Gary Oldman Totally Explained

Everything about Gary Oldman totally explained

Gary Leonard Oldman (born March 21, 1958) is an influential English actor, writer, director, producer, voice-over artist and occasional musician who has garnered critical acclaim for his chameleonic performances and mastery of accents.
Oldman came to fame in the mid-1980s after a series of well-reviewed performances and has since retained a career as both a lead and character actor, appearing in over 50 films including: Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead, State of Grace, Bram Stoker's Dracula, True Romance, Léon: The Professional, The Contender, the Harry Potter film series and Christopher Nolan's Batman film series. Oldman was once famed for his portrayals of cold and unsympathetic characters, starring as the primary antagonist of blockbusters such as The Fifth Element, Air Force One and Hannibal, among others. He has also portrayed a significant number of real-life historical figures on screen, such as Joe Orton in Prick Up Your Ears, Lee Harvey Oswald in JFK, Ludwig van Beethoven in Immortal Beloved, Pontius Pilate in Jesus and perhaps most notably, Sid Vicious, his portrayal of whom in 1986 biopic Sid & Nancy was listed as one of Premiere Magazine's "100 Greatest Performances of All Time". Oldman is generally regarded as one of film's most diverse actors.
In 1997 Oldman directed, produced, and wrote the award-winning Nil by Mouth, a movie partially based on his own childhood.

Biography

Early life

Oldman was born in Underwood, Nottinghamshire, England, the son of Kathleen, an Irish-born housewife, and Len Oldman, a former sailor who worked as a welder. Oldman has said that his father was an abusive alcoholic who left his family when Oldman was seven. Oldman was an accomplished singer and pianist as a child, but gave up music to pursue an acting career. His inspiration was Malcolm McDowell's performance in 1970 movie The Raging Moon. In a 1995 interview with Charlie Rose, Oldman said: "Something about Malcolm [McDowell] just arrested me, and I connected, and I said 'I wanna do that'." Oldman retained his love for music, however, and can be seen singing and playing piano in the 1988 movie Track 29, and tracing over pre-recorded versions of Beethoven's music in Immortal Beloved.

Theatre

Oldman won a scholarship to the Rose Bruford College, where he received a BA in Drama in 1979. He had initially applied for enrollment into Britain's prestigious Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts, but was refused entry. Oldman told Charlie Rose in 1995

Film career

1980s

After graduating from drama school in 1979, Oldman spent almost eight years in theater, winning various awards. During this time he appeared in several minor television films such as Remembrance (1982) and Morgan's Boy (1984). In 1986 he won his first starring role as the Sex Pistols' ill-fated bassist Sid Vicious in the 1986 motion picture Sid & Nancy. The role launched Oldman's career and paved the way for work in Hollywood. Oldman's performance was highly regarded by many, perhaps most notably ex-Sex Pistols vocalist John Lydon, who despite questioning the authenticity of some parts of the film, said of Oldman in his biography: "The chap who played Sid, Gary Oldman, I thought was quite good", and later called him a "bloody good actor". Oldman reportedly lost considerable weight for the role and was briefly hospitalised. His portrayal was ranked #62 on Premiere Magazine's "100 Greatest Performances of All Time." In late 1988, he starred opposite long-time hero it was a major box office success worldwide, and spawned various merchandise and video games. Oldman's performance is regarded by many as a staple of the horror genre, and was recognised by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films as the best male performance of 1992, who awarded Oldman the prestigious Best Actor award. The film established Oldman as a popular portrayer of villains in American cinema, It marked the second time Oldman had appeared opposite friend Anthony Hopkins, who was part of the supporting cast of Bram Stoker's Dracula. Oldman received an Emmy Award nomination for two guest appearances in Friends in 2001, appearing in the two-part episode "The One with Monica and Chandler's Wedding" as Richard Crosby, a pedantic actor who insists that "real" actors spit on one another when they enunciate, leading to the famous spitting scene between Joey (Matt LeBlanc) and himself. Oldman agreed to appear in the series after meeting LeBlanc on the set of Lost in Space in 1998. Oldman later landed a major role in the Harry Potter film series, playing Potter's godfather Sirius Black. Oldman and star Daniel Radcliffe reportedly became very close during the filming of the series. In 2005, Oldman starred as James Gordon in Christopher Nolan's commercially and critically acclaimed Batman Begins, a role he's set to reprise in the forthcoming sequel The Dark Knight (2008). Oldman will reportedly be appearing in the 2009 version of A Christmas Carol. He is also confirmed for the starring role in David Goyer's Holocaust-themed supernatural thriller Unborn, slated for a 2009 release.

Film-making

In 1997, Oldman directed, produced, and wrote the award-winning Nil by Mouth, a movie partially based on his own childhood. Nil By Mouth 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 number two of the top 50 best British films ever.
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. He was also credited as a producer. Oldman has finished his latest screenplay, Chang & Eng, co-written with Darin Strauss, based on the author's book of the same name; SE8 Group will produce. In September 2006 Nokia, Nseries Studio released the Oldman directed short Donut

with music by Tor Hyams. The film was shot with an N93 in order to promote the phone. Oldman also directed the music video for "Red Rover", a song from Jewish Rap Group Chutzpah's 2nd CD "Hip Hop Fantasy", shot entirely on the N93.

Popularity

Oldman has long established a cult following among film fans, perhaps due to his apathetic stance on fame and fortune, his versatile performances, As well as a staggering number of fan-made tribute videos on YouTube, Oldman remains one of the most popular portrayers of movie villains amongst film fans: his array of villainous roles, such as Count Dracula in Bram Stoker's Dracula, Jean-Baptiste Emanuel Zorg in The Fifth Element, Norman Stansfield in Léon, and Ivan Korshunov in Air Force One have seen a page dedicated entirely to him on the movievillains.com website. MTV's Celebrity Deathmatch also aired a match between Oldman and Christopher Walken to determine who was the greatest cinematic villain. Additionally, Oldman's famous "spitting scene" with Matt LeBlanc during his appearance on Friends, where Oldman's character insists that "real" actors spit on one another when they enunciate, and the ensuing spitting confrontation between the two, has become one of the more popular cameos of the series, and saw Oldman receive an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series. Oldman's character also has to dispel Joey's belief that despite his formidable acting abilities, he's never won an Academy Award. This was perhaps a subtle knock on the much-questioned fact, among Oldman fans, that he's never been nominated for such an award, despite a number of critically acclaimed roles. Shia LaBeouf, Christian Bale and in particular, Ryan Gosling, who cites Oldman as his all time favourite actor. In contrast to his often dark-themed on-screen roles, Oldman's down-to-earth real-life nature is often cited in articles, Motion pictures starring Oldman as leading actor or supporting co-star have grossed over $1.8 billion at the United States box office, and over $4.6 billion worldwide.

Critical opinion

Oldman has received much critical acclaim over the years for his diversity of roles and mastery of world accents. who is "able to play high, low, crass, noble." Oldman's acting style has, however, occasionally been referred to as being excessive and over-the-top by some critics. This may perhaps be in part due to a long run of being cast as eccentric and outlandish villains, Oldman, however, is also noted for playing reserved, non-villainous roles such as in The Contender, Batman Begins, and Harry Potter film series.

Controversy

In 1991, Oldman was arrested for drunk driving along with friend and fellow actor Kiefer Sutherland. After a string of alcohol-fuelled debacles he checked himself into Marworth treatment facility in Waverly, Pennsylvania for alcoholism treatment in 1993. In subsequent interviews Oldman acknowledged his problems with alcohol and called himself a "recovering" alcoholic on a 2001 interview with Charlie Rose. a claim which was investigated by the family courts, child custody evaluator, the police, and Los Angeles city attorney—Oldman was awarded legal custody of their children; Fiorentino was granted short court-monitored visits. As of 2007, Oldman lives a teetotal lifestyle and attributes his success in beating his addiction to Alcoholics Anonymous, and has since publicly praised the organization.
   It has been said that Winona Ryder and Oldman didn't get along while filming Bram Stoker's Dracula. Director Francis Ford Coppola said: "The issue wasn't only that they didn't get along... they got along and then one day they didn't – absolutely didn't get along. None of us were privy to what had happened." False rumours of an affair between the two also circulated in the media in 1992. Ryder has since been complimentary of Oldman,
   In late 2000, Oldman gave controversial interviews expressing his disdain for Dreamworks studio heads, who he felt had used their sway to have The Contender edited to reflect their Democratic affiliation, thus resulting in a politically biased product. Oldman stated on the Charlie Rose show He currently resides in Los Angeles, California with his young family.
   Oldman has been married three times:

Lesley Manville (1988–1990)
Uma Thurman (1990–1992)
Donya Fiorentino (1997–2001)

He has three sons: Alfie (b. 1988) from his marriage to Manville, Gulliver Flynn (b. Aug 20, 1997) and Charlie John (b. Feb 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.

Filmography

Rain Fall (2009)

Unborn (2009), Sendak

A Christmas Carol (2009)

The Dark Knight (2008), Lt. James Gordon

(2007), Ignitus

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007), Sirius Black

Bosque de Sombras (International English Title: BackWoods) (2006), Paul

(2006), Ignitus

Batman Begins (2005), Sgt. James Gordon

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005), Sirius Black (voice)

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004), Sirius Black

Dead Fish (2004), Lynch

Who's Kyle? (2004), Scouse

(2003), Rasputin "Rocky" Kuznetskov, Agent Masterson

Tiptoes (2003), Rolfe

Sin (2003), Charlie Strom

Greg The Bunny (TV, 2002), himself as a theatre producer

Interstate 60 (2002), O.W. Grant

(2002), Devil

Medal of Honor: Allied Assault Spearhead (2002), Sgt. Jack Barnes

Nobody's Baby (2001), Buford Hill

Friends, "The One with Monica and Chandler's Wedding", Parts 1 & 2 (TV, 2001), Richard Crosby

Hannibal (2001), Mason R. Verger

The Contender (2000), Rep. Sheldon Runyon

Jesus (TV, 1999), Pontius Pilate

Lost in Space (1998), Dr. Zachary Smith

Quest for Camelot (1998), Baron Ruber (voice and vocal)

The Fifth Element (1997), Jean-Baptiste Emmanuel Zorg

Air Force One (1997), Egor Korshunov

Basquiat (1996), Albert Milo

Murder in the First (1995), Milton Glenn

The Scarlet Letter (1995), Rev. Arthur Dimmesdale

Immortal Beloved (1994), Ludwig van Beethoven

Léon (known as "The Professional" in the US) (1994), Stansfield

Romeo Is Bleeding (1993), Jack Grimaldi

True Romance (1993), Drexl Spivey

Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992), Dracula

JFK (1991), Lee Harvey Oswald

Heading Home (TV, 1991), Ian Tyson

State of Grace (1990), Jackie Flannery

Henry & June (1990), Pop (as Maurice Escargot)

Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead (1990), Rosencrantz

Chattahoochee (1989), Emmett Foley

The Firm (TV, 1988), Bex Bissell

We Think the World of You (1988), Johnny

Criminal Law (1988), Ben Chase

Track 29 (1988), Martin

Prick Up Your Ears (1987), Joe Orton

Sid and Nancy (1986), Sid Vicious

Honest, Decent & True (TV, 1985), Derek Bates

Morgan's Boy (TV, 1984), Colin

Meantime (TV, 1984), Coxy the Skinhead

Remembrance (1982), DanielFurther Information

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