Jonathan James Cake (born 31 August 1967) is an English actor who has worked on various TV programmes and films. His notable screen roles include Jack Favell in '' Rebecca'' (1997), Oswald Mosley in '' Mosley'' (1997), Japheth in the NBC television film '' Noah's Ark'' (1999), Tyrannus in the ABC miniseries ''

Empire An empire is a "political unit" made up of several territories and peoples, "usually created by conquest, and divided between a dominant center and subordinate peripheries". The center of the empire (sometimes referred to as the metropole) ex ...

'' (2005) and Det.

Chuck Vance ''Desperate Housewives'' is an American comedy-drama series that aired on ABC (American Broadcasting Company). It focuses on the residents living on the fictional Wisteria Lane as narrated by their deceased neighbor, Mary Alice Young (Brenda Str ...

on the ABC drama series '' Desperate Housewives'' (2011–2012).

Early life

Cake was born in

Worthing Worthing () is a seaside town in West Sussex, England, at the foot of the South Downs, west of Brighton, and east of Chichester. With a population of 111,400 and an area of , the borough is the second largest component of the Brighton and Ho ...

, Sussex. His father was a glassware importer and his mother a school administrator. He is the youngest of three sons. When he was four years old, he was invited on stage during a traditional British

pantomime Pantomime (; informally panto) is a type of musical comedy stage production designed for family entertainment. It was developed in England and is performed throughout the United Kingdom, Ireland and (to a lesser extent) in other English-speaking ...

for children. This exposure ignited his interest in the performing arts. By the age of eight, Jonathan had taken drama classes and took part in plays. As a teenager, he toured Britain with London's National Youth Theatre. After leaving school, Cake studied English at Corpus Christi College, Cambridge. He became a rugby player in college and graduated in 1989. He attended a two-year training programme at the

Bristol Old Vic Theatre School The Bristol Old Vic Theatre School is a drama school in Bristol, England. The institution provides training in acting and production for careers in film, television and theatre. BOVTS is an affiliate of the Conservatoire for Dance and Drama. ...

, then trained with the Royal Shakespeare Company.

Career

In 1992, Jonathan Cake appeared in

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

's play '' As You Like It'', a Royal Shakespeare Company production at the

Royal Shakespeare Theatre The Royal Shakespeare Theatre (RST) (originally called the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre) is a grade II* listed 1,040+ seat thrust stage theatre owned by the Royal Shakespeare Company dedicated to the English playwright and poet William Shakespea ...

in Stratford-upon-Avon. He also performed the play at the

Barbican Theatre The Barbican Centre is a performing arts centre in the Barbican Estate of the City of London and the largest of its kind in Europe. The centre hosts classical and contemporary music concerts, theatre performances, film screenings and art exhib ...

in London in 1993. Also that year, he appeared in a Royal Shakespeare Company production of Christopher Marlowe's '' Tamburlaine the Great''. He then appeared with the Royal Shakespeare Company in ''

Wallenstein Albrecht Wenzel Eusebius von Wallenstein () (24 September 1583 – 25 February 1634), also von Waldstein ( cs, Albrecht Václav Eusebius z Valdštejna), was a Bohemian military leader and statesman who fought on the Catholic side during the Th ...

'', ''

The Odyssey The ''Odyssey'' (; grc, Ὀδύσσεια, Odýsseia, ) is one of two major ancient Greek epic poems attributed to Homer. It is one of the oldest extant works of literature still widely read by modern audiences. As with the ''Iliad'', th ...

'' and '' Beggar's Opera''. In 1995, Cake acted in the

Shared Experience Shared Experience is a British theatre company.
Its current joint

Theatre Company production of

George Eliot Mary Ann Evans (22 November 1819 – 22 December 1880; alternatively Mary Anne or Marian), known by her pen name George Eliot, was an English novelist, poet, journalist, translator, and one of the leading writers of the Victorian era. She wrot ...

's novel ''

The Mill on the Floss ''The Mill on the Floss'' is a novel by George Eliot, first published in three volumes in 1860 by William Blackwood. The first American edition was published by Harper & Brothers, Publishers, New York. Plot summary Spanning a period of 10 to ...

'' at London's Lyric Theatre. Cake branched out to the screen when he landed a guest spot in the British TV comedy series ''Press Gang'' in 1993. He made his first television film appearance alongside

Jasper Carrott Robert Norman Davis (born 14 March 1945), best known by his stage name, Jasper Carrott, is an English comedian, actor and television presenter. Early life Born in Shaftmoor Lane, Acocks Green, in Birmingham, Carrott was educated at Acocks Gr ...

and Ann Bryson in BBC's ''Carrott U Like'' in 1994 and broke into the film business the following year with a small role in the American film '' First Knight''. After appearing in episodes of '' Frank Stubbs Promotes'' and '' Goodnight Sweetheart'', Cake was cast as Gareth in the BBC series ''Degrees of Error'' (1995), opposite

Beth Goddard Elizabeth Jane Goddard (born 31 March 1969), known as Beth Goddard, is a British actress known for her role as Suze Littlewood in the BBC comedy series '' Gimme Gimme Gimme''. Early life Goddard grew up in Clacton-on-Sea, Essex, and attended ...

Julian Glover Julian Wyatt Glover (born 27 March 1935) is an English classical actor with many stage, television, and film roles since commencing his career in the 1950s. He is a recipient of the Laurence Olivier Award and has performed many times for the ...

and

Phyllida Law Phyllida Ann Law (born 8 May 1932) is a British actress, known for her numerous roles in film and television. Early life Law was born in Glasgow, the daughter of Meg "Mego" and William Law, a journalist. Prior to the Second World War, her fath ...

. He then played Ewan in two episodes of the series ''

Grange Hill ''Grange Hill'' is a British children's television drama series, originally produced by the BBC and portraying life in a typical comprehensive school. The show began its run on 8 February 1978 on BBC1, and was one of the longest-running progra ...

'' (1996), Nat in two episodes of ''

Cold Lazarus ''Cold Lazarus'' is a four-part British television drama written by Dennis Potter with the knowledge that he was dying of pancreatic cancer. It forms the second half of a pair with the television serial ''Karaoke''. The two serials were filmed ...

'' (1996), and Hattersley in the TV miniseries adaptation of

Anne Brontë Anne Brontë (, commonly ; 17 January 1820 – 28 May 1849) was an English novelist and poet, and the youngest member of the Brontë literary family. Anne Brontë was the daughter of Maria (born Branwell) and Patrick Brontë, a poor Irish cl ...

's '' The Tenant of Wildfell Hall'' (1996). He was also cast in the TV films ''Nightlife'' (1996, with

Katrin Cartlidge Katrin Juliet Cartlidge (15 May 1961 – 7 September 2002) was an English actress. She first appeared on screen as Lucy Collins in the Channel 4 soap opera '' Brookside'' (1982–1983), before going on to win the 1997 Evening Standard Fil ...

and Jane Horrocks), ''The Girl'' (1996) and the 1996 pilot episode of ''Wings'' (a planned remake of the American show of the same title, with Una Stubbs). Also in 1996, Cake was in '' True Blue'', a British sports film based on the book '' True Blue: The Oxford Boat Race Mutiny'' by Daniel Topolski and Patrick Robinson, and in an episode of '' The Thin Blue Line''. Cake next worked in ''

Cows Cattle (''Bos taurus'') are large, domesticated, cloven-hooved, herbivores. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae and the most widespread species of the genus ''Bos''. Adult females are referred to as cows and adult mal ...

'' (1997), played Jack Favell in the 1997 Anglo-German miniseries '' Rebecca'', based on the 1938 novel of the same name by

Daphne du Maurier Dame Daphne du Maurier, Lady Browning, (; 13 May 1907 – 19 April 1989) was an English novelist, biographer and playwright. Her parents were actor-manager Sir Gerald du Maurier and his wife, actress Muriel Beaumont. Her grandfather was Geo ...

, and portrayed Peter Templer in a TV miniseries adaptation of

Anthony Powell Anthony Dymoke Powell ( ; 21 December 1905 – 28 March 2000) was an English novelist best known for his 12-volume work ''A Dance to the Music of Time'', published between 1951 and 1975. It is on the list of longest novels in English. Powell' ...

's ''

A Dance to the Music of Time ''A Dance to the Music of Time'' is a 12-volume ''roman-fleuve'' by English writer Anthony Powell, published between 1951 and 1975 to critical acclaim. The story is an often comic examination of movements and manners, power and passivity in Eng ...

'' (1997), which starred

James Purefoy James Brian Mark Purefoy (born 3 June 1964) is an English actor. He played Mark Antony in the HBO series ''Rome'', Nick Jenkins in ''A Dance to the Music of Time'', college professor turned serial killer Joe Carroll in the series ''The Followin ...

, Simon Russell Beale and

Paul Rhys Paul Rhys (born 19 December 1963) is a Welsh theatre, television and film actor. Early life Rhys was born in Neath to working class Catholic parents, Kathryn Ivory and her husband Richard Charles Rhys, a labourer. At fourteen, he bred and train ...

. He also guest starred in ''

Jonathan Creek ''Jonathan Creek'' is a long-running British mystery crime drama series produced by the BBC and written by David Renwick. It stars Alan Davies as the titular character, who works as a creative consultant to a stage magician while also solvi ...

'' (1997). The next year, he starred in '' Mosley'', which was based on the life of British fascist Oswald Mosley. He also portrayed Regan Montana in the TV film '' Diamond Girl'' and co-starred with

Adrian Dunbar Adrian Dunbar (born 1 August 1958) is a Northern Irish actor, director and singer, known for his television and his theatre work. Dunbar co-wrote and starred in the 1991 film '' Hear My Song'', nominated for Best Original Screenplay at the BA ...

and Susan Vidler in the TV series ''The Jump'' (both 1998). The actor closed the decade portraying Japheth in the NBC TV film '' Noah's Ark'' (1999). He also worked with

Maria Aitken Maria Penelope Katharine Aitken (born 12 September 1945) is an English theatre director, teacher, actress, and writer. Early life and career Aitken was born in Dublin, Ireland, the daughter of Sir William Aitken, a Conservative MP, and Penelo ...

and Leslie Grantham in the British TV film ''The Bench'' (1999). In 2000, Cake played Andrew Pryce-Stevens in '' Honest''. He revisited the stage with work in ''Baby Doll'' (2000), an adaptation of the film of the same name by

Tennessee Williams Thomas Lanier Williams III (March 26, 1911 – February 25, 1983), known by his pen name Tennessee Williams, was an American playwright and screenwriter. Along with contemporaries Eugene O'Neill and Arthur Miller, he is considered among the thr ...

, and was handed the Barclays Best Actor Award for his performance. The play performed first at the Royal National Theatre and then in London's West End. Cake next appeared as Randolph Cleveland in an episode of '' Dr. Terrible's House of Horrible'' (2001), co-starred with Lara Belmont and

Teresa Churcher Teresa Churcher (born 7 January) is an English actress whose film credits include ''Gosford Park'', Roman Polanski's ''Oliver Twist'', ''Being Julia'', ''Creation'' and ''The Woman in Black''. Churcher was born in St Albans, Hertfordshire. Churc ...

in the television thriller ''The Swap'' (2002), starred as Jack Wellington in the short-lived Fox series ''

The American Embassy ''The American Embassy'' is an American drama series that aired on Fox from March to April 2002. The series was created by James D. Parriott, and executive produced by Danny DeVito. Synopsis The series follows the personal and professional lif ...

'' (2002), and was cast as Andrea in the British film '' The One and Only'' (2002). Still in 2002, Cake made his

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

debut in the leading role of

Jason Jason ( ; ) was an ancient Greek mythological hero and leader of the Argonauts, whose quest for the Golden Fleece featured in Greek literature. He was the son of Aeson, the rightful king of Iolcos. He was married to the sorceress Medea. He ...

in the

Euripides Euripides (; grc, Εὐριπίδης, Eurīpídēs, ; ) was a tragedian of classical Athens. Along with Aeschylus and Sophocles, he is one of the three ancient Greek tragedians for whom any plays have survived in full. Some ancient scholars a ...

play '' Medea''. Cake appeared in the Canadian television film ''

Riverworld Riverworld is a fictional planet and the setting for a series of science fiction books written by Philip José Farmer (1918–2009). Riverworld is an artificial "Super-Earth" environment where all humans (and pre-humans) are reconstructed. The ...

'' (2003), portrayed Dr. Mengele in the Showtime TV film '' Out of the Ashes'' (2003), and portrayed John Christow in the 2004 episode "The Hollow" of ''

Agatha Christie's Poirot ''Poirot'' (also known as ''Agatha Christie's Poirot'') is a British mystery drama television programme that aired on ITV from 8 January 1989 to 13 November 2013. David Suchet starred as the eponymous detective, Agatha Christie's fictional Her ...

''. He starred as Jason Shepherd in the film ''Fallen'' (2004), appeared as Dr. Malcolm Bowers in an episode of NBC's ''Inconceivable'' called "Sex, Lies and Sonograms" (2005), and portrayed

Alastair Campbell Alastair John Campbell (born 25 May 1957) is a British journalist, author, strategist, broadcaster and activist known for his roles during Tony Blair's leadership of the Labour Party. Campbell worked as Blair's spokesman and campaign director ...

in the TV film ''

The Government Inspector ''The Government Inspector'', also known as ''The Inspector General'' ( rus, links=no, Ревизор, Revizor, literally: "Inspector"), is a satirical play by Russian dramatist and novelist, Nikolai Gogol. Originally published in 1836, the pl ...

'' (2005). He was also cast as a gladiator named Tyrannus in the ABC historical TV series ''

'', which ran from 28 June 2005 to 26 July 2005. Cake played the recurring role of Roy in the ABC short-lived drama series '' Six Degrees'' (2006–07). He appeared in an episode of '' Extras'' called "Sir Ian McKellen" (2006) and played Marshall Crawford in the TV film ''The Mastersons of Manhattan'' (2007). On stage, Cake played Father Flynn in

John Patrick Shanley John Patrick Shanley (born October 13, 1950) is an American playwright, screenwriter, and director. He won the 1988 Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for the film ''Moonstruck''. His play, '' Doubt: A Parable'', won the 2005 Pulitzer P ...

's play '' Doubt'' (2005) at the

Pasadena Playhouse The Pasadena Playhouse is a historic performing arts venue located 39 S. El Molino Avenue in Pasadena, California, United States. The 686-seat auditorium produces a variety of cultural and artistic events, professional shows, and community engage ...

. He then performed in ''

Coriolanus ''Coriolanus'' ( or ) is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1605 and 1608. The play is based on the life of the legendary Roman leader Caius Marcius Coriolanus. Shakespeare worked on it during the same yea ...

'' (2006) at London's

Shakespeare's Globe Shakespeare's Globe is a reconstruction of the Globe Theatre, an Elizabethan playhouse for which William Shakespeare wrote his plays, in the London Borough of Southwark, on the south bank of the River Thames. The original theatre was built in ...

, and was cast in ''

Cymbeline ''Cymbeline'' , also known as ''The Tragedie of Cymbeline'' or ''Cymbeline, King of Britain'', is a play by William Shakespeare set in Ancient Britain () and based on legends that formed part of the Matter of Britain concerning the early Celti ...

'' (2007) at the

Vivian Beaumont Theater The Vivian Beaumont Theater is a Broadway theater in the Lincoln Center complex at 150 West 65th Street on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in New York City. Operated by the nonprofit Lincoln Center Theater (LCT), the Beaumont is the only Bro ...

in New York City. In 2008, Cake played Rex Mottram in ''

Brideshead Revisited ''Brideshead Revisited: The Sacred & Profane Memories of Captain Charles Ryder'' is a novel by English writer Evelyn Waugh, first published in 1945. It follows, from the 1920s to the early 1940s, the life and romances of the protagonist Charles ...

''. He had a two episode role in '' Law & Order: Criminal Intent''. The next year, he appeared as Bishop in the ABC TV film ''Captain Cook's Extraordinary Atlas'', starring Jodelle Ferland,

Charlie McDermott Charles Joseph McDermott Jr. (born April 6, 1990) is an American television and film actor, and musician, best known for his role as Axl Heck on ABC's '' The Middle''. He was nominated for the Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Male ...

and Hal Holbrook. He played Cole Barker in two episodes of the NBC series ''

Chuck Chuck is a masculine given name or a nickname for Charles or Charlie. It may refer to: People Arts and entertainment * Chuck Alaimo, American saxophonist, leader of the Chuck Alaimo Quartet * Chuck Barris (1929–2017), American TV producer * C ...

'' called "Chuck Versus the Beefcake" and "Chuck Versus the Lethal Weapon". Cake appeared as Marcus Woll in the '' Law & Order'' episodes "Boy Gone Astray" and "For the Defense". In 2010, Cake teamed up with Pedro Miguel Arce in the American film ''Krews'', by Hilbert Hakim. The same year, he also played Mark Easterbrook in the TV film ''Marple: The Pale Horse'', starring Julia McKenzie as

Miss Marple Miss Marple is a fictional character in Agatha Christie's crime novels and short stories. Jane Marple lives in the village of St. Mary Mead and acts as an amateur consulting detective. Often characterized as an elderly spinster, she is one of Ch ...

. Cake is currently appearing as

Mark Antony Marcus Antonius (14 January 1 August 30 BC), commonly known in English as Mark Antony, was a Roman politician and general who played a critical role in the transformation of the Roman Republic from a constitutional republic into the au ...

in the Royal Shakespeare Company's latest production of '' Antony and Cleopatra''. In 2017 he played the Duke in the Theatre for a New Audience production of Measure for Measure In 2021, Cake had a recurring role on '' Stargirl'' as Shade.

Personal life

On 24 September 2004, Cake married American actress

Julianne Nicholson Julianne Nicholson (born July 1, 1971) is an American actress. She is best known for her roles in the films '' August: Osage County'' (2013) and '' Blonde'' (2022), as well as the television series '' Law & Order: Criminal Intent'' (2006–2009) ...

in Italy. The couple have two children: a son Ignatius Cake, born September 2007, and a daughter, Phoebe Margaret Cake, born 30 April 2009. Cake was previously engaged to British actress

Olivia Williams Olivia Haigh Williams (born 26 July 1968) is a British actress who has appeared in British and American films and television. After studying drama at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School for two years followed by three years at the Royal Shakesp ...

; the relationship ended after seven years.

Filmography

References

External links

*
jonathancakefansite
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cake, Jonathan 1967 births Living people 20th-century English male actors 21st-century English male actors English male film actors English male television actors People from Worthing Male actors from Sussex Alumni of Corpus Christi College, Cambridge National Youth Theatre members Theatre World Award winners