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Dark, brooding looks, crystal clear diction and a tall angular frame have guaranteed a range of heroes and villains for Irons, from his saintly priest in The Mission to the psycho of Die Hard With A Vengeance. Born in 1948, and educated at Dorset public school Sherborne, Irons gave up a career as a vet and entered the Bristol Old Vic theatre school. After a winning role opposite David Bowie in the musical Godspell, his big break came with a part in the BBC's flagship series Brideshead Revisited. Capitalising on the series' worldwide success, Irons went on to win a Golden Globe for The Mission and play twins in Cronenberg's Dead Ringers. Since then, some argue he has failed to live up to early promise, others point to his fabulously villainous Scar in The Lion King and his subtle portrayal of Humbert Humbert in Adrian Lyne's Lolita.
