Gary Oldman
Biography
Gary Oldman is an English actor and filmmaker whose first professional stage roles came in the late 1970s and whose earliest screen part was in Remembrance in 1982. He trained at Rose Bruford College and later acted with the Royal Shakespeare Company. He drew attention as Sid Vicious in Sid and Nancy (1986) and as Joe Orton in Prick Up Your Ears (1987), which brought a BAFTA nomination. He played villainous parts in True Romance (1993) and The Fifth Element (1997), and also appeared in Air Force One (1997). He went on to play Sirius Black in the Harry Potter series and James Gordon in the Dark Knight trilogy. His portrayal of Winston Churchill in Darkest Hour (2017) won him the Academy Award for Best Actor, and he was nominated for Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011) and Mank (2020). He wrote and directed Nil by Mouth (1997), and leads the Apple TV+ series Slow Horses.
68years old
Turns 69 on March 21in 159 days
- Born London
- Star sign: AriesFirst day of the sign, on the Pisces cusp
- Gary Leonard Oldman (birth name)
Movie Career
- Films
- 66
- Career span
- 39 years1983 to 2022
Genres
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First role
Oldman was the first in his drama school year to get professional work, which he credited to diligence rather than talent.
A role that slipped away
Oldman was offered the lead role in Edward Scissorhands, but he turned it down. That same year, he starred opposite Sean Penn and Ed Harris in State of Grace.
Early training
Oldman earned a scholarship to study at Rose Bruford College in Sidcup, south-east London, and in 1979 he graduated from there with a BA in Acting.
Getting ready for a role
To play George Smiley in Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, Oldman gained 15 pounds, watched Alec Guinness's performance, and visited John le Carré to perfect the voice.
Behind the camera
Oldman took on directing, producing and writing duties for Nil by Mouth, released in 1997. The film won the BAFTA Alexander Korda Award for Best British Film and the BAFTA Award for Best Screenplay.
Beyond film
Oldman sang several songs for the Sid and Nancy soundtrack and worked on it with Glen Matlock, the original bassist for the Sex Pistols. In the 1988 film Track 29, he also sang and played piano live.
Gary Oldman movies on Netflix
Best known for
The films on Netflix they are best known for, with the part played in each.
Most often with
Christopher Nolan directed three of these films, Joe Wright two. Two actors appear in four of them each. Pick a number on the chart or a name in the list to see the films they share.
Films together
Christian Slater's page
Tom Hardy's page
Samuel L. Jackson's page
Michael Caine's page
Morgan Freeman's page
Anthony Hopkins's page
All films by Christopher Nolan
All films by Joe Wright
Also three films together7 more actors
- Dennis HopperBasquiat (1996), True Romance (1993) and Chattahoochee (1989)
- Cary ElwesA Christmas Carol (2009), Quest for Camelot (1998) and Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992)
- Tommy Lee JonesCriminal (2016), Beyond JFK: The Question of Conspiracy (1992) and JFK (1991)
- Kevin BaconMurder in the First (1995), JFK (1991) and Criminal Law (1988)
- Kevin CostnerCriminal (2016), Beyond JFK: The Question of Conspiracy (1992) and JFK (1991)
- Christian BaleThe Dark Knight Rises (2012), The Dark Knight (2008) and Batman Begins (2005)
- Jason ClarkeChild 44 (2015), Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014) and Lawless (2012)
When several people share the same number of films, the ones with the most films on Netflix are in the chart.
Box office
What Gary Oldman's films earned in cinemas worldwide.
Combined worldwide box office
$7.8 billion
44 of the 65 films have a worldwide figure.
Of the 65 films: 44 worldwide figure; 2 us gross only; 10 never in cinemas; 1 streaming, short cinema run; 8 figure not found.
- 44Worldwide figure
- 2US gross only
- 10Never in cinemas
- 1Streaming, short cinema run
- 8Figure not found
Highest grossing
The eight biggest films earned 68% of the total. The bars are drawn to scale.
- 1$1.1B13.8% of the total
- 2$1.0B12.9% of the total
- 3$790M10.1% of the total
- 4$711M9.1% of the total
- 5$666M8.5% of the total
- 6$374M4.8% of the total
- 7$352M4.5% of the total
- 8$325M4.2% of the total
$2.5 billionfrom the other 36 films with a worldwide figure, 32% of the total
Awards
Eight awards and honors from 1997 to 2025, six of them major.
| Year | Award | Film | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Academy Awards | |||
| 2018 | Best Actor | Darkest Hour | Won |
| Golden Globes | |||
| 2018 | Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama | Darkest Hour | Won |
| BAFTA | |||
| 2018 | Best Actor in a Leading Role | Darkest Hour | Won |
| 1997 | Best British Film | Nil by Mouth | Won |
| 1997 | Best Original Screenplay | Nil by Mouth | Won |
| SAG Awards | |||
| 2018 | Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role | Won | |
| Other honors | |||
| 2025 | Knight Bachelor | Won | |
| 2018 | Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Actor | Darkest Hour | Won |
Online
Official profiles and reference pages.