If you were to ask most any Harry Potter fan who Jason Isaacs is, they would most likely say, “He’s the guy who plays Draco Malfoy’s father.” But before Jason Isaacs became Lucius Malfoy in 2002, he already had appeared in over forty different movies and television shows. Among the better known appearances are on Highlander as Zachary Blaine, in Dragonheart as Lord Felton, Armageddon as Dr. Ronald Quincy, and Black Hawk Down as Steele. Mr. Isaacs has also appeared in shows such as The West Wing and Avatar, the Last Airbender.
So, why is it that Jason Isaacs is best known for his work at the nefarious Lucius Malfoy? Is it the long, blond hair that he dons for the role? Is it the piercing gaze and the suave, self righteous yet imposing swagger that accompanies him wherever he goes? Or is it because we simply love him in the role of a villain? Then again, there was that oh so nice added bonus of seeing him in black leather in the recently released Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. When I spoke to a friend who had gone to see the midnight showing, the first words out of her mouth were,”Lucius Malfoy made me forget most of the movie… leather….just wow. Expression on his face when he got the orb… double wow.” I kid you not, that is what she said or, rather, typed. There is no doubt that Lucius Malfoy is the villain we love to hate.
But what of the illustrious actor who portrays this character? The man who lends his talents, his voice and his very luscious body to play someone who loves to make everyone’s life a living hell?
To those who know him only as Lucius Malfoy, it might surprising to learn that he studied law at Bristol University, where he directed and/or appeared in over twenty productions. After graduating in 1985 with a law degree, he then went to Central School of Speech and Drama, where he met his wife, Emma, before graduating in 1989.
Lucius Malfoy, a possible lawyer, or a judge? Perish the thought! But wait! It gets better! He is also married, with two children, Lily, who was born in March 2002, and Ruby, who was born in August 2005. Of course, his daughters are still rather young, but it might be interesting for them to watch the Harry Potter movies when they are older and to find out just how evil a man their father can be.
Mr. Isaacs also has a sense of humor, both regarding himself and others. According to imdb.com/name/nm0005042/bio, he has been quoted as saying the following:
On the Harry Potter books by J. K. Rowling: “I went off and read the books after the audition and I read all 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 where slightly backward, had been so addicted to these children’s books. They’re like crack.”
“Every time I make a plan, God laughs at me.”
“I imagine like most of us that I’d like obscene amounts of money but the people I met and worked with who have those obscene amounts of money and have obscene amounts of fame have awful lives. Really. I mean hideously compromised lives. And I can go anywhere. No one knows who I am. I can go on the tube and bus and wander through the streets. So I’m quite happy not to get the girl.”
“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?” -to the producers of the stage version of “Angels in America” while auditioning for the part of “Louis”.
What will Mr. Isaacs be doing while waiting for the seventh Harry Potter movie in which his character will make a comeback? Well, at present he is filming a movie titledGood, in which he plays a character named Maurice, and another movie has been announced titled Man with the Football. Both films are listed for 2008.
But no matter what roles he takes on, to those of us in the Harry Potter fandom we will best remember him as the suave, devastatingly handsome and debonair Lucius Malfoy, the Death Eater in black leather.
