Gary Oldman

Gary Leonard Oldman (born 21 March 1958) is an English actor and filmmaker. He is the recipient of various accolades, including an Academy Award, three BAFTA Awards, two Critics' Choice Awards, a Golden Globe Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award. Known for his versatility and intense acting style, Oldman is regarded as one of the greatest actors of his generation. Oldman began acting in theatre in 1979, and made his film debut in Remembrance (1982). He continued to lead a stage career, during which he performed at London's Royal Court and was a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company, with credits including Cabaret (1979), The Massacre at Paris (1980), Entertaining Mr Sloane (1983), Saved (1983), The Country Wife (1987) and Hamlet (1987). Oldman 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 garnering attention as a football firm leader in controversial television movie The Firm (1989). Identified with the "Brit Pack", he achieved greater renown as a Hell's Kitchen gangster in State of Grace (1990), Lee Harvey Oswald in JFK (1991) and Count Dracula in Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992). Oldman went on to star as the antagonists of several films, including True Romance (1993), The Fifth Element (1997), Air Force One (1997) and The Contender (2000); corrupt DEA agent Norman Stansfield, whom Oldman portrayed in Léon: The Professional (1994), has been ranked as one of cinema's best villains. He meanwhile played Ludwig van Beethoven in Immortal Beloved (1994). In the 21st century, Oldman is known for his roles as Sirius Black in the Harry Potter series, James Gordon in The Dark Knight Trilogy, George Smiley in Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011), a human leader in Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014), and Winston Churchill in Darkest Hour (2017), which earned him the Academy Award for Best Actor. Films in which he has appeared have grossed over $11 billion. In addition to acting in film, Oldman wrote and directed Nil by Mouth (1997); featured in television shows, such as Fallen Angels, Tracey Takes On... and Friends; appeared in music videos for David Bowie, Guns N' Roses and Annie Lennox; and provided the voice of Viktor Reznov in the Call of Duty video game series.