Gary Leonard Oldman is a theatre-trained actor who became internationally known in cinema as one of the finest character actors of his generation. Celebrated for his unforgettable portrayals of dark, complex, and villainous characters, he earned the nickname “The Greatest Villain” through iconic performances such as Dracula and the Devil. Throughout his career, he has had the opportunity to work with legendary directors including David Lynch, Francis Ford Coppola, Luc Besson, Tony Scott, and Christopher Nolan.

Gary Leonard Oldman was born on 21 March 1958 in New Cross, London. He grew up in a working-class family and had two older sisters. Known as a witty but hyperactive child, he struggled during his school years due to his restless nature. In his youth, he developed an interest in classical music and taught himself how to play the piano. For a time, inspired by Muhammad Ali, he also became interested in boxing. However, acting remained his strongest passion.

After being rejected by the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, Gary Leonard Oldman enrolled at Rose Bruford College, graduating with honors in 1979. That same year, he began his professional career at the London Theatre. Between 1985 and 1989, he worked extensively at the Royal Court Theatre in London, later joining the Greenwich Young People’s Theatre.

In 1985, Oldman received the Time Out Fringe Award for “Best Newcomer” for his performance in the play The Pope’s Wedding. He also won the British Theatre Association’s “Best Actor Award” for the same role. Throughout the 1980s, he toured South America and Europe with the Glasgow Citizens Theatre.

Gary Leonard Oldman made his cinematic debut portraying Sid Vicious, the bassist of the Sex Pistols, in Sid and Nancy (1986). This performance earned him the Evening Standard British Film Award for “Most Promising Newcomer.” He later starred as playwright Joe Orton in Prick Up Your Ears under director Stephen Frears. His powerful portrayals in biographical films—such as Lee Harvey Oswald and Ludwig van Beethoven—played a major role in shaping his reputation and artistic growth.

In 1980, Oldman married English actress Lesley Manville. The marriage lasted until 1990 and produced one son. In 1990, he married actress Uma Thurman, though the marriage ended in divorce in 1992.

In 1995, Gary Leonard Oldman co-founded the production company The SE8 Group with his manager and producer Douglas Urbanski. In 1997, he wrote and directed his first feature film, Nil by Mouth, which opened the main competition of the 50th Cannes Film Festival. Kathy Burke won the Best Actress Award at Cannes for her role in the film. The movie also received the Channel 4 Director’s Award at the Edinburgh Film Festival and won two BAFTA Awards for “Best British Film” and “Best Original Screenplay.”

In 1992, Oldman delivered one of his most iconic performances as Count Dracula in Dracula, directed by Francis Ford Coppola. He followed this with another legendary villain role as Stansfield in Luc Besson’s Léon: The Professional (1994). He later reunited with Besson for The Fifth Element (1997), appearing alongside Bruce Willis and Milla Jovovich. In 1998, his salary for Lost in Space drew widespread attention.

Among his notable films are Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, Track 29, Criminal Law, Chattahoochee, Murder in the First, and State of Grace. He appeared as a guest star in the television series Friends, earning an Emmy nomination for his role as an alcoholic actor. Other television work includes Meantime and The Firm.

In 1999, Oldman both produced and starred in The Contender, a film that received three Academy Award nominations. Despite his consistently acclaimed performances, he had not won an Oscar at that point in his career.

He portrayed Sirius Black in the 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). In 2005, he joined Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy as Commissioner Jim Gordon, beginning with Batman Begins.

Gary Leonard Oldman finally received the Academy Award for Best Actor at the 2018 Oscars for his portrayal of Winston Churchill in Darkest Hour.

Marriages:
1st wife: Lesley Manville (m. 1980 – div. 1990), one son
2nd wife: Uma Thurman (m. 1990 – div. 1992)
3rd wife: Donya Fiorentino (m. 1997 – div. 2001), two sons: Charlie John Oldman, Gulliver Flynn Oldman
4th wife: Alexandra Edenborough (m. 2008 – div. 2015)
5th wife: Gisele Schmidt (m. September 2017)

Awards:
2018 – 90th Academy Awards – Best Actor (Darkest Hour)

Films and Television:
Director:
2016 – Flying Horse
2003 – Sin
2000 – After the End of the World
1997 – Nil by Mouth

Screenwriter:
2016 – Flying Horse
1997 – Nil by Mouth
1986 – Big Trouble in Little China

Producer:
2000 – After the End of the World
1999 – Plunkett & Macleane

Actor:
2021 – Slow Horses (Jackson Lamb) (TV Series)
2020 – Mank (Herman Mankiewicz)
2017 – Darkest Hour (Winston Churchill)
2016 – Criminal (Quaker Wells)
2014 – RoboCop (Dr. Dennett Norton)
2012 – The Dark Knight Rises (Commissioner Gordon)
2011 – Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (George Smiley)
2011 – Kung Fu Panda 2 (Lord Shen – voice)
2008 – The Dark Knight (James Gordon)
2005 – Batman Begins (Jim Gordon)
2001 – Hannibal (Mason Verger)
1997 – The Fifth Element (Jean-Baptiste Emanuel Zorg)
1994 – Léon: The Professional (Stansfield)
1992 – Dracula (Count Dracula)
1986 – Sid and Nancy (Sid Vicious)

Source: Biyografiler.com