Jonathan trained at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, Los Angeles, where he learned to identify with the soul of a tree and become a cup of hot coffee, among other skills. He then attended the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, where he honed his acting abilities alongside notable classmates such as Daniel Day-Lewis, Miranda Richardson, and Greta Scacchi.
Beginning his professional career in Canada, Jonathan landed the lead role in Equus, earning an Equity card, his first stage kiss, and a visit from the police, who were reviewing the nude scene. He soon claimed asylum in Britain as a cultural refugee, securing a Commonwealth Under 26 Work Permit.
In the West End, Jonathan appeared in productions like The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial, starring alongside Charlton Heston and Ben Cross, and The Jungle Book, featuring Fenella Fielding and the late Jeremy Sinden. He also made appearances in repertory productions, including Romeo and Juliet, Curse of the Baskervilles, and Love's Labours Lost, playing the Lord Dumaine for four months.
During this time, Jonathan began working as a choreographer of stage swordfights, a profession he has continued to pursue. He has directed fight scenes for various productions, including two West End shows in London and a production of Les Liaisons Dangereuses in Vienna, Austria.
Jonathan's work in Canada included roles in Run For Your Wife, Falstaff, and The Dresser. Back in London, he played Sir Robert Walpole in The Art of Success at the Arcola.
In 1995, Jonathan willed his skull to the Royal Shakespeare Company, requesting to be cast as Yorick in Hamlet posthumously. The ensuing media attention led to the RSC casting department ignoring him pointedly rather than passively.
Jonathan has also appeared in various commercials, including a DeWalt Powerdrill advert, and has led the Boston Tea Party for a BBC documentary. He has played a rogue Soviet General for a Eurofighter promo, an incinerated Luftwaffe pilot in the film Below, and an intergalactic drug dealer in TekWars.
Having recently attained United States citizenship, Jonathan is now proud to be legally unemployed in three countries. His next ambition is to serve his newest homeland by joining the CIA, having mastered the art of maintaining an almost terminal anonymity despite years of public visibility.
