Jonathan Pryce CBE (born John Price; 1 June 1947) is a Welsh actor.
After studying at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, he began his
career as a stage actor in the early 1970s. His work in theatre,
including an award-winning performance in the title role of the Royal
Court Theatre's Hamlet, led to several supporting roles in film and
television. His breakthrough screen performance was in Terry Gilliam's
1985 film Brazil. Critically lauded for his versatility, Pryce has
appeared in big-budget films including Evita, Tomorrow Never Dies, and
Pirates of the Caribbean, as well as independent films such as
Glengarry Glen Ross, The Age of Innocence, Carrington, The New World
and The Wife. In 2019, Pryce earned his first Academy Award nomination
for his portrayal of Pope Francis in The Two Popes.Additionally, Pryce
is well known for television roles including the High Sparrow in the
HBO series Game of Thrones and Sir Stuart Strange in the series Taboo.
In August 2020, it was announced that he will succeed Tobias Menzies
as Prince Philip in the final two seasons of the award-winning Netflix
historical drama series The Crown. His career in theatre has been
prolific, and he has won two Tony Awardsâ€"the first in 1977 for his
Broadway debut in Comedians, the second for his 1991 role as The
Engineer in the musical Miss Saigon.Pryce was born John Price on 1
June 1947 in Carmel, Flintshire, the son of Margaret Ellen (née
Williams) and Isaac Price, a former coal miner who ran a small general
grocery shop with his wife. He has two older sisters and was raised a
Welsh Presbyterian. He was educated at Holywell Grammar School and, at
the age of 16, went to art college before he started training to be a
teacher at Edge Hill College (now Edge Hill University) in Ormskirk,
Lancashire. While studying, he took part in a college theatre
production. An impressed tutor suggested he should become an actor,
and applied to the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) for an
application form on his behalf; Pryce was subsequently awarded a
scholarship to RADA. When he joined Equity, he took "Jonathan Pryce"
as his stage name because his birth name was too similar to that of a
performer already represented by Equity. While at RADA, Pryce worked
as a door-to-door salesman of velvet paintings.
After studying at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, he began his
career as a stage actor in the early 1970s. His work in theatre,
including an award-winning performance in the title role of the Royal
Court Theatre's Hamlet, led to several supporting roles in film and
television. His breakthrough screen performance was in Terry Gilliam's
1985 film Brazil. Critically lauded for his versatility, Pryce has
appeared in big-budget films including Evita, Tomorrow Never Dies, and
Pirates of the Caribbean, as well as independent films such as
Glengarry Glen Ross, The Age of Innocence, Carrington, The New World
and The Wife. In 2019, Pryce earned his first Academy Award nomination
for his portrayal of Pope Francis in The Two Popes.Additionally, Pryce
is well known for television roles including the High Sparrow in the
HBO series Game of Thrones and Sir Stuart Strange in the series Taboo.
In August 2020, it was announced that he will succeed Tobias Menzies
as Prince Philip in the final two seasons of the award-winning Netflix
historical drama series The Crown. His career in theatre has been
prolific, and he has won two Tony Awardsâ€"the first in 1977 for his
Broadway debut in Comedians, the second for his 1991 role as The
Engineer in the musical Miss Saigon.Pryce was born John Price on 1
June 1947 in Carmel, Flintshire, the son of Margaret Ellen (née
Williams) and Isaac Price, a former coal miner who ran a small general
grocery shop with his wife. He has two older sisters and was raised a
Welsh Presbyterian. He was educated at Holywell Grammar School and, at
the age of 16, went to art college before he started training to be a
teacher at Edge Hill College (now Edge Hill University) in Ormskirk,
Lancashire. While studying, he took part in a college theatre
production. An impressed tutor suggested he should become an actor,
and applied to the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) for an
application form on his behalf; Pryce was subsequently awarded a
scholarship to RADA. When he joined Equity, he took "Jonathan Pryce"
as his stage name because his birth name was too similar to that of a
performer already represented by Equity. While at RADA, Pryce worked
as a door-to-door salesman of velvet paintings.
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