ACTOR · BORN 1947
Jonathan Pryce
- Born
- 1 June 1947, Carmel, Flintshire, Wales, UK
- Known for
- Game of Thrones (2011), Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003), Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006), Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (2007)
30 archived facts 4 topics 1 source Last reviewed Sep 2026
10 Facts From Jonathan Pryce's Career
- #002
He was appointed CBE (Commander of the Order of the British Empire) in the 2009 Queen's Birthday Honours for services to drama.
- #005
Pryce was at the centre of a racial controversy over his role in the mid-1980s musical Miss Saigon. He played 'The Engineer', a half-French, half-Vietnamese Asian pimp, in the original London cast, but when producer Cameron Mackintosh wanted to transfer the UK cast to the original Broadway opening, the American actors' union Actors' Equity objected on the grounds that Pryce, a Caucasian Welshman, should not be allowed to play an Asian person. The arguments against Pryce's casting were that a White person playing an Asian character amounted to yellowface, denied Asian actors roles that were already scarce, and was an "affront to the Asian community." Mackintosh then cancelled the Broadway production (despite having already sold tickets), so Actors' Equity reversed its decision on a technical detail in its bylaws that exempted producers from having to cast native actors for a transferred production if the original star was deemed sufficiently famous. The policies on racial casting issues that Actors' Equity put in place in response to this incident were still governing Broadway casting as of 2006.
- #006
He won two Tony Awards: Best Actor (Featured Role – Play) in 1977 for "Comedians" and Best Actor (Musical) in 1991 for "Miss Saigon".
- #008
In 1990 (the 1989 season) he was awarded the Laurence Olivier Theatre Award for Best Actor in a Musical for "Miss Saigon".
- #010
He was nominated for the 2002 Laurence Olivier Theatre Award for Best Actor in a Musical for 2001 for his performance in "My Fair Lady" at the Royal National Theatre's Lyttelton and later at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane.
- #014
He was awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of Liverpool on 12 December 2006 for his contributions to the acting arts on stage and screen.
- #018
He began work as the con man Lawrence Jameson in the hit Broadway musical "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels", playing at the Imperial Theatre in New York.
- #024
Jonathan Pryce appeared alongside Norbert Leo Butz in the Broadway production of "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels."
- #025
Jonathan Pryce was appointed a Knight Bachelor in the 2021 Queen's Birthday Honours for his services to drama and charity.
- #028
Jonathan Pryce appeared in the musical Miss Saigon.
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