Gary Oldman

Gary Oldman is known to millions worldwide for his work in some of the top-grossing film franchises of all time.  Harry Potter's godfather, Sirius Black, and Batman's crime-fighting ally Commissioner Gordon, as well as Dracula, Beethoven, Lee Harvey Oswald and Sid Vicious, are just a few of the memorable roles he has created as an indelible presence in motion pictures.

Oldman began his career in 1979 on the London stage.  Between 1985 and 1989 he acted exclusively at London's Royal Court Theatre and, in 1985, was named Best Newcomer by London's Time Out for his work in "The Pope's Wedding."  That same year he shared the London Critics' Circle Best Actor Award with Anthony Hopkins.

In 1986, Oldman made his major feature film debut in "Sid & Nancy," winning the Evening Standard British Film Award for Most Promising Newcomer for his portrayal of punk rock legend Sid Vicious.  The following year, he starred in Stephen Frears' "Prick Up Your Ears," winning the Best Actor Award from the London Film Critics Circle for his portrayal of doomed British playwright Joe Orton.  He has since become one of the industry's most respected actors, appearing in both mainstream hits and acclaimed independent films.  Oldman's early film credits also include Nicolas Roeg's "Track 29"; "Criminal Law"; "Chattahoochee"; Tom Stoppard's "Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead," for which he received an Independent Spirit Award nomination for Best Actor; "State of Grace"; "Henry & June"; Oliver Stone's "JFK," playing Lee Harvey Oswald; and the title role in Francis Ford Coppola's "Dracula."

Oldman's subsequent film work includes memorable roles in Tony Scott's "True Romance"; "Romeo is Bleeding"; the Luc Besson films "The Professional" and "The Fifth Element"; "Immortal Beloved"; "Murder in the First"; Roland Joffe's "The Scarlet Letter"; Julian Schnabel's "Basquiat"; Wolfgang Petersen's "Air Force One"; the big screen version of "Lost in Space"; and Ridley Scott's "Hannibal."  More recently, he starred in Robert Zemeckis' adaptation of Charles Dickens' holiday classic "A Christmas Carol" and "The Book of Eli."

In 1995, Oldman and manager/producing partner Douglas Urbanski formed the production company The SE8 Group, which produced Oldman's directorial debut feature "Nil by Mouth," which Oldman also wrote.  The film was invited to open the 1997 50th Cannes Film Festival in the main competition, where Kathy Burke won the Best Actress Award for her role.  In addition, Oldman won two BAFTA Awards for Best British Film and Best Screenplay, the Channel 4 Director's Award at the 1997 Edinburgh International Film Festival, and the Empire Award for Best Debut Film.  He also executive produced and starred in the SE8 Group film "The Contender," which received two Oscar® nominations and brought Oldman a Screen Actors Guild Award® nomination for Best Supporting Actor.

In 2008, Oldman reprised the role of Commissioner Gordon in the year's top-grossing film, "The Dark Knight," having first portrayed the character in "Batman Begins."  He also played Sirius Black in "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban," "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" and "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix." He appered also in films "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy," "Guns, Girls and Gambling," "Criminal Empire for Dummies" and "Money for Nothing."

On the small screen, Oldman earned an Emmy nomination for his guest appearance as an alcoholic actor on the hit comedy series "Friends."  His earlier television work includes the telefilms "Meantime," directed by Mike Leigh, and "The Firm," directed by Alan Clarke.

Warner Bros. Pictures