Gary Oldman Biography

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Gary Oldman biography:

Gary Leonard Oldman (born 21 March 1958) is an English actor, writer, director, producer, voice-over artist and occasional musician who is well known for his portrayals of Sid Vicious in Sid & Nancy and The Count in Dracula. He has garnered critical acclaim for his diverse performances and portrayals of real-life historical figures and is noted for his avoidance of the Hollywood celebrity scene, often being referred to as an "actor's actor".

After coming to prominence for his award-winning portrayal of ill-fated rocker Sid Vicious in 1986 biopic Sid & Nancy, which was featured in Premiere Magazine's "100 Greatest Performances of All Time", Oldman found further recognition during the late 1980s and early 1990s via starring roles in films such as Prick Up Your Ears, Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead and State of Grace. During this time he earned considerable critical respect, with Janet Maslin referring to his work as "phenomenal" and Roger Ebert calling him "the best young British actor around." Oldman subsequently starred in one of his best-known roles as Lee Harvey Oswald in 1991's JFK. Since leading Dracula the following year, he has starred in such popular motion pictures as: True Romance, Immortal Beloved, Léon: The Professional, Murder in the First, The Fifth Element, The Contender, the Harry Potter film series and The Dark Knight. In 1997, Oldman directed, produced, and wrote the award-winning Nil by Mouth, a movie partially based on his own childhood. Oldman has received various awards and honours throughout his career but has at various times expressed his lack of regard for the Oscar and the presenting Academy. Several of his roles - particularly Sheldon Runyon in The Contender - have brought forth predictions of an Oscar nomination, but to date he has yet to be nominated for such an award despite a critically acclaimed film career spanning three decades.

Gary Oldman quote:

''Any actor who tells you that they have become the people they play, unless they're clearly diagnosed as a schizophrenic, is bullshitting you.''

Career Highlights

Non-acting careers:

Considered a career in music.

Big break:

1986 he won his first starring role as the Sex Pistols' ill-fated bassist Sid Vicious in the 1986 motion picture Sid & Nancy. The role launched Oldman's career and paved the way for work in Hollywood.

Defining characters:

Sid Vicious
Drexl Spivey
James Gordon
Count Dracula
Norman "Stan" Stansfield
Zorg
Beethoven
Sirius Black

Best movies:

The Dark Knight
Leon
Batman Begins
Bram Stokers Dracula
Immortal Beloved
Sid and Nancy
The Fifth Element
Harry Potter and Order of the Phoenix

Best TV:

Morgan's Boy
Remembrance
Friends cameo

Stage credits:

The Pope's Wedding

Top awards:

1995 Golden Raspberry Awards Worst Screen Couple (shared with Demi Moore) The Scarlet Letter Nominated

1997 BAFTA Awards Best British Film Nil by Mouth Won
Best Screenplay Won
British Independent Film Awards Best British Director of an Independent Film Nominated
Best Original Screenplay by a British Writer of a Produced Independent Film Nominated
Edinburgh International Film Festival Channel 4 Director's Award Won
Cannes Film Festival Palme d'Or Nominated

1998 Empire Awards Best Debut Won
Blockbuster Entertainment Awards Favorite Supporting Actor - Action/Adventure Air Force One Nominated
MTV Movie Awards Best Fight (shared with Harrison Ford) Nominated

1999 Saturn Awards Best Supporting Actor Lost In Space Nominated

2001 Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards Alan J. Pakula Award The Contender Won
Independent Spirit Award Best Supporting Male Nominated
Screen Actors Guild Awards Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role Nominated
Emmy Awards Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series Friends Nominated

2003 DVD Exclusive Awards Best Supporting Actor Interstate 60 Nominated

2005 Saturn Awards Best Supporting Actor Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban Nominated

2008 Scream Awards Best Supporting Actor The Dark Knight Won

Other:

Despite numerous lead and supporting roles in major Hollywood productions, Oldman is intensely private with his personal life and is known for his stance on celebrity and the ideals of Hollywood, once stating that "being famous, that's a whole other career. And I haven't got any energy for it." Oldman was born and raised in London, England, but moved to the United States in the early 1990s.[58] He currently resides in Los Angeles, California with his young family. He was known for his problems with alcohol during the 1990s; in 1991, he was arrested for drunk driving along with friend and fellow actor Kiefer Sutherland. After a string of alcohol-fuelled debacles he checked himself into Marworth treatment facility in Waverly, Pennsylvania, for alcoholism treatment in 1993. In subsequent interviews Oldman acknowledged his problems with alcohol and called himself a "recovering" alcoholic on a 2001 interview with Charlie Rose.[20] In 2001, former wife Donya Fiorentino claimed that Oldman had a drug habit and subjected her to domestic abuse, a claim which was investigated by the family courts, child custody evaluator, the police, and Los Angeles city attorney—Oldman was awarded legal custody of their children; Fiorentino was granted short court-monitored visits. As of 2007[update], Oldman lives a teetotal lifestyle and attributes his success in beating his addiction to Alcoholics Anonymous, and has since publicly praised the organization.

Gary Oldman Relationships

Family:

He has three sons: Alfie (b. 1988) from his marriage to Manville, Gulliver Flynn (b. Aug 20, 1997) and Charlie John (b. Feb 1999) from his marriage to Fiorentino.[60] His sister, Laila Morse, is also an actress, best known as Mo Harris in the BBC's long-running series EastEnders.

Romance(s):

Oldman has been married three times:

* Lesley Manville (1988–1990)
* Uma Thurman (1990–1992)
* Donya Fiorentino (1997–2001)

Frequent collaborator(s):

Christian Bale
Daniel Radcliffe
Luc Besson

Other affiliations:

Dated Isabella Rossellini, met through Immortal Beloved (1994).

Fun Facts About Gary Oldman

Was arrested for drunk driving in L.A. and released on bail the next morning. His passenger in the car was pal, Kiefer Sutherland. [8 August 1991]
His library includes essays on Bertolt Brecht, poetry by Roger McGough, a biography of Montgomery Clift, The Elizabethan World Picture, all things William Shakespeare and Jane Austen.
Has used a different speaking voice (i.e. accent) in practically every movie he's ever been in.
He and Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004) and Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005) co-star Timothy Spall have both played the character of Rosencrantz; Spall in Kenneth Branagh's Hamlet (1996), Oldman in Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead (1990).
He was awarded the 1985 London Critics Circle Theatre Award (Drama Theatre Award) for Best Actor for his performance in "The Pope's Wedding".
Has played Lee Harvey Oswald in both JFK (1991) and "Frontline: Who Was Lee Harvey Oswald? (#11.20)" (1993).
Dated model-actress Ailsa Marshall from 2002-2005.
His film Nil by Mouth (1997) is loosely based upon his own life growing up in London.
Submitted a recorded voice audition for General Grievous in Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005). George Lucas later chose the anonymous audition of Matthew Wood for the role instead.
Henry & June (1990) is the only film in which he's been credited as "Maurice Escargot".
Appears in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005) and Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007) with Ralph Fiennes. Both of them have played villains in the Hannibal Lecter series: Fiennes played Francis Dolarhyde in Red Dragon (2002), and Oldman played Mason Verger in Hannibal (2001).
Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead (1990) was released on DVD the day after his 47th birthday.
Member of jury at the Cannes Film Festival in 1993.
Graduated from Rose Bruford Drama College 3 year acting course BA-Hons, London, England.
In two movies, his characters have had dynamic relationships with mob bosses named Falcone. In Romeo Is Bleeding (1993), he was working FOR Don Falcone, and in Batman Begins (2005), he was working to bring down Carmine Falcone. In both instances, his character was a cop.
Like Ian McKellen, he has taken on popular characters in screen adaptations of cult favorite fantasy novels and comic books. He appeared as James Gordon in Batman Begins (2005) and The Dark Knight (2008) and as Sirius Black in the middle three Harry Potter films: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004), Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005), and Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007).
Although he has spent much of his career playing psychotic and sadistic characters, he has recently moved away from that on-screen image by playing more like-able, sympathetic characters like Sirius Black (in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004), Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005), and Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007)) and Jim Gordon (in Batman Begins (2005)).
Actor Ryan Gosling lists Oldman as his favorite actor.
He and his ex-wife, Uma Thurman, have both appeared in Batman films. Thurman played Poison Ivy in Batman & Robin (1997), and Oldman played James Gordon in Batman Begins (2005).
Uncle of Gerry Bromfield and Tracy Bromfield.
His performance as Sid Vicious in Sid and Nancy (1986) is ranked #62 on Premiere Magazine's 100 Greatest Performances of All Time (2006).
Trained at Rose Bruford Drama School Sidcup, Kent. Others who trained there include actors Freddie Jones, Ray Fearon, Tom Baker and Stephen Armourae.
Despite a number of critically acclaimed roles, he has never been nominated for an Academy Award.
Spokesperson for Nokia.
Performed a vocal duet with David Bowie for the song "You've Been Around" on the 1995 album "The Sacred Squall of Now" by longtime Bowie guitarist Reeves Gabrels. He is also featured on the song "Stamford Hill" on the same album.
Has been an inspiration to many actors including up and comers Bo Barrett, Ryan Gosling and Shia LaBeouf .
Is very close to actor and co-star in the Harry Potter franchise Daniel Radcliffe.
His sister Laila Morse plays the character "Big Mo" in the British soap opera "EastEnders" (1985).
Chosen by Empire magazine as one of the 100 Sexiest Stars in film history (#72). [2007].
Harry Potter co-actor Jason Isaacs lists him as one of his favorite actors.
Lives in Los Angeles.
Directed a music video for Jewish Hip-Hop group Chutzpah shot entirely on Nokia Cell Phones. Actress Juliet Landau directed a 25 minute documentary about the making of the Music Video.

Gary Oldman's Awards & Honors

Year	Award	Category/Recipient(s)	Result
1987	BAFTA	Best Actor Prick Up Your Ears	Nominated
1997	BAFTA	Best British Film Nil By Mouth	Won
1997	BAFTA	Best ScreenPlay Nil By Mouth	Won
1997	Cannes Film Festival	Palme d'Or Nil By Mouth	Won
2008	Scream Awards	Best Supporting Actor The Dark Knight	Won

Gary Oldman's Upcoming Projects

The Book of Eli (2010) (filming) .... Carnegie
Planet 51 (2009) (filming) (voice)
A Christmas Carol (2009) (post-production) .... Bob Cratchit / Marley / Tiny Tim
Rain Fall (2009) (post-production) .... Holtzer
The Unborn (2009) (completed) .... Rabbi Sendak

Gary Oldman Links

Last update: Mar 27 2009, 12:26 AM EDT by ed (content history | content tools) (help)

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