Short Biography

Leonard Gary Oldman (born 21 March 1958) is an English actor, writer, director, producer, voice-over artist and occasional musician who has garnered critical acclaim for his diverse performances and portrayals of real-life historical figures. He is noted for his avoidance of the Hollywood celebrity scene, often being referred to as an "actor`s actor".
Oldman began his acting career in 1982 and came to prominence for his portrayal of ill-fated rocker Sid Vicious in 1986`s Sid & Nancy, which was featured in Premiere Magazine`s "100 Greatest Performances of All Time".
He continued to land starring roles in cult successes during the late 1980s and early 1990s such as Prick Up Your Ears, Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead and State of Grace, but found greater recognition when he landed central roles in two consecutive Hollywood blockbusters in the early 1990s: Lee Harvey Oswald in 1991`s JFK and the title character of 1992`s Dracula. He has since starred in a number of popular motion pictures, including: True Romance, Immortal Beloved, Léon: The Professional, Murder in the First, The Fifth Element, The Contender, the Harry Potter film series and The Dark Knight. In 1997, Oldman directed, produced, and wrote the award-winning Nil by Mouth, a movie partially based on his own childhood.
Oldman has received various awards and honors throughout his career but has at various times expressed his lack of regard for the Oscar and the presenting Academy. Perhaps as a result, he has never been nominated for such an award despite a critically acclaimed career spanning three decades.

Early life

Oldman was born in London, England, the son of Kathleen, an Irish-born housewife, and Len Oldman, a former sailor who worked as a welder.
Oldman has said that his father was an abusive alcoholic who left his family when Oldman was seven.
Oldman was an accomplished singer and pianist as a child, but gave up music to pursue an acting career.
His inspiration was Malcolm McDowell`s performance in 1970 movie The Raging Moon.
In a 1995 interview with Charlie Rose, Oldman said: "Something about Malcolm [McDowell] just arrested me, and I connected, and I said `I wanna do that`."
Oldman retained his love for music, however, and can be seen singing and playing piano in the 1988 movie Track 29, and tracing over pre-recorded versions of Beethoven`s music in Immortal Beloved.

Theatre

Oldman won a scholarship to the Rose Bruford College, where he received a BA in Drama in 1979. He had initially applied for enrollment into Britain`s prestigious Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts, but was refused entry. Oldman told Charlie Rose in 1995 that he was told to "find something else to do for a living". Rose, surprised, asked jokingly, "Have you reminded them of this?", to which Oldman replied that "the work speaks for itself." Following his graduation from Rose Bruford College, he later studied with the Greenwich Young People`s Theatre and went on to appear in a number of stage plays 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 of 1985.

Music
Oldman appeared on Reeves Gabrels` album The Sacred Squall of Now, performing a duet with David Bowie on the track "You`ve Been Around".

Film career

Sid & Nancy and foray into American cinema

Gary Oldman as Sid Vicious in Sid & Nancy.

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