Gary Oldman

Some Lesser Known Facts About Gary Oldman

• Does Gary Oldman smoke?: Not Known

• Does Gary Oldman drink alcohol?: No (Earlier, he used to drink.)

• Gary was born in a mediocre family as his father, Leonard Bertram Oldman was a former sailor and welder, and his mother, Kathleen was a homemaker.

• His father was alcoholic and left his family when he was just seven.

• At the age of 16, he left his school to work in a sports shop to financially assist his family.

• Since his childhood, he loved playing piano and singing. His interest got developed in acting the time he saw Malcolm McDowell’s performance in the movie The Raging Moon.

• He got such an intense inspiration from Malcolm that he decided to choose acting as his career.

• During the mid-1970s, he did multitudinous odd jobs to earn his living, viz. porter in an operating theater, selling shoes, beheading pigs in an abattoir, and some working honor on assembly lines. Side by side, he attended the Young People’s Theater in Greenwich to groom his acting skills.

• Gary is distinguished with his deep blue eyes, fantabulous acting skills, and his flexible behavior towards his every role.

• His dedication towards acting made him won a scholarship at Rose Bruford College, from where he graduated with his Bachelor’s degree in acting.

• He applied for his higher studies at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts (RADA), but the faculty denied him the admission; suggesting him to opt for a different career option.

• Gary did his professional debut in the film- Remembrance, playing the role of Daniel in 1982.

• After his debut, he was starred in a television comedy-drama film- Meantime. On his second day of the shoot, he got an eye injury while throwing milk bottles in a scene, which by mistake hit the bulb that hit him in return. 

• He has also been very much active in celebrity endorsements, as he snapped for some print ads for famous brands like H&M Clothing and DKNY.

• In 1984, he came up with his Television debut in British children’s anthology series- Dramarama.

• He was also featured in multitudinous TV commercials, viz. One2One, Barclays Bank, Nokia N93, ITV Football, Blah, blah, blah for HTC One smartphone. Here’s a video of his TV commercial of HTC One:

• Gary played the lead role of Sid Vicious in the British biopic titled “Sid and Nancy,” but he agreed after the director approached him for the third time.

• He always put his soul into every role he is offered. For the movie Sid and Nancy, he lost around 30 pounds to get into character, but this excess loss took him to hospital.

• His enthralling performance in Sid and Nancy was on the “100 greatest performances of all time” list at 62, published by Premiere Magazine. Even, Uncut Magazine placed him at position eight on the list- “10 Best Actors in Rocking Roles”.

• In 1997, during the filming of an American political action-thriller film- Air Force One, he was given the nickname “Crazy Gazy” as he maintained a perfect balance of humor and comedy while shooting for the scariest scenes.

• He got his life’s first award in category- Actor of the year, and a BAFTA nomination for Best Actor, for his incredible role in the British Film- Prick Up Your Ears.

• Gary was starred in a few episodes and TV films that were Morgan’s Boy, Summer Season, Heading Home, Fallen Angels, and Jesus.

• Besides acting in films and TV shows, he also directed a British-French drama film titled Nil by Mouth, representing a family of characters living in South East London, which was his debut in the direction as well as the writer. He was awarded Channel 4 Award for Best Director at Festival Awards.

• In 2001, he was guest starred in an American television comedy F.R.I.E.N.D.S in the episode titled “The One with Monica and Chandler’s Wedding,” which was critically acclaimed by the viewers.

• He played the role of Sirius Black in the popular fantasy film series- Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2.

• He charmed the audience with his role as George Smiley in the 2011 Cold War espionage film- Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. He was honored at Empire Awards, Central Ohio Film Critics Association, Palm Springs Film Festival, International Online Film Critics’ Poll, San Francisco Film Critics Circle. Here’s a glimpse of his remarkable performance in the movie:

• In 2007, he was ranked #72 on the list- “100 sexiest stars in the film industry” by Empire Magazine.

• In the stardom of films, his love for theater never faded away, as he appeared in numerous plays named- The Country Wife, Serious Money, Fifth Element, and Hamlet. He was so much into his theater plays characters that he once stated that he honored orally quote any scene from the famous Shakespeare’s play Hamlet.

• He was then featured in lead roles in the films- We Think the World of You, Chattahoochee, and The Firm. His performance was highly praised by everyone, and moreover, Total Film (a British film magazine) stated his performance in The Form to be the best, stunning and fearless in 2011.

• He is a wonderful voice-over artist too, as he voiced the villain character named Lord Sheen in the animation movie “Kung Fu Panda 2”. He was also nominated for Annie Award for his voicing skills.

• He left no stone unturned to rule over the film industry by his remarkable performances in each and every film assigned to him.

• He then appeared in a plethora of hit films like Guns, Girls and Gambling, The Dark Knight Rises, Lawless, Paranoia, RoboCop, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, and many others on the list.

• In 2017, he was starred in a war drama film entitled “Darkest Hour” as Winston Churchill. His looks were totally transformed to get into character. Here’s the trailer showcasing his best ever performance:

• His performance in the movie Darkest Hour rose him to the pinnacle of name and fame worldwide, and among all his roles, it was considered his best role, so far. He was not only flooded with just praise and appreciation but also with many awards and honors at different award shows that were at Critics’ Choice Movie Awards, Golden Globe Award, Palm Springs Film Festival, Screen Actors Guild Award, Satellite Awards, Academy Awards, and British Academy Film Awards.

• Gary has devoted very precious time to films and appeared in a total of 63 movies till 2017.

• On 4 March 2018, he was honored with the prestigious Oscar award for his breathtaking performance in Darkest Hour.

• Gary has been married five times, and in August 2017, he got married to a British curator, Gisèle Schmidt.

• He is an ardent football lover.

• Gary was an alcoholic and once told that intake of 2 bottles of vodka a day was normal for him. Later, he adopted a lifestyle of sober and shared that it was the hardest thing he did in his life.