English actor known for stage classics, prestige film leads, and his Academy Award-winning portrayal of Claus von Bulow in Reversal of Fortune.
Background
Born in Cowes, Isle of Wight, Irons trained at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School and worked in repertory before joining the Royal Shakespeare Company.
Career
He starred opposite Meryl Streep in “The French Lieutenant’s Woman,” played twin gynecologists in David Cronenberg’s “Dead Ringers,” and voiced the villain Scar in Disney’s “The Lion King.” He played Alfred Pennyworth in Zack Snyder’s DC films and Adrian Veidt in HBO’s “Watchmen.”
Style
Irons has one of the most recognizable voices in English-language theatre and film and is closely identified with austere, often morally ambiguous lead roles.