Background

Sean Bean was born Shaun Mark Bean on April 17, 1959, in Handsworth, a suburb of Sheffield, United Kingdom. His father Brian Bean owned a fabrication shop, providing livelihood to over 50 people, and his mother Rita worked as a secretary there. Sean also has a younger sister named Lorraine.

Education

Sean left Brook Comprehensive School with O levels in Art and English in 1975. He then went to Rotherham College of Arts and Technology, where he took a welding course while working on his father's firm.

Eventually, he shifted to drama classes at Rotherham College and won a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art where he started a seven-term course in 1981.

Career

Sean Bean made his professional debut in theatre by playing Tybalt in Romeo & Juliet (1983), produced by The Royal Shakespeare Company. He made many stage appearances for the company between 1986 and 1988. During this time, he also appeared in his first film, Derek Jarman's Caravaggio in 1986.

He featured in the BBC productions, Clarissa and Lady Chatterley in 1991 and 1993 respectively. Meanwhile, he was signed for the role of Richard Sharpe, the maverick rifleman from the Napoleonic Wars, in the ITV television series Sharpe. He became very famous for his portrayal of Richard Sharpe, a character whose credibility was enhanced due to Beans Yorkshire accent.

Sean Bean's portrayal of antagonists in films like Patriot Games (1992), Golden Eye (1995), and National Treasure (2004) has earned him a lot of popularity. These roles, however, also led to him being stereotyped as someone who could play negative roles with ease.

His role of Boromir in The Lord of the Rings film trilogy took his already flourishing career to newer heights. Some of the other popular films and television shows Sean Bean has appeared in include Essex Boys (2000), The Island (2005), Equilibrium (2002), Troy (2004), Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief (2010), Cash (2010), and Accused (2012).

Bean is also extremely popular for playing the role of Eddard "Ned" Stark in the television series Game of Thrones. The series, which was an adaptation of the A Song of Ice and Fire series of novels by George R. R. Martin, helped him reach the pinnacle of his acting career. Bean won the audiences' hearts with his portrayal of Ned Stark, a man of honor, courage, and loyalty. Ned Stark's death in the first season broke every fan's heart.

In 2015, Sean appeared in supporting roles in movies like Pixels and The Martian. The following year, he appeared in the biblical drama The Young Messiah. He showed his acting prowess in movies like Drone (2017) and Dark River (2017). He was also the narrator of the multiple-award-winning short film Taniel (2018).

He has also been seen in television shows like Legends (2014-2015), Roman Empire: Reign of Blood (2016), The Frankenstein Chronicles (2015-2017), and The Oath (2018).

In 2019, he was cast to play John Parse in the American science-fiction thriller film Possessor which also has actors like Christopher Abbott, Andrea Riseborough, Tuppence Middleton, and Jennifer Jason Leigh playing important roles.

Achievements

• Sean Bean is best known for his portrayal of Major Richard Sharpe in the TV series Sharpe. He has also featured in many films and has become very popular for his negative roles in films like Patriot Games, National Treasure, and Golden Eye. Since his appearance in The Lord of the Rings trilogy, he has expanded his repertoire and has showcased his skills in playing a variety of roles. He has played some critically acclaimed characters on television, including the role of Eddard "Ned" Stark in Game of Thrones for which he was nominated for many awards and earned much praise from the critics. In addition to being a very popular face on television and in the film industry, he has made a name for himself in theatre as well.

Works

More photos

• movie

  • The Lost Future 2010
  • Black Plague 2015
  • Dark River 2015
  • Cleanskin 2012
  • Soldiers of Fortune 2012

Religion

Bean self-identifies as a Christian.

Politics

Bean is a little bit political - not enough to really enter the debate on any issues, but he has spoken of inheriting his father's interest in political debate: "I like to keep abreast of the world political situation. My father has always been very clued up, politically. I used to enjoy talking to him - arguing a lot of the time - about principles of politics, so I kind of inherited that."

He has expressed respect for Britain's "Old Labour" Party and the former Labour MP, Tony Benn, meaning he likes the principles of the Labour Party, but with a more conservative twist. He once said, commenting on a tiff with American airport security: "I know security is important, especially at the moment, but I can't stand mindless bureaucracy. I said I didn't want to get on his fucking plane anyway, and the police escorted me out of the airport!"

Views

In an interview to the question "Is the glass half-empty or half-full?" he replied: "Half-full. I try to be an optimist, to feel hopeful. It's easy to lose perspective."

Quotations: "Sometimes all you need is a big leap of faith."

Personality

Bean was afraid of flying before working on The Lord of the Rings trilogy.

Physical Characteristics: Height: 5'10" (178 cm)

The actor has a tattoo of number nine on his shoulder in reference to his involvement in The Lord of the Rings films.

Interests

• Reading, piano, gardening, welding, sketching

• Politicians

  Tony Benn, Jeremy Corbyn

• Writers

  The World of Little Foxy by Norman Smithson

• Artists

  Peter O'Toole, John Hurt, Caravaggio, Dali, Miro, De Chirico

• Sport & Clubs

  Football, Sheffield United Football Club

• Music & Bands

  Sunny Afternoon by the Kinks

Connections

Sean Bean has been married five times and divorced four times. In 1981, he married his secondary school sweetheart Debra James and divorced her in 1988. In 1990, he married actress Melanie Hill, and the duo divorced in 1997. The same year, Bean married actress Abigail Cruttenden but the marriage didn’t even last for three years as they ended their marriage with a divorce in 2000.

Bean started dating actress Georgina Sutcliffe in 2006 and they got married in 2008. The marriage was a volatile one; the police had been called three times due to complaints of domestic disturbances in their household. Eventually, they ended their marriage in 2010. Bean married Ashley Moore on June 30, 2017.

He has a total of three children; a daughter and a son with ex-wife Melanie Hill and a daughter with ex-wife Abigail Cruttenden.

Father:

Brian Bean

Mother:

Rita Bean

Spouse:

Ashley Moore

(married 2017)

Sister:

Lorraine Bean

ex-spouse:

Debra James

(married 1981; divorced 1988)

ex-spouse:

Melanie Hill

(married 1990; divorced 1997)

ex-spouse:

Abigail Cruttenden

(married 1997; divorced 2000)

ex-spouse:

Georgina Sutcliffe

(married 2008; divorced 2010)

colleague:

Peter Dinklage

colleague:

Lena Headey

colleague:

Sophie Turner

colleague:

Emilia Clarke

colleague:

Kit Harington

References

• Sean Bean on Instagram
• Sean Bean on Twitter