Jonathan Pryce

Sir Jonathan Pryce (born John Price; 1 June 1947) is a Welsh actor who is known for his performances on stage and in film and television. He has received numerous awards, including two Tony Awards and two Laurence Olivier Awards. In 2021 he was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II for his services to drama. 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 includes an Olivier Award-winning performance in the title role of the Royal Court Theatre's ''Hamlet'' in 1980 and as The Engineer in the stage musical ''Miss Saigon'' in 1990. On the Broadway stage he earned Tony Awards—the first for Best Featured Actor in a Play for his Broadway debut role in ''Comedians'' (1977), the second for Best Actor in a Musical for the Broadway transfer of the musical ''Miss Saigon'' (1991).

Pryce's theatre work led to several supporting roles in film and television. His breakthrough screen performance was in Terry Gilliam's satirical dystopian black comedy film ''Brazil'' (1985). Critically lauded for his versatility, Pryce has appeared in big-budget films including '' Evita'' (1996), ''Tomorrow Never Dies'' (1997) and ''Pirates of the Caribbean'' series (2003–2007), as well as independent films such as the film adaptation of the David Mamet play ''Glengarry Glen Ross'' (1992), Martin Scorsese's period drama ''The Age of Innocence'' (1993), Christopher Hampton's '' Carrington'' (1995), Terrence Malick's historical film '' The New World'' (2005) and the drama '' The Wife'' (2017) opposite Glenn Close. In 2019, he earned his first Academy Award nomination for his portrayal of Pope Francis in ''The Two Popes'' alongside Anthony Hopkins playing Pope Benedict XVI.

For his work on television, he received two Primetime Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or Movie for his performances in ''Barbarians at the Gate'' (1993) and '' Return to Cranford'' (2010). Pryce has gained acclaim for his roles as Thomas Wolsey in the BBC limited series ''Wolf Hall'' (2015), the High Sparrow in the HBO series ''Game of Thrones'' (2015–2016) and Sir Stuart Strange in the series ''Taboo'' (2017). In 2022, he succeeded Tobias Menzies as Prince Philip in the final two seasons of the award-winning Netflix historical drama series ''The Crown'', gaining a nomination for a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor.

Early life

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.(16 August 2002).
I always wanted to be a pop star...
. ''The Guardian''. Retrieved 9 December 2007. While at RADA, he worked as a door-to-door salesman of velvet paintings.

Career

1970s

Despite finding RADA "strait-laced" and being told by his tutor that he could never aspire to do more than playing villains on ''Z-Cars'', Pryce joined the Everyman Theatre in Liverpool upon graduation and eventually became its artistic director. He performed with the Royal Shakespeare Company and the Nottingham Playhouse.(6 March 2007).
Jonathan Pryce is Sherlock Holmes
. ''BBC.co.uk''. Retrieved 28 October 2007. To gain his Equity card, he made his first screen appearance in a minor role in "Fire & Brimstone", a 1972 episode of the science fiction drama series ''Doomwatch''. He then starred in two television films directed by Stephen Frears: ''Daft as a Brush'' and ''Playthings''. After leaving Everyman, Pryce joined Sir Richard Eyre at the Nottingham Playhouse and starred in Trevor Griffiths' play ''Comedians'', in a role specially written for him. The production moved to the Old Vic Theatre in London. Price reprised the role on Broadway in 1976, this time directed by Mike Nichols, and for which Price won the 1977 Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play. It was around this time that he appeared in his first film role, playing the character Joseph Manasse in the drama ''Voyage of the Damned'', starring Faye Dunaway. He did not, however, abandon the stage, appearing from 1978 to 1979 in the Royal Shakespeare Company's productions of ''The Taming of the Shrew'' as Petruchio, and ''Antony and Cleopatra'' as Octavius Caesar.

1980s

In 1980, his performance in the title role of ''Hamlet'' at the Royal Court Theatre won him an Olivier Award, and was acclaimed by some critics as the definitive Hamlet of his generation. That year, Pryce had a small but pivotal role as Zarniwoop in the 12th episode of the ''Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy'' radio series, one that he reprised for the '' Quintessential Phase'' which was broadcast in 2005. In his original role as Zarniwoop, Pryce's character questions the "ruler of the Universe", a solipsist who has been chosen to rule arguably because of either his inherent manipulability, or immunity therefrom, on his philosophical opinions. Around the same time, in 1980, he also appeared in the film '' Breaking Glass''. In 1983, Pryce played the role of the sinister Mr. Dark in '' Something Wicked This Way Comes'', based on the Ray Bradbury novel of the same title. After appearing mostly in films, such as the Ian McEwan-scripted ''The Ploughman's Lunch'', and '' Martin Luther, Heretic'' (both also 1983), he achieved a breakthrough with his role as the subdued protagonist Sam Lowry in the Terry Gilliam film, ''Brazil'' (1985). After ''Brazil'', Pryce appeared in the historical thriller ''The Doctor and the Devils'' (also 1985) and then in the Gene Wilder-directed film '' Haunted Honeymoon'' (1986). During this period of his life, Pryce continued to perform on stage, and gained particular notice as the successful but self-doubting writer Trigorin in a London production of Anton Chekhov's ''The Seagull'' in late 1985. From 1986 to 1987 Pryce played the lead part in the Royal Shakespeare Company's production of ''Macbeth'', which also starred Sinéad Cusack as Lady Macbeth.

Pryce worked once again with Gilliam in ''The Adventures of Baron Munchausen'' (1988), playing " The Right Ordinary Horatio Jackson". The film was a notorious financial fiasco, with production costing more than $40 million, when the original budget was $23.5 million. The following year Pryce appeared in three of the earliest episodes of the improvisation show ''Whose Line Is It Anyway?'', alongside Paul Merton and John Sessions, and in ''Uncle Vanya'', again a play by Chekhov, at the Vaudeville Theatre.(18 March 2003).
Work with Martine again? I think not
. ''Daily Telegraph''. Retrieved 15 June 2008.

1990s

After a series of major dramatic roles on stage, including Vanya and Macbeth, Pryce decided he wanted to do musicals after seeing his friend Patti LuPone in the original London production of ''Les Misérables''. He successfully returned to the stage originating the role of The Engineer, a Eurasian pimp, in the West End musical ''Miss Saigon''. His performance was praised in England where he won the Olivier and Variety Club awards, but when the production transferred to Broadway the Actors' Equity Association (AEA) tried to stop Pryce from portraying The Engineer because, according to their executive secretary, " e casting of a Caucasian actor made up to appear Asian is an affront to the Asian community."Rothstein, Mervyn (8 August 1990). "Union Bars White in Asian Role; Broadway May Lose 'Miss Saigon'". ''The New York Times''. The London production featured Pryce in yellowface, wearing prosthetics to alter the shape of his eyes and makeup to alter the color of his skin. The show's producer, Cameron Mackintosh, decided to cancel the $10 million New York production. Realizing that its decision would result in the loss of many jobs, and after Pryce received much support from fellow actors (both Charlton Heston and John Malkovich threatened to leave the union if Pryce was not allowed to perform) the AEA decided to make a deal with Mackintosh, allowing Pryce to appear in the production. He won a Tony Award for his performance in 1991. Made in the same period, Pryce starred in the ITV mini-series ''Selling Hitler'' (1991) as Gerd Heidemann. Pryce returned to the London stage the following year to star for one night only at the Royal Festival Hall for an AIDS charity alongside Elaine Paige and Lilliane Montivecchi in the 1992 revival of the Federico Fellini-inspired musical ''Nine''.

Pryce featured, alongside Kathy Burke and Minnie Driver, in the BBC serial ''Mr. Wroe's Virgins'' (1993), directed by Danny Boyle. Pryce played Henry Kravis

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