Early Life and Education
Jonathan Roumie was born on July 1, 1974 in New York City to an Irish mother and a father of Syro-Lebanese origin. For his higher education, he attended the School of Visual Arts New York City, from which he earned his BFA in film.
Although baptized in the Greek Orthodox Church, Roumie converted to Roman Catholicism after college.
Television Career
Roumie began his television career voicing characters on the MTV adult stop-motion animated series Celebrity Deathmatch from 2000 to 2002. He returned to the small screen in 2006 to write and star in the television film Oh! Be Joyful! The year after that, Roumie appeared in six episodes of the soap opera As the World Turns. He was subsequently in an episode of Law & Order in 2008.
Returning to voice acting, Roumie voiced characters on the children’s animated series Wonder Pets! and 3rd & Bird from 2009 to 2010. After that, he had guest roles on such shows as Parenthood, Castle, Hart of Dixie, NCIS, and The Newsroom. In 2015, Roumie appeared on Dog with a Blog and NCIS: Los Angeles, and in 2016 played Monte Ecklund in an episode of The Good Wife. He went on to play Dr. Montpellier in an episode of The Mindy Project in 2017.
Roumie became more widely known in 2019 when he began portraying Jesus Christ in the Christian historical drama series The Chosen. Created, directed, and co-written by Dallas Jenkins, it became the first multi-season series devoted to the life and ministry of Jesus. The show is primarily financed through crowdfunding on the Angel Studios platform, and earns additional revenue through licensing to other streaming platforms. Episodes and full seasons of the show have also been given limited theatrical releases. Joining Roumie in The Chosen are such actors as Shahar Isaac, Elizabeth Tabish, Paras Patel, Noah James, and Lara Silva.
Film Career
Roumie made his feature film debut in 2005 with a small part in the romantic dramedy Prime. Two years later, he appeared briefly in the crime drama West 32nd. Roumie continued to have minor roles over the ensuing years, including in the 2008 period drama Revolutionary Road and the 2012 prison drama K-11. Following those, he portrayed John Wilkes Booth in the historical drama Saving Lincoln. Roumie was subsequently in a string of short films, including A Day in the Country, Lunar, Cinderella Pose, and You & I, My Dear. His credits over the ensuing years were mostly small, low-budget films. In 2022, Roumie lent his voice to the Disney+ animated fantasy comedy film Night at the Museum: Kahmunrah Rises Again, part of the Night at the Museum franchise.
