Trivia

  • Sang some of the songs that appear in Velvet Goldmine (1998).
  • His nicknames are Jonny, JRM, John.
  • Has a nephew called Dylan, son of his brother, Alan.
  • His father is John O’Keeffe, a musician.
  • Has three younger brothers: Jamie, Paul and Alan.
  • He was born with a heart condition, and was baptized rather quickly for fear he would not live long.
  • Has a horse named Belle.
  • Choosen by Cosmopolitan Magazine at #34 of the 100 Most Sexy Men In The World in 1998.
  • He changed his last name when he took up acting, taking his mother’s maiden name of Meyers.
  • “Rhys” is pronounced “Reese.” Rhys Meyers is actually not his real surname. He was born as Jonathan Michael Francis O’Keeffe. At the beginning of his career, Jonathan was using ‘Rhys-Myers’ (A Man of No Importance, 1994). Now he is Jonathan Rhys Meyers (the hyphen has been removed).
  • Beat out at least 200 actors for the role of Elvis Presley.
  • In order to avoid the boyish and somewhat androgynous junkies and weak- willed characters he found himself typecast as, he underwent a fitness regime in 2004 and gained and maintained about 25 extra pounds of muscle, so he can also be considered for more masculine roles.
  • Does a superb impression of his Match Point (2005) director Woody Allen.
  • Has been romantically linked to actresses Toni Collette, Asia Argento, Rachael Leigh Cook and Estella Warren.
  • Longtime companion of heiress Reena Hammer from 2004 to present.
  • Face of the “Versace” men’s collection of Autumn/Winter 2006 and Spring 2007 as well as of the new fragrance of “Hugo Boss”.
  • Resides in London and Los Angeles when not filming. Owns an apartment in Morocco and Dublin.
  • Has played “The King” in several different roles starting with Elvis Presley in the CBS mini-series Elvis (2005) and later portraying “King Henry VIII” in the Showtime program “The Tudors” (2007).
  • Arrested at the Dublin airport November 18, 2007 on charges of public drunkenness and breach of the peace.
  • His mother, Geraldine Meyers, passed away, at age 50, after a sudden illness (November 21, 2007).
  • Favorite actors are Joaquin Phoenix and Cillian Murphy.
  • Auditioned for the lead in Tigerland, but lost out to Colin Farrell. He later admitted that Colin was the best choice for the role.
  • His favorite bands include, Broken Social Scene, Kings of Leon, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club.
  • The first acting work he did was a commercial at 15 years old for which he was paid 500 pounds.
  • Thought of joining the priesthood when he was a kid.
  • Bought his mother a home from his first big paycheck.
  • Is a big fan of Bob Marley.
  • Owns homes in London and Los Angeles.
  • Lived in Italy for a few years.
  • Was born with reddish-brown hair.
  • Was offered a part in the 2002 hit thriller “Gangs of New York” but turned it down because he was too busy.