Grace Prize for Most Inspiring Performance for TV, Movieguide
Jonathan Roumie (born July 1, 1974) is an American actor known for his role as evangelist Lonnie Frisbee in the 2023 film Jesus Revolution and as Jesus in The Chosen,[1][2] a crowd-funded television series about the life and ministry of Jesus of Nazareth.[3][4] He is also a voice artist and a public speaker.
Early life
A first-generation American, Roumie's father was born in Egypt and is of Syro-Lebanese descent; his mother is from Ireland.[5][6][7] Roumie has stated that his great-grandparents on his father's side were Armenian.[8]
Before his parents moved to and later met in New York City, Roumie's mother was raised on a farm in Ireland with his father being raised in Cairo, Egypt.[9] Though he was baptized in the Orthodox Church, Roumie converted to Catholicism after moving from New York to its suburbs.[10] He holds a degree in film from the School of Visual Arts.[6] In 2024, he was awarded an honorary doctorate in fine arts by the Catholic University of America for his work evangelizing through his acting career.[11]
After graduating from college, Roumie played drums in his friend's contemporary rock band. The band had recorded an album and were due to go on tour but the recording company sponsoring the tour went bankrupt. Shortly after, Roumie moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career in film and television.[12]
Career
Roumie has appeared in television shows such as The Good Wife, As the World Turns, and Castle. He played the character of Christ for the first time in a touring multi-media project about the life of St. Faustina called Faustina: Messenger of Divine Mercy[13] 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.[14] He portrayed charismatic hippie evangelist Lonnie Frisbee in the 2023 film Jesus Revolution.[15]
At one time, Roumie was involved in an entertainment fellowship for Christian entertainment professionals.[6]
He also serves as a narrator for the Catholic prayer app Hallow.[19] Jonathan Roumie appeared in the Super Bowl 2024 commercial for the app, causing a huge spike in downloads Hallow.[20]
The Chosen – Jesus heals a leper in Season 1, Episode 6
Previous to being offered the role of Jesus Christ in 2017 for what was then a new television series, The Chosen, Roumie states he had reached a point on his life where he had completely surrendered himself to God. About that period of his life he says: "I was literally in a pit and God sort of lent a hand and brought me out of the pit. I was broke. I was in debt. I had enough food for the day to last a day."[23]
Regarding the challenges of portraying Jesus, Roumie has said, "Very often, I don't feel worthy of playing Jesus. I struggle with that a lot. But I also acknowledge what God has done for my life as a result of playing Christ and how God has changed my life."[30]
Personal life
Roumie has been a ministry leader and has served as an extraordinary minister of Holy Communion within the Catholic Church.[6] He is a strong advocate of the sacraments, ecumenism, humility, and charity.[31] He serves on the board of Catholics in Media Associates.[32] In 2020, he was nominated for a papal knighthood, the Order of St. Gregory the Great.[33] He was also named one of Aleteia'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.[34][32] He opposes abortion. A keynote speaker at the 2023 March for Life, Roumie told participants, "God is love, and true love gives way to life, not death."[35]
As of 2022, Roumie was residing in Los Angeles.[36]
Roumie can be found hosting live prayers on Instagram, some of which have been viewed nearly 100,000 times.[37] He prays the Chaplet of the Divine Mercy.[12]
Roumie is a talented illustrator, and won awards in high school for this work.[9]
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