Jonathan Roumie (born July 1, 1974) is an American actor best known for his role as

Jesus Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religious ...

in ''The Chosen'', a crowd-funded television series about the

life Life is a quality that distinguishes matter that has biological processes, such as signaling and self-sustaining processes, from that which does not, and is defined by the capacity for growth, reaction to stimuli, metabolism, energ ...

and

ministry Ministry may refer to: Government * Ministry (collective executive), the complete body of government ministers under the leadership of a prime minister * Ministry (government department), a department of a government Religion * Christian ...

Jesus of Nazareth Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religious ...

. He is also a voice artist.

Early life

Roumie was born on July 1, 1974 in New York City where he was also raised. His father is

Egyptian Egyptian describes something of, from, or related to Egypt. Egyptian or Egyptians may refer to: Nations and ethnic groups * Egyptians, a national group in North Africa ** Egyptian culture, a complex and stable culture with thousands of years of ...

, his paternal grandfather was born in

Syria Syria ( ar, سُورِيَا or سُورِيَة, translit=Sūriyā), officially the Syrian Arab Republic ( ar, الجمهورية العربية السورية, al-Jumhūrīyah al-ʻArabīyah as-Sūrīyah), is a Western Asian country loc ...

, and his mother is Irish. Roumie is a practicing

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

; while he was baptized in the

Greek Orthodox Church The term Greek Orthodox Church (Greek: Ἑλληνορθόδοξη Ἐκκλησία, ''Ellinorthódoxi Ekklisía'', ) has two meanings. The broader meaning designates "the entire body of Orthodox (Chalcedonian) Christianity, sometimes also call ...

, Roumie converted to Catholicism after moving from New York to its suburbs. He holds a degree in film from the School of Visual Arts.

Career

Roumie has appeared in television shows such as '' The Good Wife'', '' As the World Turns'', and ''

Castle A castle is a type of fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by military orders. Scholars debate the scope of the word ''castle'', but usually consider it to be the private fortified r ...

''. He is known for his portrayal of Jesus in ''

The Chosen Chosen or The Chosen may refer to: The chosen ones *Chosen people, people who believe they have been chosen by a higher power to do a certain thing including **Jews as the chosen people Books * ''The Chosen'' (Potok novel), a 1967 novel by Chaim ...

''. He played the character of Christ for the first time in a touring multi-media project about the life of

St. Faustina Maria Faustyna Kowalska, OLM (born Helena Kowalska; 25 August 1905 – 5 October 1938), also known as ''Maria Faustyna Kowalska of the Blessed Sacrament'', Faustyna popularly spelled "Faustina", was a Polish Catholic religious sister an ...

called Faustina: Messenger of Divine Mercy and subsequently in 'Once we were Slaves/The Two Thieves'. Roumie is also the co-producer, co-director and lead actor of ''The Last Days: The Passion and Death of Jesus'', a live performance about the passion of Christ. His voice-over work includes the video games '' Evolve'', '' Mafia II & III'', and ''

The Darkness II ''The Darkness II'' is a 2012 first-person shooter video game developed by Digital Extremes and published by 2K Games. The game is the sequel to '' The Darkness'' (2007) and based on the comic book series published by Top Cow Productions. The pl ...

''. Roumie has voiced several characters in the MTV series '' Celebrity Deathmatch''. Roumie started as a production assistant and was the location scout for '' Spider Man'', ''

National Treasure The idea of national treasure, like national epics and national anthems, is part of the language of romantic nationalism, which arose in the late 18th century and 19th centuries. Nationalism is an ideology that supports the nation as the fundame ...

'' and '' I Am Legend.'' His first original song, "Outta Time", was released in Europe for the album ''Unbreakable'', which he co-produced. Formerly, he was involved in an entertainment fellowship for Christian entertainment professionals.

Personal life

Roumie has been a ministry leader and has served as an extraordinary minister of Holy Communion within the Catholic Church. He is a strong advocate of the sacraments, ecumenism, humility and charity. He serves on the board of Catholics in Media associates. In 2020, he was nominated for a

Papal knighthood The orders, decorations, and medals of the Holy See include title of honour, titles, chivalric orders, Award, distinctions and medals honoured by the Holy See, with the Pope as the fount of honour, for deeds and merits of their recipients to t ...

, the

Order of St. Gregory the Great The Pontifical Equestrian Order of St. Gregory the Great ( la, Ordo Sancti Gregorii Magni; it, Ordine di San Gregorio Magno) was established on 1 September 1831, by Pope Gregory XVI, seven months after his election as Pope. The order is one of ...

. He was also named one of ''Aletia'''s "10 Catholics who restored our faith in humanity" in 2021 and made it onto ''Our Sunday Visitor's'' list of Catholics of the Year in 2022. He lives in Los Angeles. He is pro-life.

''The Chosen''

Roumie's portrayal of Jesus Christ in ''The Chosen'' has been reviewed in the '' National Catholic Register'', ''

America Magazine ''America'' is a monthly Christian magazine published by the Jesuits of the United States and headquartered in midtown Manhattan. It contains news and opinion about Catholicism and how it relates to American politics and cultural life. It has been ...

'',''

The Atlantic ''The Atlantic'' is an American magazine and multi-platform publisher. It features articles in the fields of politics, foreign affairs, business and the economy, culture and the arts, technology, and science. It was founded in 1857 in Boston, ...

'', and ''

The Irish Times ''The Irish Times'' is an Irish daily broadsheet newspaper and online digital publication. It launched on 29 March 1859. The editor is Ruadhán Mac Cormaic. It is published every day except Sundays. ''The Irish Times'' is considered a newspaper ...

''.

Awards

Filmography

Television

Film

Video game

Theatre

References

External links

Official Website
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Roumie, Jonathan 1974 births American male television actors Male actors from New York City Male actors from Hollywood, Los Angeles American male voice actors American male film actors Living people 21st-century American male actors American people of Irish descent American people of Egyptian descent School of Visual Arts alumni Converts to Roman Catholicism from Eastern Orthodoxy 21st-century Roman Catholics