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Jonny Lee Miller Comic-Con 2012.jpg
Jonny Lee Miller at Comic-Con 2012
Born Jonathan Lee Miller
(1972-11-15) November 15, 1972 (age 41)
Kingston upon Thames, Greater London, England
Occupation Actor
Years active 1983?present
Spouse(s) Angelina Jolie
(1996?1999)
Michele Hicks
(2008?present)
Children 1

Jonathan "Jonny" Lee Miller (born 15 November 1972) is an English actor. He achieved early success with roles in the 1995 film Hackers and the 1996 film Trainspotting. Miller worked steadily in film and theatre with less public notice until 2008, when he starred as the series lead in two seasons of the American Television series Eli Stone followed by lead roles in the Broadway play After Miss Julie and the BBC production of Emma. In 2010 he had a featured role on the Showtime series Dexter as the fifth season's chief antagonist Jordan Chase. In 2011 he starred, along with Benedict Cumberbatch, in the play Frankenstein at the National Theatre. Miller portrayed the role of Roger Collins in the Tim Burton film Dark Shadows. He now stars as the series lead in the CBS crime drama Elementary as Sherlock Holmes starring alongside Lucy Liu as Dr. Watson.

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Early life[edit]

Miller was born in Kingston upon Thames, London, England, the son of Anne Lee, who worked in theatre production and starred in many films (including Lost Found), and Alan Miller, a stage actor and later a stage manager at the BBC.[1] Miller's maternal grandfather was actor Bernard Lee, famous for playing the character M in the first eleven James Bond films. Miller has stated that he has fond memories of being at the Television Centre with his sister and watching Top of the Pops and Blue Peter being made.[2] He made an uncredited appearance in the BBC TV series Doctor Who as a child in the 1982 story Kinda. Miller was educated at Tiffin School in Kingston upon Thames where he gained his first acting experience (notably in the musical October's Children) and played in the Tiffin Swing Band.[3] Miller left school at age 17 to pursue his acting career.[4]

Career[edit]

After a stint in EastEnders as Jonathan Hewitt, Miller got his big break in the film Hackers (1995), co-starring Angelina Jolie, whom he married in 1996. In 1997, Miller was involved with the creation and operation of Natural Nylon along with friends Jude Law (whom he met in the National Youth Music Theatre), Sadie Frost, Ewan McGregor, Sean Pertwee, Damon Bryant and Bradley Adams. Natural Nylon folded in 2003.

Aside from EastEnders, he has appeared on television in the BBC's modernization of The Canterbury Tales, as Artie in The Pardoner's Tale and as Lord Byron in a BBC production about the life of the poet. He worked on the US television series Smith (CBS, Fall 2006). His first appearance on US Television was the 1996 miniseries Dead Man's Walk.

Shortly after Hackers, Miller was cast in Trainspotting (1996) as Sick Boy, a role which gained him recognition. He was suggested for that role by Ewan McGregor. The accent he used in the film was so convincing that it led many people[citation needed] to erroneously believe he was from Scotland. It states on Miller's website, "As the only non-Scot in the cast Jonny has had to master the accent. "I had to do a lot of work," he confesses, "I read and re-read the book and I pretended to be Scottish all the time I was in Glasgow, hanging around with Scots, picking up bits and pieces on the street and in bars. Everyone's been very encouraging and Danny thinks that I've got it about right. Of course, the others are from all over Scotland and have different accents themselves, so I've tried to just pick up a general, composite accent."[5]

In 1997, he played Billy Prior in the film adaptation of Pat Barker's World War I novel, Regeneration, in 2000 he played the role of Cameron Colley in Complicity (US title Retribution), based on the book by Iain Banks. He costarred alongside Jude Law and Ray Winstone in the film "Love, Honor, And Obey" as Johnny, a London street kid getting mixed-up with a notorious Brit gangster. Also in 2000, he appeared as Simon Sheppard in Wes Craven's Dracula 2000.

In 2005, he was considered for the role of James Bond, to replace Pierce Brosnan. The role went to Daniel Craig. The following year, Miller portrayed cyclist Graeme Obree in The Flying Scotsman. In 2007, Miller was selected to play the lead role in the series for ABC, called Eli Stone; the series was cancelled after two seasons. The first season had been interrupted by a lengthy writers' strike.

He was considered as the third team-mate to join Ben Fogle and James Cracknell in Team QinetiQ for the Amundsen Omega 3 South Pole Race (January 2009). He participated in training for the event in Norway which was televised for a BBC2 documentary series On Thin Ice.[6] He was not able to attend the race due to filming commitments of Eli Stone being extended for a second season.

In 2009 he played Mr. Knightley in a BBC adaptation of Jane Austen's Emma.[7] He also appeared on Broadway with Sienna Miller in a production of "After Miss Julie", his performance receiving generally excellent reviews.

In early 2010, a rumour was floated that Miller was in talks to portray Rick Grimes in the Frank Darabont film adaptation of the comic The Walking Dead[8] but the part went to Andrew Lincoln. He has also starred in the fifth season of Dexter[9] as Jordan Chase, a highly popular motivational speaker who is suspected of leading a gang of serial rapists/murderers.

In March 2011, at the National Theatre, he played, on alternate nights, both Victor Frankenstein and his Creature, opposite Benedict Cumberbatch, in a stage adaptation of Frankenstein.[10] Frankenstein, directed by Danny Boyle, was broadcast to cinemas worldwide as part of National Theatre Live on 17 March 2011 and additional dates throughout March and April.[11] As of 2012, both he and Cumberbatch played the role of Sherlock Holmes in separate television adaptations, Miller in the CBS program Elementary and Cumberbatch in the BBC show Sherlock.

In May 2011, it was announced that he would have a role in Tim Burton's film Dark Shadows (2012).

In February 2012 it was confirmed Miller had been cast as Sherlock Holmes in the CBS drama Elementary. Lucy Liu was later cast as Watson.[12]

Personal life[edit]

Miller married actress Angelina Jolie on 28 March 1996. They separated eighteen months later[13] and were divorced on 9 February 1999. He began dating actress/model Michele Hicks in 2006.[14] Miller and Hicks married in Malibu in July 2008. Their son, Buster Timothy Miller, was born December 3, 2008 in Los Angeles.

Miller is a supporter of Chelsea FC.[15] He is a marathon runner, often supporting the charity Mencap. He ran the 2008 London Marathon in 3:01:40. Miller was signed up to run the 2006 Marathon des Sables but had to drop out due to contractual obligation to Smith, which was cancelled after three episodes. In 2010 he ran the New York Marathon with his Dexter co-star Jennifer Carpenter.

Filmography[edit]

Year Title Role Notes
1982 Doctor Who Kinda Child (uncredited) TV series (1 episode: "Kinda: Part One")
1983 Jemima Shore Investigates Boy with dog TV series (1 episode: "A Little Bit of Wildlife")
1983 Mansfield Park Charles Price TV miniseries
1990 Keeping Up Appearances The youth TV series (1 episode: "Daisy's Toyboy")
1991 4 Play Dennis Turnbull TV series (1 episode: "Itch")
1991 The Bill Simon Cooper TV series (1 episode: "The Sorcerer's Apprentice")
1991 Inspector Morse Student TV series (1 episode: "Greeks Bearing Gifts")
1991 Minder Auctioneer's Assistant TV series (1 episode: "Three Cons Make a Mountain")
1992 Dead Romantic Paul TV movie
1992 Goodbye Cruel World Mark TV miniseries
1992 Between the Lines David Ringwood TV series (1 episode: "The Only Good Copper")
1992 Casualty Matt TV series (1 episode: "Tender Loving Care")
1992 Second Thoughts Chas TV series (1 episode: "Short Change")
1993 Bad Company Michael Hickey TV movie
1993 The Bill Lee Gibson TV series (1 episode: "Mighty Atoms")
1993 Olly's Prison Smiler TV movie
1993 EastEnders Jonathan Hewitt TV series (2 episodes)
1993 Prime Suspect 3 Anthony Field TV movie
1994 Mystery!: Cadfael Edwin Gurney TV series (1 episode "Monk's Hood")
1994 Meat Charlie Dyce TV movie
1995 Hackers Dade Murphy
1996 Trainspotting Sick Boy
1996 Dead Man's Walk Woodrow F. Call TV miniseries
1997 Afterglow Jeffrey Byron
1997 Regeneration 2nd Lt. Billy Prior aka Behind the Lines
1999 Plunkett Macleane Macleane
1999 Mansfield Park Edmund Bertram
2000 Love, Honour and Obey Jonny
2000 Complicity Cameron Colley
2000 Dracula 2000 Simon Sheppard
2002 The Escapist Denis Hopkins
2003 The Canterbury Tales Arty TV miniseries (1 episode: "The Pardoner's Tale")
2003 Byron Lord Byron TV movie
2004 Mindhunters Lucas Harper
2004 Melinda and Melinda Lee
2005 ?on Flux Oren Goodchild
2006 The Flying Scotsman Graeme Obree
2006 Smith Tom TV series (7 episodes)
2008 Eli Stone Eli Stone TV series (26 episodes)
2009 Endgame Michael Young
2009 Emma Mr. Knightley TV series
2010 Dexter Jordan Chase TV Series (8 episodes)
2012 Dark Shadows Roger Collins
2012 Byzantium
2012 Elementary Sherlock Holmes TV series

Theatre[edit]

Year Title Role Venue
1993 Beautiful Thing Ste Bush Theatre
2004 Festen Christian Almeida Theatre
2005 Someone Who'll Watch Over Me Adam Ambassador Theatre
2009 After Miss Julie John American Airlines Theatre
2011 Frankenstein Victor and the Creature National Theater

References[edit]

  1. ^ Jonny Lee Miller Biography (1972-)
  2. ^ "'Do you wanna be in my gang' from The Telegraph", JonnyLeeMiller.co.uk
  3. ^ "Jonny Lee Miller", The New York Times, accessed 28 June 2008
  4. ^ "Johnny Lee Miller", Star Bios, Tribute.ca
  5. ^ "Jonny Lee Miller in Trainspotting". Jonnyleemiller.co.uk. 2 November 1999. Retrieved 19 October 2012. 
  6. ^ On Thin Ice (2009). [TV Programme]. TwoFour Productions. [Transmitted: 29 June 2009]
  7. ^ Singh, Anita (4 April 2009). "Romola Garai to play Emma in BBC's latest Jane Austen adaptation". The Daily Telegraph (London). Retrieved 7 May 2010. 
  8. ^ Jonny Lee Miller Frontrunner for Rick in The Walking Dead
  9. ^ TV: A 'Hacker' Heads to Miami for 'Dexter'
  10. ^ A Monster Double Act for Danny Boyle's Frankenstein, Mail Online. 29 October 2010.
  11. ^ "Frankenstein - Productions". National Theatre. Retrieved 19 October 2012. 
  12. ^ Gonzalez, Sandra (February 27, 2012). "Lucy Liu cast as Watson in Sherlock Holmes-based pilot". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved March 9, 2012. 
  13. ^ Jonny Lee Miller: interview, The Daily Telegraph, 3 October 2009
  14. ^ "Notting Hill TV", mynottinghill.co.uk
  15. ^ - Fan Zonesub=Celebritiesnav=sublid= "Chelsea Celebrity Supporters", Chelsea FC

External links[edit]

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