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Biography

Sir Gary Leonard Oldman (born 21 March 1958) is an English actor and filmmaker. Regarded as one of the best actors of his generation, he is known for his versatility and intense acting style. He received various accolades, including an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award, and three British Academy Film Awards. His films have grossed over $11 billion worldwide, making him one of the highest-grossing actors to date.

Oldman began acting in theatre in 1979 and made his film debut in Remembrance (1982). He continued to follow a stage career in London's Royal Court. He was a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company, with credits including Cabaret, Romeo and Juliet, Entertaining Mr Sloane, Saved, The Country Wife and Hamlet. He rose to prominence in British film with his portrayals of Sid Vicious in Sid and Nancy (1986), Joe Orton in Prick Up Your Ears (1987) and Rosencrantz in Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead (1990), while also attracting attention as the leader of a gang of football hooligans in the television film The Firm (1989). Regarded as a member of the "Brit Pack", he achieved greater recognition as a New York gangster in State of Grace (1990), Lee Harvey Oswald in JFK (1991) and Count Dracula in Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992).

Oldman portrayed the villains in films such as True Romance (1993), The Fifth Element (1997), Air Force One (1997) and The Contender (2000); corrupt DEA agent Norman Stansfield, whom he played in Léon: The Professional (1994), was called one of cinema's best villains. He also played Ludwig van Beethoven in Immortal Beloved (1994). He later appeared in franchise roles such as Sirius Black in the Harry Potter series, James Gordon in The Dark Knight Trilogy (2005–2012) and a human leader, Dreyfus in Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014). He won the Academy Award for Best Actor as Winston Churchill in Darkest Hour (2017). He was nominated for his portrayals of George Smiley in Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011) and Herman J. Mankiewicz in Mank (2020).

Oldman was executive producer of films like The Contender, Plunkett & Macleane (1999) and Nil by Mouth (1997), the latter of which he also wrote and directed. He featured in television shows such as Fallen Angels, Tracey Takes On... and Friends, voiced Ignitius and Viktor Reznov, respectively, in The Legend of Spyro and Call of Duty video games and appeared in music videos for David Bowie, Guns N' Roses and Annie Lennox.

Filmography

2

Awards & recognition

7 nominations · 3 Award ceremony

Golden Globe Awards 3 nominations
Screen Actors Guild Awards 2 nominations
Emmy Awards 2 nominations

Interesting facts

8
  1. 1

    Oldman has not consumed alcohol since 1997.

  2. 2

    In 1975, inspired by Malcolm McDowell's performance in "The Raging Moon" (1971), Gary Oldman tried to enroll in the prestigious Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, but was not accepted, with a hint that he had better choose another profession. But Oldman went to Kent, where he obtained a scholarship at the Rose Bruford College of Theatre and Performance, from which he graduated with honors in 1979.

  3. 3

    Born into the family of a welder and a housewife.

  4. 4

    At the age of 14 he joined the company of the Greenwich Youth Theatre, and at 16 he left school to work as a salesman of sports equipment.

  5. 5

    Full name — Gary Leonard Oldman.

  6. 6

    On 13 June 2025, he was knighted as a Knight Bachelor of the United Kingdom, so he is entitled to be styled "Sir".

  7. 7

    In 1991, he was arrested for driving under the influence together with Kiefer Sutherland.

  8. 8

    Full name - Gary Leonard Oldman.

Family & relationships

Uma Thurman wife · divorced
Leslie Manville wife · Children: 1 · divorced
Donya Fiorentino wife · Children: 2 · divorced
Giselle Schmidt wife
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