Meyers was born Jonathan Michael Francis O'Keeffe in Cork, Ireland to Geraldine Meyers and John O'Keeffe. His stage name is derived from his mother's maiden name, Meyers.
Rhys Meyers was born with a serious heart problem and was baptised shortly after his birth, as it was feared he would not survive long enough for a traditional baptism ceremony. He spent the first few months of his life in the hospital. Meyers still live in County Cork, Ireland. He has three younger brothers named Jamie, Alan and Paul.
When Rhys Meyers was three years old, his parents separated. His mother raised Jonathan and his brother Alan, while his other two brothers went to live at their grandmother's house with their father. They would not be in close contact for some years.
When Jonathan was a teenager, he befriended an Anglo-Irish gentleman farmer. He was taken in by the farmer and his family and went to live with them in at their home in Buttevant.
Rhys Meyers was expelled from school at age 16, and spent much of his time hanging out in pool halls. Casting agents looking for Irish boys to appear in War of the Buttons spotted Rhys Meyers at a Cork pool hall, the Victoria Sporting Club, and invited him to audition. Although he was passed over for War of the Buttons, the casting agents encouraged him to pursue a career in acting. His first film role came soon afterward, in A Man of No Importance (1994). In 1996 he appeared in Michael Collins, as Collins' assassin.
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