Jared Harris

JARED HARRIS is a classically trained stage actor and former member of London's famed Royal Shakespeare Company, who has also been seen in a wide range of film and television projects. He starred on Steven Spielberg's "Lincoln," opposite Daniel Day Lewis. Harris played Ulysses S. Grant in the biopic, based on historian Doris Kearns Goodwin's best-selling book Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln.

On television, Harris reprised his role as 1960s ad executive Lane Pryce in the Emmy and Golden Globe Award-winning drama "Mad Men," which is heading into its fifth season on AMC.

Harris' extensive film career encompasses more than 50 movies, including David Fincher's "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," with Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett, and "Extraordinary Measures," alongside Harrison Ford and Brendan Fraser. Harris made his film debut in 1989's "The Rachel Papers," which marked the directorial debut of his brother Damian. He subsequently delivered a riveting portrayal of Andy Warhol in the award-winning "I Shot Andy Warhol," and played the sleazy Russian cab driver, Vladimir, in Todd Solondz's "Happiness," for which he shared in the 1999 National Board of Review Acting Ensemble Award. Among his many other credits are Michael Mann's "The Last of the Mohicans," "Sylvia," Jim Jarmusch's "Dead Man," "Igby Goes Down," "Mr. Deeds," and John Carpenter's "The Ward."

In addition, Harris has accumulated an impressive list of television credits in both England and the U.S., including a highly acclaimed performance as Henry VIII for the BBC production of "The Other Boleyn Girl." His work for the BBC also includes the miniseries "To the Ends of the Earth" and the starring role in "Coup!" Stateside, Harris has been seen in recurring roles on "The Riches" and "Fringe" and has guest starred on such series as "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" and "Without a Trace." He also portrayed John Lennon in the 2000 original VH1 film "Two of Us."

On the stage, Harris has appeared with some of the most renowned theater companies in both London and New York. He made his American stage debut as Hotspur in the New York Shakespeare Festival's "Henry IV, Parts 1 & 2." He then went on to perform with the company in both "`Tis Pity She's A Whore" and "King Lear." His additional theatre credits include the New Group's Obie Award-winning production of Mike Leigh's "Ecstasy"; the New Jersey Shakespeare Company's experimental production of "Hamlet," in which he played the title role; the Almeida Theatre's production of Tennessee Williams' "A Period of Adjustment"; and the Vineyard Theater's production of "More Lies About Jerzy."

Born in London, Harris is the son of Irish actor Richard Harris. He attended North Carolina's Duke University, where he majored in drama and literature, and after graduation, studied at the Central School of Speech and Drama in London.

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