A professional is a person who is paid to undertake a specialized set of tasks and to complete them for a fee. The traditional professions were doctors, engineers, lawyers, clergymen and commissioned military officers. Today, the term is applied to architects, accountants, educators, engineers, scientists, technology experts, social workers and many more.

The term is also used in sports to differentiate amateur players from those who are paid - hence "professional footballer" and "professional golfer". Many companies include the word professional in their store name to signify the quality of their workmanship or service.

In some cultures, the term is used as shorthand to describe a particular social stratum of well educated, mostly salaried workers, who enjoy considerable work autonomy, a comfortable salary, and are commonly engaged in creative and intellectually challenging work.^[1][2][3][4]

Due to the personal and confidential nature of many professional services, and thus the necessity to place a great deal of trust in them, most professionals are subject to strict codes of conduct enshrining rigorous ethical and moral obligations.

Work[link]

Definition[link]

The main criteria for professional include the following:

1. Expert and specialized knowledge in field which one is practicing professionally.^[5]
2. Excellent manual/practical and literary skills in relation to profession.^[6]
3. High quality work in (examples): creations, products, services, presentations, consultancy, primary/other research, administrative, marketing, photography or other work endeavours.
4. A high standard of professional ethics, behaviour and work activities while carrying out one's profession (as an employee, self-employed person, career, enterprise, business, company, or partnership/associate/colleague, etc.). The professional owes a higher duty to a client, often a privilege of confidentiality, as well as a duty not to abandon the client just because he or she may not be able to pay or remunerate the professional. Often the professional is required to put the interest of the client ahead of his own interests.
5. Reasonable work morale and motivation. Having interest and desire to do a job well as holding positive attitude towards the profession are important elements in attaining a high level of professionalism.
6. Participating for gain or livelihood in an activity or field of endeavour often engaged in by amateurs b : having a particular profession as a permanent career c : engaged in by persons receiving financial return^[5]
7. Appropriate treatment of relationships with colleagues. Consideration should be shown to elderly, junior or inexperienced colleagues, as well as those with special needs. An example must be set to perpetuate the attitude of one's business without doing it harm.
8. A professional is an expert who is master in a specific field.

Trades[link]

In narrow usage, not all expertise is considered a profession. Although sometimes referred to as professions, occupations such as skilled construction and maintenance work are more generally thought of as trades or crafts. The completion of an apprenticeship is generally associated with skilled labor or trades such as carpenter, electrician, mason, painter, plumber and other similar occupations. A related distinction would be that a professional does mainly mental or administrative work, as opposed to engaging in physical work.

Sports[link]

In sports, a professional is someone who receives monetary compensation for participating. The opposite is an amateur, meaning a person who does not receive monetary compensation. The term "professional" is commonly used incorrectly when referring to sports, as the distinction simply refers to how the athlete is funded, and not necessarily competitions or achievements.

Sometimes the professional status of an activity is controversial; for example, there is debate as to whether professionals should be allowed to compete in the Olympic Games. The motivation for money (either in rewards, salaries or advertising revenue) is sometimes seen as a corrupting influence, tainting a sport.

It has been suggested that the crude, all or nothing categories, of professional or amateur should be reconsidered. A historical shift is occurring with the rise of Pro-Ams, a new category of people that are pursuing amateur activities to professional standards.

Criticisms[link]

Dr. Jeff Schmidt has written that the process of professional training, while it appears to be ideologically neutral, is in fact biased towards those with superior class background and formal education, and more conservative political opinions, who are unlikely to challenge the orthodoxy of the profession. His 2000 book, Disciplined Minds^[7] is subtitled A Critical Look at Salaried Professionals and the Soul-Battering System that Shapes their Lives. Schmidt begins his attack on professionalism by observing that qualified professionals are less creative and diverse in their opinions and habits than non-professionals, which he attributes to the subtle indoctrination and filtering which accompanies the process of professional training. His evidence is both qualitative and quantitative, including professional examinations, industry statistics and personal accounts of trainees and professionals.

See also[link]

• Profession
• Centre for the Study of Professions

References[link]

Gerard Way
Gerard Way in 2012.
Background information
Birth name	Gerard Arthur Way
Born	(1977-04-09) April 9, 1977 (age 35) Summit, New Jersey, United States
Origin	Belleville, New Jersey
Genres	Alternative rock, post-hardcore
Occupations	Musician, comic book writer
Instruments	Vocals
Years active	2001–present
Labels	Reprise, Warner Bros., Eyeball
Associated acts	My Chemical Romance

Gerard Arthur Way (born April 9, 1977) is an American musician and comic book writer who has served as lead vocalist and co-founder of the band My Chemical Romance since its formation in 2001. He is also the writer of the Eisner Award-winning comic book The Umbrella Academy.

Early life[link]

Gerard Way was born April 9, 1977 in Summit, New Jersey^[1] to Donna Lee (née Rush) and Donald Way. He has Italian ancestry on his mother's side and Scottish ancestry on his father's. He was raised in Belleville, New Jersey and first began singing publicly in the fourth grade, when he played the role of Peter Pan in a school musical production. His maternal grandmother, Elena Lee Rush, was a great creative influence who taught him to sing, paint, and perform from a young age; he has said that "she has taught me everything I know".^[2] Also, while in elementary school, the glam metal band Bon Jovi was instrumental in forming his love of music.^[3]

At the age of 15, Way was held at gunpoint, as he said in an April 2008 Rolling Stone interview: "I got held up with a .357 Magnum, had a gun pointed to my head and put on the floor, execution-style." He went on to say that "no matter how ugly the world gets or how stupid it shows me it is, I always have faith."^[4] At age 16, Way appeared on an episode of Sally Jesse Raphael which discussed the controversy surrounding the publicizing of serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer's crimes in comic books[1].

Way attended Belleville High School until he graduated in 1995. Deciding to pursue a career in the comic-book industry,^[5] he attended the School of Visual Arts in New York City, graduating with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in 1999.^[2][6]

Career[link]

Music[link]

As teenagers Gerard and his brother Mikey Way, who later became the bassist of My Chemical Romance, were influenced by the bands Iron Maiden and The Misfits as well as British artists such as Pulp, Blur and Morrissey and The Smiths. Way originally wanted to be a guitarist. His grandmother bought him his first guitar at the age of eight and he played in short-lived bands such as Ray Gun Jones and Nancy Drew with future bandmate Ray Toro, but when he was not successful (one band kicking him out due to his lack of skill with the guitar), he chose to concentrate on his art career.^[7]

Way was working as an intern for Cartoon Network in New York City during the September 11, 2001 attacks. Seeing the effects of the attacks first-hand prompted Way to change his views on life in the following weeks. He told Spin magazine, "I literally said to myself, 'Fuck art. I’ve gotta get out of the basement. I’ve gotta see the world. I’ve gotta make a difference.'"^[8] To help deal with the emotional effects the attacks had on him, Way wrote the lyrics to the song "Skylines and Turnstiles", which has since been identified as the first song by My Chemical Romance.^[9] Soon after, My Chemical Romance began to assemble as a band.

Way has contributed vocally to bands such as Every Time I Die's 'Kill The Music', Head Automatica's 'Graduation Day', Say Anything's "In Defense Of The Genre", and The Oval Portrait's "From My Cold Dead Hands" and "Barnabus Collins Has More Skeletons In His Closet Than Vincent Price".

In many interviews Way has stated that music turned out to be an effective outlet to deal with his longtime battles against depression, alcoholism and prescription drug use. The use of music as a way to resolve personal battles has caused Way to create deeply personal songs such as "Helena,"^[10] which was written in memory of his late grandmother.

In 2008, Way and musical project Julien-K remixed a version of the song Sleep When I'm Dead by The Cure for their EP 'Hypnagogic States'. All profits gained from the sales of the EP go to funding the International Red Cross.

In early 2009, Way and Japanese singer Kyosuke Himuro co-produced the new theme song for Advent Children Complete, the Blu-Ray director's cut of the movie sequel to the popular video game franchise, Compilation of Final Fantasy VII. He is also credited with writing the lyrics, and singing alongside Himuro. The song is entitled "Safe and Sound" and was released on iTunes on April 29, 2009.^[11] "Safe and Sound" is only heard on the Japanese release of the film; the English release uses Himuro's "Calling" (the original ending theme for Advent Children) in place of it. He also is contributing vocals for the vocal mix of the deadmau5 song "Professional Griefers".

Writing[link]

Gerard Way's first attempt at writing a comic was at the age of 16, writing a short-lived comic series called 'On Raven's Wings', which was cancelled after Issue 2 due to losing the art team; he was credited as Garry Way.^[12]

In 2007, Way began writing the comic-book miniseries The Umbrella Academy. Way wrote the story and illustrated the original version, but cartoonist Gabriel Ba recreated all of Way's original drawings in the final version. A few of Way's first drawings of the characters can be seen in the last few pages of the first book in the series, "The Apocalypse Suite".

The Apocalypse Suite was first released by Dark Horse Comics in their Free Comic Book Day issue on May 5, 2007.^[13] Since then, an eight-page story has been published on MySpace, entitled "Safe & Sound".^[14] The first official issue was released on September 19, 2007.^[15] The first issue to sell out and consequently there was a second printing released on October 17, 2007.^[16] The next installment was released on November 26, 2008.^[17]

He and fellow artists Shaun Simon and Becky Cloonan are currently in the process of developing and creating a new comic-book series titled "The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys", which Way announced at Comic Con 2009. In 2011 My Chemical Romance confirmed the comic's connection with their music, and they also stated that Mikey and Gerard are working on another comic book project which they have kept under wraps as of mid-2011.

Cartoons[link]

In 2001 Way co-created a cartoon with Joe Boyle called The Breakfast Monkey. They pitched it to Cartoon Network, but the network declined to pick up the concept on the grounds that it was too similar to the existing property Aqua Teen Hunger Force.^[18]

Personal life[link]

Way has struggled with alcoholism and prescription drug addiction for many years and has now been sober since August 2004.^[19] In a recent issue of Spin magazine, he said that, having become a happier person and feeling more in control, he has been able to enjoy the occasional recreational drink.

On September 3, 2007 after a concert in Colorado, Way married LynZ of Mindless Self Indulgence backstage on the final date of the Projekt Revolution tour. A member of Live Nation's touring staff that was also an ordained minister performed the low-key ceremony.^[20] He currently lives with his wife in Los Angeles, California.^[21] Their daughter, Bandit Lee Way, was born in California on May 27, 2009.^[22]

Discography[link]

My Chemical Romance[link]

References[link]

Notes[link]

1. ^ "Teen Titans" — Rolling Stone (2005-07-14)

Alternative music portal

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Gerard Way

• My Chemical Romance Official Website
• Gerard Way at the Internet Movie Database
• Gerard Way on Twitter

Gary Oldman
Oldman at the London premiere of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, September 2011.
Born	Leonard Gary Oldman[1] (1958-03-21) 21 March 1958 (age 54) New Cross, London, England, UK
Occupation	Actor, filmmaker, musician
Years active	1979–present
Spouse	Lesley Manville (1987–1989) Uma Thurman (1990–1992) Donya Fiorentino (1997–2001) Alexandra Edenborough (2008–present)
Parents	Leonard Bertram Oldman Kathleen Cheriton
Family	Laila Morse (sister)

Gary Leonard Oldman (born 21 March 1958) is an English screen and stage actor, filmmaker and musician, who is the highest-grossing actor in the history of film.^[2] A successful theatre actor and former member of the Royal Shakespeare Company, Oldman gained mainstream recognition from the early 1980s to early 1990s for his portrayals of morally ambiguous characters in films including Meantime, Sid and Nancy, Prick Up Your Ears, The Firm, State of Grace, JFK and Dracula. He became a popular portrayer of villains by the mid 1990s,^[3] playing the antagonist of True Romance, Léon, The Fifth Element, Air Force One and The Contender. Since the millenium Oldman has starred in such films as the Harry Potter series, Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy, Kung Fu Panda 2 and Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. Aside from film acting, he has starred in television shows like Knots Landing and Friends, voiced various characters in the Call of Duty video game series, and wrote and directed Nil By Mouth, a film partially based on his own childhood.^[4]

Oldman has garnered widespread critical and peer respect;^[5] Tom Hardy once remarked, "Gary Oldman is, hands down, the greatest actor that's ever lived."^[6] 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 cinema's greatest villains.^[7] In 2011, Oldman was voted an "Icon of Film" by Empire readers.^[8]

Early life[link]

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.^[9][10] He has said that his father was an alcoholic who left his family when Oldman was seven.^[11] Oldman attended the South East London Boys' School on Creek Road in Deptford, leaving school at 16 to work in a sports shop.^[12] He was an accomplished singer and pianist as a child, but gave up his musical aspirations to pursue an acting career.^[13] His inspiration was Malcolm McDowell's performance in 1970 film The Raging Moon.^[14][15] 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'."^[16]

Acting career[link]

Theatre, early films and foray into American cinema (1979–1990)[link]

Oldman studied with the Young People's Theatre in Greenwich during the mid 1970s,^[17][18] while working jobs on assembly lines, as a porter in an operating theatre, selling shoes and beheading pigs in an abbatoir.^[17] 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.^[18][19] 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^[16][19] (when asked by Charlie Rose if he had reminded RADA of this, Oldman joked, "the work speaks for itself"^[16]). 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;^[19] Oldman's work ethic and trademark intensity would make him a favourite with audiences in Glasgow during the 1980s.^[18] 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.^[19] 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).^[19]

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.^[19] 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.^[3][18][20] 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.^[19] Oldman was a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company from 1985–1986.^[21] 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).^[20]

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".^[22] 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".^[23] Oldman reportedly lost considerable weight for the role and was briefly hospitalised.^[24] His performance would go on to be ranked No. 62 in Premiere magazine's "100 Greatest Performances of All Time"^[25] 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."^[26] 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".^[27] In late 1988, he starred opposite long-time hero^[16] 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.^[28] Oldman moved to the United States in the early 1990s, where he has since lived.^[29] 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.^[6][30]

Villain roles and mainstream success (1991–2001)[link]

Oldman in 2000

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,^[31] 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.^[32] Oldman would later become a popular portrayer of villains:^[3] 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.^[7] 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",^[33] 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.^[34]

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.^[35] 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)[link]

Oldman at the 2009 San Diego Comic-Con International

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.^[36] 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".^[37]

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.^[38] 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.^[39][40][41] He had a starring role in David Goyer's supernatural thriller The Unborn, released in 2009.^[42][43] In 2010, Oldman co-starred with Denzel Washington in The Book of Eli.^[44] He also played a lead role in Catherine Hardwicke's Red Riding Hood.^[45] 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-, BAFTA Award nominations as well as numerous nominations from critics 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.^[46]

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 Call of Duty video game series.

Future Projects[link]

Oldman will star in John Hilcoat's Lawless as Floyd Banner, a big-hitting mobster. Lawless will be released in Aug 29.

Relativity Media has acquired US rights to IM Global's thriller Paranoia which stars Oldman in a supporting role along with Harrison Ford and Liam Hemsworth. Production begins in the summer of 2012. Oldman will also star in the revenge thriller Motor City along with Gerard Butler.

It was announced on March 23, 2012 that Oldman would appear upcoming remake of RoboCop as Norton, the scientist who created RoboCop. The film is set for released in August 2013.^[47]

Other ventures[link]

Filmmaking[link]

In 1997, Oldman directed, produced, and wrote the award-winning Nil by Mouth, a movie partially based on his own childhood.^[4] 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.^[48] 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".^[49] 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^[50] 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[link]

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.^[16] 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.^[51] 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".^[52] Recently, he produced a live performance by former White Stripes member, Jack White, in conjunction with the Vevo and Youtube.

Popularity and influence[link]

Oldman signing autographs at the Harry Potter premiere, 2007

Oldman has long established a cult following among film fans.^[29][53] He is known for playing the primary antagonist in a number of popular motion pictures,^[3][54] 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",^[55] and was spoofed on popular television shows such as Fox comedy series In Living Color^[56] and MTV's Celebrity Deathmatch,^[34] as well as drafted in to appear on the first ever cover of Loaded magazine.^[57] 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"^[33]—he also played the Devil in the 2002 BMW short Beat The Devil, alongside Clive Owen, James Brown and Marilyn Manson.^[58] 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,^[29] and he was named as one of Empire magazine's "100 Sexiest Stars in Film History" in 2007.^[59] 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.^[60]

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."^[3] 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",^[61] while Daniel Radcliffe has cited Oldman as the actor whose career he would most like to emulate.^[62] Tom Hardy has named Oldman as his "hero"^[63] and "hands down, the greatest actor that's ever lived";^[6] Ryan Gosling has also named Oldman as his favourite actor.^[64] Other actors who have been influenced by Oldman include: Shia LaBeouf,^[65] Joseph Gordon-Levitt,^[66] Johnny Depp,^[67] Chris Pine,^[68] Jason Isaacs^[69] and Michael Fassbender.^[6] Dracula and Hannibal co-star, Anthony Hopkins, has described Oldman as "multi-talented", and as possessing "a great genius and flair for creativity",^[70] while Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy co-star Colin Firth once said of Oldman, "He is as far as I'm concerned a very strong candidate for the world's best living actor."^[71] Harry Potter co-star Ralph Fiennes said of Oldman, "I love Gary Oldman's work. I just think he's a genius actor."^[72] In relation to Oldman's British peers, John Hurt called him "the best of the bunch."^[37]

Oldman has garnered critical acclaim for his diverse performances and portrayals of real-life historical figures^[73][74] and is noted for his avoidance of the Hollywood celebrity scene,^[73][75] often being referred to as an "actor's actor".^[9] Oldman's performances have gained the admiration of prominent film critics: Roger Ebert has hailed him as a "marvelous actor",^[76] and "one of the great actors, able to play high, low, crass, noble".^[77] 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".^[22] Ebert's co-presenter on the film review television show, At the Movies, Gene Siskel, described Oldman as "wonderful"^[78] and one of "[his] favorite actors";^[79] 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."^[80] 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."^[27] Sid Vicious' Sex Pistols bandmate Johnny Rotten called Oldman a "bloody good actor".^[12] Oldman's portrayals of eccentric characters – many of which Oldman has himself described as "wacky or strange"^[81] — have occasionally polarised critics.^[82] He has stated, however, that he seeks to play more reserved roles at this stage in his career.^[29][81][83] 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."^[84] In his review of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, Travers described Oldman as "one of the best actors on the planet."^[85] 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."^{[86][87][88][89]} When he lost out on the award, The Globe and Mail ran an article entitled, "Overlooked: possibly the greatest actor of them all".^[90]

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.^[91] 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."^[92]

Personal life[link]

Oldman was born and brought up in London, England, and moved to the United States in the early 1990s.^[29] 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."^[29] His disenchantment with celebrity culture was reinforced when news reports of a physical altercation with Robert De Niro circulated in the 1990s; Oldman claims that he had never met De Niro at the time.^[93]

Marriages and family[link]

Oldman married his first wife Lesley Manville in 1987 but left her in 1989 three months after their son, Alfie, was born.^[94] 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.^[95] 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.^[96] 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.^[94]

On 31 December 2008, Oldman married English jazz singer Alexandra Edenborough in Santa Barbara, California in a private, formal ceremony.^[97] Oldman currently lives in Los Angeles with his family.^[98] 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.^[99]

Alcohol and legal problems[link]

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.^[100] In subsequent interviews Oldman acknowledged his problems with alcohol, and called himself a recovering alcoholic on a 2001 interview with Charlie Rose.^[101] In 2001, former wife Donya Fiorentino claimed that Oldman had a drug habit and abused her,^[102] 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.^[103]

Filmography[link]

Film and television[link]

Video games[link]

Awards and nominations[link]

References[link]