English actor and filmmaker Sir Gary Oldman made his film debut in the 1982 British ensemble drama Remembrance. He rose to prominence in British film with his portrayals of Sid Vicious in Sid and Nancy (1986), Joe Orton in Prick Up Your Ears (1987) and Rosencrantz in Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead (1990), while also gaining attention as the leader of a gang of football hooligans in the made-for-television drama film The Firm (1989). Regarded as a member of the "Brit Pack", he is also known for portraying a New York gangster in the American neo-noir crime film State of Grace (1990), Lee Harvey Oswald in JFK (1991) and Count Dracula in Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992).
Oldman is known for his portrayal of villains, like in the films True Romance with Christian Slater (1993), as Norman Stansfield in Léon: The Professional with Jean Reno (1994), The Fifth Element with Bruce Willis (1997), Air Force One with Harrison Ford (1997) and The Contender again with Christian Slater (2000). In 2004, he was cast as Sirius Black in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, the third film in the Harry Potter film series, reprising the role in Goblet of Fire, Order of the Phoenix and a cameo in Deathly Hallows – Part 2. He also played James Gordon in The Dark Knight Trilogy (2005–2012), George Smiley in Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011) and Dreyfus in Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014).
Oldman's portrayal of Winston Churchill in the 2017 war drama film Darkest Hour earned him an Academy Award for Best Actor, a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Motion Picture Drama, and a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role.
Oldman has executive produced films like The Contender, Plunkett & Macleane (1999) and Nil by Mouth (1997), the latter of which he also wrote and directed. He's been featured in television shows such as Fallen Angels (1993), Tracey Takes On... (1999) and Friends (2001). He has voiced the characters Ignitus and Viktor Reznov in the video games The Legend of Spyro and Call of Duty, respectively.
Acting credits Film Year Title Role Notes 1982 Remembrance Daniel 1986 Sid and Nancy 1987 Prick Up Your Ears 1988 Track 29 Martin Criminal Law We Think the World of You Johnny 1989 Chattahoochee 1990 Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead Rosencrantz State of Grace Henry & June Pop Credited as Maurice Escargot 1991 JFK 1992 Bram Stoker's Dracula Count Dracula 1993 True Romance Romeo Is Bleeding 1994 Léon: The Professional Immortal Beloved 1995 Murder in the First 1996 Basquiat 1997 Air Force One Nil by Mouth Director, writer, and producer only 1998 Lost in Space Quest for Camelot Voice 1999 Plunkett & Macleane Executive producer only 2000 Also executive producer 2001 Nobody's Baby Also producer Hannibal Uncredited 2002 Interstate 60 The Devil Short film Tiptoes Rolfe Bedalia 2003 Sin Charlie Kraken / Charlie Strom 2004 Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban 2005 Batman Begins Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire Sirius Black Cameo appearance 2006 Paul 2007 Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix Sirius Black 2008Dead Fish Lynch James Gordon 2009 Rain Fall Tiny Tim / Bob Cratchit / Jacob Marley Motion capture Planet 51 Voice 2010 Bill Carnegie Countdown to Zero Narrator Documentary One Night in Turin 2011 Red Riding Hood Kung Fu Panda 2 Voice Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 Sirius Black Cameo Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy Guns, Girls and Gambling Elvis Elvis 2012 James Gordon Lawless 2013 Paranoia 2014 RoboCop Dawn of the Planet of the Apes Dreyfus 2015 Child 44 2016 Man Down Criminal 2017 Darkest Hour 2018 Tau Tau Voice Hunter Killer 2019 Killers Anonymous Mary David 2020 Mank 2021 Crisis 2023 Oppenheimer Harry S. TrumanCameo 2024 Parthenope John Cheever
Television Year Title Role Notes 1983 Meantime Coxy Television film 1984 Dramarama Ben Episode: "On Your Tod" 1984 Morgan's Boy Colin 4 episodes 1985 Summer Season Gary Episode: "Rachel and the Roarettes" 1986 Honest, Decent and True Television film 1989 Screen Two Episode: The Firm Knots Landing Episode: "Close Call" 1991 Heading Home Television film 1992 Beyond 'JFK': The Question of Conspiracy Himself Television documentary film 1993 Fallen Angels Episode: "Dead End for Delia" 1999 Tracey Takes On... Hairdresser Episode: "Hair" Jesus Television film 2001 Friends Episode: "The One with Monica and Chandler's Wedding" 2002 Greg the Bunny Himself Episode: "Piddler on the Roof" 2022 Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts HBO Max special 2022–present Slow Horses Main role, also executive producer (since season 6)
Theatre Year Title Role Playwright Venue 1979 Thark Lionel Frush Ben Travers York Theatre RoyalKing, Darryn Gary Oldman to Return to Stage in Samuel Beckett’s Krapp’s Last Tape October 16, 2024 1982 Summit Conference A Soldier Robert David MacDonald Lyric Theatre, London 1984 Romeo and Juliet Romeo MontagueWilliam ShakespeareRoyal Shakespeare Company 1985 Hamlet Rosencrantz 1987 Cabaret The Emcee Joe Masteroff / John Kander / Fred Ebb 2025 Krapp's Last Tape Krapp Samuel Beckett York Theatre Royal 2026Royal Court Theatre
Video games Year Title Voice role Notes 1993 Count Dracula 1998 2003 Medal of Honor: Allied Assault - Spearhead True Crime: Streets of LA 2006 Ignitus 2007 2008 Call of Duty: World at War 2010 Call of Duty: Black Ops 2012 Call of Duty: Black Ops II Archive voice clips (uncredited) 2015 Lego Dimensions 2026 Squadron 42 Also motion capture
See also List of awards and nominations received by Gary Oldman
References
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