Jonathan Stephen Geoffrey King (born 21 May 1948), known professionally as Jonathan "Nash" Hyde, is an Australian actor. Hyde is perhaps best known for roles as Herbert Arthur Runcible Cadbury in the comedy film Richie Rich (1994), Samuel Parrish and Van Pelt in the fantasy adventure film Jumanji (1995), J. Bruce Ismay in the epic romantic film Titanic (1997), Culverton Smith in The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, Warren Westridge in creature feature film Anaconda (1997), Dr. Allen Chamberlain in the adventure horror film The Mummy (1999), and Eldritch Palmer in the FX TV series The Strain. Although an Australian citizen, he has mostly lived in the United Kingdom since 1969, after his family left Australia.

Early life

Hyde was born in Brisbane, Queensland, to a middle-class family. His father was Stephen Geoffrey King, a solicitor. Hyde's interest in law took him to university to study the subject but his passion for performing and the theatre led him to pursue a career in acting. Leaving for London in 1969, he was awarded a coveted place at RADA and won the Bancroft Gold Medal for excellence in his graduating year of 1972. In a 2007 interview with The Age, Hyde said he did not make a conscious decision to lose his Australian accent after moving to Britain, and that it still "comes and goes."

Career

Hyde is a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company. Among other roles, he played Ferdinand in a 1985 production of John Webster's The Duchess of Malfi. He was an original cast member of Not the Nine O'Clock News, the first series of which was pulled from broadcast because of the General Election of 1979. Hyde played J. Bruce Ismay, the arrogant managing director of the White Star Line in Titanic, Egyptologist Allen Chamberlain in The Mummy, and Sam Parrish/Van Pelt, the hunter in Jumanji. He has been in numerous films including The Contract, The Curse of King Tut's Tomb, Land of the Blind, The Tailor of Panama, Sherlock Holmes and the Case of the Silk Stocking, Eisenstein and Anaconda. He appeared in the 1989 BBC drama series Shadow of the Noose in which he played barrister Edward Marshall Hall. He has also appeared in several television mysteries, including The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes starring Jeremy Brett in which Hyde played Culverton Smith and Midsomer Murders as Frank Smythe-Webster. In 2007, Hyde played Dr. Dorn in Chekhov's The Seagull and the Earl of Kent in King Lear for the Royal Shakespeare Company in a repertory company that included Ian McKellen, Frances Barber, Romola Garai, William Gaunt and Sylvester McCoy. Both plays toured together internationally, before taking up residence in the New London Theatre. The final performance was on 12 January 2008. He reprised his role of Kent in the 2008 television film of King Lear. In the final series of BBC's popular series Spooks, Hyde played Ilya Gavrik, a Russian Minister. Hyde appeared as Lionel Logue, the King's speech therapist in the West End production of The King's Speech at Wyndham's Theatre. From 2014 to 2017, he starred as Eldritch Palmer in the FX TV series The Strain. In 2019, he starred as Beau in Gently Down The Stream at London's Park Theatre, and himself earned an Olivier Award Nomination: Outstanding Achievement in an Affiliate Theatre - Jonathan Hyde.

Personal life

Hyde married Scottish operatic soprano Isobel Buchanan in 1980. They have two daughters, one of whom is actress Georgia King.

Filmography

Film

Television

Theatre work

With the Glasgow Citizens' Theatre

With the Royal Shakespeare Company

Return to Stratford as Associate Artist

Other theatre work