Jonny Lee Miller: Star of The Crown and Trainspotting qualifies as volunteer firefighter in New York

Jonny Lee Miller could swap treading the boards for scaling burning buildings after qualifying as a volunteer firefighter.

The stage and screen actor, famed for his iconic role as Sick Boy in the film Trainspotting, announced he was officially qualified as a firefighter after spending five months on a training course at Suffolk County Fire Academy in New York.

Miller, 50, revealed his news to his 234,000 Instagram followers on Monday – sharing a picture of himself among his fellow cohorts.

He thanked all the instructors, singling out Chief Sicilian who “took great care” of the class and “never got mad at us”.

“Can’t wait to serve the community I love on Fire Island NY,” he wrote.

Miller – who recently starred as former prime minister John Major in season five of The Crown – hinted at making a change last December when he posted a picture of a book entitled “7 Essentials of Firefighting”, along with the caption: “Textbooks arrived!”

The British actor also shared a picture of his firefighting kit in January, writing “School tomorrow #50yearoldvirgin” and another picture of his fire gear “on the racks before class drills” in April.

The Academy, which describes itself as “where Suffolk County’s bravest train”, teaches volunteer firefighters, career firefighters and emergency responders.

The Firefighter I course Miller took is described as an “initial entry program for firefighting personnel, introducing concepts, practices and techniques necessary for success within the fire service”.

Trainees must also complete five hands-on performance sessions covering emergencies, tools, search, victim and firefighter removal, ladders, hose handling, fire behaviour and fire vehicles.

A practical skills exam and written test take place at the end of the course.

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Miller is not the first celebrity to have tried out a new profession.

Sex And The City star-turned-would-be politician Cynthia Nixon unveiled her run for governor of New York in 2018 – but went on to lose.

Actor David Arquette also carved out a career as a professional wrestler.

Meanwhile Blur bassist Alex James and former Coronation Street actor Sean Wilson, who played Martin Platt, both traded the limelight to run their own cheese companies.