birth name | Gary Leonard Oldman |
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birth date | March 21, 1958 |
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birth place | |
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spouse | Lesley Manville (1987–1989)Uma Thurman (1990–1992)Donya Fiorentino (1997–2001)Alexandra Edenborough(2008–present) |
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relatives | Laila Morse (sister) |
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years active | 1979–present |
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occupation | Actor, filmmaker, musician |
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parents | Leonard Bertram OldmanKathleen Cheriton
}} |
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Gary Leonard Oldman (born 21 March 1958) is an
English actor, filmmaker and musician. A former member of the
Royal Shakespeare Company, Oldman made his stage debut in 1979 and established himself as a theatre actor over the next decade, coming to prominence via his multiple roles in works by
Edward Bond. He gained fame as a film actor in the mid 1980s, and has since been named by a number of critics and peers as one of Britain's greatest living actors.
Oldman's early starring film roles included skinhead Coxy in ''Meantime'' (1983), Sid Vicious in ''Sid and Nancy'' (1986) and gay playwright Joe Orton in ''Prick Up Your Ears'' (1987). He continued to garner critical acclaim for his portrayals of a violent football hooligan in ''The Firm'' (1989), an Irish American gangster in ''State of Grace'' (1990), Presidential assassin Lee Harvey Oswald in ''JFK'' (1991) and the title character of ''Dracula'' (1992), becoming a popular casting choice in villain roles; he played the antagonist of films such as ''True Romance'' (1993), ''Léon'' (1994), ''The Fifth Element'' (1997) and ''The Contender'' (2000). Since the turn of the millennium Oldman has been known for his portrayals of Sirius Black in the ''Harry Potter'' film series, James Gordon in Christopher Nolan's ''Batman'' film trilogy, and George Smiley in ''Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy'' (2011). In addition to his film career, he has starred in several United States television shows, including ''Knots Landing'' and ''Friends''. Aside from acting, he wrote and directed ''Nil By Mouth'' (1997), a film partially based on his own childhood, and has served as a producer on several films.
Among other honours, Oldman has won two BAFTA Awards and a Saturn Award, and has been nominated for Academy-, Emmy-, Screen Actors Guild- and Independent Spirit Awards, as well as the Palme d'Or. Norman Stansfield, his overstated antagonist in ''Léon'', has been named as one of the best villains of modern cinema. In 2011, Oldman was voted an "Icon of Film" by ''Empire'' readers, in recognition of his contributions to cinema.
Early life
Oldman was born in London, the son of Kathleen (née Cheriton; b. 28 November 1919), a housewife, and Leonard Bertram Oldman (21 May 1921 – October 1985), a former sailor who worked as a welder. He has said that his father was an alcoholic who left his family when Oldman was seven. Oldman attended the
South East London Boys' School on
Creek Road in
Deptford, leaving school at 16 to work in a sports shop. He was an accomplished singer and pianist as a child, but gave up his musical aspirations to pursue an acting career. His inspiration was
Malcolm McDowell's performance in 1970 film ''
The Raging Moon''. In a 1995 interview with
Charlie Rose, Oldman said, "Something about Malcolm [McDowell] just arrested me, and I connected, and I said, 'I wanna do ''that'''."
Acting career
Theatre, early films and foray into American cinema (1979–1990)
Oldman studied with the Young People's Theatre in
Greenwich during the mid 1970s, while working jobs on assembly lines, as a porter in an
operating theatre, selling shoes and beheading pigs in an
abbatoir. He later won a scholarship to attend the
Rose Bruford College of Speech and Drama in
Sidcup, Kent, from which he graduated with a BA in Acting in 1979. Before enrolling at Rose Bruford, Oldman had unsuccessfully applied to the
Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA), who welcomed him to try again the following year, but advised him to find something else to do for a living (when asked by
Charlie Rose if he had reminded RADA of this, Oldman joked, "the work speaks for itself"). He made his professional stage debut in 1979 as Puss, alongside
Michael Simkins, in ''
Dick Whittington and His Cat'', at York's
Theatre Royal. The play then ran in Colchester, then with Glasgow's
Citizens Theatre; Oldman's work ethic and trademark intensity would make him a favourite with audiences in Glasgow during the 1980s. From 1980–1981, he appeared in ''
The Massacre at Paris'' (
Christopher Marlowe), ''
Desperado Corner'' (
Shaun Lawton), and
Robert David MacDonald's plays ''Chinchilla'' and ''A Waste Of Time''. He performed in a 6-month
West End run of MacDonald's ''Summit Conference'', opposite
Glenda Jackson, in 1982. Also that year, Oldman made his film debut in Colin Gregg's ''Remembrance'', and would have starred in
Don Boyd's ''
Gossip'' if that film had not collapsed. The following year, he landed a starring role as a
skinhead in
Mike Leigh's film ''
Meantime'', and moved on to Chesterfield to assume the lead role in ''
Entertaining Mr Sloane'' (
Joe Orton). Afterwards, he went to Westcliffe to star in ''
Saved'' (
Edward Bond).
''Saved'' proved to be a major breakthrough for Oldman. He had written to Max Stafford-Clark, artistic director of the Royal Court Theatre, requesting that he watch the play. Impressed, Stafford-Clark cast Oldman as Scopey, the lead role of Bond's ''The Pope's Wedding'', in 1984. For his acclaimed performance, he won two of British theatre's top honours: the ''Time Out'' Fringe Award for Best Newcomer, and the British Theatre Association's ''Drama'' magazine award for Best Actor—the latter of which was shared with future film co-star Anthony Hopkins. His turn in ''The Pope's Wedding'' led to a run of work with the Royal Court, and from 1984 to 1986 he appeared in ''Rat In the Skull'' (Ron Hutchinson), ''The Desert Air'' (Nicholas Wright), ''Cain and Abel'', ''The Danton Affair'' (Pam Gems), ''Women Beware Women'' (Thomas Middleton), ''Real Dreams'' (Trevor Griffiths) and all three of Bond's ''The War Plays'': ''Red Black and Ignorant'', ''The Tin Can People'' and ''Great Peace''. Oldman was a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company from 1985–1986. The 1984 production of ''The Pope's Wedding'' had been seen by director Alex Cox, who cast Oldman as ill-fated rocker Sid Vicious in the 1986 film ''Sid And Nancy''. In 1987, Oldman gained his third starring film role as Joe Orton in ''Prick Up Your Ears'', for which he received a BAFTA nomination for Best Actor. That same year, Oldman appeared in the plays ''The Country Wife'' (William Wycherley) and ''Serious Money'' (Caryl Churchill).
Oldman's performances in ''Sid and Nancy'' and ''Prick Up Your Ears'' were widely acclaimed, and paved the way for work in Hollywood. Prominent United States film critic Roger Ebert, on the basis of Oldman's work in those films, described him as "the best young British actor around". His portrayal of Vicious was applauded by many, perhaps most notably ex-Sex Pistols vocalist John Lydon, who despite questioning the authenticity of the film, described Oldman as a "bloody good actor". Oldman reportedly lost considerable weight for the role and was briefly hospitalised. His performance would go on to be ranked No. 62 in ''Premiere'' magazine's "100 Greatest Performances of All Time" and No. 8 in ''Uncut'' magazine's "10 Best actors in rockin' roles", the latter describing his portrayal as a "hugely sympathetic reading of the punk figurehead as a lost and bewildered manchild." After coming to prominence for his portrayals of Vicious and Orton, Oldman increased his profile during the late 1980s and early 1990s via starring roles in films such as ''Criminal Law'' (which marked Oldman's first use of an American accent), ''The Firm'', ''Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead'' and ''State of Grace''. Janet Maslin, another noted US film critic, referred to his work as "phenomenal". In late 1988, he starred opposite long-time hero Alan Bates in ''We Think the World of You'', and alongside Dennis Hopper and Frances McDormand in the 1989 film ''Chattahoochee''. In 1989, Oldman also starred as football hooligan Clive Bissel in British drama ''The Firm''; in 2011, ''Total Film'' named Oldman's performance as the best of his career. Oldman moved to the United States in the early 1990s, where he has since lived. Oldman and other young British actors of the 1980s who were becoming established Hollywood film actors, such as Tim Roth, Bruce Payne, Colin Firth, Daniel Day-Lewis, and Paul McGann, were dubbed the 'Brit Pack', of which Oldman was de facto leader.
Villain roles and mainstream success (1991–2001)
In 1991, Oldman starred in what was at that point the most significant role of his career as
Lee Harvey Oswald in
Oliver Stone's ''
JFK''. The following year, he starred as Count Dracula in
Francis Ford Coppola's
romance-
horror ''
Dracula''. A commercially successful film adaptation of
Bram Stoker's 1897 novel, it was a box office success worldwide. Oldman's performance is regarded by many as a staple of the horror genre, and was recognised by the
Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films as the best male performance of 1992, who awarded Oldman the
Best Actor award. Oldman would later become a popular portrayer of villains: he played violent pimp Drexl Spivey in ''
True Romance'' (1993), a
sadistic prison warden in ''
Murder in the First'' (1995), a futuristic
corporate tyrant in ''
The Fifth Element'' (1997), and Dr. Zachary Smith/Spider Smith in the commercially successful but critically panned ''
Lost in Space'' (1998). In 1994's ''
Léon'', he played corrupt
DEA officer
Norman Stansfield, which has since been named by multiple publications as one of the best villains of modern cinema. Oldman also displayed a skill for world accents; along with the
Transylvanian Count Dracula, he played German-born Viennese composer
Ludwig van Beethoven in ''
Immortal Beloved'', and Russian terrorist Ivan Korshunov in the 1997 blockbuster ''
Air Force One''. He portrayed another historical figure,
Pontius Pilate, in ''
Jesus'' (1999). He also appeared as the Devil in the 1993 promo video to the
Guns N' Roses single "
Since I Don't Have You", and served as a member of Jury at the
1993 Cannes Film Festival. Oldman's visibility as one of the foremost portrayers of villains in Hollywood became apparent when MTV's ''
Celebrity Deathmatch'' aired a match between Oldman and
Christopher Walken to determine the greatest cinematic villain.
Oldman appeared opposite Jeff Bridges as zealous Republican congressman Sheldon Runyon in ''The Contender'' (2000), in which he was also credited as a producer. He received a Screen Actors Guild Award nomination for his performance. In 2001, he starred opposite Anthony Hopkins in ''Hannibal'', as Mason Verger, the only surviving victim of Hannibal Lecter. Oldman reportedly spent six hours per day in the make-up room to achieve the character's hideously disfigured appearance. It marked the second time Oldman had appeared opposite Hopkins, a personal friend who was part of the supporting cast of ''Dracula''. Oldman is uncredited in the film, reportedly over a dispute regarding top billing, which was going to co-star Anthony Hopkins and Julianne Moore. He received an Emmy Award nomination for two guest appearances in ''Friends'' in May 2001, appearing in the two-part episode "The One With Chandler and Monica's Wedding" as Richard Crosby, a pedantic actor who insists that "real" actors spit on one another when they enunciate, leading to tension, then later friendship, between Joey Tribbiani (Matt LeBlanc) and himself. Oldman had met LeBlanc on the set of ''Lost in Space'' in 1998.
Career slump and mainstream resurgence (2001–present)
Following his ''Friends'' appearance, Oldman did not appear in any significant roles until 2004. He starred in the generally well-received ''
Interstate 60'' (2002), as well as ''
Tiptoes'' (2003) and ''Sin'' (2003), both of which were received poorly by critics. Although the film failed to impress critics, Oldman did garner critical acclaim for his portrayal of a man afflicted with
dwarfism in ''Tiptoes'': ''
Variety'' described his work in the film as an "astonishingly fine" performance. Oldman starred as the Devil in the BMW short film, ''
Beat The Devil'' (2002), and contributed voice acting to several video games. ''
The Guardian'' described this time period as the "low point" of Oldman's career, consisting of "barrel-scraping roles".
In 2004, Oldman returned to prominence when he landed a significant role in the ''Harry Potter'' film series, playing Harry Potter's godfather Sirius Black. Oldman and star Daniel Radcliffe reportedly became very close during the filming of the series. The following year, Oldman starred as James Gordon in Christopher Nolan's commercially and critically acclaimed ''Batman Begins'', a role he reprised in the even more successful sequel ''The Dark Knight'' (2008) and will reprise again in the upcoming instalment ''The Dark Knight Rises'' (2012). Oldman co-starred with Jim Carrey in the 2009 version of ''A Christmas Carol'' in which Oldman played three roles. He had a starring role in David Goyer's supernatural thriller ''The Unborn'', released in 2009. In 2010, Oldman co-starred with Denzel Washington in ''The Book of Eli''. He also played a lead role in Catherine Hardwicke's ''Red Riding Hood''. Oldman voiced the role of villain Lord Shen and was nominated for an Annie Award for his performance in ''Kung Fu Panda 2''.
Oldman earned Academy- and BAFTA Award nominations for his portrayal as British spy George Smiley in ''Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy'' (2011), a re-adaptation of the John le Carré novel, directed by Tomas Alfredson, also starring Colin Firth, Mark Strong and Tom Hardy.
He has also participated in the creation of ''The Legend of Spyro'' games produced by Sierra Entertainment, providing the voice to the Fire Guardian, Ignitus. He also voices Sergeant Reznov in the award-winning video games ''Call of Duty: World at War'' and ''Call of Duty: Black Ops'', the latter of which he also voiced a British scientist by the name of Daniel Clarke.
Other ventures
Filmmaking
In 1997, Oldman directed, produced, and wrote the award-winning ''
Nil by Mouth'', a movie partially based on his own childhood. ''Nil By Mouth'' went on to win the BAFTA
Alexander Korda Award for Best British Film (shared with
Douglas Urbanski) and also the
BAFTA Award for Best Screenplay, the
Channel 4 Director's Award, and an
''Empire'' Award. In 1999, it was adjudged by the
British Academy of Film and Television Arts as one of the one hundred best British films of the 20th century. ''Nil By Mouth'' was listed by ''Time Out'' as number twenty-one of the top 100 best British films ever.
Oldman and producing partner Douglas Urbanski formed the SE8 GROUP to produce ''Nil By Mouth''. The company also produced ''The Contender'', which also starred Oldman. He was also credited as a producer. Some media outlets reported that Oldman was unhappy with the finished product and felt that DreamWorks had heavily edited the film to reflect their pro-Democratic leanings. These claims were later debunked; Oldman, who is not a U.S. citizen, was described as "so uninvolved in politics, he has never even declared a party affiliation". Oldman has finished his latest screenplay, ''Chang & Eng'', co-written with Darin Strauss, based on the author's book of the same name; SE8 Group will produce. In September 2006, Nokia Nseries Studio released the Oldman-directed short film ''Donut'', with music by Tor Hyams. The film was shot with an N93 in order to promote the phone. Juliet Landau made a 25-minute documentary about the making of the video. In 2011, he directed a music video for Alex Eden's first single, "Kiss Me Like the Woman You Loved", for Side Tracked Records.
Music
Oldman has had a keen interest in music from an early age. He is a proficient pianist and stated in a 1995 interview with Charlie Rose that he would rather be a musician than an actor. Oldman sang several tracks on the ''Sid and Nancy'' soundtrack, and sang and played live piano in the 1988 movie ''
Track 29''. He traced over
Beethoven compositions in 1994's ''
Immortal Beloved''. He also tutored ''
Harry Potter'' star
Daniel Radcliffe on bass guitar. Oldman appeared on
Reeves Gabrels' album ''The Sacred Squall of Now'', performing a vocal duet with
David Bowie on the track "You've Been Around". Recently, he produced a live performance by former White Stripes member, Jack White, in conjunction with the Vevo and Youtube.
Popularity and influence
Oldman has long established a
cult following among film fans. He is known for playing the primary antagonist in a number of popular motion pictures, which has seen him referenced in popular culture. At the peak of his popularity in the 1990s, Oldman was dubbed by
''Empire'' magazine as Hollywood's "psycho deluxe", and was spoofed on popular television shows such as
Fox comedy series ''
In Living Color'' and MTV's ''
Celebrity Deathmatch'', as well as drafted in to appear on the first ever cover of ''
Loaded'' magazine. In 1993, he had a cameo role as the
Devil in the promo video to the
Guns N' Roses single "
Since I Don't Have You"—he also played the Devil in the 2002
BMW short ''
Beat The Devil'', alongside
Clive Owen,
James Brown and
Marilyn Manson. On YouTube, Oldman is the subject of a number of tribute videos. In contrast to his often dark on-screen roles, Oldman's affable real-life demeanour has been noted, and he was named as one of ''
Empire'' magazine's "100 Sexiest Stars in Film History" in 2007. Oldman contributed in a YouTube video posted by
Jimmy Kimmel titled ''Movie: The Movie''. He portrayed shortly a
centaur at a medical clinic. Very many other famous actors were present at the trailer.
Allmovie has described Oldman as "capable of portraying almost any type of character", and as having "consistently amazed viewers with his ability to completely disappear into his roles." His performances during his career have provided inspiration for younger actors who would go on to enjoy successful Hollywood careers. Brad Pitt has described Oldman as his foremost acting "god", while Daniel Radcliffe has cited Oldman as the actor whose career he would most like to emulate. Tom Hardy has named Oldman as his "hero" and "hands down, the greatest actor that's ever lived"; Ryan Gosling has also named Oldman as his favourite actor. Other actors who have been influenced by Oldman include: Shia LaBeouf, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Johnny Depp, Chris Pine, Jason Isaacs and Michael Fassbender. ''Dracula'' and ''Hannibal'' co-star, Anthony Hopkins, has described Oldman as "multi-talented", and as possessing "a great genius and flair for creativity", while ''Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy'' co-star Colin Firth described him as "a candidate for the title of 'greatest living actor'." ''Harry Potter'' co-star Ralph Fiennes said of Oldman, "I love Gary Oldman's work. I just think he's a genius actor." In relation to Oldman's British peers, John Hurt called him "the best of the bunch."
Oldman 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". Oldman's performances have gained the admiration of prominent film critics: Roger Ebert has hailed him as a "marvelous actor", and "one of the great actors, able to play high, low, crass, noble". In 1987, he had called Oldman "the best young British actor around", and said, "like a few gifted actors, he is able to re-invent himself for every role". Ebert's co-presenter on the film review television show, ''At the Movies'', Gene Siskel, described Oldman as a "wonderful" actor; following Siskel's death in 1999, Oldman said, "it's pretty overwhelming for a kid from South London to hear the two most important film critics in the world call you one of the greatest actors in the world." Janet Maslin of ''The New York Times'' has described him as a "phenomenal" actor who "since ''Sid and Nancy'' has taken on a string of new accents and dramatic identities with stunning ease." Sid Vicious' Sex Pistols bandmate Johnny Rotten called Oldman a "bloody good actor". Oldman's portrayals of eccentric characters – many of which Oldman has himself described as "wacky or strange" — have occasionally polarised critics. He has stated, however, that he seeks to play more reserved roles at this stage in his career. In reviewing ''The Dark Knight'', where Oldman plays an honest, upright cop James Gordon, Peter Travers of ''Rolling Stone'' wrote that he "is so skilled he makes virtue look exciting". In response, Oldman said, "That's the best review I ever had... I'll put it on my tombstone." In his review of ''Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy'', Travers described Oldman as "one of the best actors on the planet." Prior to his first Academy Award nomination for that film, Oldman was widely regarded as one of the greatest actors never nominated for such an award; Leigh Singer of ''The Guardian'' called him "arguably the best actor never Oscar-nominated." When he lost out on the award, ''The Globe and Mail'' ran an article entitled, "Overlooked: possibly the greatest actor of them all".
As of 15 September 2011, motion pictures starring Oldman as leading actor or supporting co-star have grossed over $3.2 billion at the United States box office, and over $8.4 billion worldwide. In December 2011, the Palm Springs International Film Festival announced that Oldman would be receiving its International Star Award, which honours "an actor or actress who has achieved both critical and commercial international recognition throughout their body of work." The PSIFF chairman called Oldman "a performer whose ability to portray the most extreme of characters is a testament to the enormity of his talent."
Personal life
Oldman was born and brought up in London, England, and moved to the United States in the early 1990s. 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." His disenchantment with celebrity culture was reinforced when news reports of an altercation with
Robert De Niro circulated in the 1990s; Oldman claims that he had never met De Niro at the time.
Marriages and family
Oldman married his first wife
Lesley Manville in 1987 but left her in 1989 three months after their son, Alfie, was born. He met American actress
Uma Thurman on the set of ''
State of Grace'', and they were married in 1990, but it ended two years later. Oldman then settled into a relationship with actress and model
Isabella Rossellini. The couple were rumoured to be engaged as of July, 1994 but separated two years later. Oldman was married to Donya Fiorentino from 1997 to 2001 and has sons Gulliver Flynn (b. 20 August 1997) and Charlie John (b. 11 February 1999) with her.
On 31 December 2008, Oldman married English jazz singer Alexandra Edenborough in Santa Barbara, California in a private, formal ceremony. Oldman currently lives in Los Angeles with his family. Oldman's sister, Laila Morse, is also an actress, best known as Mo Harris in the BBC's long-running series ''EastEnders''; she also had a role in Oldman's directorial debut, ''Nil by Mouth''. Oldman supports South East London football team Millwall.
Alcohol and legal problems
His problems with alcohol were well known during the early 1990s. After a string of alcohol-fuelled debacles he checked himself into Marworth treatment facility in
Waverly Township, 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. In 2001, former wife Donya Fiorentino claimed that Oldman had a drug habit and
abused her, 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. Today, Oldman lives a teetotal lifestyle and attributes his success in beating his addiction to
Alcoholics Anonymous, and has since publicly praised the organisation.
Filmography
Film and television
Video games
Awards and nominations
References
External links
Interview with Gary Oldman on his directorial debut – Nil by Mouth
Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing: The Strange Career of Gary Oldman
Category:Alumni of Rose Bruford College
Category:BAFTA winners (people)
Category:Best Newcomer Empire Award winners
Category:English expatriates in the United States
Category:English film actors
Category:English film directors
Category:English screenwriters
Category:English stage actors
Category:English television actors
Category:English video game actors
Category:English voice actors
Category:Living people
Category:People from Deptford
Category:People self-identifying as alcoholics
Category:Saturn Award winners
Category:1958 births
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