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Jonny Lee Miller Jonathan "Jonny" Lee Miller is an English
film, television and theatre actor. He achieved early success for his portrayal of Simon Williamson
in the black comedy drama film Trainspotting , before earning further critical recognition
for his performances in Afterglow , Mansfield Park , The Flying Scotsman and Endgame ; for
The Flying Scotsman he received a London Film Critics' Circle nomination for Actor of the
Year. He was also part of the principal cast in the films Melinda and Melinda , Dark Shadows
and Byzantium . He has appeared in several theatrical productions on Broadway, most notably
Frankenstein, which earned him an Olivier Award for Best Actor.
Miller starred as the titular 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. He currently stars as Sherlock Holmes in the CBS crime drama
Elementary which earned him his second Satellite Award nomination for Best Actor.
Early life Miller was born on 15 November 1972 at Kingston
upon Thames, Greater London. He was born the son of Anna Lee and Alan Lee and raised in
the south west of London. He attended Tiffin School as a child and was influenced by his
parents to start acting; they were both theatre actors and were involved in stage productions
at the BBC. 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 receiving his
GCSE to pursue a career in acting. His grandfather is actor Bernard Lee, who played in M in the
first eleven James Bond films, but Miller has admitted he remembers little of him as
he was still young when he passed away. Career
Television Millers made his television debut with an
uncredited appearance in the BBC series Doctor Who at the age of eleven 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. He then appeared in in various televisions shows throughout
the 1990's. These included two separate guest roles in the ITV procedural The Bill as well
as single episode roles in the BBC drama Between the Lines and the medical drama Casualty.
He also featured in Keeping Up Appearances, Inspector Morse and Minder. His first notable
acting role came in the soap opera EastEnders where he played Jonathan Hewitt. Miller later
revealed that he had been offered a contract to remain on the show but declined: "It was
five week's 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." 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 cancelled after only seven episodes. Miller was then
cast as the titular character in the legal comedy-drama Eli Stone. The show ran for two
season on ABC and he received a Satellite Award nomination for Best Actor. He then starred
in the BBC costume drama Emma as George Knightley. He then had a guest role as as Jordan Chase
in the fifth season of the Showtime drama Dexter for which he received 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 that 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. In 2011, Miller auditioned
for the role of Sherlock Holmes for an upcoming CBS adaption based on the works of Arthur
Conan Doyle. He originally turned down the part as he was 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 that he would star in Elementary alongside Lucy Liu. This
earned him his second Satellite Award nomination for Best Actor.
Film Hackers (1995), co-starring with Angelina
Jolie, whom he married in 1996. Shortly after Hackers, Miller was cast as Sick Boy in Trainspotting.
He was suggested for the role by Ewan McGregor. The accent he used in the film was so convincing
that it led many people to incorrectly believe that he was Scottish. 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 the 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.
He was not able to attend the race due to filming commitments of Eli Stone being extended
for a second season. In 1997, he was involved with the creation and operation of Natural
Nylon with friends Jude Law, Sadie Frost, Ewan McGregor, and Sean Pertwee. Natural Nylon
folded in 2003. Theatre
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. He appeared in
Tim Burton's 2012 film Dark Shadows. He also appeared on Broadway with in a production
of "After Miss Julie", with his performance receiving very positive reviews.
Personal life Miller married actress Angelina Jolie on 28
March 1996. They separated 18 months later, and were divorced on 9 February 1999. He began
dating actress and model Michele Hicks in 2006. They married in July 2008 in Malibu,
California. The couple have one son, Buster Timothy Miller, born in December 2008.
Miller is a supporter of Chelsea Football Club. He is a marathon runner, often supporting
the charity Mencap. Miller was signed up to run their 2006 Marathon des Sables, but had
to drop out due to shooting the film Marathon. He ran the 2008 London Marathon in 3:01:40.
He ran the 2010 New York City Marathon with his Dexter co-star Jennifer Carpenter.
Filmography Stage