Fans of Netflix series Bridgerton may know Jonathan Bailey for his iconic role as the very dapper Viscount Anthony Bridgerton – Daphne’s somewhat controlling older brother in the hit show. It was recently revealed that the next series will focus solely on Anthony, who is famously against the idea of marriage and affectionally called a ‘rake’ (the Regency way of calling someone a player), and his quest to find his Viscountess.
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But away from the wonderful world of Bridgerton, actor Jonathan Bailey, 35, could not be more different. Here’s everything you need to know about the British acting talent.
Who is Jonathan Bailey?
Jonathan is a British actor and caught the acting bug when he was just five years old. In 2012, he told WhatsOnStage that he can’t see himself doing anything else after he was in the audience of a stage production of Oliver!
He recalled, "I remember announcing to my family something very clichéd like, 'I want to be up there one day.”
In 1995, Jonathan got his big break when he landed a role in the Royal Shakespeare Company’s A Christmas Carol and the rest they say, is history.
He famously ‘trod the boards’ for years and won the 2019 Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role in a Musical for his portrayal of Jamie in the 2018 West End revival of Company.
Where is Jonathan Bailey from?
He was born in Wallingford and grew up in the nearby village of Benson with his three older sisters. Unlike many, Jonathan chose not to go to drama school and did a degree with the Open University instead.
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How old is Jonathan Bailey?
He was born 25 April 1988, so that makes him 33 years old. He’s also a Taurus, FYI.
Is Jonathan Bailey married?
He’s not married, no. Jonathan is gay and has been incredibly frank about his experience as a gay actor in the industry.
Jonathan came out in 2018 and has since revealed that men who work in publicity as well as casting directors told him not to state his sexuality publicly.
He told Attitude magazine, “The most conservative conversations I’ve had about me being honest about my sexuality in this day and age have come from gay men in the industry,” he said, “‘Oh, no, you can’t come out. You shouldn’t really do that’.
He also admitted that coming out was a huge relief and in fact made him a better actor. “I got to a point in my life, in my twenties, where I couldn’t explain how I was feeling. I couldn’t put any word on it, but it was like a Tupperware box that had been locked down”.
What TV shows has Jonathan Bailey appeared in?
Other than Bridgerton, Jonathan is probably best known for his TV role in ITV’s iconic crime drama Broadchurchalongside David Tennent and Olivia Colman. He played reporter Olly Stevens in both series of the show.
Before that, in 2011, Jonathan was cast as Leonardo da Vinci in the CBBC series Leonardo. In 2014, he played the character of PSI in Doctor Who is the episode “Time Heist”.
Aside from those appearance, Jonathan has appeared in many telly shows in his career, including The Bill, Chewing Gum, Me and Mrs Jones and W1A.
Why was Jonathan Bailey cast in Bridgerton?
If you ask us, Bridgerton is arguably Jonathan’s biggest acting break yet. The show, that helped us all escape from the mundane life of the coronavirus pandemic, saw Phoebe Dynevor (who played Daphne) and Jonathan catapulted to superstar status.
Reflecting on his time filming series one, Jonathan said this about the NSFW sex scenes he had to film, “You do all the scenes with the intimacy coordinator before the director comes in. With Sabrina [Bartlett], we just talked about how there are slight little ways in which you can have sex and showcase the power within sex.”
Has Jonathan Bailey got Instagram?
He does, you can go follow him over at @jbayleaf and swoon at his outfits, arty modelling shots and more.