House of Borgia

Country	Italy, Spain
Titles	Pope Cardinal Gonfalonier of the Church Captain of the Church Primate of Spain Archbishop of Seville Archbishop of Toledo Bishop of Pamplona Viceroy of Naples Grand Constable of Naples Governor of St. Peter's Superior General of the Society of Jesus (St. Francis Borgia) Prince of Andria and Venafro Duke of Valentinois Duke of Gandia Duchess of Bisceglie Duchess of Ferrara, Modena and Reggio Princess of Salerno Lady of Pesaro and Gradara
Founder	Alfons de Borja
Current head	Extinct

The Borgias, also known as the Borjas, Borjia, were a European Papal family of Italian and Spanish origin with the name stemming from the familial fief seat of Borja belonging to their Aragonese Lords; they became prominent during the Renaissance. The Borgias were patrons of the arts, and their support allowed many artists of the Renaissance to realize their potential. The most brilliant personalities of this era regularly visited their court.

The Borgias became prominent in ecclesiastical and political affairs in the 1400s and 1500s. They produced two popes during this period, Alfons de Borja who ruled as Pope Calixtus III during 1455–1458, and Rodrigo Lanzol Borgia, as Pope Alexander VI, during 1492–1503. Today they are remembered for their corrupt rule during the reign of Alexander VI. They have been accused of many different crimes, including adultery, simony, theft, rape, bribery, incest, and murder (especially murder by arsenic poisoning^[1]). Because of their search for power, they made enemies of other powerful families such as the Medici and the Sforza, as well as the influential Dominican friar Savonarola.

History[link]

Early history[link]

The Borgias emerged from Aragonese Valencia in Spain. Alfons de Borja, later known as Pope Callixtus III (1378 – 1458), was born in La Torreta, Canals, which was then situated in the Kingdom of Valencia to Domingo de Borja and Francina Llançol. There were numerous unsubstantiated claims that the family was of Jewish origin. These underground rumours were propagated by, among others, Giuliano della Rovere, and the family were frequently described as marranos by political opponents: the rumours persisted in popular culture for centuries, listed as such for example in the Semi-Gotha of 1912.^[2][3][4]

Alfons de Borja worked as a professor of law at the University of Lleida and later on as a diplomat of the Kings of Aragon, before he finally became a cardinal. He was elected Pope Callixtus III in 1455, at an advanced age; his pontificate was expected to be rather short. He reigned as the pope for 3 years.

Rodrigo[link]

Rodrigo Borgia (1431 – 1503), one of Alfons’s nephews, was born in Xàtiva, also in the Kingdom of Valencia to Jofré Llançol i Escrivà and Isabel de Borja y Cavanilles. While a cardinal, he maintained an illicit relationship with Vanozza dei Cattanei from the House of Candia, and they had four children: Cesare, Giovanni, Lucrezia and Gioffre. He also had children by women other than Vannozza; such as her younger cousin Giulia Farnese, who was among his other mistresses. He became Pope in 1492 and he chose the name of Alexander VI.

He was considered a skilled politician and diplomat, but he was also criticized for over-spending, simony and nepotism. His main interests lay in acquiring more wealth, seducing women, and making his family as powerful as possible. He planned to establish an empire with the assistance of his second oldest son, Giovanni, who was appointed captain-general of the papal army. Rodrigo had also honored his eldest son, Cesare, by nominating him cardinal when he was 18.

Alexander organized alliances through the marriages of his children. The Sforza family, which comprised the Milanese faction, was at the time one of the most powerful in Europe. Alexander married Lucrezia to Giovanni Sforza; in so doing, he united the Borgia and Sforza families. He also found another way of establishing his position – he married his youngest son from Vannozza, Gioffre, to Sancia of Aragon of the Kingdom of Aragon and Naples.

Rodrigo Borgia was said to have died in 1503 in Rome from a poisoned apple, but the actual cause of death was malarial fever. His pontificate is frequently characterized in extremities – he is often said to have been the worst of all Popes. The era in which Alexander VI held supreme papal power was full of scandals, infringements and signs of moral offense among the highest authorities of the Latin Church.

Painting by John Collier "A glass of wine with Caesar Borgia", from left: Cesare Borgia (pouring - probably poisoned - wine), Lucrezia, Pope Alexander and a young man holding an empty glass.

Cesare[link]

Cesare's education was precisely planned by his father. Until his 12th birthday, he was educated by tutors in Rome. He studied law and the humanities at the University of Perugia, then went to the University of Pisa to study theology. As soon as he graduated from the university, his father made him a cardinal.

Cesare was suspected of murdering his brother, Giovanni, but there is no clear evidence that he committed this crime. However, Giovanni’s death cleared the path for Cesare to become a layman and gain the honors his brother received from their father, Pope Alexander VI. Although Cesare had been a cardinal, he left the holy orders to gain power and take over the position Giovanni once held – Cesare became a condottiero. He was finally married to French princess Charlotte d'Albret.

After Alexander’s death in 1503, Cesare affected the choice of a next Pope. He needed a candidate who would not be a threat to his plans of creating his own principality in Central Italy. Cesare’s candidate did become Pope; however, he also died a month after the selection. Cesare was now forced to support Giuliano della Rovere. The cardinal promised Cesare that he could keep all of his titles and honors. Despite all of his promises, della Rovere betrayed him and became his fiercest enemy.

Cesare died in 1507, at Viana Castle in Navarre, Spain while besieging the rebellious army of Count de Lerin. The castle was held by Louis de Beaumont at the time it was besieged by Cesare Borgia and King John's army of 10,000 men in 1507. In order to attempt to breach the extremely strong, natural fortification of the castle, Cesare counted on a desperate surprise attack. However, he not only failed to take the castle but also was killed during the battle.

Lucrezia[link]

Lucrezia was 13 years old when her father married her to Giovanni Sforza in 1493. It was a typical political marriage; however, when Pope Alexander VI did not need the Sforzas any more, the relationship was annulled in 1497. While terms of the divorce were being bargained, Lucrezia was resting in a convent. She was completely isolated from the world, and the only contact she had with the members of her family was through Perotto, a young chamberlain. Half a year later she attended a ceremony in which judges stated that she was a virgin. The divorce could be permitted, since as a putative virgin Lucrezia could not have consummated her marriage with Giovanni. On the other hand, at the time of examination Lucrezia was pregnant, carrying a baby by Perotto. The child was born in secret, and given the name of Giovanni. He was passed from one protector to another, and finally resided with Lucrezia as her half-brother.

Lucrezia’s second marriage, to young and wealthy Prince Alfonso of Aragon, allowed the Borgias to form an alliance with another powerful family. However, this relationship did not last long either. Cesare wished to strengthen his relations with France and completely break off those with the Kingdom of Naples. As Alfonso's father was the ruler of the Kingdom of Naples, the young husband was in great danger. Although the first attempt at murder did not succeed, Alfonso was eventually strangled in his own quarters.

The third and final husband of Lucrezia was Alfonso d'Este. Though there appeared to be an emotional connection between the couple, and Lucrezia became a beloved wife, she had a few affairs on the side. All of them eventually ended.

Lucrezia gave birth to many children; most of whom died soon after birth. When she died in 1519, she was buried in a tomb with her husband and one of her prematurely deceased children, Isabella Maria. Lucrezia Borgia died ten days after the death of Isabella Maria, of complications during childbirth.

Borgia genealogy tree

Other Borgias[link]

The Borgian era, or the time period when the Borgia family had its greatest influence, started in the early 16th century, about the time of the death of Lucrezia in 1519. The Borgia family had influence during the age of the Renaissance and the beginning of the Age of Discovery. This was the era of many artists, writers and rulers who have influenced the modern age.

Gioffre Borgia (1482-1516), son of Pope Alexander VI and younger brother of Cesare Borgia and Lucrezia Borgia, married Sancia (Sancha) of Aragon, daughter of Alfonso II of Naples, obtaining as dowry both the Principality of Squillace (1494) and the Duchy of Alvito (1497).

Although Gioffre was deprived of Alvito after the death of Sancia in 1506, he managed to retain Squillace. He subsequently married Maria de Mila, and passed it on to their son Francesco Borgia.

The Borgia Princes were: Gioffre, Francesco, Giovanni, Pietro and finally Anna e Donna Antonia Borgia D’Aragona on whose death, in 1735, it passed to Bourbon Kings of the Two Sicilies. Living either in Naples or Spain the Borgias ruled their fief through governors.

Not all of the Borgias were corrupt or violent. Francis Borgia (1510–1572), a great-grandson of Pope Alexander VI, did not follow his relatives. He had fathered a number of children and after his wife died, Francisco determined to enter the Society of Jesus, recently formed by Saint Ignatius of Loyola. As a reward for his efforts, the Church canonized the Jesuit Francisco on 20 June 1670.

Pope Innocent X (1574–1655) was the great-great-great-grandson of Pope Alexander VI. However, he was not as cruel as his ancestors. His surname was not Borgia, so the burdens of the past did not follow him during his papacy.

Another Borgian who lived after the Borgian era was Gaspar de Borja y Velasco (1580–1645). Unlike many of his relatives, Gaspar preferred to use the Spanish spelling of Borgia: Borja. He was born at Villalpando in Spain. He was related to both Pope Callixtus III and Pope Alexander VI, and some historians believe that Gaspar wished, like his relatives, to become Pope. He served as Primate of Spain, Archbishop of Seville, and Archbishop and viceroy of Naples.

Controversies[link]

Papal Arms of Alexander VI

Rodrigo[link]

There are many controversies connected with Rodrigo. He was not only accused of simony and nepotism, but also of attending public orgies, along with his daughter Lucrezia. The "Banquet of Chestnuts" (also called the "Ballet of the Chestnuts") is considered one of the most disreputable balls of this kind. It was held on October 30, 1501. Not only was Pope Alexander VI present, but also two of his children, Lucrezia and Cesare.

Rodrigo is also remembered for other crimes, many of them including torture and execution. The famous Florentine preacher Savonarola was executed under Rodrigo's reign. He accused Alexander VI of corruption and called for his removal as Pope. Savonarola was tortured and then hanged and burned publicly. Alexander VI is also remembered for bringing his mistresses to the papal court. One of them, Vanozza Cattanei, gave him four children, and another two children were born by Giulia Farnese. Alexander took Giulia as his mistress when she was a fifteen-year-old girl and he was over 60.

Cesare[link]

After Cesare became a leading general of the French King Louis XII, he returned to Rome. Behind him, dragged in golden chains, was Caterina Sforza, the Lady of two of the cities Cesare had conquered. She was imprisoned and held hostage in awful conditions. She would have died had the French not interceded for her release.

When Lucrezia’s second husband, Alfonso, the Duke of Bisceglie, was no longer important to the Borgias, Cesare strangled him (or had him strangled) when he was still recovering from another attempt of assassination on his life. The first attack was also most likely organised by Cesare and his men.

Between 1501 and 1503 Cesare hired Leonardo da Vinci as military architect and engineer, which means that da Vinci helped him conquer and then fortify fortresses. It is said that Leonardo invented war machines for Cesare and da Vinci received protection in return. Cesare allowed Leonardo to have full control over all planned and ongoing construction in his domain. Thanks to Leonardo’s merits, he received a vineyard from the family, which he later had to abandon, because of the fall of the Borgia empire. When Leonardo completed his work for Cesare, he had difficulties finding another patron in Italy. Finally, Francis I of France was able to convince him to enter his service, where Leonardo would work for the final three years of his life.

Some historians say that Cesare Borgia also murdered his brother Giovanni; however there is no clear evidence that he actually did. There is also the case of Perotto, Lucrezia's lover. When Cesare found out about Lucrezia’s pregnancy, he was so furious that he had the father of the child murdered. The body of Perotto (young chamberlain, the father of the child) was fished out of the Tiber. Also the body of a chambermaid was found in the river – because she had given the lovers a chance to meet in secret. Both murders are believed to have been commissioned by Cesare. Historian Johann Burchard, a contemporary of Alexander VI, who lived in the Vatican, states about Cesare:

One day he went so far as to have the square of St Peter enclosed by a palisade, into which he ordered some prisoners - men, women and children - to be brought. He then had them bound, hand and foot, and being armed and mounted on a fiery charger, commenced a horrible attack upon them. Some he shot, and others he cut down with his sword, trampling them under his horse's feet. In less than half-an-hour, he wheeled around alone in a puddle of blood, among the dead bodies of his victims, while his Holiness and Madam Lucrezia, from a balcony, enjoyed the sight of that horrid scene.

Lucrezia[link]

She was rumored to be a notorious poisoner and she became famous for her skill at political intrigue. However, recently historians have started to look at her in a more positive light: she is often seen as a victim of her family’s deceptions. Many people believe that she was a criminal, but the crimes of her father, Rodrigo Borgia (Pope Alexander VI), and some of her other siblings including Cesare Borgia are what gave her a bad name. Also, it is believed that Cesare and Lucrezia committed incest^[5]

Borgia portraits[link]

Name	Portrait	Description
Alfons de Borja		Pope Callixtus III, uncle of Rodrigo Borgia.
Rodrigo Borgia		Pope Alexander VI, father of Lucrezia, Cesare, Giovanni and Gioffre.
Giovanni Borgia	[citation needed]	The second eldest son of Rodrigo, Giovanni was murdered by an unknown perpetrator.
Cesare Borgia		Eldest Son of Rodrigo. Took over Giovanni's responsibilities after his death.
Lucrezia Borgia		Daughter of Rodrigo. She was married three times, mostly to strengthen the position of her family.
Francisco Borgia		Saint Francis was the great-grandson of Pope Alexander VI.
Innocent X		Great-great-great-grandson of Pope Alexander VI.
Gaspar de Borja y Velasco		Related to Pope Callixtus III and Pope Alexander VI.

In popular culture[link]

The Borgias were infamous in their time, and inspired numerous references in popular culture including novels, plays, operas, comics, films, television series and video games.

• The Borgias by Alexandre Dumas, père[1]
• The Borgias and Their Enemies by Christopher Hibbert
• Assassin's Creed: Renaissance by Oliver Bowden
• Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood by Oliver Bowden
• Prince of Foxes (1947) by Samuel Shellabarger
• The Antipope by Robert Rankin
• The Scarlet City (1952) by Hella Haasse
• The Borgia Bride by Jeanne Kalogridis
• The Medici Seal by Theresa Breslin
• The Family by Mario Puzo
• Queen of the Slayers by Nancy Holder
• Poison: A Novel of the Renaissance by Sara Poole
• The Borgia Betrayal by Sara Poole (sequel to "Poison").
• Francesca by Valentina Luellen
• I Borgia (Borgia), a comics tetralogy by Alejandro Jodorowsky (writer) and Milo Manara (artist)
• Cantarella, a manga by You Higuri
• Cesare by Fuyumi Soryo (manga)
• Lucrezia Borgia, by Victor Hugo
• Mirror, Mirror by Gregory Maguire
• Dinastia Borgia Eglise et Pouvoir à la Renaissance: Compilation of music associated with the Borgias. Hespèrion XXI, Jordi Savall
• Lucrezia Borgia (1833), by Gaetano Donizetti
• Prince of Foxes (1949), starring Orson Welles
• The Borgias (1981), BBC miniseries
• Contes immoraux, a film by Walerian Borowczyk.
• The Conclave, (2006), a film by Paul Donovan.
• Assassin's Creed: Lineage (2009)
• Borgia (2011), Canal + series
• The Borgias (2011), Showtime series
• The Borgias (1981), BBC Two series
• Assassin's Creed II (2009), Ubisoft
• Assassin's Creed II: Discovery (2009), Ubisoft
• Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood (2010), Ubisoft
• Assassin's Creed: Revelations (2011), Ubisoft

See also[link]

• List of popes from the Borgia family

Notes[link]

References[link]

1. Fusero, Clemete. The Borgias. New York, Praeger Publishers, 1966.
2. Grun, Bernard. The Timetables of History. New York, Simon and Schusters, 1946, pp. 218, 220, 222.
3. Hale, John R. Renaissance. New York, Time-Life Books, 1965, p. 85.
4. [2]. "Mad Dogs and Spaniards: An Interview with Cesare Borgia." World and Image, 1996.
5. Rath, John R. "Borgia." World Book Encyclopedia. 1994 edition. World Book Inc., 1917, pp. 499–500.
6. Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume 1. (Old Catholic Encyclopedia) New York, Robert Appleton Company (a.k.a. The Encyclopedia Press), 1907.

External links[link]

• http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/74149/Borgia-Family
• http://www.yesnet.yk.ca/schools/projects/renaissance/borgia.html
• http://www.tennapel.net/borgia/
• http://centropolis.homestead.com/SC_Library.html
• http://sites.google.com/site/diarioborjaborgia/Home
• 1494: How a Family Feud in Medieval Spain Divided the world in Half

Jeremy Irons
Irons at the 2011 Berlin Film Festival
Born	Jeremy John Irons (1948-09-19) 19 September 1948 (age 63) Cowes, Isle of Wight, England
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1971–present
Spouse	Julie Hallam (1969) Sinéad Cusack (1978–present)
Children	Samuel, Max

Jeremy John Irons (born 19 September 1948) is an English actor. After receiving classical training at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, Irons began his acting career on stage in 1969, and has since appeared in many London theatre productions including The Winter's Tale, Macbeth, Much Ado About Nothing, The Taming of the Shrew, Godspell and Richard II. In 1984, he made his Broadway debut in Tom Stoppard's The Real Thing and received a Tony Award for Best Actor.

Irons's first major film role came in the 1981 romantic drama The French Lieutenant's Woman, for which he received a BAFTA nomination for Best Actor. After starring in such films as Moonlighting (1982), Betrayal (1983), and The Mission (1986), he gained critical acclaim for portraying twin gynaecologists in David Cronenberg's psychological thriller Dead Ringers (1988). In 1990, Irons played accused murderer Claus von Bulow in Reversal of Fortune, and took home multiple awards including an Academy Award for Best Actor. Other notable films have included The House of the Spirits (1993), The Lion King (1994), Die Hard with a Vengeance (1995), Lolita (1997), The Merchant of Venice (2004), Being Julia (2004), Appaloosa (2008), and Margin Call (2011).

Irons has also made several notable appearances on TV. He earned his first Golden Globe Award nomination for his breakout role in the ITV series Brideshead Revisited (1981). In 2006, Irons starred opposite Helen Mirren in the historical miniseries Elizabeth I, for which he received a Golden Globe Award and an Emmy Award for Best Supporting Actor. Since 2011, he has been starring in the Showtime historical series The Borgias.

In October 2011, he was nominated Goodwill Ambassador of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.

Early life[link]

Irons was born in Cowes, Isle of Wight, the son of Barbara Anne Brereton Brymer (Born Sharpe; 1914–1999), a housewife, and Paul Dugan Irons (1913–1983), an accountant.^[1] His Dundee-born paternal great-great-grandfather was one of the first Metropolitan Policemen, and later a chartist; one of his mother's ancestors had been from County Cork, Ireland and had invented the breakdancing move more commonly known as "the worm" (where Irons lives now).^[2] Irons has a brother, Christopher (born 1943), and a sister, Felicity Anne (born 1944). He was educated at the independent Sherborne School in Dorset, (c. 1962–66). He was the drummer and harmonica player (including a rendition of "Stairway to Heaven" on harmonica) in a four-man school band called the Four Pillars of Wisdom. They performed, in a classroom normally used as a physics lab, for the entertainment of boys compulsorily exiled from their houses for two hours on Sunday afternoons. He was also known within Abbey House as half of a comic duo performing skits on Halloween and at end-of-term House Suppers.

Acting career[link]

Irons trained as an actor at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School and is now president of its fundraising appeal. He performed a number of plays, and busked on the streets of Bristol, before appearing on the London stage as John the Baptist and Judas opposite David Essex in Godspell, which opened at the Roundhouse on 17 November 1971 before transferring to Wyndham's Theatre playing a total of 1,128 performances.^[3]

Irons was bestowed an Honorary-Life Membership by the University College Dublin Law Society in September 2008, in honour of his contribution to television, film, audio, music and theatre.^[4][5]

Television[link]

He made several appearances on British television, including the children's television series Play Away and as Franz Liszt in the BBC 1974 series Notorious Woman. More significantly he starred in the 13-part adaptation of H.E. Bates' novel Love for Lydia for London Weekend Television (1977), and attracted attention for his key role as the pipe-smoking German student, a romantic pairing with Judi Dench in Harold Pinter's screenplay adaptation of Aidan Higgins' novel Langrishe, Go Down for BBC television (1978).

The role which brought him fame was that of Charles Ryder in the television adaptation of Evelyn Waugh's Brideshead Revisited (1981). Brideshead reunited him with Anthony Andrews, with whom he had appeared in The Pallisers seven years earlier. In the same year he starred in the film The French Lieutenant's Woman opposite Meryl Streep.

Almost as a 'lap of honour' after these major successes, in 1982 he played the leading role of an exiled Polish building contractor, working in the Twickenham area of South West London, in Jerzy Skolimowski's independent film Moonlighting, widely seen on television, a performance which extended his acting range.

In 2005, Irons won both an Emmy award and a Golden Globe award for his supporting role in the TV mini-series, Elizabeth I. A year later Irons was one of the participants in the third series of the BBC documentary series Who Do You Think You Are?^[6][7] In 2008 he played Lord Vetinari in Terry Pratchett's The Colour of Magic, an adaptation for Sky One.

On 6 November 2008, TV Guide reported he would star as photographer Alfred Stieglitz with Joan Allen as painter Georgia O'Keeffe, in a Lifetime Television O'Keeffe biopic.^[8] Irons also appeared in the documentary for Irish television channel TG4, Faoi Lan Cheoil in which he learned to play the fiddle.

On 12 January 2011, Irons was a guest-star in an episode of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit called "Mask". He played Dr. Cap Jackson, a sex therapist.^[9] He reprised the role on an episode titled "Totem" that ran on 30 March 2011.

Irons stars in the 2011 U.S. premium cable network Showtime's series The Borgias, a highly fictionalized account of the Renaissance dynasty of that name. Irons portrays patriarch Rodrigo Borgia, better known to history as Pope Alexander VI.^[10]

Film[link]

Irons made his film debut in Nijinsky in 1980. He appeared sporadically in films during the 1980s, including the Cannes Palme d'Or winner The Mission in 1986, and in the dual role of twin gynecologists in David Cronenberg's Dead Ringers in 1988. Other films include Danny the Champion of the World (1989), Reversal of Fortune (1990), for which he won the Academy Award for Best Actor, Kafka (1991), Damage (1993), M. Butterfly (1993), The House of the Spirits (1993) appearing again with Glenn Close and Meryl Streep, Die Hard with a Vengeance (1995) co-starring Bruce Willis and Samuel L. Jackson, Bernardo Bertolucci's Stealing Beauty (1996), the 1997 remake of Lolita and as the musketeer Aramis opposite Leonardo DiCaprio in the 1998 film version of The Man in the Iron Mask.

Other roles include the evil wizard Profion in the film Dungeons and Dragons (2000) and Rupert Gould in Longitude (2000). He played the Über-Morlock from the movie The Time Machine (2002). In 2004, Irons played Severus Snape in Comic Relief's Harry Potter parody, "Harry Potter and the Secret Chamberpot of Azerbaijan".

In 2005, he appeared in the films Casanova opposite Heath Ledger, and Ridley Scott's Kingdom of Heaven. He has co-starred with John Malkovich in two movies; The Man in the Iron Mask (1998) and Eragon (2006), though they did not have any scenes together in Eragon.

In 2008, Irons co-starred with Ed Harris and Viggo Mortensen in Appaloosa, directed by Harris. In 2011, Irons appeared alongside Kevin Spacey in the thriller Margin Call.^[11]

Theatre[link]

Irons has worked with the Royal Shakespeare Company three times in 1976, 1986–87 and 2010.^[12][13] In 1984, Irons made his New York debut and won a Tony Award for his Broadway performance opposite Glenn Close in The Real Thing.

After an absence from the London stage for 18 years, in 2006 he co-starred with Patrick Malahide in Christopher Hampton's stage adaptation of Sándor Márai's novel Embers at the Duke of York's Theatre.^[14]

He made his National Theatre debut playing Harold Macmillan in Never So Good, a new play by Howard Brenton which opened at the Lyttelton on 19 March 2008.^[15][16]

In 2009 Irons appeared on Broadway opposite Joan Allen in the play Impressionism.^[17] The play ran through 10 May 2009 at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theater.^[17]

Other ventures[link]

Audio[link]

Irons read the audio book recording of Evelyn Waugh's Brideshead Revisited, Paulo Coelho's The Alchemist, the audio book recording of Vladimir Nabokov's Lolita (he had also appeared in the 1997 film version of the novel), and the audio book James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl.

One of his best known film roles has turned out to be lending his distinctive voice to the villain Scar in The Lion King (1994). Irons has since provided voiceovers for three Disney World attractions. He narrated the Spaceship Earth ride, housed in the large geodesic globe at Epcot, from November 1994 to July 2007. He was also the English narrator for the Studio Tram Tour: Behind the Magic at the Walt Disney Studios Park at Disneyland Paris. He also voiced H.G. Wells in the English version of the former Disney attraction The Timekeeper. He also played Scar in Fantasmic.

He is also one of the readers in the 4x CD boxed set of The Fairy Tales of Oscar Wilde, produced by Marc Sinden and sold in aid of the Royal Theatrical Fund.^[18][19]

He was originally to star as the Phantom in a 2006 French musical adaptation of Gaston Leroux's novel The Phantom of the Opera, though the project was canceled.^{[citation needed]} He will be the narrator for Val Kilmer and Bill Pullman's brand-new Lewis and Clark movie from Revolution Studios.^{[citation needed]}

He serves as the English-language version of the audio guide for Westminster Abbey in London.

Irons has served as voice-over in two big cat documentary films by National Geographic: Eye of the Leopard, which was released in 2006,^[20] and The Last Lions, which is a 2011 motion-picture, released on 18 February.^[21]

Music[link]

In 1985, Irons directed a music video for Carly Simon and her heavily promoted single, "Tired of Being Blonde". Although the song was not a hit, the video —featuring the fast cutting, parallel narratives and heavy use of stylized visual effects that were a staple of pop videos at the time— received ample attention on MTV and other outlets.

In 1994 Jeremy Irons had a cameo role in the video for Elastica's hit single "Connection". Irons was one of the many naked men sitting down around Elastica as they performed the song. Irons has since claimed that this three-minute slice of nudity was his most enjoyable work to date.

Irons has contributed to other musical performances, recording William Walton's Façade with Dame Peggy Ashcroft, and in 1987 the songs from Lerner and Loewe's My Fair Lady with Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, released on the Decca label.

He sang a selection of Noël Coward at the 1999 Last Night of the Proms in celebration of the 100th anniversary of Coward's birth.

In 2003 he played Fredrik Egerman in a New York revival of Stephen Sondheim's A Little Night Music, and two years later appeared as King Arthur in Lerner and Loewe's Camelot at the Hollywood Bowl.

Jeremy Irons also sang the song "Be Prepared" in the movie The Lion King. However, he actually sang only a section of the song after having vocal problems; Jim Cummings finished the last few lines.

Irons performed the Bob Dylan song "Make You Feel My Love" on the 2006 charity album Unexpected Dreams – Songs From the Stars.

In 2009 Irons appeared on the Touchstone album Wintercoast, recording a narrative introduction to the album.^[22] Recording took place in New York City in February 2009 during rehearsals for his Broadway play Impressionism.

Personal life[link]

Irons married Irish actress Sinéad Cusack in March 1978. They have two sons, Samuel James Brefni Irons (16 September 1978), who works as a photographer, and Maximilian Paul Diarmuid Irons (17 October 1985), also an actor, who appeared in the 2006 Burberry fashion campaign^{[citation needed]} and Red Riding Hood. Both of Irons' sons have appeared in films with their father – Sam as the eponymous hero in Danny, Champion of the World and Max in Being Julia. Irons' wife and children are Catholic; of himself, he has stated, "I don’t go to church much because I don’t like belonging to a club, and I don’t go to confession or anything like that, I don’t believe in it. But I try to be aware of where I fail and I occasionally go to services. I would hate to be a person who didn’t have a spiritual side because there’s nothing to nourish you in life apart from retail therapy."^[23]

He has been the patron since 2002 of the Thomley Activity Centre,^[24] an Oxfordshire non-profit activity centre for disabled children. The charity is near his Watlington, Oxfordshire home. Irons owns Kilcoe Castle (which he had painted a rusty pink) in County Cork, Ireland, and has become involved in local politics there. He also has another Irish residence in The Liberties, Dublin. Irons is a patron of the Chiltern Shakespeare Company.^[25] He is a fan of English football club Portsmouth.^[26]

Activism[link]

Charity work[link]

At the 1991 Tony Awards, Irons was one of the few celebrities to wear the recently created red ribbon to support the fight against AIDS, and he was the first celebrity to wear it onscreen.^[27][28] He supports a number of other charities, including The Prison Phoenix Trust, of which he is an active patron.^[29]

Politics[link]

In 1998, Irons and his wife were named in the list of the biggest private financial donors to the Labour Party, a year after their return to government after 18 years in opposition.^[30] In 2004, he publicly declared his support for the Countryside Alliance, referring to the hunting ban as an "outrageous assault on civil liberties".^[31]

In 2010, Irons starred in a promotional video^[32] for “The 1billionhungry project” – a worldwide drive to attract at least one million signatures to a petition calling on international leaders to move hunger to the top of the political agenda.^[33]

Alternative medicine[link]

He has been criticised in the British Medical Journal for his fundraising activities in support of The College of Medicine, an alternative medicine lobby group in the UK linked to Prince Charles.^[34]

Work[link]

Theatre[link]

Following training at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre school Irons initially stayed with the company:

• Florizel in The Winter's Tale, Bristol Old Vic 1969
• Simon in Hay Fever (Noël Coward) Bristol Old Vic 1969
• Nick in What the Butler Saw (Joe Orton) Bristol Old Vic 1969
• Major Barbara (Shaw) Bristol Old Vic 1969
• A Servant of Two Masters (Carlo Goldoni) Bristol Old Vic 1969
• Macbeth, Bristol Old Vic 1969
• The Boy Friend (Sandy Wilson) Bristol Old Vic 1969
• As You Like It, Bristol Old Vic 1970
• Oh! What a Lovely War, Little Theatre Bristol 1970
• The School for Scandal (Sheridan) Little Theatre Bristol 1970
• John/Judas in Godspell, Roundhouse and Wyndham's Theatre, November 1971–1973
• The Madman in The Diary of a Madman (Gogol), Act Inn 1973
• Don Pedro in Much Ado About Nothing, Young Vic
• Mick in The Caretaker (Pinter) Young Vic 1974
• Petruchio in The Taming of the Shrew, New Shakespeare Company, Roundhouse 1975
• Harry Thunder in Wild Oats (John O'Keefe) RSC Aldwych Theatre, December 1976; RSC Stratford and Piccadilly Theatre 1977
• Jameson in The Rear Column (Simon Gray), Globe Theatre, February 1978 – Clarence Derwent Award
• Henry in The Real Thing (Tom Stoppard) New York 1984 —Tony Award for Best Actor
• Leontes in The Winter's Tale, Royal Shakespeare Theatre Stratford 1986)
• Willmore in The Rover (Aphra Behn) RSC Swan Theatre and Mermaid Theatre 1986
• Richard II in Richard II, RSC Royal Shakespeare Theatre, 1986, Barbican Theatre 1987
• Fredrik Egerman in A Little Night Music (Sondheim) New York, 2003
• Russell in Celebration, a Pinter staged reading, Gate Theatre, Dublin/Albery Theatre, 2005
• Henrik in Embers (Christopher Hampton/Sándor Márai novel) Duke of York's Theatre March 2006
• Harold Macmillan in Never So Good (Howard Brenton) National Theatre Lyttelton, March 2008
• Thomas Buckle in Impressionism (Michael Jacobs) Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre Broadway, March 2009

Filmography[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Jeremy Irons

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Jeremy Irons

• Jeremy Irons at the Internet Broadway Database
• Jeremy Irons at the Internet Movie Database
• Jeremy Irons at the British Film Institute's Screenonline
• Jeremy Irons Profile by The Daily Telegraph (13 March 2008)

This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (March 2009)

Neil Jordan
Jordan at the 2010 Tribeca Film Festival
Born	Neil Patrick Jordan (1950-02-25) 25 February 1950 (age 62) Sligo, Ireland
Occupation	Filmmaker/Novelist
Years active	1979–present
Spouse	Brenda Rawn (2004–present)
Website
http://www.neiljordan.com/

Neil Patrick Jordan (born 25 February 1950) is an Irish filmmaker and novelist. He won an Academy Award (Best Original Screenplay) for The Crying Game. He also won the Silver Bear for Best Director at the Berlin International Film Festival for The Butcher Boy.^[1]

Early life[link]

Jordan was born in County Sligo, the son of Angela (née O'Brien), a painter, and Michael Jordan, a professor.^[2] He was educated at St. Paul's College, Raheny. Of his religious background, Jordan said in a 1999 Salon interview: "I was brought up a Catholic and was quite religious at one stage in my life, when I was young. But it left me with no scars whatever; it just sort of vanished." He said about his current beliefs that "God is the greatest imaginary being of all time. Along with Einstein's General Theory of Relativity, the invention of God is probably the greatest creation of human thought."^[3] Later, Jordan attended University College Dublin, where he studied Irish history and English literature.

Career[link]

When John Boorman was filming Excalibur in Ireland, he recruited Jordan as a script consultant, which led to his doing second unit work. His first feature Angel, a tale of a musician caught up in the Troubles, starred Stephen Rea who has subsequently appeared in almost all of Jordan's films to date.

As a writer/director, Jordan has a highly idiosyncratic body of work, ranging from mainstream hits like Interview with the Vampire to commercial failures like We're No Angels to a variety of more personal, low-budget arthouse pictures.

Neil Jordan at the German premiere of The Brave One, 2007.

Themes[link]

Unconventional sexual relationships are a recurring theme in Jordan's work, and he often finds a sympathetic side to characters audiences would traditionally consider deviant or downright horrifying. His film The Miracle, for instance, followed two characters who struggled to resist a strong, incestuous attraction, while The Crying Game made complicated, likable characters out of an IRA terrorist and a transgender woman. Interview with the Vampire, like the Anne Rice book it was based on, focused on the intense, intimate interpersonal relationship of two undead men who murder humans nightly (although the pair never have sex, they are clearly lovers of a sort), accompanied by an equally lusty vampire woman who is eternally trapped in the body of a little girl. While Lestat (Tom Cruise) is depicted in an attractive but villainous manner, his partner Louis (Brad Pitt) and the child vampire Claudia (Kirsten Dunst) are meant to capture the audience's sympathy despite their predatory nature.

In addition to the unusual sexuality of Jordan's films, he frequently returns to the Troubles of Northern Ireland. The Crying Game and Breakfast on Pluto both concern a transgender character (played by Jaye Davidson and Cillian Murphy, respectively), both concern the Troubles, and both feature frequent Jordan leading man Stephen Rea. The two films, however, are very different, with Crying Game a realistic thriller/romance and Breakfast on Pluto a much more episodic, stylized, darkly comic biography. Jordan also frequently tells stories about children or young people, such The Miracle and The Butcher Boy. While his pictures are most often grounded in reality, he occasionally directs more fantastic or dreamlike films, such as The Company of Wolves, High Spirits, Interview with the Vampire and In Dreams.

Hollywood[link]

Jordan with Alicja Bachleda-Curus and Colin Farrell at the Ondine premiere, 2010 Tribeca Film Festival in New York.

The critical success of Jordan's early pictures led him to Hollywood, where he directed High Spirits and We're No Angels; both were critical and financial disasters. He later returned home to make the more personal The Crying Game, which was nominated for six Academy Awards. Jordan won the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for the film. Its unexpected success led him back to American studio filmmaking, where he directed Interview with the Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles.

Neil Gaiman announced during his The Today Show appearance on 27 January 2009, that Neil Jordan would be directing the film of his Newbery Medal-winning book The Graveyard Book.

Neil Jordan wrote and directed Ondine (2009), starring Colin Farrell and Alicja Bachleda-Curuś

Neil Jordan's next feature is entitled Broken Dream and will feature Ben Kingsley and John Hurt ^[4] He will also direct an adaptation of the vampire play "Byzantium", starring Saoirse Ronan and Gemma Arterton.^[5]

Personal life[link]

Jordan lives in a house on Sorrento Terrace in Dalkey, which is a part of the larger town of Dún Laoghaire in Ireland.^[6]

Filmography[link]

• Angel (1982) - Also Writer
• The Company of Wolves (1984) - Also Writer
• Mona Lisa (1986) - Also Writer
• High Spirits (1988) - Also Writer
• We're No Angels (1989)
• The Miracle (1990) - Also Writer
• The Crying Game (1992) - Also Writer
• Interview with the Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles (1994)
• Michael Collins (1996) - Also Writer
• The Butcher Boy (1997) - Also Writer/Executive Producer
• The End of the Affair (1999) - Also Writer/Producer
• In Dreams (1999) - Also Writer
• The Good Thief (2002) - Also Writer/Executive Producer
• Breakfast on Pluto (2005) - Also Writer/Producer
• The Brave One (2007)
• Ondine (2009) - Also Writer/Producer
• The Borgias (TV Series) (2011) - TV Series: Also Writer/Executive Producer
• Byzantium (2012)

Novels[link]

• Night in Tunisia (1976) – Short stories
• The Past (1980)
• The Dream of a Beast (1983)
• Sunrise with Sea Monster (1994)
• Shade (2005)
• Mistaken (2011)

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Neil Jordan

• Neil Jordan's web site
• Neil Jordan at the Internet Movie Database
• Neil Jordan at AllRovi

v t e Recipients of the Rooney Prize for Irish Literature Heno Magee (1976) Desmond Hogan (1977) Peter Sheridan (1978) Kate Cruise O'Brien (1979) Bernard Farrell (1980) Neil Jordan (1981) Medbh McGuckian / Special Prize: Seán Ó Tuama & Thomas Kinsella (1982) Dorothy Nelson (1983) Ronan Sheehan (1984) Frank McGuinness (1985) Paul Mercier (1986) Deirdre Madden (1987) Glenn Patterson (1988) Robert McLiam Wilson (1989) Mary Dorcey (1990) Anne Enright (1991) Hugo Hamilton (1992) Gerard Fanning (1993) Colum McCann (1994) Philip MacCann (1995) Mike McCormack (1996) Anne Haverty (1997) David Wheatley (1998) Mark O'Rowe (1999) Claire Keegan (2000) Keith Ridgway (2001) Caitríona O'Reilly (2002) Eugene O'Brien (2003) Claire Kilroy (2004) Nick Laird (2005) Philip Ó Ceallaigh (2006) Kevin Barry (2007) Leontia Flynn (2008) Kevin Power (2009) Leanne O'Sullivan (2010) Dan Rooney Oscar Wilde Centre