Mini Biography
Gary Oldman, the son of a welder and a homemaker, was born on March 21, 1958 in London, England. For most of his career he was best-known for playing over-the-top antagonists, though he has recently reached a new audience with heroic roles in the Harry Potter and Dark Knight franchises.
Oldman won a scholarship to Britain's Rose Bruford Drama College, in Sidcup, Kent, where he received a B.A. in theatre arts in 1979. He subsequently studied with the Greenwich Young People's Theatre and went on to appear in a number of plays throughout the early '80s, including "The Pope's Wedding," for which he received Time Out's Fringe Award for Best Newcomer of 1985-1986 and the British Theatre Association's Drama Magazine Award as Best Actor for 1985.
His film debut was Remembrance (1982), though his most-memorable early role came when he played Sex Pistol Sid Vicious in the biopic Sid and Nancy (1986) picking up the Evening Standard Film Award as Best Newcomer. He then received a Best Actor nomination from BAFTA for his portrayal of '60s playwright Joe Orton in Prick Up Your Ears (1987).
In the 1990s, Oldman brought to life a series of iconic real-world and fictional villains including Lee Harvey Oswald in JFK (1991), the title character in Dracula (1992), Drexl Spivey in True Romance (1993), Stansfield in Léon: The Professional (1994), Jean-Baptiste Emanuel Zorg in The Fifth Element (1997) and Ivan Korshunov in Air Force One (1997). That decade also saw Oldman portraying Ludwig van Beethoven in biopic Immortal Beloved (1994).
Oldman scored the coveted role of Sirius Black in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004), giving him a key part in one of the highest-grossing franchises ever. He reprised that role in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005) and Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007). Oldman also took on the iconic role of Detective James Gordon in writer-director Christopher Nolan's Batman Begins (2005), a role he played again in The Dark Knight (2008) and The Dark Knight Rises (2012).
In 2011, Oldman portrayed master spy George Smiley in the adaptation of John le Carré's Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011), and the role scored Oldman his first Academy Award nomination.
Aside from acting, Oldman tried his hand at writing and directing for Nil by Mouth (1997). The movie opened the Cannes Film Festival in 1997, and won Kathy Burke a Best Actress prize at the festival.
Oldman has three children - one with first wife Lesley Manville, and two with third wife Donya Fiorentino. He is currently married to Alexandra Edenborough.
Filmography
2013 Monster Butler (in production)
Wiggy
2014 Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (pre-production)
2014 RoboCop (post-production)
Dr. Robert Norton
2013 Paranoia (post-production)
Nicholas Wyatt
2012 The Dark Knight Rises
Commissioner Gordon
2012 Lawless
Floyd Banner
2011 Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
George Smiley
2011 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2
Sirius Black
2011 Kung Fu Panda 2
Shen (voice)
2011 Red Riding Hood
Solomon
2011 Guns, Girls and Gambling
Elvis
2010 Call of Duty: Black Ops (Video Game)
Viktor Reznov (voice) / Dr. Clarke (voice)
2010 The Book of Eli
Carnegie
2009 Planet 51
General Grawl (voice)
2009 A Christmas Carol
Bob Cratchit / Marley / Tiny Tim
2009 Rain Fall
William Holtzer
2009 Do Not Go See 'The Perfect Sleep' (short)
2009 The Unborn
Rabbi Sendak
2008 Call of Duty: World at War (Video Game)
Sgt. Reznov (voice)
2008 The Legend of Spyro: Dawn of the Dragon (Video Game)
Ignitus (voice)
2008 The Dark Knight
Gordon
2007 The Legend of Spyro: The Eternal Night (Video Game)
Ignitus (voice)
2007 Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Sirius Black
2006 The Legend of Spyro: A New Beginning (Video Game)
Ignitus (voice)
2006 BackWoods
Paul
2005 Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Sirius Black
2005 Dead Fish
Lynch
2005 Batman Begins
Jim Gordon
2004 Who's Kyle? (short)
Scouse
2004 Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Sirius Black
2003 Sin
Charlie Strom
2003 True Crime: Streets of LA (Video Game)
Rocky/Agent Masterson (voice)
2003 Tiptoes
Rolfe
2003 Medal of Honor: Allied Assault - Spearhead (Video Game)
Sgt. Jack Barnes (voice)
2002 Beat the Devil (short)
Devil
2002 Interstate 60: Episodes of the Road
O.W. Grant
2001 Friends (TV series)
Richard Crosby
2001 Hannibal
Mason Verger
2001 Nobody's Baby
Buford Dill
2000 The Contender
Shelly Runyon
1999 Jesus (TV movie)
Pontius Pilate
1999 Tracey Takes On... (TV series)
Hairdresser
1998 The Fifth Element (Video Game)
Jean-Baptiste Emanuel Zorg (voice)
1998 Quest for Camelot
Ruber (voice)
1998 Lost in Space
Dr. Zachary Smith / Spider Smith
1997 Air Force One
Ivan Korshunov
1997 The Fifth Element
Jean-Baptiste Emanuel Zorg
1996 Basquiat
Albert Milo
1995 The Scarlet Letter
Rev. Arthur Dimmesdale
1995 Murder in the First
Milton Glenn
1994 Immortal Beloved
Ludwig van Beethoven
1994 Léon: The Professional
Stansfield
1993 Romeo Is Bleeding
Jack Grimaldi
1993 True Romance
Drexl Spivey
1993 Fallen Angels (TV series)
Pat Keiley
1992 Dracula
Dracula
1991 JFK
Lee Harvey Oswald
1986-1991 Screen Two (TV series)
Bex Bissell / Derek Bates / Ian Tyson
1990 Henry & June
Pop (as Maurice Escargot)
1990 State of Grace
Jackie Flannery
1990 Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead
Rosencrantz
1989 Knots Landing (TV series)
Don Ross
1989 Chattahoochee
Emmett Foley
1988 We Think the World of You
Johnny
1988 Criminal Law
Ben Chase
1988 Track 29
Martin
1987 Prick Up Your Ears
Joe Orton
1986 Sid and Nancy
Sid Vicious
1985 Summer Season (TV series)
Gary
1984 Morgan's Boy (TV series)
Colin
1984 Dramarama (TV series)
Ben
1984 Meantime (TV movie)
Coxy
1982 Remembrance
Daniel
