" (1997). After the turn of the century, he found himself a part of a successful film franchise when he joined Johnny Depp and Keira Knightley for "Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl" (2003). He returned for two sequels playing Governor Weatherby Swann. He worked steadily in films with roles in "De-Lovely" (2004), "The Brothers Grimm" (2005), "Leatherheads" (2008). In 2015, he joined the hit "Game of Thrones" (HBO, 2011-19), based on the George R.R. Martin books, as the High Sparrow. He also appeared in the series "Taboo" (FX, 2017- ) with Tom Hardy. He acted in the holiday film "The Man Who Invented Christmas" (2017) and he reteamed with Gilliam one more time for the director's "The Man Who Killed Don Quixote" (2018). He then matched talents with Glenn Close in the Oscar-nominated drama "The Wife" (2018). Pryce went on to play Pope Francis in the film "The Two Popes" (Netflix, 2019) opposite Anthony Hopkins as Pope Benedict.
