Gary Leonard Oldman (born 21 March 1958) is an
English actor and
filmmaker who has resided in the
United States since the early 1990s, well known for his portrayals of dark and morally corrupt characters. He found fame in roles such as
Sid Vicious in
Sid & Nancy and
Lee Harvey Oswald in
JFK, which led to his most successful, and arguably best known, leading role as
Count Dracula in
1992 blockbuster
Dracula. In addition to
Dracula, Oldman is well-known to audiences as the
villain of such films as
State of Grace,
True Romance,
Léon,
Air Force One,
The Fifth Element and
The Contender.
He is also known for his portrayals of real-life figures: as well as Vicious and Oswald, he portrayed
Joe Orton in
Prick Up Your Ears and
Ludwig Van Beethoven in
Immortal Beloved. In recent years he is recognisable as heroic characters such as
Sirius Black in the
Harry Potter film series and
James Gordon in
Christopher Nolan's
reboot of the
Batman film series.
Acclaimed for his on-screen diversity,
Oldman has been referred to as an "actor's actor"
[ and has been cited as an influence by a number of younger actors.][www.guardian.co.uk/film/filmblog/2009/feb/19/best-actors-never-nominated-for-oscars] Oldman has been nominated for, among other awards: a Primetime Emmy Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award, three BAFTA Awards (winning two), three Saturn Awards (winning one) and the 1997 Palme d'Or.[Nil by Mouth (1997) - News]
