Gary Oldman Biography

Actor

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Name at birth: Leonard Gary Oldman

Gary Oldman has wowed audiences since he first appeared on screen in the late '80s, playing punk rocker Sid Vicious in Sid and Nancy (1986) and playwright Joe Orton in Prick Up Your Ears (1987). He has played a wide variety of character roles over the years, reliably playing hellraisers and villains with exuberance. He is best known for such films as JFK (1991, as Lee Harvey Oswald), Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992, as Dracula), Air Force One (1997, with Harrison Ford), The Fifth Element (1997, with Bruce Willis) and Hannibal (2001, with Anthony Hopkins). Since 2004 he has played Sirius Black in the film versions of J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter books: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004, starring Daniel Radcliffe), Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005, with Emma Watson) and Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007, with Rupert Grint). His other films include Criminal Law (1988, with Kevin Bacon), True Romance (1993, with Christian Slater) and Immortal Beloved (1994, as Beethoven). Younger audiences know him as Gotham City's best cop, Jim Gordon, in Batman Begins and The Dark Knight (2005 and 2008, starring Christian Bale).

Extra credit: Oldman was married to actress Uma Thurman from 1990-92. He also was married to actress Lesley Manville (1998-90) and to model and photographer Donya Fiorentino from 1997-2001... He produced, wrote and directed the autobiographical film Nil By Mouth (1997).

Oldman is one of many in our loop They Played Vampires.