Jonathan James Cake (born 31 August 1967) is an English actor who has worked on various TV programmes and films. His notable screen roles include Jack Favell in ''
Rebecca
Rebecca, ; Syriac: , ) from the Hebrew (lit., 'connection'), from Semitic root , 'to tie, couple or join', 'to secure', or 'to snare') () appears in the Hebrew Bible as the wife of Isaac and the mother of Jacob and Esau. According to biblical ...
'' (1997),
Oswald Mosley
Sir Oswald Ernald Mosley, 6th Baronet (16 November 1896 – 3 December 1980) was a British politician during the 1920s and 1930s who rose to fame when, having become disillusioned with mainstream politics, he turned to fascism. He was a member ...
in ''
Mosley'' (1997),
Japheth
Japheth ( he, יֶפֶת ''Yép̄eṯ'', in pausa ''Yā́p̄eṯ''; el, Ἰάφεθ '; la, Iafeth, Iapheth, Iaphethus, Iapetus) is one of the three sons of Noah in the Book of Genesis, in which he plays a role in the story of Noah's drunk ...
in the NBC television film ''
Noah's Ark
Noah's Ark ( he, תיבת נח; Biblical Hebrew: ''Tevat Noaḥ'')The word "ark" in modern English comes from Old English ''aerca'', meaning a chest or box. (See Cresswell 2010, p.22) The Hebrew word for the vessel, ''teva'', occurs twice in ...
'' (1999), Tyrannus in the ABC miniseries ''
Empire
An empire is a "political unit" made up of several territories and peoples, "usually created by conquest, and divided between a dominant center and subordinate peripheries". The center of the empire (sometimes referred to as the metropole) ex ...
'' (2005) and Det.
Chuck Vance on the ABC drama series ''
Desperate Housewives
''Desperate Housewives'' is an American comedy-drama soap opera television series created by Marc Cherry and produced by ABC Studios and Cherry Productions. It aired for eight seasons on ABC from October 3, 2004, until May 13, 2012, for a to ...
'' (2011–2012).
Early life
Cake was born in
Worthing
Worthing () is a seaside town in West Sussex, England, at the foot of the South Downs, west of Brighton, and east of Chichester. With a population of 111,400 and an area of , the borough is the second largest component of the Brighton and H ...
,
Sussex. His father was a glassware importer and his mother a school administrator.
He is the youngest of three sons.
When he was four years old, he was invited on stage during a traditional British
pantomime
Pantomime (; informally panto) is a type of musical comedy stage production designed for family entertainment. It was developed in England and is performed throughout the United Kingdom, Ireland and (to a lesser extent) in other English-speakin ...
for children. This exposure ignited his interest in the performing arts. By the age of eight, Jonathan had taken drama classes and took part in plays. As a teenager, he toured Britain with London's
National Youth Theatre
The National Youth Theatre of Great Britain (NYT) is a youth theatre and registered charity in London. Its aim is to develop and nurture young people through creative arts and theatrical productions. Founded in 1956 as the world's first youth the ...
.
After leaving school, Cake studied English at
Corpus Christi College, Cambridge
Corpus Christi College (full name: "The College of Corpus Christi and the Blessed Virgin Mary", often shortened to "Corpus"), is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. From the late 14th century through to the early 19th centur ...
. He became a rugby player in college and graduated in 1989. He attended a two-year training programme at the
Bristol Old Vic Theatre School
The Bristol Old Vic Theatre School is a drama school in Bristol, England. The institution provides training in acting and production for careers in film, television and theatre.
BOVTS is an affiliate of the Conservatoire for Dance and Drama. ...
, then trained with the
Royal Shakespeare Company.
Career
In 1992, Jonathan Cake appeared in
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's natio ...
's play ''
As You Like It
''As You Like It'' is a pastoral comedy by William Shakespeare believed to have been written in 1599 and first published in the First Folio in 1623. The play's first performance is uncertain, though a performance at Wilton House in 1603 has ...
'', a
Royal Shakespeare Company production at the
Royal Shakespeare Theatre
The Royal Shakespeare Theatre (RST) (originally called the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre) is a grade II* listed 1,040+ seat thrust stage theatre owned by the Royal Shakespeare Company dedicated to the English playwright and poet William Shakespe ...
in
Stratford-upon-Avon
Stratford-upon-Avon (), commonly known as just Stratford, is a market town and civil parish in the Stratford-on-Avon district, in the county of Warwickshire, in the West Midlands region of England. It is situated on the River Avon, north-w ...
. He also performed the play at the
Barbican Theatre
The Barbican Centre is a performing arts centre in the Barbican Estate of the City of London and the largest of its kind in Europe. The centre hosts classical and contemporary music concerts, theatre performances, film screenings and art exh ...
in London in 1993. Also that year, he appeared in a Royal Shakespeare Company production of
Christopher Marlowe's ''
Tamburlaine the Great''. He then appeared with the Royal Shakespeare Company in ''
Wallenstein
Albrecht Wenzel Eusebius von Wallenstein () (24 September 1583 – 25 February 1634), also von Waldstein ( cs, Albrecht Václav Eusebius z Valdštejna), was a Bohemian military leader and statesman who fought on the Catholic side during the Th ...
'', ''
The Odyssey
The ''Odyssey'' (; grc, Ὀδύσσεια, Odýsseia, ) is one of two major ancient Greek epic poems attributed to Homer. It is one of the oldest extant works of literature still widely read by modern audiences. As with the ''Iliad'', th ...
'' and ''
Beggar's Opera''.
In 1995, Cake acted in the
Shared Experience Theatre Company production of
George Eliot
Mary Ann Evans (22 November 1819 – 22 December 1880; alternatively Mary Anne or Marian), known by her pen name George Eliot, was an English novelist, poet, journalist, translator, and one of the leading writers of the Victorian era. She wrot ...
's novel ''
The Mill on the Floss'' at London's
Lyric Theatre. Cake branched out to the screen when he landed a guest spot in the British TV comedy series ''Press Gang'' in 1993. He made his first television film appearance alongside
Jasper Carrott
Robert Norman Davis (born 14 March 1945), best known by his stage name, Jasper Carrott, is an English comedian, actor and television presenter.
Early life
Born in Shaftmoor Lane, Acocks Green, in Birmingham, Carrott was educated at Acocks G ...
and
Ann Bryson in BBC's ''Carrott U Like'' in 1994 and broke into the film business the following year with a small role in the American film ''
First Knight
''First Knight'' is a 1995 medieval film based on Arthurian legend, directed by Jerry Zucker. It stars Sean Connery as King Arthur, Richard Gere as Lancelot, Julia Ormond as Guinevere and Ben Cross as Malagant.
The film follows the rogue La ...
''.
After appearing in episodes of ''
Frank Stubbs Promotes'' and ''
Goodnight Sweetheart'', Cake was cast as Gareth in the BBC series ''Degrees of Error'' (1995), opposite
Beth Goddard,
Julian Glover
Julian Wyatt Glover (born 27 March 1935) is an English classical actor with many stage, television, and film roles since commencing his career in the 1950s. He is a recipient of the Laurence Olivier Award and has performed many times for the ...
and
Phyllida Law
Phyllida Ann Law (born 8 May 1932) is a British actress, known for her numerous roles in film and television.
Early life
Law was born in Glasgow, the daughter of Meg "Mego" and William Law, a journalist. Prior to the Second World War, her fath ...
. He then played Ewan in two episodes of the series ''
Grange Hill
''Grange Hill'' is a British children's television drama series, originally produced by the BBC and portraying life in a typical comprehensive school. The show began its run on 8 February 1978 on BBC1, and was one of the longest-running program ...
'' (1996), Nat in two episodes of ''
Cold Lazarus'' (1996), and Hattersley in the TV miniseries adaptation of
Anne Brontë
Anne Brontë (, commonly ; 17 January 1820 – 28 May 1849) was an English novelist and poet, and the youngest member of the Brontë literary family.
Anne Brontë was the daughter of Maria (born Branwell) and Patrick Brontë, a poor Irish c ...
's ''
The Tenant of Wildfell Hall'' (1996). He was also cast in the TV films ''Nightlife'' (1996, with
Katrin Cartlidge
Katrin Juliet Cartlidge (15 May 1961 – 7 September 2002) was an English actress. She first appeared on screen as Lucy Collins in the Channel 4 soap opera '' Brookside'' (1982–1983), before going on to win the 1997 Evening Standard Film ...
and
Jane Horrocks), ''The Girl'' (1996) and the 1996 pilot episode of ''Wings'' (a planned remake of the
American show of the same title, with
Una Stubbs
Una Stubbs (1 May 1937 – 12 August 2021) was an English actress, television personality and dancer who appeared on British television and in the theatre, and occasionally in films. She became known after appearing in the film '' Summer Holiday ...
). Also in 1996, Cake was in ''
True Blue'', a British sports film based on the book ''
True Blue: The Oxford Boat Race Mutiny'' by
Daniel Topolski
Daniel "Dan" Topolski (4 June 1945 – 21 February 2015) was a British author, rower, rowing coach and commentator on BBC television. He studied at the University of Oxford where he represented the Blue boat twice, in 1967 and 1968. In 1977, h ...
and
Patrick Robinson, and in an episode of ''
The Thin Blue Line''.
Cake next worked in ''
Cows'' (1997), played Jack Favell in the 1997 Anglo-German miniseries ''
Rebecca
Rebecca, ; Syriac: , ) from the Hebrew (lit., 'connection'), from Semitic root , 'to tie, couple or join', 'to secure', or 'to snare') () appears in the Hebrew Bible as the wife of Isaac and the mother of Jacob and Esau. According to biblical ...
'', based on
the 1938 novel of the same name by
Daphne du Maurier
Dame Daphne du Maurier, Lady Browning, (; 13 May 1907 – 19 April 1989) was an English novelist, biographer and playwright. Her parents were actor-manager Sir Gerald du Maurier and his wife, actress Muriel Beaumont. Her grandfather was Georg ...
, and portrayed Peter Templer in a TV miniseries adaptation of
Anthony Powell's ''
A Dance to the Music of Time'' (1997), which starred
James Purefoy,
Simon Russell Beale
Sir Simon Russell Beale (born 12 January 1961) is an English actor. He is known for his appearances in film, television and theatre, and work on radio, on audiobooks and as a narrator. For his services to drama, he was knighted by Queen Elizab ...
and
Paul Rhys. He also guest starred in ''
Jonathan Creek
''Jonathan Creek'' is a long-running British mystery crime drama series produced by the BBC and written by David Renwick. It stars Alan Davies as the titular character, who works as a creative consultant to a stage magician while also solvi ...
'' (1997). The next year, he starred in ''
Mosley'', which was based on the life of British fascist
Oswald Mosley
Sir Oswald Ernald Mosley, 6th Baronet (16 November 1896 – 3 December 1980) was a British politician during the 1920s and 1930s who rose to fame when, having become disillusioned with mainstream politics, he turned to fascism. He was a member ...
. He also portrayed Regan Montana in the TV film ''
Diamond Girl'' and co-starred with
Adrian Dunbar and Susan Vidler in the TV series ''The Jump'' (both 1998). The actor closed the decade portraying Japheth in the NBC TV film ''
Noah's Ark
Noah's Ark ( he, תיבת נח; Biblical Hebrew: ''Tevat Noaḥ'')The word "ark" in modern English comes from Old English ''aerca'', meaning a chest or box. (See Cresswell 2010, p.22) The Hebrew word for the vessel, ''teva'', occurs twice in ...
'' (1999). He also worked with
Maria Aitken and
Leslie Grantham
Leslie Michael Grantham (30 April 1947 – 15 June 2018) was an English actor, best known for his role as "Dirty" Den Watts in the BBC soap opera '' EastEnders''. He was a convicted murderer, having served 10 years for the killing of a West G ...
in the British TV film ''The Bench'' (1999).
In 2000, Cake played Andrew Pryce-Stevens in ''
Honest''. He revisited the stage with work in ''Baby Doll'' (2000), an adaptation of
the film of the same name by
Tennessee Williams
Thomas Lanier Williams III (March 26, 1911 – February 25, 1983), known by his pen name Tennessee Williams, was an American playwright and screenwriter. Along with contemporaries Eugene O'Neill and Arthur Miller, he is considered among the thre ...
, and was handed the Barclays Best Actor Award for his performance. The play performed first at the
Royal National Theatre
The Royal National Theatre in London, commonly known as the National Theatre (NT), is one of the United Kingdom's three most prominent publicly funded performing arts venues, alongside the Royal Shakespeare Company and the Royal Opera House. I ...
and then in London's
West End
West End most commonly refers to:
* West End of London, an area of central London, England
* West End theatre, a popular term for mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres of London, England
West End may also refer to:
Pl ...
.
Cake next appeared as Randolph Cleveland in an episode of ''
Dr. Terrible's House of Horrible'' (2001), co-starred with
Lara Belmont and
Teresa Churcher
Teresa Churcher (born 7 January) is an English actress whose film credits include '' Gosford Park'', Roman Polanski's ''Oliver Twist'', '' Being Julia'', ''Creation'' and ''The Woman in Black''.
Churcher was born in St Albans, Hertfordshire.
Chu ...
in the television thriller ''The Swap'' (2002), starred as Jack Wellington in the short-lived Fox series ''
The American Embassy'' (2002), and was cast as Andrea in the British film ''
The One and Only'' (2002). Still in 2002, Cake made his
Broadway debut in the leading role of
Jason
Jason ( ; ) was an ancient Greece, ancient Greek Greek mythology, mythological hero and leader of the Argonauts, whose quest for the Golden Fleece featured in Greek literature. He was the son of Aeson, the rightful king of Iolcos. He was marri ...
in the
Euripides
Euripides (; grc, Εὐριπίδης, Eurīpídēs, ; ) was a tragedian of classical Athens. Along with Aeschylus and Sophocles, he is one of the three ancient Greek tragedians for whom any plays have survived in full. Some ancient scholars ...
play ''
Medea
In Greek mythology
A major branch of classical mythology, Greek mythology is the body of myths originally told by the ancient Greeks, and a genre of Ancient Greek folklore. These stories concern the origin and nature of the world, the ...
''.
Cake appeared in the Canadian television film ''
Riverworld'' (2003), portrayed
Dr. Mengele
, allegiance =
, branch = Schutzstaffel
, serviceyears = 1938–1945
, rank = '' SS''-''Hauptsturmführer'' (Captain)
, servicenumber =
, battles =
, unit =
, awards =
, commands =
, s ...
in the Showtime TV film ''
Out of the Ashes'' (2003), and portrayed John Christow in the 2004 episode "The Hollow" of ''
Agatha Christie's Poirot
''Poirot'' (also known as ''Agatha Christie's Poirot'') is a British mystery drama television programme that aired on ITV from 8 January 1989 to 13 November 2013. David Suchet starred as the eponymous detective, Agatha Christie's fictional H ...
''. He starred as Jason Shepherd in the film ''Fallen'' (2004), appeared as Dr. Malcolm Bowers in an episode of NBC's ''Inconceivable'' called "Sex, Lies and Sonograms" (2005), and portrayed
Alastair Campbell in the TV film ''
The Government Inspector
''The Government Inspector'', also known as ''The Inspector General'' ( rus, links=no, Ревизор, Revizor, literally: "Inspector"), is a satirical play by Russian dramatist and novelist, Nikolai Gogol. Originally published in 1836, the pla ...
'' (2005). He was also cast as a gladiator named Tyrannus in the ABC historical TV series ''
Empire
An empire is a "political unit" made up of several territories and peoples, "usually created by conquest, and divided between a dominant center and subordinate peripheries". The center of the empire (sometimes referred to as the metropole) ex ...
'', which ran from 28 June 2005 to 26 July 2005.
Cake played the recurring role of Roy in the ABC short-lived drama series ''
Six Degrees Six degrees may refer to:
*Six degrees of separation, the theory that anyone on earth can be connected to any other person on the planet through a chain of acquaintances that has no more than five intermediaries
*Six degrees of freedom, motion in t ...
'' (2006–07). He appeared in an episode of ''
Extras'' called "Sir
Ian McKellen
Sir Ian Murray McKellen (born 25 May 1939) is an English actor. His career spans seven decades, having performed in genres ranging from Shakespearean and modern theatre to popular fantasy and science fiction. Regarded as a British cultural ...
" (2006) and played Marshall Crawford in the TV film ''The Mastersons of Manhattan'' (2007).
On stage, Cake played Father Flynn in
John Patrick Shanley
John Patrick Shanley (born October 13, 1950) is an American playwright, screenwriter, and director. He won the 1988 Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for the film '' Moonstruck''. His play, '' Doubt: A Parable'', won the 2005 Pulitzer ...
's play ''
Doubt
Doubt is a mental state in which the mind remains suspended between two or more contradictory propositions, unable to be certain of any of them.
Doubt on an emotional level is indecision between belief and disbelief. It may involve uncertaint ...
'' (2005) at the
Pasadena Playhouse
The Pasadena Playhouse is a historic performing arts venue located 39 S. El Molino Avenue in Pasadena, California, United States. The 686-seat auditorium produces a variety of cultural and artistic events, professional shows, and community engag ...
. He then performed in ''
Coriolanus
''Coriolanus'' ( or ) is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1605 and 1608. The play is based on the life of the legendary Roman leader Caius Marcius Coriolanus. Shakespeare worked on it during the same ye ...
'' (2006) at London's
Shakespeare's Globe
Shakespeare's Globe is a reconstruction of the Globe Theatre, an Elizabethan playhouse for which William Shakespeare wrote his plays, in the London Borough of Southwark, on the south bank of the River Thames. The original theatre was built in ...
, and was cast in ''
Cymbeline
''Cymbeline'' , also known as ''The Tragedie of Cymbeline'' or ''Cymbeline, King of Britain'', is a play by William Shakespeare set in Ancient Britain () and based on legends that formed part of the Matter of Britain concerning the early Celti ...
'' (2007) at the
Vivian Beaumont Theater in New York City.
In 2008, Cake played Rex Mottram in ''
Brideshead Revisited''. He had a two episode role in ''
Law & Order: Criminal Intent''. The next year, he appeared as Bishop in the ABC TV film ''Captain Cook's Extraordinary Atlas'', starring
Jodelle Ferland,
Charlie McDermott and
Hal Holbrook
Harold Rowe Holbrook Jr. (February 17, 1925 – January 23, 2021) was an American actor, television director, and screenwriter. He first received critical acclaim in 1954 for a one-man stage show that he developed called '' Mark Twain Tonight!'' ...
. He played Cole Barker in two episodes of the NBC series ''
Chuck'' called "Chuck Versus the Beefcake" and "Chuck Versus the Lethal Weapon". Cake appeared as Marcus Woll in the ''
Law & Order
''Law & Order'' is an American police procedural and legal drama television series created by Dick Wolf and produced by Wolf Entertainment, launching the '' Law & Order'' franchise.
''Law & Order'' aired its entire run on NBC, premiering o ...
'' episodes "Boy Gone Astray" and "For the Defense".
In 2010, Cake teamed up with
Pedro Miguel Arce in the American film ''Krews'', by Hilbert Hakim. The same year, he also played Mark Easterbrook in the TV film ''Marple: The Pale Horse'', starring
Julia McKenzie as
Miss Marple
Miss Marple is a fictional character in Agatha Christie's crime novels and short stories. Jane Marple lives in the village of St. Mary Mead and acts as an amateur consulting detective. Often characterized as an elderly spinster, she is one of ...
. Cake is currently appearing as
Mark Antony
Marcus Antonius (14 January 1 August 30 BC), commonly known in English as Mark Antony, was a Roman politician and general who played a critical role in the transformation of the Roman Republic from a constitutional republic into the ...
in the Royal Shakespeare Company's latest production of ''
Antony and Cleopatra
''Antony and Cleopatra'' ( First Folio title: ''The Tragedie of Anthonie, and Cleopatra'') is a tragedy by William Shakespeare. The play was first performed, by the King's Men, at either the Blackfriars Theatre or the Globe Theatre in arou ...
''. In 2017 he played the Duke in the
Theatre for a New Audience production of
Measure for Measure
''Measure for Measure'' is a play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in 1603 or 1604 and first performed in 1604, according to available records. It was published in the ''First Folio'' of 1623.
The play's plot features its ...
In 2021, Cake had a recurring role on ''
Stargirl'' as
Shade.
Personal life
On 24 September 2004, Cake married American actress
Julianne Nicholson
Julianne Nicholson (born July 1, 1971) is an American actress. She is best known for her roles in the films '' August: Osage County'' (2013) and '' Blonde'' (2022), as well as the television series '' Law & Order: Criminal Intent'' (2006–2009) ...
in Italy. The couple have two children: a son Ignatius Cake, born September 2007, and a daughter, Phoebe Margaret Cake, born 30 April 2009.
Cake was previously engaged to British actress
Olivia Williams
Olivia Haigh Williams (born 26 July 1968) is a British actress who has appeared in British and American films and television.
After studying drama at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School for two years followed by three years at the Royal Shakes ...
; the relationship ended after seven years.
Filmography
References
External links
*
jonathancakefansite
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cake, Jonathan
1967 births
Living people
20th-century English male actors
21st-century English male actors
English male film actors
English male television actors
People from Worthing
Male actors from Sussex
Alumni of Corpus Christi College, Cambridge
National Youth Theatre members
Theatre World Award winners