Claim: The Lion King is an artistic work.

Jeremy John Irons -LRB- born 19 September 1948 -RRB- is an English actor . After receiving classical training at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School , Irons began his acting career on stage in 1969 and has since appeared in many West End theatre productions , including The Winter 's Tale , Macbeth , Much Ado About Nothing , The Taming of the Shrew , Godspell , Richard II , and Embers . In 1984 , he made his Broadway debut in Tom Stoppard 's The Real Thing and received a Tony Award for Best Actor .   Irons ' first major film role came in the 1981 romantic drama The French Lieutenant 's Woman , for which he received a BAFTA nomination for Best Actor . After starring in dramas such as Moonlighting -LRB- 1982 -RRB- , Betrayal -LRB- 1983 -RRB- , and The Mission -LRB- 1986 -RRB- , he gained critical acclaim for portraying twin gynaecologists in David Cronenberg 's psychological thriller Dead Ringers -LRB- 1988 -RRB- . In 1990 , Irons played accused murderer Claus von Bülow in Reversal of Fortune , and took home multiple awards , including an Academy Award for Best Actor .   Other notable films have included Steven Soderbergh 's mystery thriller Kafka -LRB- 1991 -RRB- , the period drama The House of the Spirits -LRB- 1993 -RRB- , the romantic drama M. Butterfly -LRB- 1993 -RRB- , the voice of Scar in Disney 's The Lion King -LRB- 1994 -RRB- , Simon Gruber in the action film Die Hard with a Vengeance -LRB- 1995 -RRB- , the drama Lolita -LRB- 1997 -RRB- , Musketeer Aramis in The Man in the Iron Mask -LRB- 1998 -RRB- , the action adventure Dungeons & Dragons -LRB- 2000 -RRB- , the drama The Merchant of Venice -LRB- 2004 -RRB- , the drama Being Julia -LRB- 2004 -RRB- , the epic historical drama Kingdom of Heaven -LRB- 2005 -RRB- , the fantasy-adventure Eragon -LRB- 2006 -RRB- , the Western Appaloosa -LRB- 2008 -RRB- , and the indie drama Margin Call -LRB- 2011 -RRB- . In 2016 , he appeared in Assassin 's Creed and , starting that year , he plays Alfred Pennyworth in the DC Extended Universe , beginning with Batman v Superman : Dawn of Justice , and later reprising the role in Justice League -LRB- 2017 -RRB- and The Batman -LRB- TBA -RRB- .   Irons has also made several notable appearances on TV . He earned his first Golden Globe Award nomination for his break-out role in the ITV series Brideshead Revisited -LRB- 1981 -RRB- . In 2005 , Irons starred opposite Helen Mirren in the historical miniseries Elizabeth I , for which he received a Golden Globe Award and an Emmy Award for Best Supporting Actor . From 2011 to 2013 he starred as Pope Alexander VI in the Showtime historical series The Borgias . He is one of the few actors who won the `` Triple Crown of Acting '' , winning an Academy Award -LRB- for film -RRB- , an Emmy Award -LRB- television -RRB- and a Tony Award -LRB- for theatre -RRB- . In October 2011 , he was nominated Goodwill Ambassador of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations .