Jonathan Pryce, CBE (born 1 June 1947) is a Welsh stage and film actor/singer. After studying at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and marrying English actress Kate Fahy in 1974, he began his career as a stage actor in the 1970s. His work in theatre, including an award-winning performance in the title role of the Royal Court Theatre's Hamlet, led to several supporting roles in film and television. He made his breakthrough screen performance in Terry Gilliam's 1985 cult film Brazil.

Critically lauded for his versatility,Shenton, Mark (15 October 2007). "Jonathan Pryce". Broadway.com in London. Retrieved on 10 November 2007.BWW News Desk (20 November 2005). "Jonathan Pryce Confirmed To Step Into 'Dirty Rotten Scoundrels'". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved on 10 November 2007. Pryce has participated in big-budget productions such as Evita, Tomorrow Never Dies, Pirates of the Caribbean and The New World, as well as independent projects such as Glengarry Glen Ross and Carrington. His career in theatre has also been prolific, and he has won two Tony Awards—the first in 1977 for his Broadway debut in Comedians, the second for his 1991 role as "the Engineer" in the musical Miss Saigon.

Early life

Pryce was born John Price in Holywell, Flintshire, Wales, UK, the son of Margaret Ellen (née Williams), a retail cashier and shopkeeper, and Isaac Price, a coal miner who also ran a small general grocery shop. Pryce has two older sisters. He was educated at Holywell Grammar School (today Holywell High School), and, at the age of 16, he went to art college and then started training to be a teacher at Edge Hill College in Ormskirk. At some point he changed the spelling of his last name from Price to Pryce. While studying, he took part in a college theatre production. An impressed friend sent off to the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art for an application form, and Pryce was awarded a scholarship to RADA."Jonathan Pryce". BBC.co.uk. Retrieved on 28 October 2007."Jonathan Pryce Biography". Tribute.ca. Retrieved on 28 October 2007.(16 August 2002). "I always wanted to be a pop star...". The Guardian. Retrieved on 9 December 2007. While at RADA Pryce worked as a door-to-door salesman of velvet paintings.(8 October 2007). "Why Jonathan Pryce is right for Mamet". telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved on 15 June 2008. Pryce was part of 'new wave’ of actors to emerge from the Academy. Others included Bruce Payne, Juliet Stevenson, Alan Rickman, Anton Lesser, Kenneth Branagh and Fiona Shaw.