Jonathan Rhys Meyers

Meyers was in a relationship with Reena Hammer from 2004 to 2012. Before this relationship, there were rumours of him dating a series of actresses, namely Toni Collette, Rachael Leigh Cook, and Estella Warren.

He married Mara Lane in 2016 and the couple welcomed a son named Wolf Rhys Meyers, later that year.

Meyers was born on July 27, 1977 in Dublin as Jonathan Michael Francis O'Keeffe. He was raised along with his brothers Jamie, Alan and Paul, in rural County Cork by his mother, Mary Geraldine. His father, John O'Keeffe, who was a musician, left them when Meyers was just three years old.

Meyers had a difficult childhood. In his early life, he faced alcohol addiction issues and got himself admitted to several rehab centres on many occasions.

He also spent a few of his childhood years at an orphanage. When he became a teen, he befriended an Anglo-Irish farmer named Christopher Crofts, with whom he started to live and later referred to him as his ‘gay dad’.

Meyers attended North Monastery Christian Brothers School but was expelled at the age of 16. He then worked on the streets, swept floors at a pool hall and did other odd jobs for money and food.

His interest in acting was awakened when an agent came to the pool hall, looking for an unknown teen to be cast for a movie role. Meyers failed to win the role but was influenced enough to channel his energies in the direction of acting.

After the small role that he played in the movie ‘A Man of No Importance’, he landed another minor role, but a pivotal one in the Neil Jordan directed flick, ‘Michael Collins’ in 1996.

After what seemed like an endless string of rejections, Meyers finally got to play his first lead role in the 1996 film, ‘The Disappearance of Finbar’.

He was then starred as the lead in the teen-crime drama, ‘The Maker’, released in 1997. The following year, he appeared in four projects –‘B.Monkey’, ‘The Governess’ and a well-received television movie ‘The Tribe’.

But the film that turned Meyers’ luck around to make him the newest pin-up boy was the 1998 British-American drama, ‘Velvet Goldmine’. This movie also gave him a new identity as an androgynous actor.

Meyers appeared in several projects in the year 1999, including the Shakespeare adaptation ‘Titus’, the American Civil War epic ‘Ride with the Devil’ and an erotic flick ‘The Loss of Sexual Innocence’.

The Disappearance of Finbar – This is Meyers’ first film as a lead, in which he played Finbar, who disappears after he jumps off a bridge but mysteriously returns after many years. Meyers initially had apprehensions playing the role as he considered himself a novice back then. But post the film’s release on 12 August 1996, his performance was highly acclaimed.

Michael Collins –Meyers was next seen in this biopic, set in the Irish Civil war era. Meyers played the role of an assassin named Michael. The film was premiered at the Venice Film Festival on 28 August 1996 and later had a theatrical release on 11 October 1996.

Velvet Goldmine – This film became the turning point in Meyers’ acting career. The film was loosely based on the life of the 70s pop star, David. In the film, his character was given the name Brian Slade, played by Meyers. Released on 6 November 1998, the film was reviewed as stunningly pretty.

Bend It Like Beckham – Meyers, for the first time worked with an Indian filmmaker, Gurinder Chadha in this rom-com, along with Indian actors like Anupam Kher. The film hit the theatres on 12 April 2002 and it surprised the critics as they had least expectations from the film, before its release.

Match Point –Meyers was excited to be starring in this Woody Allen’s crime thriller. Set in London, the film revolves around the life of the pivotal character, Chris Wilton, played by Meyers. Post his marriage with his love Nola Rice, played by Scarlett Johansson, Chris finds himself in the vicious circle of love, lust, money and murder. Premiered at the Cannes Film Festival on 12 May 2005, the film was addressed as the best creation of Allen till date. The film had its theatrical release in the UK on 6 January 2006.