Background

Ethnicity: Gary Oldman is of English, with a smaller amount of Irish, descent.

Oldman was born on March 21, 1958, in New Cross, London, the son of Leonard Bertram Oldman, a former sailor who also worked as a welder, and Kathleen (née Cheriton). He has stated that Leonard was an alcoholic who left the family when Oldman was seven years old.

Education

Oldman attended West Greenwich School in Deptford, leaving school at the age of 16 to work in a sports shop. He was a pianist as a child, and later a singer, but gave up his musical aspirations to pursue an acting career after seeing Malcolm McDowell's performance in the 1971 film The Raging Moon.

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 abattoir. He unsuccessfully applied to the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA), which 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 that "the work speaks for itself".

He won a scholarship to attend the Rose Bruford College in Sidcup, Southeast London, from which he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Acting in 1979. Oldman describes himself as 'shy but diligent worker' during his time there, where he performed roles such as Puck in Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream.

Career

After starring in repertory productions in York and Colchester, Oldman was accepted as a member of the Glasgow Citizens Theatre, appearing in such productions as Massacre at Paris (1980) and Chinchilla (1980). Oldman returned to London, where he continued to pursue theatre work. Meanwhile, he made his film debut in Remembrance (1982). He then embarked upon a series of performances at the Royal Court Theatre and Royal Shakespeare Theatre; his 1985 performance as Scopey in Edward Bond’s The Pope’s Wedding at the former venue won particular acclaim.

In 1986 Oldman turned in a star-making performance as drug-ravaged Sex Pistols bassist Sid Vicious in the film Sid and Nancy. He later played doomed playwright Joe Orton in Prick Up Your Ears (1987) and Rosencrantz in the film adaptation of Tom Stoppard’s Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead (1990). His work in several American films led to roles as assassin Lee Harvey Oswald in JFK (1991) and as the title character in Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992). Oldman’s cameo as a patois-spouting, dreadlocked drug dealer in the Tony Scott bloodbath True Romance (1993) helped solidify his American following. In 1994's Léon: The Professional, he played corrupt DEA officer Norman Stansfield, which has since been named by multiple publications as one of the best villains in cinema. He won further praise for his restrained portrayal of Ludwig van Beethoven in Immortal Beloved (1994).

Oldman’s capacity for physical transformation and multifarious means of conveying menace led to a string of villainous roles. He prowled the screen as a slickly coiffed agent of evil in the Luc Besson-directed sci-fi extravaganza The Fifth Element (1997) and schemed against a liberal vice presidential nominee as a corrupt senator in The Contender (2000). In the Ridley Scott-helmed Silence of the Lambs sequel Hannibal (2001), he disappeared under layers of prostheses to play Hannibal Lecter’s former patient and nemesis, whom the cannibal induced into cutting off his own face after drugging him.

Though proficient at evoking the morally bankrupt, Oldman proved equally adept at summoning pathos. He assumed the mantle of the avuncular Sirius Black in several installments of the Harry Potter films, beginning with Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004), and played a police lieutenant allied to the titular caped crusader in director Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy (2005, 2008, 2012). His turn as the unassuming yet dangerous spy George Smiley in Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (2011) earned Oldman his first Academy Award nomination, for best actor. In 2012 he appeared as a gangster in Lawless, a Prohibition-era drama about bootlegging.

Oldman’s later credits included the thrillers Paranoia (2013) and Criminal (2016) as well as the action remakes RoboCop (2014) and Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014). In 2017 he appeared in the action-comedy The Hitman’s Bodyguard and then starred under heavy prosthetics as Winston Churchill in the drama Darkest Hour, set during the early years of World War II when the prime minister must rally Britain to carry on against encroaching German troops rather than pursue a peace treaty. For his performance in the latter film, Oldman won his first Academy Award.

In 2018, in his first post-Oscar role, Oldman voiced an evil artificial intelligence in Netflix's independent film Tau. He stars in Hunter Killer with Gerard Butler, and is slated to direct a biopic about Eadweard Muybridge entitled Flying Horse. Oldman is also starring in horror-thriller Mary directed by Michael Goi, as well as in an adaptation of John Le Carre's Smiley's People. He is set to star alongside Dylan O'Brien as a hitman in The Bayou, appear in Steven Soderbergh's The Laundromat opposite Meryl Streep, and star in Joe Wright's The Woman in the Window alongside Amy Adams. Oldman is also set to star in Peter Briggs's Panzer 88 alongside Jay Baruchel and Thomas Kretschmann.

Achievements

• 

  Gary Oldman is one of the most successful English screen and stage actors, filmmakers and musicians in the world today. Not only has he carved a niche for himself in Hollywood as one of the 'most versatile' actors, but he has also built a cult following because of his dapper good looks and his talent. Throughout his film career, he has worked together with a number of top Hollywood filmmakers such as Christopher Nolan, Francis Ford Coppola, Ridley Scott and Quentin Tarantino, to name a few. He is best known for his roles in films like Bram Stoker’s 'Dracula', 'Air Force One', 'State of Grace', 'Meantime', 'Lawless', the 'Harry Potter' series and the 'Batman' trilogy. He has been lauded for his conventional acting style and multiplicity, and has been hailed by prominent film critics as one of 'Hollywood’s greatest actors'.
  
  Known for his versatility and expressive acting style, Oldman is regarded as one of the greatest screen actors of his generation. Among the accolades, he has won an Academy Award, three BAFTA Awards, two Critics' Choice Awards, a Golden Globe Award, and a Screen Actors Guild Award, along with nominations for an Emmy Award and the Palme d'Or. In 2011, Empire readers voted him the recipient of the Empire Icon Award.
  
  In 2018, Oldman received the Variety Award at the British Independent Film Awards, which recognizes a director, actor, writer or producer who has made a global impact and helped to focus the international spotlight on the U.K. In the same year, the Santa Barbara International Film Festival awarded Oldman the Maltin Modern Master Award, the highest accolade awarded by SPIFF that honors an individual who has enriched our culture through accomplishments in the motion picture industry. Oldman was also awarded his first Career Achievement Award by the Hollywood Film Awards. The Make-up Artists and Hair Stylists Guild Awards as well honored him with the Distinguished Artisan Award, which IATSE president Susan Cabral-Ebert proclaimed him as an "a chameleon, an actor who changes his appearance, his voice, everything about himself from film to film."

Works

More photos

• movie

  • Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead

    (In this cleverly inspired twist on William Shakespeare's ...)

    1990
  • Guns, Girls And Gambling

    (Academy Award-nominee Gary Oldman, Christian Slater, and ...)

    2011
  • Quest for Camelot

    (A strong-willed girl sets out on a dangerous quest to ret...)

    1998
  • Track 29

    (A doctor's wife tires of his obsession with model trains,...)

    1988
  • Air Force One

    (Harrison Ford and Gary Oldman star in Wolfgang Petersen's...)

    1997
  • Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

    (Lord Voldemort has returned, but the Ministry of Magic is...)

    2007
  • Tiptoes

    (When his girlfriend becomes pregnant, the father-to-be is...)

    2003
  • Nobody's Baby

    (Buford (Academy Award winner Gary Oldman) and Billy (Skee...)

    2001
  • The Backwoods

    (Summer 1978: two couples decide to spend the summer in a ...)

    2006
  • Immortal Beloved

    (Gary Oldman stars in this tale of a man of genius, a woma...)

    1994
  • The Contender

    (Sexy secrets from a womans past come to light as she runs...)

    2000
  • Criminal Law

    (Attorney Oldman successfully defends accused killer Kevin...)

    1989
  • Prick Up Your Ears

    (The dazzling life and violent death of playwright Joe Orton.)

    1987
  • We Think the World of You

    (An aimless young man, Johnny, is sent prison. He entrusts...)

    1988
  • Sid & Nancy 1986
  • Chattahoochee 1989
  • State of Grace 1990
  • Henry & June 1990
  • JFK 1991
  • Bram Stoker's Dracula 1992
  • True Romance 1993
  • Romeo is Bleeding 1993
  • The Professional 1994
  • Murder in the First 1995
  • The Scarlet Letter 1995
  • Basquiat 1996
  • The Fifth Element 1997
  • Nil By Mouth 1997
  • Lost in Space 1998
  • Hannibal 2001
  • Interstate 60 2002
  • Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban 2004
  • Batman Begins 2005
  • Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire 2005
  • Dead Fish 2005
  • The Dark Knight 2008
  • The Unborn 2009
  • Rain Fall 2009
  • A Christmas Carol in Color! 2009
  • Planet 51 2009
  • The Book of Eli 2010
  • Red Riding Hood 2011
  • Kung Fu Panda 2 2011
  • Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2 2011
  • Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy 2011
  • The Dark Knight Rises 2012
  • Lawless 2012
  • Paranoia 2013
  • Robocop 2014
  • The Dawn of the Planet of the Apes 2014
  • Child 44 2015
  • Man Down 2016
  • Criminal 2016
  • The Space Between Us 2016
  • The Hitman's Bodyguard 2017
  • Darkest Hour 2017

Religion

Talking about his religious views and his views of Jesus, Oldman said: "I wouldn’t call myself religious, but I would say that I was spiritual… I’m sure there was an energy and power that came off (of Jesus). I’m not sure if he could change water into wine or that he could walk on water… but I do believe that a great man, a powerful man, was called Jesus and he walked the Earth."

Politics

Oldman is a libertarian. He has criticized political correctness and accused Hollywood of a liberal bias, claiming that "conservatives in Hollywood don't have a podium". He is also a big admirer of right-wing British politician Winston Churchill, whom he portrayed sympathetically in the film Darkest Hour (2017) and he described as "arguably the greatest Briton who ever lived".

Views

Oldman lives a teetotal lifestyle.

Quotations: "Speaking very generally, I find that women are spiritually, emotionally, and often physically stronger than men."

"My passion and energy get mistaken for anger."

"How many movies do you see when you can say this director really knew what film he wanted to make? I can count them on the fingers of one hand."

"'Nil By Mouth' was a bit autobiographical, but as I always pointed out at the time, that’s not my dad."

"Interesting things come your way but as you get older, your lifestyle changes. I don't want to travel; I don't want to be in a hotel room away from my family."

Personality

Gary Oldman has the ability to change his appearance and to mimic different voices and accents with perfection to make every character unique. He has used a different speaking voice (i.e. accent) in practically every movie he has ever been in.

Despite numerous lead and supporting roles in major Hollywood films, he is intensely private about his personal life and is known for his stance on celebrity and the ideals of Hollywood, stating: "Being famous, that's a whole other career. And I haven't got any energy for it."

Oldman's problems with alcohol were well-known during the early 1990s: he checked himself into rehab for alcoholism treatment in 1995. In subsequent interviews Oldman acknowledged his problems with alcohol, and called himself a recovering alcoholic in a 2001 interview with Charlie Rose. Oldman lives a teetotal lifestyle and attributes his success in beating his addiction to attending meetings with Alcoholics Anonymous, whom he has publicly praised.

Physical Characteristics: Height - 5 ft 8½ in (174 cm)

Weight - 159 lbs (72 kg)

Hair Color - Light brown

Eye Color - Deep blue eyes

Oldman received the scar below his right eye during a rehearsal for Meantime (1983), where Tim Roth threw a bottle that hit a light and fell on Oldman.

Interests

• favorite films - Apocalypse Now (1979), The Conversation (1974), The Godfather: Part II (1974), Badlands (1973) and Ratcatcher (1999)
  
  favorite filmmaker - Francis Ford Coppola

• Politicians

  Winston Churchill

• Writers

  Bertolt Brecht, Roger McGough, Montgomery Clift, William Shakespeare, Jane Austen

• Sport & Clubs

  football

• Athletes

  Millwall football club, Manchester United football club

• Music & Bands

  Oldman's favorite musical instrument is piano.
  
  Favorite musicians – James Brown, David Bowie and Chopin.

Connections

Oldman has been married five times. He wed English actress Lesley Manville in 1987, and their son, Alfie, was born the following year. The couple split in 1989. Oldman met American actress Uma Thurman on the set of State of Grace; they were married in 1990, but divorced two years later.

From 1997 to 2001, Oldman was married to Donya Fiorentino, with whom he had two sons: Gulliver (born 1997) and Charlie (born 1999). During their divorce, Fiorentino claimed that Oldman physically assaulted her in front of the pair's children―Oldman denied the accusation. Police investigated but filed no charges, and Oldman was awarded sole legal and physical child custody. Gulliver later asserted that the alleged incident was a fabrication on the part of his mother.

On 31 December 2008, Oldman married English singer and actress Alexandra Edenborough in Santa Barbara, California. Edenborough filed for divorce on 9 January 2015. In September 2017, Oldman married writer and art curator Gisele Schmidt in a low-key ceremony at the home of Oldman's manager, Douglas Urbanski.

Father:

Leonard Bertram Oldman

(May 21, 1921 - October 1985)

Leonard was at some point a sailor then he also worked as a welder. His son Gary described him as an alcoholic who left the family when his only son was only seven. Papa Oldman loved a local football club called Millwall and Gary also grew to be a supporter of this club. Leonard even represented this sporting group after the Second World War.

Mother:

Kathleen Oldman

(née Cheriton; 1919–2018)

Spouse:

Gisele Schmidt

Sister:

Laila Morse

(born 1 August 1945)

Maureen (known professionally as Laila Morse) is an actress. Her best known roles include Janet in drama film Nil by Mouth (1997) and Mo Harris in BBC One soap opera EastEnders (2000–2016, 2018–present).

Sister:

Jackie Oldman

(born 1947)

Jackie is the other sibling to the famous Gary Oldman. She lives entirely away from the spotlight so there is literally nothing known about her.

ex-spouse:

Lesley Manville

(born 12 March 1956)

Lesley Ann Manville is an English actress, known for her frequent collaborations with director Mike Leigh, winning the London Film Critics Circle Award for British Actress of the Year for Leigh's All or Nothing (2002) and Another Year (2010), and the National Board of Review Award for Best Actress for the latter film. She was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for Phantom Thread (2017). Other film roles include Maleficent (2014).

ex-spouse:

Uma Thurman

(born April 29, 1970)

Uma Thurman is an American actress and model. She has performed in a variety of films, ranging from romantic comedies and dramas to science fiction and action movies.

ex-spouse:

Donya Fiorentino

(born November 10, 1967)

Before Donya, there was Italian actress Isabella Rossellini with whom Oldman was rumoured to be engaged in July 1994 but they never made it down the aisle. The mesmerising actor met with Donya at an Alcoholic Anonymous meeting and they fell in love almost instantly. They got married in 1997 and had two kids together until they could no longer be together and filed for a divorce citing irreconcilable differences as their reason.

Fiorentino had accused her British husband of physical assaults and substance addiction but none of these allegations were publicly addressed. Their divorce was followed by a lengthy state investigation and trial which ended with Oldman being granted full legal and physical custody of their two sons. Fiorentino was only allowed occasional state-monitored visits. She now has a child, Phelix Imogen (born April 25, 1994) with David Fincher.

ex-spouse:

Alexandra Edenborough

(born Mach 22, 1978)

Alexandra is a singer and actress and she is the fourth wife to the skilled actor. Like all his previous marriages, it was no surprise when after just a few years, things turned sour with them. The Dark 'Knight (2008)' actor was not proud that he had been married severally but he had high hopes that his fourth marriage would be his last until his singer wife Alexandra filed for a divorce.

They had shared a great love during the good times together but this as apparently not enough. The Harry Potter star claims that the twenty-year gap between him and his fourth wife might have been responsible for the downward turn of their union. Oldman after their split was required to pay a huge sum of $3.3 million as their divorce settlement.

Son:

Alfie Oldman

(born 1988, London, United Kingdom)

Son:

Gulliver Flynn Oldman

(born August 20, 1997)

Son:

Charlie John Oldman

(born February 11, 1999)

Charlie John Oldman is the youngest son to the legendary Hollywood male and is being raised just like his brothers by their father. He rose to fame for his catwalk at the Saint Laurent show during the 2016 Paris Men’s Fashion Week.

Partner:

Isabella Rossellini

(born 18 June 1952)

Isabella Rossellini is an Italian actress, filmmaker, author, philanthropist, and model.

Friend:

David Bowie

(8 January 1947 – 10 January 2016)

David Bowie was an English singer, songwriter and actor who is often considered to be one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century.

Performed a vocal duet with David Bowie for the song "You've Been Around" on the album "The Sacred Squall of Now" (1995) by longtime Bowie guitarist Reeves Gabrels. He is also featured on the song "Stamford Hill" on the same album.

colleague:

Natalie Portman

(June 9, 1981)

Natalie Portman is an actress, film producer and director with dual Israeli and American citizenship.

colleague:

Anthony Hopkins

(born 31 December 1937)

Anthony Hopkins is a Welsh actor, director, producer, widely considered to be one of the world's greatest living actors.

colleague:

Matt LeBlanc

(born July 25, 1967)

Matt LeBlanc is an American actor, comedian and television host.

References

• Interview magazine
  2017
• Esquire
  2018