Who is Jeremy Northam? Everything You Need to Know

Quick Facts

British Celebrities Born In December

Also Known As: Jeremy Philip Northam

Age: 62 Years, 62 Year Old Males

Family:

Spouse/Ex-: Liz Moro (m. 2005–2009)

father: John Northam

mother: Rachel (née Howard)

Actors British Men

Height: 6'2" (188 cm), 6'2" Males

Notable Alumni: King's College School, Cambridge, Bedford College, London, Bristol Old Vic Theatre School

City: Cambridge, England

More Facts

education: Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, Bedford College, London, King's College School, Cambridge

awards: 2002 · Gosford Park - Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
2002 · Gosford Park - Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Acting Ensemble
1999 · The Winslow Boy - London Film Critics Circle Award for British Actor of the Year

2002 · Gosford Park - Satellite Award for Best Ensemble – Motion Picture
2000 · An Ideal Husband - London Film Critics' Circle Award for Actor of the Year
1990 · The Voysey Inheritance - Laurence Olivier Award for Most Promising Newcomer of the Year in Theatre
2000 · The Winslow Boy
An Ideal Husband - Evening Standard British Film Award for Best Actor

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Childhood & Early Life

Jeremy Philip Northam was born on December 1, 1961, in Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, England, to John Northam and Rachel (née Howard). His father, noted for his translations of Henrik Ibsen, was a professor of literature and drama and was regarded as one of the leading Ibsen scholars in the world. His mother was a professor of economics and a potter.

He attended ‘King’s College School,’ Cambridge. After his family relocated to Bristol in 1972, he studied at the ‘Bristol Grammar School.’ He earned a BA degree in English in 1984 from ‘Bedford College,’ London, which is presently part of ‘Royal Holloway, University of London.’ He also took training from the ‘Bristol Old Vic Theatre School.’

He has one older sister, Kate, and two older brothers, Tim and Christopher.

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Career

Northam began his career with pantomime and several small-town musicals. While performing the trivial role of ‘Osric’ in a 1989 ‘National Theatre Company’ production of ‘Hamlet’ at the ‘Olivier Theatre,’ in London, Northam earned his big break. He had to replace star Daniel Day-Lewis for the titular role of the play due to the latter’s sudden breakdown.

In 1989, he appeared in the ‘National Theatre Company’ production of ‘The Voysey Inheritance’ at the ‘Cottesloe Theatre,’ London. His brilliant performance as ‘Edward Voysey’ in the play earned him the prestigious ‘Laurence Olivier Award’ for the ‘Most Promising Newcomer’ in 1990. Over the years, he strengthened his stage career with other plays such as ‘The Three Sisters’ (1991), ‘Love's Labour's Lost’ (1994), and ‘Old Times’ (2004)..

Meanwhile, he started appearing in several British productions. These include TV series such as ‘Wish Me Luck’ (1988–1989) and ‘A Fatal Inversion’ (1992), TV miniseries ‘Piece of Cake’ (1988), TV films such as ‘A Village Affair’ (1995), and big-screen flicks such as ‘Soft Top Hard Shoulder’ (1993).

His American film debut happened with the starring role of ‘Jack Devlin,’ along with Sandra Bullock and Dennis Miller, in the 1995-released blockbuster hit cyber mystery–thriller ‘The Net.’ The movie grossed $110.6 million worldwide, against a budget of $22 million.

He drew attention playing ‘George Knightley,’ a landowner and a gentle farmer, one of the principal characters in the hit 1996 period comedy ‘Emma,’ based on Jane Austen’s famous 1815 novel of the same title. Northam starred in the film along with Gwyneth Paltrow, Ewan McGregor, Toni Collette, and Alan Cumming.

In the ensuing years, Northam starred in several films, furthering his fame and also bagging several awards. He won the ‘ALFS Award’ for the ‘British Actor of the Year’ for his starring performance in the 1999-released film ‘Happy, Texas.’ He also won awards for ‘An Ideal Husband’ and ‘The Winslow Boy.’ Both films fetched him the ‘Evening Standard British Film Award’ for the ‘Best Actor,’ while ‘The Winslow Boy’ also won him the ‘Edinburgh International Film Festival Award’ for the ‘Best British Performance.’

One of his most notable portrayals was that of Welsh actor and singer Ivor Novello in the 2001 superhit British murder mystery ‘Gosford Park.’ He also sang five songs of the film’s soundtrack with his brother Christopher on the piano. Northam, along with the ensemble cast of the film, bagged several awards, including a ‘Critics Choice Award’ and a ‘Screen Actors Guild Award.’ The following year, he earned acclaim for his role in the science-fiction thriller film ‘Cypher.’

He portrayed several notable real-life personalities on-screen, both on TV and in films. These include the roles of Dean Martin in the made-for-TV biographical film ‘Martin and Lewis’ (2002), American professional golfer Walter Hagen in the biographical drama ‘Bobby Jones: Stroke of Genius’ (2004), Sir Thomas More in the historical-fiction TV series ‘The Tudors’ (2007), Reverend John Brodie Innes in the biographical drama ‘Creation’ (2009), philosopher Bertrand Russell in the biographical drama ‘The Man Who Knew Infinity’ (2015), and British prime minister Anthony Eden in the historical web series ‘The Crown’ (2016–2017).

He has also contributed to many audiobooks, such as ‘A Death Divided’ by Clare Francis for ‘Macmillan,’ ‘The Aspern Papers’ by Henry James for ‘SilkSoundBooks,’ ‘The Silver Chair’ by CS Lewis for ‘Harper Audio,’ and ‘Our Man in Havana’ by Graham Greene for ‘CSA Word.’

Family & Personal Life

In April 2005, he married Canadian film and TV makeup artist Liz Moro. However, the marriage later culminated in a divorce.

Jeremy Northam Biography