Gary Oldman

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Gary Oldman
Gary Oldman at the London premiere of Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy in 2011
Born
Gary Leonard Oldman

(1958-03-21) 21 March 1958 (age 65)
New Cross, London, England
NationalityBritish
Occupation(s)Actor, filmmaker
Years active1979–present
Spouse(s)Lesley Manville
(m. 1987–1990, divorced)
Uma Thurman
(m. 1990–1992, divorced)
Donya Fiorentino
(m. 1997–2001, divorced)
Alexandra Edenborough
(m. 2008–present)
Children3
Parent(s)Leonard Oldman (deceased)
Kathleen (née Cheriton)
RelativesLaila Morse (sister)
AwardsBAFTA Awards

Gary Leonard Oldman (born 21 March 1958) is a British actor and filmmaker. He is known for his starring role in the 1992 movie Dracula and as Prime Minister Winston Churchill in the 2017 movie Darkest Hour.

His other roles include Sid Vicious in "Sid and Nancy", Sirius Black in the Harry Potter movies, George Smiley in Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, Jean-Baptiste Emmanuel Zorg in The Fifth Element, Egor Korshunov in Air Force One, Norman Stansfield in Léon: The Professional, and as James Gordon in The Dark Knight Trilogy.

In 2018, for his role as Churchill, Oldman was awarded a Golden Globe Award, a BAFTA Award, a Satellite Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award and an Academy Award.

Early life[change | change source]

Oldman was born in New Cross, London on 21 March 1958. He is the son of housewife Kathleen (née Cheriton; born 28 November 1919), and Leonard Bertram Oldman (21 May 1921 – October 1985), a former sailor who also worked as a welder.[1] Oldman has stated that his father was an alcoholic who left the family when Oldman was 7 years old.[2] Oldman attended West Greenwich School in Deptford, leaving school at the age of 16 to work in a sports shop.

Career[change | change source]

Oldman has earned renown for his classical acting style and diversity, being hailed by famous movie critics such as Roger Ebert and Peter Travers as one of cinema's great actors. Peer Colin Firth described him as "a very strong candidate for the world’s best living actor". An Academy Award nominee, Oldman has won two BAFTA Awards and a Saturn Award, as well as Emmy Award, Screen Actors Guild Award, and Palme d'Or nominations.

Influence[change | change source]

Oldman's performances during his career have provided inspiration for younger actors who would go on to enjoy successful Hollywood careers: Tom Hardy has described Oldman as his "absolute complete and utter hero",[3] and "hands down, the greatest actor that's ever lived"; Brad Pitt,[4] Daniel Radcliffe,[5] Benedict Cumberbatch and Ryan Gosling have also cited Oldman as their favourite actor.[6] Other actors such as Christian Bale,[7] Shia LaBeouf,[8] Joseph Gordon-Levitt,[9] Johnny Depp,[10] Chris Pine,[11] Jason Isaacs[12] and Michael Fassbender have praised Oldman as well.

Personal life[change | change source]

Oldman married his first wife, Lesley Manville, in 1987 but left her in 1989 three months after their son, Alfie, was born.[13] He met American actress Uma Thurman on the set of State of Grace, and they were married in 1990, but the marriage ended two years later.[14] Oldman then settled into a relationship with actress and model Isabella Rossellini. The couple were rumoured to be engaged in July 1994 but separated two years later.[15] Oldman was married to Donya Fiorentino from 1997 to 2001 and they have two sons, Gulliver Flynn (b. 20 August 1997) and Charlie John (b. 11 February 1999).[13]

On 31 December 2008, Oldman married English jazz singer Alexandra Edenborough in Santa Barbara, California in a private, formal ceremony.[16] Oldman currently lives in Los Angeles with his family.[17]

References[change | change source]

  1. "Gary Oldman Biography (1952–)". Filmreference.com. Retrieved 11 January 2010.
  2. "EuroScreenwriters – Interviews with European Film Directors – Gary Oldman". Zakka.dk. Archived from the original on 26 January 2012. Retrieved 11 January 2010.
  3. Wilding, Josh. "Tom Hardy Shares His Thoughts On Gary Oldman And His Plans After The Dark Knight Rises!". ComicBookMovie. Archived from the original on 2014-10-22. Retrieved 2013-07-25.
  4. "Brad Pitt On Oscars". MTV. 23 January 2009. Archived from the original on 25 February 2012. Retrieved 8 October 2011.
  5. "Daniel Radcliffe interview at". Indielondon.co.uk. Archived from the original on 26 January 2012. Retrieved 11 January 2010.
  6. Norman, Neil (22 April 2007). "Ryan Gosling: The children's champion". The Independent on Sunday. London. Archived from the original on 2009-11-25. Retrieved 21 May 2009.
  7. Acceptance speech for Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role. 17th Screen Actors Guild Awards. 30 January 2011. "There's so many different performances that inspire me, from different people...Gary Oldman, a friend of mine, who I think is one of the finest."
  8. Robinson, Tasha (11 April 2007). "Shia LaBeouf". The A.V. Club. Archived from the original on 22 October 2008. Retrieved 21 May 2009.
  9. "Talking Shop: Joseph Gordon-Levitt". BBC News. 22 August 2009. Retrieved 11 January 2010.
  10. Graham, Jane (3 February 2014). "Gary Oldman interview". The Big Issue. Archived from the original on 10 March 2014. Retrieved 16 July 2014.
  11. "'Star Trek's' Chris Pine boldly goes in search of challenging roles". Los Angeles Times. 20 June 2009. Retrieved 11 January 2010.
  12. IGN Interview: Jason Isaacs. "The Harry Potter villain on his new miniseries, The State Within". By Eric Goldman. 15 February 2007. "Gary Oldman is a total hero of mine. I've always thought he was one of the best screen actors I've ever seen."
  13. 13.0 13.1 "Gary Oldman". NNDB. Retrieved 11 January 2010.
  14. "Uma Thurman to wed again", The Seattle Times, 28 June 2008.
  15. "Gary Oldman – Biography (page 10)". Tiscali UK Limited. Retrieved 4 January 2012.
  16. Kay, Richard (5 January 2009). "Wills and Harry go it alone". Daily Mail. London. Retrieved 21 May 2009.
  17. Gary Oldman Relates to Jim Gordon @ JustPressPlay[permanent dead link]

Other websites[change | change source]