Gary Oldman, the son of a welder and a homemaker, won a scholarship to Britain's Rose Bruford Drama College, 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). In 1986, he played Sex Pistol Sid Vicious in the biopic Sid and Nancy (1986), picking up the Evening Standard Film Award as Best Newcomer. In 1988, he received a Best Actor nomination from the British Academy of Film and TV Arts for his portrayal of '60s playwright 'Joe Orton'. His ability to transform himself physically and his command of accents have allowed him to play a broad range of characters and a number of historical figures, including, in addition to those mentioned above, Lee Harvey Oswald (JFK (1991)) and Ludwig van Beethoven (Immortal Beloved (1994)).

1. Arthur & Lancelot (2013) - Merlin (rumored) 2. Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy: UK Premiere Featurette (2012) - Himself 3. The Wettest County in the World (2012) - Floyd Banner 4. The Dark Knight Rises (2012) - Jim Gordon

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5. Kung Fu Panda 2 (Kung Fu Panda 2) (2011) - Shen (voice)

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6. Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (Un spion care ştia prea multe) (2011) - George Smiley

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7. Red Riding Hood (Scufiţa Roşie) (2011) - Solomon

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8. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (Harry Potter şi Talismanele Morţii: Partea a II-a) (2011) - Sirius Black

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9. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II (2011) - Sirius Black (voice) 10. One Night in Turin (2010) - Narrator 11. Life on Planet 51 (2010) - Himself 12. The Book of Eli (2010) - Carnegie

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13. The Unborn (2009) - Rabbi Sendak

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14. Planet 51 (Planeta 51) (2009) - General Grawl (voice)

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15. A Christmas Carol (2009) - Bob Cratchit / Marley / Tiny Tim

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16. The Dark Knight (2008) - Gordon

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17. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007) - Sirius Black

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18. Batman Begins (2005) - Jim Gordon

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19. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005) - Sirius Black

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20. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004) - Sirius Black 21. Sin (2003) - Charlie Strom 22. Anthony Hopkins: A Taste for Hannibal (2002) - Himself 23. Breaking the Silence: The Making of 'Hannibal' (2001) - Himself 24. Hannibal (2001) - Mason Verger 25. Alan Clarke: His Own Man (2000) - Himself 26. Lost in Space Forever (1998) - Himself (also archive footage) 27. Lost in Space (1998) - Dr. Zachary Smith / Spider Smith 28. The Fifth Element (1998) - Jean-Baptiste Emanuel Zorg (voice) 29. Quest for Camelot (1998) - Ruber (voice) 30. Nil by Mouth (1997) - screenplay 31. Nil by Mouth (1997) - Regizor 32. The Fifth Element (1997) - Jean-Baptiste Emanuel Zorg 33. The Scarlet Letter (1995) - Rev. Arthur Dimmesdale 34. Immortal Beloved (1994) - Ludwig van Beethoven 35. Leon: The Professional (Leon) (1994) - Stansfield 36. "Friends" (1994) - Richard Crosby (2 episodes, 2001) 37. True Romance (1993) - Drexl Spivey 38. Dracula (1992) - Dracula 39. Beyond 'JFK': The Question of Conspiracy (1992) - Himself (also archive footage) 40. JFK (1991) - Lee Harvey Oswald 41. State of Grace (1990) - Jackie Flannery

1. Brother of Laila Morse.

2. Considered a career in music.

3. Has one son, Alfie Oldman, born in 1988, from his first marriage to Lesley Manville.

4. Dated Isabella Rossellini, met through Immortal Beloved (1994).

5. Sons, with Donya Fiorentino: Gulliver Flynn Oldman, born 20 August 1997 and Charlie John, born 11 February 1999.

6. Was arrested for drunk driving in L.A. and released on bail the next morning. His passenger in the car was pal, Kiefer Sutherland. [8 August 1991]

7. His library includes essays on Bertolt Brecht, poetry by Roger McGough, a biography of Montgomery Clift, The Elizabethan World Picture, all things William Shakespeare and Jane Austen.

8. Has used a different speaking voice (i.e. accent) in practically every movie he's ever been in.

9. He and Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004) and Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005) co-star Timothy Spall have both played the character of Rosencrantz; Spall in Kenneth Branagh's Hamlet (1996), Oldman in Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead (1990).

10. He was awarded the 1985 London Critics Circle Theatre Award (Drama Theatre Award) for Best Actor for his performance in "The Pope's Wedding".

11. Has played Lee Harvey Oswald in both JFK (1991) and "Frontline: Who Was Lee Harvey Oswald? (#11.20)" (1993).

12. Dated model-actress Ailsa Marshall from 2002-2005.

13. His film Nil by Mouth (1997) is loosely based upon his own life growing up in London.

14. Submitted a recorded voice audition for General Grievous in Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005). George Lucas later chose the anonymous audition of Matthew Wood for the role instead.

15. Henry & June (1990) is the only film in which he's been credited as "Maurice Escargot".

16. Appears in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005) and Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007) with Ralph Fiennes. Both of them have played villains in the Hannibal Lecter series: Fiennes played Francis Dolarhyde in Red Dragon (2002), and Oldman played Mason Verger in Hannibal (2001).

17. Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead (1990) was released on DVD the day after his 47th birthday.

18. Member of jury at the Cannes Film Festival in 1993.

19. Graduated from Rose Bruford Drama College 3 year acting course BA-Hons, London, England.

20. In two movies, his characters have had dynamic relationships with mob bosses named Falcone. In Romeo Is Bleeding (1993), he was working FOR Don Falcone, and in Batman Begins (2005), he was working to bring down Carmine Falcone. In both instances, his character was a cop.

21. Like Ian McKellen, he has taken on popular characters in screen adaptations of cult favorite fantasy novels and comic books. He appeared as James Gordon in Batman Begins (2005) and The Dark Knight (2008) and as Sirius Black in the middle three Harry Potter films: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004), Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005), and Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007).

22. Although he has spent much of his career playing psychotic and sadistic characters, he has recently moved away from that on-screen image by playing more like-able, sympathetic characters like Sirius Black (in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004), Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005), and Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007)) and Jim Gordon (in Batman Begins (2005)).

23. Actor Ryan Gosling lists Oldman as his favorite actor.

24. He and his ex-wife, Uma Thurman, have both appeared in Batman films. Thurman played Poison Ivy in Batman & Robin (1997), and Oldman played James Gordon in Batman Begins (2005).

25. Uncle of Gerry Bromfield and Tracy Bromfield.

26. His performance as Sid Vicious in Sid and Nancy (1986) is ranked #62 on Premiere Magazine's 100 Greatest Performances of All Time (2006).

27. Trained at Rose Bruford Drama School Sidcup, Kent. Others who trained there include actors Freddie Jones, Ray Fearon, Tom Baker and Stephen Armourae.

28. Despite a number of critically acclaimed roles, he has never been nominated for an Academy Award.

29. Spokesperson for Nokia.

30. Performed a vocal duet with David Bowie for the song "You've Been Around" on the 1995 album "The Sacred Squall of Now" by longtime Bowie guitarist Reeves Gabrels. He is also featured on the song "Stamford Hill" on the same album.

31. Has been an inspiration to many actors including up and comers Bo Barrett, Ryan Gosling, Shia LaBeouf, Chris Kato, and Kaili Thorne.

32. Is very close to actor and co-star in the Harry Potter franchise Daniel Radcliffe.

33. His sister Laila Morse plays the character "Big Mo" in the British soap opera "EastEnders" (1985).

34. Chosen by Empire magazine as one of the 100 Sexiest Stars in film history (#72). [2007].

35. Harry Potter co-actor Jason Isaacs lists him as one of his favorite actors.

36. Lives in Los Angeles.

37. Directed a music video for Jewish Hip-Hop group Chutzpah shot entirely on Nokia Cell Phones. Actress Juliet Landau directed a 25 minute documentary - Take Flight: Gary Oldman Directs Chutzpah (2009) - about the making of the music video.

38. Attended the GYPT Theatre (Greenwich and Lewisham Young Peoples Theatre) in S.E. London before drama school. Other former actors include Kathy Burke, Stephen Manwaring and Stella Barnes.