Gary Oldman Life Story

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Gary Oldman (born March 21, 1958) is an English actor, born Leonard Gary Oldman in New Cross, London, England.

He won a scholarship to the Rose Bruford College, where he received a BA in Drama in 1979. He later studied with the Greenwich Young People’s Theatre and went on to appear in a number of stage plays including The Pope’s Wedding, for which he received Time Out’s Fringe Award for Best Newcomer of 1985 – 1986 and the British Theatre Association’s Drama Magazine Award as Best Actor of 1985.

Oldman first appeared on screen in the film Remembrance in 1982, going on to win his first starring role in Sid and Nancy (1986), in which he played the Sex Pistols’ ill-fated bassist Sid Vicious. He has become known for playing eccentrics and for his mastery of accents. He has played a variety of famous characters including Dracula, Ludwig van Beethoven, Lee Harvey Oswald, Commissioner Gordon, Dr. Zachary Smith, Shakespeare’s Rosencrantz, Sirius Black, Pontius Pilate, and the Devil. He has played many villains, including a pimp (True Romance), a disfigured paedophile (Hannibal), a futuristic mass murderer (The Fifth Element), a corrupt cop (Léon), a sadistic prison warden (Murder in the First), a Russian terrorist (Air Force One), and a violent football hooligan (The Firm.)

In 1997, he directed, produced, and wrote Nil by Mouth, partially based on his life, which went on to win the Alexander Korda Award for Best British Film, a BAFTA Award (shared with Douglas Urbanski) and also the British Academy Award for Best Screenplay, the Channel 4 Director’s Award, and the Empire Award, and was declared by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts as one of the one hundred best films of all time. Recently Nil By Mouth was listed by Time Out as one of the top two of the top fifty best British films ever.

Oldman has been married three times: to Lesley Manville (1987 – 1990), Uma Thurman (1990 – 1992), and Donya Fiorentino (1997 – 2001). He also has three sons, Alfred (b. 1988) by Manville, and Gulliver Flynn (b. 1997) and Charlie John (b. 1999) by Fiorentino. He was granted sole legal and physical custody of his sons with Fiorentino.

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. Gary Oldman has currently finished his latest screenplay, Chang & Eng, based on the novel by Darin Strauss, which SE8 Group will produce.

Oldman’s 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. Ryan Gosling has named Oldman as his favourite actor.

Other actors who have been influenced by Oldman include: Shia LaBeouf, Christian Bale, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Johnny Depp, Chris Pine, and Jason Isaacs. 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 “one of the great actors, able to play high, low, crass, noble”, while Janet Maslin has called him a “phenomenal” actor who “since Sid and Nancy has taken on a string of new accents and dramatic identities with stunning ease.” Oldman’s portrayals of eccentric villains have occasionally polarized critics. He has recently stated, however, that he seeks to play more reserved roles at this stage in his career.

On 31 December 2008, in a private, formal ceremony, Oldman married Alexandra Edenborough in Santa Barbara, California. He has three sons: Alfie (b. 1988) from his marriage to Manville, Gulliver Flynn (b. 20 August 1997) and Charlie John (b. 11 February 1999) from his marriage to Fiorentino. His sister, Laila Morse, is also an actress, best known as Mo Harris in the BBC’s long-running series EastEnders.

As of 2010, motion pictures starring Oldman as leading actor or supporting co-star have grossed over $2.5 billion at the United States box office, and over $6 billion worldwide.