Jonathan Pryce has been honoured with a CBE (Commander of the British Empire) title from the Prince of Wales for his services to the dramatic arts. This order or chivalry is The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom.
Says the actor of the recognition: "I'm very honoured and gratified to get the CBE - it's recognition of the importance of the theatre in Britain and how much it means to the people and economy."
The 62-year-old Welshman has played a megalomaniac media tycoon in the James Bond film Tomorrow Never Dies, starred in the Pirates Of The Caribbean movies and appeared alongside Madonna in the 1996 film of Evita.
In recent years he has concentrated on his theatre work and is due to appear for a second time in a London production of Harold Pinter's The Caretaker in the New Year. He is set to play the role of Davies in this story of two brothers and a tramp, Pinter's first major success as a dramatist. Davies is down and out when Aston takes him in for the night. Lost in a shoeless world, chasing papers in Sidcup, Davies soon fancies his chances at something more permanent.
After graduating from RADA the actor later joined Liverpool's Everyman Theatre Company where his colleagues were actresses like Alison Steadman and among the house playwrights were Willy Russell and Alan Bleasdale.
Jonathan Pryce won Tony Awards for Miss Saigon and Comedians and an Olivier award for Hamlet, his many previous theatre credits include Glengarry GLen Ross, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Oliver!, and My Fair Lady. In 1980, he played the role of Mick in the National Theatre's production of The Caretaker with Kenneth Cranham and Warren Mitchell.
His movie breakthrough came in 1985 playing the hero Sam Lowry in Terry Gilliam's film Brazil and Pryce teamed up with the director again for the Adventures Of Baron Munchausen in 1988.
Other notable film parts include roles in Ronin (1998) and Stigmata (1999).
This year he starred as the US president in the Hollywood blockbuster GI Joe: The Rise of Cobra.
The Caretaker will play Trafalgar Studios, 14 Whitehall, London, SW1A 2DY from January 12 - April 17, 2010. Performance times are Mon - Sat, 7.30pm, with matinees on Thurs & Sat, 2.30pm. Tickets are £45 - £20 and can be purchased by calling the box office at 0844 871 7632 or visit www.ambassadortickets.com.
