Jonny Lee Miller

Jonathan Lee Miller (born 15 November 1972) is a British-American film, television and theatre actor. He achieved early success for his portrayal of Simon "Sick Boy" Williamson in the dark comedy drama film Trainspotting (1996) and as Dade Murphy in Hackers (1995) before earning further critical recognition for his performances in Afterglow (1997), Mansfield Park (1999), The Flying Scotsman (2006), Endgame (2009) and T2 Trainspotting (2017); for The Flying Scotsman he received a London Film Critics' Circle nomination for Actor of the Year.[2] He was also part of the principal cast in the films Melinda and Melinda (2004), Dark Shadows (2012) and Byzantium (2013). He has appeared in several theatrical productions, most notably After Miss Julie and Frankenstein, the latter of which earned him an Olivier Award for Best Actor.[3]

Jonny Lee Miller
Miller at the 2012 San Diego Comic Con International
Born	Jonathan Lee Miller 15 November 1972 Kingston upon Thames, England
Nationality	British
Citizenship	United Kingdom United States[1]
Education	Tiffin School
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1983–present
Known for	Sherlock Holmes in Elementary
Spouse(s)	Angelina Jolie ​ ​ (m. 1996; div. 1999)​ Michele Hicks ​ ​ (m. 2008)​
Children	1
Relatives	Bernard Lee (grandfather)

Miller starred as the title character in the ABC comedy-drama Eli Stone, for which he received a Satellite Award nomination for Best Actor. This was followed by another starring role in the BBC costume drama Emma and a supporting role as Jordan Chase in the fifth season of the Showtime drama Dexter. From 2012 to 2019 he starred as a modern-day version of Sherlock Holmes in the CBS crime drama Elementary, which earned him his second Satellite Award nomination for Best Actor.[4]

Early life

Miller was born on 15 November 1972 in Kingston-upon-Thames and was raised in south west London. He is the son of Anna Lee and Alan Miller and was influenced by his parents to start acting; they were both theatre actors and were involved in stage productions at the BBC.[5] His grandfather was actor Bernard Lee, who played M in the first eleven James Bond films. Miller has said he remembers little of him, as he was still young when his grandfather died.[5] He was seven years old.

Miller attended Tiffin School as a child. He appeared in several school plays such as The Ragged Child and performed as part of the Tiffin Swing Band. He then joined the National Youth Music Theatre, where he met fellow actor Jude Law. He left school at the age of sixteen after taking his GCSEs to pursue a career in acting.[5]

Career

Television

Miller made his television debut with an uncredited appearance in the BBC series Doctor Who at the age of nine in the 1982 episode Kinda. The following year he appeared in Jemima Shore and had a role as Charles Price in the serial drama Mansfield Park. In 1991, he costarred, with Alexei Sayle in 'itch, which was broadcast on Channel 4 as part of the 4 Play strand, a platform for a series of one-off plays that ran from 1989 to 1991. The play was written by Alexei Sayle and David Stafford. Miller played the character Dennis Turnbull, the teenage son of Gordon and Susan Turnbull. [6] He then appeared in various television shows throughout the 1990s. These included Keeping Up Appearances in 1990, followed by Inspector Morse and Minder in 1991. He appeared in two separate guest roles in the ITV police drama The Bill, one in 1991 and another in 1993, as well as single-episode roles in the BBC drama Between the Lines and the medical drama Casualty, both of which were broadcast in 1992.

In 1993's third instalment of Prime Suspect, Miller played a young man victimized as a child by a paedophile. His first notable acting role that year was in the soap opera EastEnders wherein he played Jonathan Hewitt. Miller later revealed he had been offered a contract to remain on the show but declined: "It was five weeks' work and I made more money there than I ever had in my life. Then they offered me a year's contract. I said no, thank God. I thought I should get out of there while I still could."[5]

In 2003, Miller appeared in the BBC modernisation of The Canterbury Tales in the episode The Pardoner's Tale and had a starring role as Lord Byron in the television film Byron. He then starred alongside Ray Liotta in the CBS drama Smith. However, the show was canceled after only seven episodes. Miller was then cast as the titular character in the legal comedy-drama Eli Stone. The show ran for two seasons on ABC and he received a Satellite Award nomination for Best Actor. He then starred in the BBC costume drama Emma as George Knightley.

Miller then performed in a guest role as Jordan Chase in the fifth season of the Showtime drama Dexter, for which he received a nomination for Screen Actors Guild Award for being part of the main cast in the category of Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series. In early 2010, it was reported he was set to portray Rick Grimes in the television adaptation of the comic The Walking Dead. It was later revealed that Andrew Lincoln had been cast.[7] In 2011, Miller auditioned for the role of Sherlock Holmes in the CBS adaption based on the works of Arthur Conan Doyle. He originally turned down the part, as he feared it would be too similar to the BBC version Sherlock. However, after receiving the script he accepted the part, and it was officially announced he would star in Elementary alongside Lucy Liu.[8] This earned him his second Satellite Award nomination for Best Actor.[4]

Film

He first starred in the film Hackers (1995), with Angelina Jolie, whom he married in 1996.[5] Shortly after Hackers, Miller was cast as Sick Boy in Trainspotting. He was suggested for the role by Ewan McGregor.[9] The accent he used in the film was regarded as very convincing, leading some people to incorrectly believe that he was Scottish.[9] Miller has stated: "I had to do a lot of work. 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."

In 1997, he played Billy Prior in the film adaptation of Pat Barker's World War I novel Regeneration. In 2000, he played Cameron Colley in Complicity, based on the book by Iain Banks. He costarred in the film Love, Honour and Obey as Johnny, a London street kid getting mixed up with a notorious British 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, replacing Pierce Brosnan. The role eventually went to Daniel Craig. The following year, Miller portrayed cyclist Graeme Obree in The Flying Scotsman.

He was considered as the third teammate to join Ben Fogle and James Cracknell in Team QinetiQ for the Amundsen Omega 3 South Pole Race in January 2009. He participated in training for the event in Norway, which was televised for a BBC2 documentary series On Thin Ice.[10] He was not able to attend the race due to filming commitments of Eli Stone being extended for a second season.[11] In 1997, he was involved with the creation and operation of the production company Natural Nylon with friends Jude Law;[5] Natural Nylon folded in 2003.

Theatre

In November 1999, he played Brito in Paul Corcoran's Four Nights in Knaresborough at the Tricycle Theatre, London. In March 2011, at the Royal National Theatre, he played both Victor Frankenstein and Frankenstein's Monster on alternate nights, opposite Benedict Cumberbatch, in a stage adaptation of Frankenstein. Directed by Danny Boyle, the play was broadcast to cinemas worldwide as part of National Theatre Live on 17 March 2011 and additional dates throughout March and April.[12] He also appeared on Broadway in a production of After Miss Julie, with his performance receiving very positive reviews.[13] In March 2004, he played Christian in Festen by David Eldridge at The Almeida Theatre in London. [14]

Awards and honours

• Laurence Olivier Award (2012)
• Satellite Award (2008, 2012)
• IQ Award (2014) Initially Edward Snowden had been nominated by Mensa members, and the IQ commission had approved his nomination, the managing board of Mensa revoked Snowden's nomination because "Mensa is not allowed to comment on political issues." In protest, Miller was then proposed by one member, for his portrayal of Sherlock Holmes. He won the most votes to take the award.[15]

Personal life

Miller married actress Angelina Jolie on 28 March 1996. They separated 18 months later[5] and were divorced in 2000; however, they remain close friends. He began dating actress and model Michele Hicks in 2006. They married in July 2008 in Malibu, California.[16] The couple have one son, Buster Timothy Miller, born in December 2008.[16]

He is a marathon runner, often supporting the charity Mencap. Miller was signed up to run the 2006 Marathon des Sables, but he had to drop out due to shooting a film.[17] He ran the 2008 London Marathon in 3:01:40.[18] Miller is an advocate to finding treatment for the disease Sanfilippo syndrome, following a case with five-year-old Jonah Weishaar. In 2014, he addressed the Congressional caucus in Washington, D.C., on behalf of rare disease organisations, in the hopes of securing financing to fund treatment research.[19]

He became an American citizen in November 2014.[20]

Muay Thai

Miller has also trained in both Muay Thai and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu at Evolution Muay Thai in New York City. In May 2018, he took part in an exhibition Muay Thai bout held at Chok Sabai Gym in New York City, which followed a five-week training camp leading up to the event.[21]

On 1 February 2019, Miller made his Muay Thai debut at "Friday Night Fights" held at Broad Street Ballroom in New York City, where he took on Robert Bermudez in the scheduled-for-three-rounds 145-pound bout. Miller won the fight by knockout in the third round with a right cross – left hook combination.[22]

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1992	Dead Romantic	Paul
1993	Bad Company	Michael Hickey
1993	Olly's Prison	Smiler
1994	Meat	Charlie Dyce
1995	Hackers	Dade Murphy [aka "Zero Cool" / "Crash Override"]
1996	Trainspotting	Sick Boy
1996	Dead Man's Walk	Woodrow F. Call
1997	Afterglow	Jeffrey Byron
1997	Regeneration	2nd Lt. Billy Prior
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	Byron	Lord Byron
2004	Mindhunters	Lucas Harper
2004	Melinda and Melinda	Lee
2005	Æon Flux	Oren Goodchild
2006	The Flying Scotsman	Graeme Obree
2009	Endgame	Michael Young
2012	Dark Shadows	Roger Collins
2012	Byzantium	The Captain
2017	T2 Trainspotting	Sick Boy
TBA	Alice	Paul Bennet	Filming

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1982	Doctor Who	Kinda child (uncredited)	Episode: "Kinda: Part One"
1983	Jemima Shore Investigates	Boy with dog	Episode: "A Little Bit of Wildlife"
1983	Mansfield Park	Charles Price	2 episodes
1990	Keeping Up Appearances	Youth	Episode: "Daisy's Toyboy"
1991	4 Play	Dennis Turnbull	Episode: "Itch"
1991	The Bill	Simon Cooper	Episode: "The Sorcerer's Apprentice"
1991	Inspector Morse	Student	Episode: "Greeks Bearing Gifts"
1991	Minder	Auctioneer's assistant	Episode: "Three Cons Make a Mountain"
1992	EastEnders	Jonathan Hewitt	6 episodes
1992	Between the Lines	David Ringwood	Episode: "The Only Good Copper"
1992	Casualty	Matt	Episode: "Tender Loving Care"
1992	Second Thoughts	Chas	Episode: "Short Change"
1992	Goodbye Cruel World	Mark	Miniseries
1993	Prime Suspect 3	Anthony Field	Episode: "Part II"
1993	The Bill	Lee Gibson	Episode: "Mighty Atoms"
1994	Mystery!: Cadfael	Edwin Gurney	Episode: "Monk's Hood"
1996	Dead Man's Walk	Woodrow Call	3 episodes
1999	Operation Good Guys	Himself	Episode: "Stardust"
2003	The Canterbury Tales	Arty	Episode: "The Pardoner's Tale"
2006–2007	Smith	Tom	7 episodes
2008–2009	Eli Stone	Eli Stone	26 episodes
2009	Emma	Mr. Knightley	4 episodes
2010	Dexter	Jordan Chase	6 episodes
2012–2019	Elementary	Sherlock Holmes	Main role, also director of 3 episodes

Stage

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1993	Beautiful Thing	Ste	Bush Theatre
1999	Four Knights in Knaresborough	Brito	Tricycle Theatre
2004	Festen	Christian	Almeida Theatre
2005	Someone Who'll Watch Over Me	Adam	Ambassadors Theatre
2009	After Miss Julie	John	American Airlines Theatre
2011	Frankenstein	Victor Frankenstein Frankenstein's monster	Royal National Theatre
2019	Ink	Larry Lamb	Manhattan Theatre Club

Awards and nominations

Year	Award	Category	Nominated work	Result
2007	BAFTA Award	Best Actor in a Scottish Film	The Flying Scotsman	Nominated
	London Film Critics Circle Award	Best British Actor of the Year		Nominated
2008	Satellite Award	Best Actor – Television Series Musical or Comedy	Eli Stone	Nominated
2010	Screen Actors Guild Award	Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series	Dexter	Nominated
2012	Olivier Award	Best Actor in a Play	Frankenstein	Won
	Satellite Award	Best Actor – Television Series Drama	Elementary	Nominated
	Teen Choice Award	Choice TV Actor – Action		Nominated

Kickboxing record

Kickboxing record
1 Win, 0 Losses, 0 Draw, 1 KO, 1 NC
Date	Result	Opponent	Event	Location	Method	Round	Time
2019-02-01	Win	Robert Bermudez	Friday Night Fights	Broad Street Ballroom, New York City, NY	KO (Punches)	3

Legend:   Win   Loss   Draw/No contest   Notes

See also

• List of actors who have played Sherlock Holmes
• List of British actors
• List of people from Kingston upon Thames

References

1. "English Actor Jonny Lee Miller Has Become A Citizen Of The U.s." contactmusic.com. Contactmusic.com Ltd. 28 April 2015. Retrieved 18 September 2018.
2. Sun, Rebecca. "Jonny Lee Miller Signs With UTA". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 17 February 2014.
3. Sargeant, Harri (16 April 2012). "Benedict Cumberbatch and Jonny Lee Miller win joint Olivier award". Hypable. Archived from the original on 1 March 2014. Retrieved 17 February 2014.
4. Kilday, Gregg. "Satellite Awards Nominates 10 Films for Best Motion Picture". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 17 February 2014.
5. Reid, Vicki (3 October 2009). "Jonny Lee Miller Interview". The Telegraph. Retrieved 17 February 2014.
7. Moody, Mike (29 March 2010). "Jonny Lee Miller for 'Walking Dead'?". Hypable. Retrieved 17 February 2014.
8. Lawless, Jill. "Why Jonny Lee Miller Originally Said No To 'Elementary'". Huffington Post. Retrieved 17 February 2014.
9. Waldman, Allison (21 March 2008). "Jonny Lee Miller: In the Limelight". The Huffington Post. Retrieved 20 September 2013.
10. On Thin Ice (2009). [TV programme]. TwoFour Productions. [Transmitted: 29 June 2009].
11. Singh, Anita (4 April 2009). "Romola Garai to Play Emma in BBC's Latest Jane Austen Adaptation". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 7 May 2010.
12. "Frankenstein – Productions". Royal National Theatre. Archived from the original on 20 March 2012. Retrieved 19 October 2012.
13. Ng, David (23 October 2009). "Sienna Miller in 'After Miss Julie' on Broadway: What did the critics think?". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 20 September 2013.
14. Drama online
15. Werdermann, Felix (21 January 2015). "Kein IQ-Preis für Edward Snowden (No IQ Award for Edward Snowden)". der Freitag. Retrieved 22 January 2015.
16. "Jonny Lee Miller and Michele Hicks Welcome Son". People. 5 December 2008. Retrieved 26 February 2013.
17. "Jonny Lee Miller pulls out of marathon so he can film 'Marathon'". starpulse.com. 4 April 2006. Archived from the original on 16 October 2011. Retrieved 26 February 2013.
18. "Flora London Marathon 2008 Results". Retrieved 26 February 2013.
19. Unknown Author (26 February 2014). "'Elementary' Star Jonny Lee Miller Works To Solve Sanfilippo Syndrome". CBS New York. Retrieved 26 February 2014.
20. Congratulations Jonny Lee Miller: A New American Citizen, retrieved 19 November 2019
21. Dikmans, Lilian (20 September 2018). "Jonny Lee Miller, Elementary's Sherlock Holmes in Muay Thai ring". FIGHTMAG. Australia. Retrieved 23 September 2018.
22. Iskenderov, Parviz (2 February 2019). "KNOCKOUT: Jonny Lee Miller makes successful Muay Thai debut". FIGHTMAG. Retrieved 3 February 2019.

External links

• Jonny Lee Miller at the Internet Broadway Database
• Jonny Lee Miller at IMDb
• Jonny Lee Miller at the BFI's Screenonline