Editing Jason Isaacs

{{Short description|British actor (born 1963)}}
{{for|the singer|Jason Isaacs (singer)}}
{{Use British English|date=September 2023}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2023}}
{{Infobox person
| name          = Jason Isaacs
| image         = Jason Isaacs-45 (cropped).jpg
| alt           = Isaacs in 2025
| caption       = Isaacs at the [[Berlinale]] 2025
| birth_date    = {{Birth date and age|1963|6|6|df=yes}}
| birth_place   = [[Liverpool]], England
| education     = [[University of Bristol]] ([[Bachelor of Arts|BA]])<br>[[Central School of Speech and Drama]] ([[Graduate diploma|GrDip]])
| occupation    = Actor
| years_active  = 1988–present
| works         = [[Jason Isaacs filmography|Full list]]
| spouse        = {{marriage|Emma Hewitt|2001}}
| children      = 2
}}
'''Jason Isaacs''' (born 6 June 1963) is an English actor.<ref name = o'toole>{{cite magazine|last=O'Toole|first=Lesley|date=25 February 2015|title=Why Jason Isaacs Excels at Accent Work|url=https://www.backstage.com/magazine/article/jason-isaacs-excels-accent-work-11271/|magazine=[[Backstage (magazine)|Backstage]]|access-date=26 December 2021|quote=I'm an English atheist|archive-date=21 March 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220321011038/https://www.backstage.com/magazine/article/jason-isaacs-excels-accent-work-11271/|url-status=live}}</ref> He is best known for his portrayal of D.J. in ''[[Event Horizon (film)|Event Horizon]]'' (1997), Ronald Quincy in ''[[Armageddon (1998 film)|Armageddon]]'' (1998), Colonel William Tavington in ''[[The Patriot (2000 film)|The Patriot]]'' (2000), [[Michael D. Steele]] in ''[[Black Hawk Down (film)|Black Hawk Down]]'' (2001), [[Lucius Malfoy]] in the ''[[Harry Potter (film series)|Harry Potter]]'' franchise series (2002–2011), [[Captain Hook]] in ''[[Peter Pan (2003 film)|Peter Pan]]'' (2003), Captain Waggoner in ''[[Fury (2014 film)|Fury]]'' (2014), [[Georgy Zhukov]] in ''[[The Death of Stalin]]'' (2017), Jay Perry in ''[[Mass (2021 film)|Mass]]'' (2021), and [[John Henry Godfrey|John Godfrey]] in ''[[Operation Mincemeat (film)|Operation Mincemeat]]'' (2021).

His television roles include Michael Caffee in the [[Showtime (TV network)|Showtime]] [[crime drama]] series ''[[Brotherhood (American TV series)|Brotherhood]]'' (2006–2008), [[Michael Britten]] in [[police procedural]] [[fantasy]] [[NBC]] series ''[[Awake (TV series)|Awake]]'' (2012), Dr. Hunter Aloysius "Hap" Percy in the [[Netflix]] supernatural mystery drama series ''[[The OA]]'' (2016–2019), Captain [[List of Star Trek: Discovery characters#Gabriel Lorca|Gabriel Lorca]] in ''[[Star Trek: Discovery]]'' (2017–2018), and Timothy Ratliff in the [[The White Lotus season 3|third season]] of the [[HBO]] anthology black comedy-drama series ''[[The White Lotus]]'' (2025). He was nominated for the [[Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Miniseries or Television Film]] for ''[[The State Within]]'' (2006) and for the [[British Academy Television Award for Best Actor]] for his portrayal of [[Harry H. Corbett]] in ''[[The Curse of Steptoe]]'' (2008). He also was nominated for the [[International Emmy Award for Best Actor]] for ''[[Case Histories (TV series)|Case Histories]]'' (2011–2013).

His voice acting roles include [[Admiral Zhao]] in [[Avatar: The Last Airbender season 1|the first season]] of ''[[Avatar: The Last Airbender]]'' (2005), [[List of Star Wars characters#The Grand Inquisitor|the Grand Inquisitor / Sentinel]] in ''[[Star Wars Rebels]]'' (2014–2016), Lord Enver Gortash in the video game ''[[Baldur's Gate 3]]'' (2023), and Eminence in [[What If...? season 3|the third season]] of the [[Marvel Cinematic Universe]] television series ''[[What If...? (TV series)|What If...?]]'' (2024).

Isaacs has appeared on stage as Louis Ironson in [[Declan Donnellan]]'s 1992 and 1993 [[Royal National Theatre]] premiere of [[Tony Kushner]]'s [[Pulitzer Prize]]-winning play ''[[Angels in America: A Gay Fantasia on National Themes]]'',<ref name=NTArchive>{{Cite web |url=http://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/South20Bank2019921995+9789.twl |title=NT Archive: Stage by Stage: South Bank 1992–1995 |work=[[Royal National Theatre]] |access-date=25 June 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081207183621/http://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/South20Bank2019921995+9789.twl |archive-date=7 December 2008}}</ref> and as hitman Ben in a 2007 revival of [[Harold Pinter]]'s 1957 play ''[[The Dumb Waiter]]'' at [[Trafalgar Studios]] in the [[West End theatre|West End]].<ref name=Rees /><ref name=Friedman>{{cite press release |title=Dumb Waiter Limited Run |url=http://www.soniafriedman.com/productions/the-dumb-waiter |work=Sonia Friedman Productions |date=3 January 2007 |access-date=23 June 2008 |quote=Strictly limited run: [[Lee Evans (comedian)|Lee Evans]] and Jason Isaacs to star in major revival of Harold Pinter's ''[[The Dumb Waiter]]'' directed by Harry Burton ... To coincide with the play's 50th anniversary.... |archive-date=23 July 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150723013448/http://soniafriedman.com/productions/the-dumb-waiter |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=Ansdell>{{cite news |first=Caroline |last=Ansdell |title=Review Round-up: Critics Find Waiter Not So Dumb |work=Sadler's Wells Press Office}}</ref>

==Early life==
Isaacs was born to [[Jews|Jewish]] parents in [[Liverpool]] on 6 June 1963.<ref name=Marx>{{cite web |last=Marx |first=Rebecca Flint |title=Jason Isaacs: Biography |url=http://www.moviefone.com/celebrity/jason-isaacs/1802996/biography|website=[[Moviefone]] |access-date=29 June 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081218232651/http://www.moviefone.com/celebrity/jason-isaacs/1802996/biography |archive-date=18 December 2008 |quote=Although he first became interested in acting in part because 'it was a great way to meet girls,' Isaacs soon found deeper meaning in the theatre (in one interview he was quoted as saying 'I could release myself into acting in a way that I was not released socially') and duly dropped out of Bristol to hone his skills at London's [[Central School of Speech and Drama]].}}</ref> His father was a jeweller.<ref name="mass-hysteria">{{cite news |last=Gilbert |first=Gerard |title='It was mass hysteria': Jason Isaacs on groupies, theatre bores and snogging James Bond |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/it-was-mass-hysteria-jason-isaacs-on-groupies-theatre-bores-and-snogging-james-bond-8617981.html |newspaper=The Independent |date=18 May 2013 |access-date=1 September 2017 |archive-date=25 August 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170825233957/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/it-was-mass-hysteria-jason-isaacs-on-groupies-theatre-bores-and-snogging-james-bond-8617981.html |url-status=live }}</ref> He has two older brothers and one younger brother.<ref name=Marx/> He spent his earliest childhood years in the Liverpool suburb of [[Childwall]], in a "closely knit & integrated" Jewish community co-founded by his [[Eastern European Jews|Eastern European Jewish]] great-grandparents.<ref name=Pfefferman>{{cite news |last=Pfefferman |first=Naomi |title=Once a 'wimp,' Actor Thrives on Portraying Villains |url=http://www.jewishaz.com/jewishnews/000714/wimp.shtml |work=Jewish News of Greater Phoenix |date=14 July 2000 |access-date=29 June 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081210024846/http://www.jewishaz.com/jewishnews/000714/wimp.shtml |archive-date=10 December 2008}} Rpt. from ''Jewish Journal of Los Angeles'', 14 July 2000.</ref> He has said that being Jewish played a big role in his childhood, as he attended youth club in the local [[synagogue]] of [[King David High School, Liverpool|King David High School]] in Liverpool's [[Childwall]] district, as well as a ''[[cheder]]'' twice a week as a young adult.<ref name=Lester>{{cite news |last=Lester |first=Paul |title=JC Interview: Jason Isaacs |url=http://www.thejc.com/home.aspx?ParentId=m12s28&SecId=28&AId=57814&ATypeId=1 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080204152349/http://www.thejc.com/home.aspx?ParentId=m12s28&SecId=28&AId=57814&ATypeId=1 |archive-date=4 February 2008 |work=[[The Jewish Chronicle]] |date=1 February 2008 |access-date=28 June 2008}}</ref><ref name=Pfefferman2>{{cite news |last=Pfefferman |first=Naomi |title=More Than a Villain: With "The Patriot," Jason Isaacs, a British Jew, Cements His Reputation as One of Hollywood's Hottest Heavies |url=http://www.jewishjournal.com/hollywood_jew/article/more_thana_villain_20000630/ |work=[[The Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles]] |date=29 June 2000 |access-date=29 June 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090403035818/https://jewishjournal.com/hollywood_jew/article/more_thana_villain_20000630/ |archive-date=3 April 2009}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.readersdigest.co.uk/culture/celebrities/jason-isaacs-i-remember |title=Jason Isaacs "I remember..." |website=[[Reader's Digest]] |access-date=4 January 2020 |archive-date=28 September 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200928052508/https://www.readersdigest.co.uk/culture/celebrities/jason-isaacs-i-remember |url-status=live }}</ref> When he was 11, he moved with his family to [[London]] and attended the [[Haberdashers' Boys' School|Haberdashers' Aske's Boys' School]] in nearby [[Elstree]] at the same time as [[David Baddiel]], [[Sacha Baron Cohen]], [[Mark Kermode]], and [[Matt Lucas]].<ref name=Lester/> He describes the bullying and intolerance he observed and experienced during his childhood as "preparation" for portraying the "unattractive" villains he has most often played.<ref name=Rees /><ref name=Lester/>

As a Jewish teen in London, Isaacs endured [[antisemitism]] by the [[National Front (UK)|National Front]], a [[far-right extremist]] organisation. His parents eventually [[Aliyah|emigrated to Israel]].<ref name=Lester/> He later told an interviewer, "There were constantly people beating us up or smashing windows. If you were ever, say, on a Jewish holiday, identifiably Jewish, there was lots of violence around. But particularly when I was 16, in 1979, the National Front were really taking hold, there were leaflets at school, and [[Sieg Heil]]ing and people [[goose-stepping]] down the road and coming after us."<ref name="mass-hysteria"/> Following in the footsteps of his three brothers (one who became a doctor, one a lawyer, and one an accountant),<ref name=Marx/> he studied law at [[Bristol University]] from 1982 to 1985, becoming involved in the university's theatre club there; he eventually acted in over 30 plays and performed each summer at the [[Edinburgh Festival Fringe]], first with Bristol University and then twice with the National Student Theatre Company. After graduating, he went immediately to train at London's [[Central School of Speech and Drama]] from 1985 to 1988.<ref name=Rees /><ref name=Marx/><ref name=Yahoo>{{Cite web |url=http://uk.movies.yahoo.com/artists/i/Jason-Isaacs/biography-396683.html |title=Jason Isaacs Biography |work=[[Yahoo! Movies]] UK & Ireland|year=2006 |access-date=24 June 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070825161339/http://uk.movies.yahoo.com/artists/i/Jason-Isaacs/biography-396683.html |archive-date=25 August 2007}}</ref>

==Career==
{{Main|Jason Isaacs filmography}}
===Early work===
[[File:Jason at golf.jpg|thumb|Isaacs in 2005]]
After training as an actor, Isaacs immediately began appearing on the stage and on television; his film debut was in a minor role as a doctor in [[Mel Smith]]'s ''[[The Tall Guy]]'' (1989).<ref name=Yahoo/> He was initially known as a television actor, with starring roles in the ITV drama ''[[Capital City (TV series)|Capital City]]'' (1989) and the BBC drama ''[[Civvies (TV series)|Civvies]]'' (1992) and guest roles in series such as ''[[Taggart]]'', ''[[Inspector Morse (TV series)|Inspector Morse]]'' and ''[[Highlander: The Series]]'' (1993).<ref name=Yahoo/> He also played Michael Ryan in ITV's adaptation of [[Martina Cole]]'s novel ''[[Dangerous Lady]]'', directed by Jack Woods and produced by [[Lavinia Warner]] in 1995.<ref>{{cite web |title=Dangerous Lady Part 1 (1995) |url=https://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b7e2e2823 |website=BFI |access-date=16 May 2020 |language=en |archive-date=1 August 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200801231436/https://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b7e2e2823 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

On stage, he portrayed the "emotionally waffling"<ref name=Yahoo/> gay Jewish office temp Louis Ironson in Tony Kushner's Pulitzer-Prize-winning ''[[Angels in America: A Gay Fantasia on National Themes]]'', at the [[Royal National Theatre]], in its London première, performing the role in both parts, ''Part One: Millennium Approaches'', in 1992, and ''Part Two: Perestroika'', in 1993.<ref name=NTArchive/> When auditioning for that role, he told the producers, "Look, I play all these tough guys and thugs and strong, complex characters. In real life, I am a cringing, neurotic Jewish mess. Can't I for once play that on stage?"<ref name=Pfefferman2/>

After appearing in ''[[Dragonheart]]'' (1996), Isaacs landed his first major Hollywood feature-film role alongside [[Laurence Fishburne]] in the horror film ''[[Event Horizon (film)|Event Horizon]]'' (1997) where he played the role of D.J., the doctor of Lewis and Clark. Subsequently, he appeared in the [[Bruce Willis]] blockbuster ''[[Armageddon (1998 film)|Armageddon]]'' (1998).<ref name=Yahoo/> Initially called upon to take a fairly substantial role, Isaacs was eventually cast in a much smaller capacity as a planet-saving scientist so that he could accommodate his commitment to ''[[Divorcing Jack (film)|Divorcing Jack]]'' (1998), a comedy-thriller he was making with [[David Thewlis]].<ref name=Marx/> Isaacs played a charismatic honourable priest opposite [[Kirstie Alley]] in the miniseries ''[[The Last Don II]]'' (1998).<ref>{{Cite web |title=Mario Puzo's 'The Last Don II' |url=https://www.tvguide.com/movies/mario-puzos-the-last-don-ii/cast/2000269572/ |access-date=2024-01-07 |website=TVGuide.com |language=en}}</ref> Following that he portrayed a priest opposite [[Julianne Moore]] and [[Ralph Fiennes]] in [[Neil Jordan]]'s acclaimed adaptation of [[Graham Greene]]'s ''[[The End of the Affair (1999 film)|The End of the Affair]]'' (1999).

===2000s===

In 2000, Isaacs appeared in the [[Historical drama|historical]] [[epic film]] ''[[The Patriot (2000 film)|The Patriot]]'', opposite [[Mel Gibson]] and [[Heath Ledger]], playing sadistic cavalry officer [[Colonel (United Kingdom)|Colonel]] William Tavington. Critics deemed the performance "memorable";<ref name=Yahoo/> a [[Moviefone]] article called it "his biggest international break to date".<ref name=Yahoo/><ref name=Mitovich>{{Cite journal |last=Mitovich |first=Matt Webb |title=Interviews & Features: Jason Isaacs: More Than a Bad Brother |url=http://www.tvguide.com/News-Views/Interviews-Features/Article/default.aspx?posting=%7B4C8BB519-4955-469B-BFAA-4F92B24C3768%7D |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080421133501/http://www.tvguide.com/News-Views/Interviews-Features/Article/default.aspx?posting=%7B4C8BB519-4955-469B-BFAA-4F92B24C3768%7D |archive-date=21 April 2008 |journal=[[TV Guide]] |date=21 July 2006 |access-date=24 June 2008 }} [http://www.jasonisaacsphotoalbumsonline.com/TV/Brotherhood/7_20_2006%20TVGuideInsider.htm Alt URL] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081207141441/http://www.jasonisaacsphotoalbumsonline.com/TV/Brotherhood/7_20_2006%20TVGuideInsider.htm |date=7 December 2008 }}</ref> It led to rumours that Isaacs would be nominated for the [[Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor]] at the [[73rd Academy Awards]]. Nonetheless, demonstrating his range beyond historic films, Isaacs next chose to play a [[drag queen]] in  the romantic comedy-drama ''[[Sweet November (2001 film)|Sweet November]]'' (2001).<ref name=Marx/>

Isaacs has appeared in many other films, most notably as [[Death Eater#Lucius Malfoy|Lucius Malfoy]] in the ''[[Harry Potter (film series)|Harry Potter]]'' series of films (2002–2011). Regarding the Harry Potter books by [[J. K. Rowling]], he has said: "I went off and read the books after the audition and I read the first four books in one sitting—you know—didn't wash, didn't eat, drove around with them on the steering wheel like a lunatic. I suddenly understood why my friends, who I'd thought were slightly backward, had been so addicted to these children's books. They're like [[Crack cocaine|crack]]." (From an interview in 2009 on ITV's ''[[The Justin Lee Collins Show]]'')<ref>{{cite web |title=Jason is addicted to Harry's tales |url=https://www.pressreader.com/uk/sunday-sport-1098/20090425/281784215035198 |via=PressReader |access-date=16 May 2020 |archive-date=1 August 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200801225652/https://www.pressreader.com/uk/sunday-sport-1098/20090425/281784215035198 |url-status=live }}</ref>

In "The Naked and the Dead", an article published in the ''[[San Francisco Chronicle]]'', on 26 November 2006, Neva Chonin named the character Lucius Malfoy one of the 12 "Sexiest Men Who Were Never Alive" and Isaacs one of the 13 "Sexiest Men Who Are Real and Alive".<ref>{{cite news |last=Chonin |first=Neva |title=The Naked and the Dead |url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/11/26/PKGMQKFMGP1.DTL |newspaper=[[San Francisco Chronicle]] |date=26 November 2006 |access-date=29 June 2008 |archive-date=23 December 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081223022252/http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/11/26/PKGMQKFMGP1.DTL |url-status=live }}</ref>

Prior to the making of the film, when asked whether or not he would be in ''[[Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (film)|Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix]]'' (2007), Isaacs replied, "I hope so – you'll have to ask David (producer [[David Heyman]]). I can't bear the idea that somebody else would get to wear my [[Paris Hilton]] wig, but you never know."<ref name=Empire>{{cite news |title=Exclusive: Order of the Phoenix News: The Cast Talk Harry Potter 5 |url=https://www.empireonline.com/movies/news/exclusive-order-phoenix-news/ |work=[[Empire Online]] |first=Willow |last=Green |date=15 March 2006 |access-date=23 June 2008 |archive-date=7 January 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160107162936/http://www.empireonline.com/movies/news/exclusive-order-phoenix-news/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Isaacs also talked to Rowling on the inclusion of Lucius Malfoy in the then unpublished ''[[Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows]]'', so that he would have a part in the seventh and final film: "The character does not appear in the sixth book, ''[[Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince]]''; but ... [Isaacs joked], 'I fell to my knees and begged ... It didn't do any good. I'm sure she doesn't need plot ideas from me. But I made my point. We'll see. Like everybody else, I'm holding my breath to July to see what's in there. I just want to bust out of prison, that's all. I don't want to stay in [[Places in Harry Potter#Azkaban|Azkaban]] most of my life.'&nbsp;"<ref name=White>{{cite news |last=White |first=Cindy |title=''Potter V'' Has More Isaacs |url=http://www.scifi.com/scifiwire/index.php?category=0&id=39440 |work=[[Sci Fi Wire]] |date=11 January 2007 |access-date=24 June 2008 |quote=Order of the Phoenix open[ed] July 13, [2007]. |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080603093650/http://www.scifi.com/scifiwire/index.php?category=0&id=39440 |archive-date = 3 June 2008}}</ref> Ultimately Isaacs did reprise the role of Malfoy as a [[cameo appearance]] in ''[[Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (film)|Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince]]'' (2009), where he is seen in a moving [[portrait]]. Afterwards, Isaacs reprised the role again in ''[[Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1]]'' (2010) and ''[[Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2|Part 2]]'' (2011).<ref name=Huver>{{cite news |last=Huver |first=Scott |url=http://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=46320 |title=Isaacs Conjures Lucius Malfoy's Return to Harry Potter |work=ComingSoon.net |date=25 June 2008 |access-date=4 July 2008 |archive-date=16 July 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120716234845/http://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=46320 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Isaacs appeared in ''[[Black Hawk Down (film)|Black Hawk Down]]'' (2001), [[Jackie Chan]]'s ''[[The Tuxedo]]'' (2002), as [[Characters of Peter Pan#George and Mary Darling|George Darling]] and [[Captain Hook]] in [[P. J. Hogan]]'s adaptation of ''[[Peter Pan (2003 film)|Peter Pan]]'' (2003), and as the voice of Admiral Zhao in [[Avatar: The Last Airbender season 1|the first season]] of the animated [[Nickelodeon]] series ''[[Avatar: The Last Airbender]]'' (2005). He played the leading role of Sir Mark Brydon, the British Ambassador to the United States, in the BBC Four miniseries ''[[The State Within]]'' (2006), for which he was nominated for the [[65th Golden Globe Awards#Television|Best Performance by an Actor in a Mini-Series or a Motion Picture Made for Television]] for the [[65th Golden Globe Awards]].<ref name=GoldenGlobes>{{cite web |title=Nominations & Winners 2008 |url=http://www.goldenglobes.org/nominations |work=[[Hollywood Foreign Press Association]] |access-date=14 December 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100108115828/http://www.goldenglobes.org/nominations |archive-date= 8 January 2010}}</ref><ref name=Elsworth>{{cite news |last=Elsworth |first=Catherine |title=Britons Triumph at Minimalist Golden Globes |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/1575541/Britons-triumph-at-minimalist-Golden-Globes.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220111/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/1575541/Britons-triumph-at-minimalist-Golden-Globes.html |archive-date=11 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |work=[[The Daily Telegraph]] |date=14 January 2008 |access-date=15 January 2008}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

On television, he also portrayed actor [[Harry H. Corbett]] in ''[[The Curse of Steptoe]]'', part of "a season of new [[Television film|one-off dramas]] for [[BBC Four]] revealing the stories behind some of Britain's best loved television entertainers, and their achievements", first broadcast in March 2008.<ref name=Holmwood>{{cite news |last=Holmwood |first=Leigh |title=BBC4 to Show Steptoe and Son Biopic |url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2007/nov/27/bbc.television5 |work=[[The Guardian]] |date=27 November 2007 |access-date=26 June 2008 |archive-date=29 October 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131029225345/http://www.theguardian.com/media/2007/nov/27/bbc.television5 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=BBC4>{{cite news |title=BBC Four Unveils New Drama Season |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2007/11_november/28/drama.shtml |work=BBC |date=28 November 2007 |access-date=26 June 2008 |archive-date=31 December 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081231041715/http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2007/11_november/28/drama.shtml |url-status=live }}</ref> On American television, Isaacs appeared in three episodes of ''[[The West Wing]]'' in 2004, prior to developing his most notable TV serial role, as Michael Caffee in ''[[Brotherhood (American TV series)|Brotherhood]]'' (2006–08).
[[File:Jason Isaacs (5976216289).jpg|thumb|Isaacs in July 2011]]

Between 2 February and 24 March 2007, Isaacs played Ben, opposite [[Lee Evans (comedian)|Lee Evans]] (Gus), in the 50th-anniversary production of Harold Pinter's ''[[The Dumb Waiter]]'', at [[Trafalgar Studios]], in London, his first theatre performance since appearing in ''The Force of Change'' (2000).<ref name=Rees/><ref name=Friedman/><ref name=Ansdell/><ref name=Revival>{{cite news |agency=[[Associated Press]] |title=Revival of 'The Dumb Waiter' Shows Harold Pinter's Comic Side |url=http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/02/09/arts/EU-A-E-STG-Britain-The-Dumb-Waiter.php |work=International Herald Tribune |date=9 February 2007 |access-date=23 June 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081011103826/http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/02/09/arts/EU-A-E-STG-Britain-The-Dumb-Waiter.php |archive-date=11 October 2008}}</ref><ref name=Billington>{{cite news |last=Billington |first=Michael |title=The Dumb Waiter, Trafalgar Studios, London |url=http://arts.guardian.co.uk/theatre/drama/reviews/story/0,,2009375,00.html |work=[[The Guardian]] |date=9 February 2007 |access-date=23 June 2008 |author-link=Michael Billington (critic) |archive-date=4 September 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080904213812/http://arts.guardian.co.uk/theatre/drama/reviews/story/0,,2009375,00.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

Isaacs played Major Briggs, an American military officer, opposite [[Matt Damon]] and [[Greg Kinnear]], in Paul Greengrass's thriller ''[[Green Zone (film)|Green Zone]]'' (2010), a fictionalised drama set in Iraq after the defeat of [[Saddam Hussein]] based on the book ''[[Imperial Life in the Emerald City|Imperial Life in the Emerald City: Inside Baghdad's Green Zone]]'' (2006), by [[Rajiv Chandrasekaran]], for which production began in Morocco, in January 2008.<ref name="Variety: Green Zone">{{cite news |last=Dawtrey |first=Adam |title=Jason Isaacs Joins Greengrass Thriller: Working Title/Universal project Filming in Spain |url=https://variety.com/2008/film/news/jason-isaacs-joins-greengrass-thriller-1117981756/ |work=Variety |date=3 March 2008 |access-date=24 June 2008 |archive-date=31 October 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131031024528/http://variety.com/2008/film/news/jason-isaacs-joins-greengrass-thriller-1117981756/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Jaafar |first=Ali |url=https://variety.com/2007/film/features/morocco-strong-but-not-the-same-1117976411/ |title=Morocco Strong, But Not the Same |work=Variety |date=21 November 2007 |access-date=24 June 2008 |archive-date=11 June 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170611095524/http://variety.com/2007/film/features/morocco-strong-but-not-the-same-1117976411/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

In 2007, he was originally cast in [[Jan de Bont]]'s then upcoming film ''Stopping Power'', to play its star [[John Cusack]]'s "nemesis",<ref name=AMG>{{Cite news |url=http://www.moviefone.com/movie/stopping-power/1374285/synopsis |last=Wheeler |first=Jeremy |title=Stopping Power |work=[[Moviefone]] |access-date=24 June 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080621105700/http://www.moviefone.com/movie/stopping-power/1374285/synopsis |archive-date=21 June 2008}}</ref><ref name=Mitovich2>{{Cite journal |last=Mitovich |first=Matt Webb |url=http://community.tvguide.com/blog-entry/TVGuide-News-Blog/Todays-News/Movies-Justin-Timberlake/800020880 |title=Today's News: Our Take: At the Movies: Justin Timberlake Hits the Ice, Ice, Baby|journal=[[TV Guide]] |date=23 August 2007 |access-date=4 July 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080511193245/http://community.tvguide.com/blog-entry/TVGuide-News-Blog/Todays-News/Movies-Justin-Timberlake/800020880 |archive-date=11 May 2008}}</ref> but, on 31 August 2007, ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'' reported that the film, which was also planned for release in 2009, had been cancelled after a financial backer pulled out.<ref name=Meza>{{Cite news |last=Meza |first=Ed |url=https://variety.com/2007/film/news/de-bont-s-john-cusack-starrer-killed-1117971158/ |title=De Bont's John Cusack Starrer Killed: Internationalmedia Unplugs 'Stopping Power' |work=Variety |date=31 August 2007 |access-date=4 July 2008 |archive-date=19 October 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151019010419/http://variety.com/2007/film/news/de-bont-s-john-cusack-starrer-killed-1117971158/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Isaacs appeared in one episode of the TV show ''[[Entourage (U.S. TV series)|Entourage]]'' in the autumn of 2008 as Fredrick Line. In 2009, he was nominated at the [[British Academy Television Awards]] for Best Actor for his role as [[Harry H. Corbett]] in ''[[The Curse of Steptoe]]''.<ref>{{cite news |title=Actor Jason Isaacs on why he's not taking his Bafta nomination too seriously |url=http://www.liverpooldailypost.co.uk/liverpool-life-features/liverpool-special-features/2009/04/06/liverpool-born-film-actor-jason-isaacs-on-why-he-s-not-taking-his-bafta-nomination-too-seriously-92534-23319759/2 |first=Dawn |last=Collinson |work=Liverpool Daily Post |publisher=Trinity Mirror North West & North Wales Limited |date=6 April 2009 |access-date=20 April 2009 |issn=0307-2037 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120503100352/http://www.liverpooldailypost.co.uk/liverpool-culture/2009/04/06/liverpool-born-film-actor-jason-isaacs-on-why-he-s-not-taking-his-bafta-nomination-too-seriously-92534-23319759/2/ |archive-date=3 May 2012}}</ref>

On the evening of 2 May 2009, Isaacs performed the role of Ben again, opposite his ''[[Brotherhood (American TV series)|Brotherhood]]'' co-star (and [[Tony Award]] winner) [[Brían F. O'Byrne]] (as Gus), in a "rehearsed reading" of ''The Dumb Waiter''.{{citation needed|date=October 2013}} Their reading capped off the [[Harold Pinter]] Memorial Celebration being curated by Harry Burton (who had directed him and Evans at Trafalgar Studios). This tribute to Harold Pinter co-sponsored by the Martin E. Segal Theatre Center (MESTC), of [[CUNY Graduate Center|The Graduate Center]] of The [[City University of New York]] (CUNY), was part of the Fifth Annual [[PEN World Voices|PEN World Voices Festival]] of International Literature, held in New York City, from 27 April to 3 May 2009.<ref name=MESTC>{{cite web |url=http://web.gc.cuny.edu/mestc/events/s09/PEN_World_Voices.html |title=Events: PEN World Voices Festival: Harold Pinter Memorial Celebration: Updated Schedule |work=[[PEN World Voices|PEN World Voices Festival]]: The New York Festival of International Literature |publisher=Martin E. Segal Theatre Center, [[CUNY Graduate Center|Graduate Center]], [[City University of New York]] (CUNY) |date=29 April 2009 |access-date=5 May 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110614060751/http://web.gc.cuny.edu/mestc/events/s09/PEN_World_Voices.html |archive-date=14 June 2011}}</ref><ref name=PEN>[[Cf.]] {{cite web |url=http://www.pen.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/3239/prmID/1831 |title=Tribute to Harold Pinter |work=The Fifth Annual PEN World Voices Festival of International Literature, 27 April – 3 May 2009 |publisher=[[PEN American Center]] |date=29 April 2009 |access-date=5 May 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110714015021/http://www.pen.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/3239/prmID/1831 |archive-date=14 July 2011}}</ref>

===2010s===
He provided the voice of [[Ra's al Ghul]] in the DC animated film, ''[[Batman: Under the Red Hood]]'' (2010), and also the voice of [[Sinestro]] in the DC animated film ''[[Green Lantern: Emerald Knights]]'' (2011). In 2011, he starred as [[Jackson Brodie]] in a BBC adaptation of [[Kate Atkinson (writer)|Kate Atkinson]]'s ''[[Case Histories (TV series)|Case Histories]]''.

Isaacs starred as Detective Michael Britten in the NBC police procedural fantasy drama series ''[[Awake (TV series)|Awake]]'', which premiered on 1 March 2012, and ended in May 2012. After Britten gets into a terrible car wreck with his family, his dreams begin to take on two alternate realities, one in which his wife died in the crash and one in which his son died. Says Isaacs about the ambitious premise: "There's no question it's challenging. We've got a bunch of very experienced writers who have written things from HBO shows to ''[[The X-Files]]'', to ''[[24 (TV series)|24]]'' and everything in between. And they are challenged. All of them have said that it's the hardest job that they've ever had. But sometimes that's a good thing. If it comes easily, that they could write in their sleep, I personally wouldn't want to act – and I think the audience wouldn't want to watch."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.channelguidemagblog.com/index.php/2012/02/24/jason-isaacs-new-nbc-series-awake |title=Jason Isaacs on his new NBC series, 'Awake' |first=Karl |last=Paloucek |date=24 February 2012 |work=Channel Guide |access-date=5 March 2012 |archive-date=1 March 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120301141926/http://www.channelguidemagblog.com/index.php/2012/02/24/jason-isaacs-new-nbc-series-awake/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

In 2015, Isaacs took the lead role in the [[USA Network]] action adventure drama series ''[[Dig (TV series)|Dig]]''. Isaacs plays an FBI agent (which was named Peter Connelly) stationed in Jerusalem who uncovers a 2,000-year-old conspiracy while investigating an archaeologist's murder. The ten-episode series premiered 5 March 2015. In February 2016, he starred in ''Medusa's Ankles'', a film directed by Harry Potter co-star [[Bonnie Wright]]. In December 2016, he appeared in the [[Netflix]] series ''[[The OA]]'' as Dr. Hunter Aloysius "Hap" Percy.<ref name=theoa>{{cite news |url=https://www.thewrap.com/brit-marling-netflix-the-oa-mystery-trailer-video/ |title=Brit Marling's Netflix Series 'The OA' Promises Mystery in First Trailer (Video) |first=Linda |last=Ge |date=12 December 2016 |work=The Wrap |access-date=12 December 2016 |archive-date=30 December 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181230225831/https://www.thewrap.com/brit-marling-netflix-the-oa-mystery-trailer-video/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

It was announced in March 2017 that Isaacs would play the role of Captain [[Gabriel Lorca]] in the new CBS All Access (or Paramount+) series ''[[Star Trek: Discovery]]''.<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/star-trek-enlists-jason-isaacs-as-discovery-captain-983868 |title='Star Trek' Enlists Jason Isaacs as Discovery Captain |first=Lesley |last=Goldberg |date=7 March 2017 |work=The Hollywood Reporter |access-date=8 August 2018 |archive-date=9 August 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180809060948/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/star-trek-enlists-jason-isaacs-as-discovery-captain-983868 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://tvline.com/2017/03/07/star-trek-discovery-jason-isaacs-captain-lorca-cbs-all-access |title=Jason Isaacs Joins Star Trek: Discovery Cast as Captain Lorca |last=Ausiello |first=Michael |date=7 March 2017 |website=TVLine |access-date=8 August 2018 |archive-date=9 August 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180809090917/https://tvline.com/2017/03/07/star-trek-discovery-jason-isaacs-captain-lorca-cbs-all-access/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The series premiered on 24 September 2017. Isaacs made his first appearance as Lorca on 1 October 2017 in the third episode, "[[Context Is for Kings]]".{{citation needed|date=May 2019}} Lorca was exposed as his 'mirror universe' self in episode 13, "What's Past Is Prologue", in which the character was killed.<ref>{{cite news |last=Hayner |first=Chris E. |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/star-trek-discovery-is-lorca-dead-is-jason-isaacs-returning-season-2-1078886 |title=Did ''Star Trek: Discovery'' Just Kill Off Its Leading Man? |work=[[The Hollywood Reporter]] |date=28 January 2019 |access-date=23 May 2019 |archive-date=23 May 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190523175223/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/star-trek-discovery-is-lorca-dead-is-jason-isaacs-returning-season-2-1078886 |url-status=live }}</ref> In January 2019, showrunner Alex Kurtzman teased the possible return of Isaacs as 'Prime universe' Lorca at some point beyond season two.<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Hibberd |first=James |url=https://ew.com/tv/2019/01/11/star-trek-discovery-canon/ |title=''Star Trek: Discovery'' showrunner defends season 2 canon approach |magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]] |date=11 January 2019 |access-date=23 May 2019 |archive-date=13 January 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190113004853/https://ew.com/tv/2019/01/11/star-trek-discovery-canon/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Isaacs also voices the character for the 2019 role-playing game ''[[Star Trek Online|Star Trek Online: Rise of Discovery]]''.<ref name="RoD">{{cite web |url=https://intl.startrek.com/games/star-trek-online-jason-isaacs-rekha-sharma |title=Jason Isaacs Makes Star Trek Online Debut |work=StarTrek.com |date=25 April 2019 |access-date=23 May 2019 |archive-date=7 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201107233519/https://intl.startrek.com/games/star-trek-online-jason-isaacs-rekha-sharma |url-status=live }}</ref>

In September 2017, Isaacs played Field Marshal [[Georgy Zhukov]] in ''[[The Death of Stalin]]'', a [[political satire]] and [[dark comedy]] film directed by [[Armando Iannucci]]. The film depicts the internal social and political power struggle among the [[Council of Ministers of the Soviet Union|Council of Ministers]] following the [[Death and state funeral of Joseph Stalin|death of Soviet leader]] [[Joseph Stalin]] in 1953. Isaacs starred alongside [[Steve Buscemi]], [[Simon Russell Beale]], [[Jeffrey Tambor]], [[Andrea Riseborough]] and [[Michael Palin]]. The film was a controversial yet critical success and Isaacs's performance earned him critical praise.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/arts/movies/2018/03/14/the-death-stalin-brilliant-satire/baqC6S8nnVmTxpjpbZtXrM/story.html|title=The Death of Stalin review|website=The Boston Globe|access-date=30 May 2021|archive-date=2 June 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210602213335/https://www.bostonglobe.com/arts/movies/2018/03/14/the-death-stalin-brilliant-satire/baqC6S8nnVmTxpjpbZtXrM/story.html|url-status=live}}</ref> For his performance he earned an [[Evening Standard British Film Awards]] nomination for Best Supporting Actor losing to his co-star [[Simon Russell Beale]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/evening-standard-british-film-awards-2018-kristin-scott-thomas-and-daniel-kaluuya-crowned-winners-a3760531.html|title=Evening Standard British Film Awards 2018: Kristin Scott Thomas crowned|website=Evening Standard|date=30 May 2021|access-date=30 May 2021|archive-date=2 June 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210602213254/https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/evening-standard-british-film-awards-2018-kristin-scott-thomas-and-daniel-kaluuya-crowned-winners-a3760531.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

Isaacs also played the role of Dan in the 2018 psychological thriller, ''[[Look Away (2018 film)|Look Away]]'', starring [[Mira Sorvino]] and [[India Eisley]].<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://www.firstshowing.net/2018/india-eisley-in-first-trailer-for-mirror-image-horror-film-look-away/ |title=India Eisley in First Trailer for Mirror Image Horror Film 'Look Away' |first=Alex |last=Billington |date=28 September 2018 |work=FirstShowing.net |access-date=9 October 2018 |language=en-US |archive-date=9 October 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181009132239/http://www.firstshowing.net/2018/india-eisley-in-first-trailer-for-mirror-image-horror-film-look-away/ |url-status=live }}</ref> He also played the roles of Vasili in the action thriller ''[[Hotel Mumbai]]'' and Mark Asprey in the mystery thriller ''[[London Fields (film)|London Fields]]'' respectively. Throughout 2018 and 2019, Isaacs also voiced various characters such as the [[Slender Man|Slenderman]], [[Alliser Thorne]], [[Slinky]] and Jack the Donkey in the stop motion sketch comedy TV series ''[[Robot Chicken]]''. In 2019, Isaacs provided the voice of Skekso, the Emperor in ''[[The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance]]'' and in 2020, voiced [[Dick Dastardly]] in the ''[[Scooby-Doo]]'' film ''[[Scoob!]]''.

In November 2019, it was announced that Isaacs will appear beside [[Jim Broadbent]] in the film ''The Dead Spit of Kelly''.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.screendaily.com/news/jason-isaacs-jim-broadbent-join-the-dead-spit-of-kelly-for-myriad-pictures-exclusive/5144554.article |title=Jason Isaacs, Jim Broadbent join 'The Dead Spit Of Kelly' for Myriad Pictures (exclusive) |last=Kay |first=Jeremy |website=Screen |language=en |access-date=9 November 2019 |archive-date=8 November 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191108220115/https://www.screendaily.com/news/jason-isaacs-jim-broadbent-join-the-dead-spit-of-kelly-for-myriad-pictures-exclusive/5144554.article |url-status=live }}</ref>

===2020s===
In March 2020, Isaacs played in the lead role of Dr. Rob "Griff" Griffith in the [[CBS]] drama pilot ''[[Good Sam (TV series)|Good Sam]]'', which was later picked up to series in 2021 for a mid-season premiere on 5 January 2022.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://deadline.com/2020/03/jason-isaacs-star-icbs-drama-pilot-good-sam-1202872378/ |title=Jason Isaacs To Star In CBS Drama Pilot 'Good Sam' |last=Andreeva |first=Nellie |date=2 March 2020 |website=[[Deadline Hollywood]] |language=en-US |access-date=2 March 2020 |archive-date=2 March 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200302195357/https://deadline.com/2020/03/jason-isaacs-star-icbs-drama-pilot-good-sam-1202872378/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2021/11/cbs-midseason-schedule-premiere-dates-good-sam-the-amazing-race-the-price-is-right-undercover-boss-celebrity-big-brother-1234871139/|title='Good Sam' Scrubs In For 'CSI: Vegas' In CBS' Midseason Schedule As 'The Amazing Race' Returns|website=Deadline Hollywood|first=Peter|last=White|date=10 November 2021|access-date=10 November 2021|archive-date=10 November 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211110195437/https://deadline.com/2021/11/cbs-midseason-schedule-premiere-dates-good-sam-the-amazing-race-the-price-is-right-undercover-boss-celebrity-big-brother-1234871139/|url-status=live}}</ref>

In 2021, Isaacs played Carl in ''Dr. Bird's Advice for Sad Poets'', Admiral [[John Henry Godfrey]] in ''[[Operation Mincemeat (film)|Operation Mincemeat]]'',<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1879016/fullcredits?ref_=tt_ov_st_sm/ |title=Operation Mincemeat (2021) - Full Cast and Crew |website=[[IMDb]] |access-date=15 August 2022 |archive-date=15 August 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220815184014/https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1879016/fullcredits?ref_=tt_ov_st_sm/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Jay Perry in the drama film ''[[Mass (2021 film)|Mass]]'', Ralph in the biographical film ''[[Creation Stories (film)|Creation Stories]]'' and John in the short film ''Cera''. He also voiced King Arthur Pendragon, Winston Pilkingstonshire and [[Thundarr the Barbarian]] in the [[Direct-to-video|Direct-to-DVD]] animated comedy film ''[[Scooby-Doo! The Sword and the Scoob]]''. He also had a minor role in Series 3 of the British comedy-drama ''[[Sex Education (TV series)|Sex Education]]'' and appeared in an episode of anthology series [[Inside No. 9]].

In 2023, Isaacs voiced one of three principal villains in the video game [[Baldur's Gate 3]]. Later that year, he starred as [[Cary Grant]] in ''[[Archie (miniseries)|Archie]]''.<ref name="Archie casting news">{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2022/08/jason-isaacs-cary-grant-itv-britbox-international-archie-1235087095/|title=Cary Grant Biopic Series Starring Jason Isaacs In Lead Role Set For ITV & BritBox International|website=Deadline Hollywood|first=Max|last=Goldbart|date=August 8, 2022|access-date=February 28, 2025}}</ref> In 2025, he starred as Timothy Ratliff in the third season of ''[[The White Lotus]]''. Filming took place in [[Thailand]], beginning in February 2024.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Otterson |first=Joe |date=2024-01-05 |title='White Lotus' Season 3 Adds Cast Members Jason Isaacs, Parker Posey, Michelle Monaghan and More |url=https://variety.com/2024/tv/news/white-lotus-season-3-cast-jason-isaacs-parker-posey-michelle-monaghan-1235862617/ |access-date=2024-01-17 |website=Variety |language=en-US}}</ref>

The film "The Salt Path" was released in the UK on the 30th May 2025. Jason Isaacs stars alongside Gillian Anderson in this film, adapted from a book of the same name by Raynor Winn. The story depicts the struggles faced by the homeless couple Raynor and Moth Winn as they battle the 630-mile (1,010 km) walk along of the South West Coast Path through Somerset; Devon, Cornwall and Dorset after losing their home and after Isaac’s character Moth Winn is diagnosed with the terminal condition corticobasal degeneration (CBD).

==Personal life==
Isaacs moved in with his girlfriend, [[BBC]] documentary filmmaker Emma Hewitt, in 1987.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Lacey |first1=Hester |title=Q&A with actor Jason Isaacs |url=https://www.ft.com/content/88358d4a-54d5-11e9-a3db-1fe89bedc16e |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221210/https://www.ft.com/content/88358d4a-54d5-11e9-a3db-1fe89bedc16e |archive-date=10 December 2022 |url-access=subscription |website=[[Financial Times]] |date=5 April 2019 |access-date=5 April 2019}}</ref> They began dating while studying at the [[Royal Central School of Speech and Drama|Central School of Speech and Drama]] and were married in 2001.<ref name="larryking">{{cite web |title=Actor Jason Isaacs Joins Larry King on PoliticKING |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a6-8dN6nZFc | archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211030/a6-8dN6nZFc| archive-date=30 October 2021|work=[[Larry King]] |date=14 May 2015 |access-date=15 August 2016 |at=03:44 |quote=We got married in the end, my wife and I, for insurance purposes.}}{{cbignore}}</ref> They have two daughters.<ref name=Lester/>

Isaacs has described himself as "profoundly [[Jewish secularism|Jewish but not in a religious way]]".<ref name=Lester/> He does not keep [[Kashrut|kosher]]<ref name="playingvillains" /> and is an [[Jewish atheism|atheist]].<ref name = o'toole/> He has spoken of travelling unrecognised to film premieres on the [[London Underground]], but said that "as soon as [he] get[s] on the red carpet they start screaming and screaming".<ref name=Rees>{{cite news |first=Jasper |last=Rees |title='There is a streak of cruelty in me': Actor Jason Isaacs Says Life Prepared Him to Become a Specialist in Unattractive Characters |work=[[The Daily Telegraph]], Review |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/theatre/drama/3662761/There-is-a-streak-of-cruelty-in-me.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220111/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/theatre/drama/3662761/There-is-a-streak-of-cruelty-in-me.html |archive-date=11 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |date=27 January 2007 |access-date=13 December 2015}}{{cbignore}}</ref> He is involved with a number of charities and is a patron of the Scottish veterans charity [[Bravehound]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Jason Isaacs: 'I manage to find simple happiness in simple things'|url=https://www.bigissue.com/latest/jason-isaacs-i-manage-to-find-simple-happiness-in-simple-things/|work=Big Issue|date=20 July 2020|access-date=7 February 2021|archive-date=26 January 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210126041654/https://www.bigissue.com/latest/jason-isaacs-i-manage-to-find-simple-happiness-in-simple-things/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Harry Potter Star Jason Isaacs Joins Stage Project To Help Veterans Cope With War Trauma|url=https://www.forces.net/military-life/events/harry-potter-star-jason-isaacs-joins-stage-project-help-veterans-cope-war|work=Forces Net|date=10 July 2020|access-date=7 February 2021|archive-date=26 January 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210126074956/https://www.forces.net/military-life/events/harry-potter-star-jason-isaacs-joins-stage-project-help-veterans-cope-war|url-status=live}}</ref>

In British politics, Isaacs has long supported the [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour Party]] and has said that he will never support the [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative Party]].<ref name="nevertory" /> In 2011, he said that he endorsed Labour on its educational policies but opposed its involvement in the [[2003 invasion of Iraq]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/bad-boy-does-good-jason-isaacs-new-project-is-all-heart-1666086.html|title=Bad boy does good: Jason Isaacs' new project is all heart|website=[[Independent.co.uk]]|date=22 October 2011|access-date=1 September 2017|archive-date=8 October 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171008231946/https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/bad-boy-does-good-jason-isaacs-new-project-is-all-heart-1666086.html|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2019, he referred to U.S. President [[Donald Trump]] as a "vainglorious man" and described the British political scene as an "[[Eton College|Etonian]] ''[[Lord of the Flies]]'' situation".<ref name="playingvillains">{{Cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/men/thinking-man/jason-isaacs-deserting-corbyns-labour-raising-climate-activists/ |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220111/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/men/thinking-man/jason-isaacs-deserting-corbyns-labour-raising-climate-activists/ |archive-date=11 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title = Jason Isaacs on deserting Corbyn's Labour, raising climate activists, and the joy of playing villains|newspaper = The Telegraph|date = 4 October 2019|last1 = Kelly|first1 = Guy}}{{cbignore}}</ref> He also called Labour leader [[Jeremy Corbyn]]'s handling of [[Antisemitism in the UK Labour Party|antisemitic allegations about the Labour Party]] "appalling".<ref name="nevertory">{{Cite tweet|user=@jasonfolly |number=1123643857328123904|title=I never have and never will be a Tory. I'm a life-long Labour supporter who's sickened by our appalling leadership at a time when our country needs it most. At the immoral political games being played to gain power by a man who posed as above it and, yes, by genuine antisemitism. https://t.co/MYJb6jZZSb}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/in-post-corbyn-uk-jews-unite-against-twitters-lax-response-to-anti-semitism/|title=In post-Corbyn UK, Jews unite against Twitter's lax response to anti-Semitism|website=[[The Times of Israel]]|access-date=7 July 2021|archive-date=9 July 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210709193653/https://www.timesofisrael.com/in-post-corbyn-uk-jews-unite-against-twitters-lax-response-to-anti-semitism/|url-status=live}}</ref> Ahead of the [[2019 United Kingdom general election|2019 UK general election]], he campaigned for former Labour member [[Luciana Berger]] in her unsuccessful bid to become the [[Liberal Democrats (UK)|Liberal Democrats]]' MP for the [[Finchley and Golders Green (UK Parliament constituency)|Finchley and Golders Green]] constituency.<ref>{{Cite web|url = https://www.cityam.com/general-election-night-who-are-the-big-mp-casualties/|title = General Election night: Who are the big MP casualties?|date = 13 December 2019|access-date = 7 July 2021|archive-date = 9 July 2021|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210709190451/https://www.cityam.com/general-election-night-who-are-the-big-mp-casualties/|url-status = live}}</ref>

In August 2020, Isaacs revealed that he had achieved sobriety after struggling with a drug and alcohol addiction for over two decades.<ref name="drugs">{{cite web |last1=Chung |first1=Gabrielle |title=Harry Potter Star Jason Isaacs Reveals His Past 'Decades-Long Love Affair with Drugs' |url=https://www.msn.com/en-us/tv/celebrity/harry-potter-star-jason-isaacs-reveals-his-past-decades-long-love-affair-with-drugs/ar-BB17wVpm |website=[[MSN Entertainment]] |access-date=10 October 2020 |archive-date=25 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230425061454/https://www.msn.com/en-us/tv/celebrity/harry-potter-star-jason-isaacs-reveals-his-past-decades-long-love-affair-with-drugs/ar-BB17wVpm |url-status=live }}</ref> He traced his experience back to being 12 years old, when a bartender gave him and his friends a bottle of [[Southern Comfort]], after which he "woke up with a splitting headache, stinking of puke with a huge scab and the memory of having utterly shamed [himself]".<ref name="drugs" /> He subsequently "chased the sheer ecstatic joy [he] felt that night for another 20 years with increasingly dire consequences".<ref name="drugs" /> He eventually realised he needed help, but asked fans on [[Twitter]] not to congratulate him on his sobriety as "pride is the worst part".<ref>{{cite web |last1=McGrath |first1=Rachel |title=Jason Isaacs thanks 'every addict and alcoholic who's ever lifted me up' as he celebrates sobriety 'Decades-Long Love Affair with Drugs' |url=https://www.standard.co.uk/showbiz/celebrity-news/jason-isaacs-sobriety-alcohol-addiction-a4564531.html |website=[[Evening Standard]] |date=6 October 2020 |access-date=10 October 2020 |archive-date=8 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201108024050/http://www.standard.co.uk/showbiz/celebrity-news/jason-isaacs-sobriety-alcohol-addiction-a4564531.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

== Awards and nominations ==
{{Main|List of awards and nominations received by Jason Isaacs}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
* {{IMDb name|id=0005042|name=Jason Isaacs}}
* [https://www.theguardian.com/film/jason-isaacs Jason Isaacs news and commentary] on ''[[The Guardian]]''
* {{TCMDb name|92523%7C174724|Jason Isaacs}}

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{{Navboxes
|title = Awards for Jason Isaacs
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{{San Diego Film Critics Society Award for Best Supporting Actor}}
{{Satellite Award Best Actor Television Miniseries or Film}}
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[[Category:20th-century English male actors]]
[[Category:21st-century English male actors]]
[[Category:1963 births]]
[[Category:Alumni of the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama]]
[[Category:Alumni of the University of Bristol]]
[[Category:English Ashkenazi Jews]]
[[Category:English atheists]]
[[Category:English male film actors]]
[[Category:English male stage actors]]
[[Category:English male television actors]]
[[Category:English male voice actors]]
[[Category:English people of Belarusian-Jewish descent]]
[[Category:English people of Polish-Jewish descent]]
[[Category:English people of Russian-Jewish descent]]
[[Category:English secular Jews]]
[[Category:Jewish atheists]]
[[Category:Jewish English male actors]]
[[Category:Labour Party (UK) people]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Male actors from Liverpool]]
[[Category:Male actors from London]]
[[Category:People educated at Haberdashers' Boys' School]]
[[Category:People educated at King David High School, Liverpool]]
[[Category:People from Childwall]]