Jonathan Pryce first appeared in the British science fiction television series ‘Doomwatch’ in 1972. He next appeared in several television series like ‘Play for Today’ (1975-1979), ‘BBC2 Playhouse’ (1976), and ‘Bill Brand’ (1976), before making his big-screen debut in the 1976 war drama film ‘Voyage of the Damned,’ directed by Stuart Rosenberg. Despite receiving a positive response from critics, the film failed to perform at the box office. Following his debut, he went on to star in films like ‘Breaking Glass’ (1980), ‘Loophole’ (1981), ‘Something Wicked this Way Comes’ (1983), and ‘The Ploughman's Lunch’ (1983). In 1985, he starred as ‘Sam Lowry’ in the dystopian black comedy film ‘Brazil,’ directed by Terry Gilliam. The film opened to universal acclaim and gained a cult status in subsequent years. The following year, he appeared in the American comedy horror film ‘Haunted Honeymoon,’ directed by Gene Wilder. The film opened to mostly negative reviews and was a box office failure.
Pryce next starred in films like ‘Man on Fire’ (1987), ‘Consuming Passions’ (1988), ‘The Adventures of Baron Munchausen’ (1988), ‘The Rachel Papers’ (1989), ‘Glengarry Glen Ross’ (1992), ‘Dark Blood’ (1993), ‘The Age of Innocence’ (1993), ‘A Business Affair’ (1994), and ‘Great Moments in Aviation’ (1994). In 1995, he portrayed ‘Lytton Strachey’ in the British biographical film ‘Carrington,’ directed by Christopher Hampton. The film received mostly positive reviews from critics. Pryce also bagged the ‘BAFTA Film Award’ nomination for his performance in the film. The following year, he was seen playing the role of ‘Colonel Juan Perón’ in the American musical historical drama film ‘Evita’ directed by Alan Parker. The film opened to a mixed reception and was a financial success.
In 1997, he starred as ‘Elliot Carver’ in the spy film and the eighteenth installment in the James Bond series, ‘Tomorrow Never Dies.’ The film received mixed response from critics and was a major box office success. He was next seen in ‘Ronin’ (1998), ‘Stigmata’ (1999), ‘Bride of the Wind’ (2001), ‘Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl’ (2003), ‘De-Lovely’ (2004), ‘The New World’ (2005), ‘Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest’ (2006), ‘Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End’ (2007), ‘Leatherheads’ (2008), ‘G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra’ (2009), ‘Hysteria’ (2011), ‘G.I. Joe: Retaliation’ (2013), ‘The Salvation’ (2014), ‘Woman in Gold’ (2015), ‘The White King’ (2016), ‘The Man Who Invented Christmas’ (2017), and ‘The Man Who Killed Don Quixote’ (2018). The year 2019 saw the release of the biographical drama film ‘The Two Popes’ where Pryce portrayed ‘Jorge Mario Cardinal Bergoglio.’ The film had its premiere at the Telluride Film Festival and received wide praise from critics. Pryce also received the ‘Academy Award’ nomination for his performance in the film.
Pryce has also appeared in many television series and shows, such as ‘Martin Luther, Heretic’ (1983), ‘Whose Line Is It Anyway?’ (1988-1989), ‘Selling Hitler’ (1991), ‘Victoria & Albert’ (2001), ‘The Wonderful World of Disney’ (2002), ‘Clone’ (2008), ‘Game of Thrones’ (2015-2016), and ‘Taboo’ (2017). He was last seen in the role of ‘Russ’ in the American science fiction drama television series ‘Tales from the Loop’ in 2020.
