Guy Edward Pearce (born 5 October 1967) is an Australian actor. His accolades include a Primetime Emmy Award, as well as nominations for an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, two Golden Globe Awards and eight AACTA Awards.
Born in Cambridgeshire, England, and raised in Geelong, Australia, Pearce received international attention for his break-out roles in The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (1994), L.A. Confidential (1997), Ravenous (1999), and Memento (2000). His subsequent roles were in The Time Machine (2002), The Count of Monte Cristo (2002), Bedtime Stories (2008), The Road (2009), The Hurt Locker (2009), The King's Speech (2010), Lawless (2012), and Mary Queen of Scots (2018).
He portrayed Peter Weyland in Prometheus (2012) and Alien: Covenant (2017), and acted in the Marvel Cinematic Universe playing Aldrich Killian in the film Iron Man 3 (2013). In Australian cinema he has acted in The Proposition (2005), Animal Kingdom (2010), The Rover (2014), and Swinging Safari (2018). For his performance as a wealthy industrialist in The Brutalist (2024), he received Academy Award and BAFTA Award nominations for Best Supporting Actor.
On television, he has played the title role in the series of films Jack Irish (2012–2021). Pearce co-starred alongside Kate Winslet in the HBO miniseries Mildred Pierce (2011) and Mare of Easttown (2021). The former won him a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor.
Early life and education Guy Edward Pearce was born on 5 October 1967 in Ely, Cambridgeshire, England. His father, Stuart Pearce, was a Royal New Zealand Air Force pilot and RAF test pilot, and his mother, Anne Cocking (), was an English schoolteacher. He has an elder sister, Tracy. When Pearce was three years old, the family relocated to Geelong, Victoria, Australia. When he was eight years old, Pearce's father died in an aircraft accident.Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 4 February 2019.
Pearce attended Geelong College, and was a member of the Geelong Society of Operatic and Dramatic Arts Junior Players. His mother was a keen theatre goer, Pearce would accompany her. He began appearing in amateur theatre productions from the age of 11, such as The King and I, Alice in Wonderland, and The Wizard of Oz. At the age of 16, he was a competitive amateur bodybuilder, leading to the title of Junior Mr. Victoria.
His first film appearance, while still at Geelong College, was in a film titled Life and Study at University, produced and directed by Peter Lane of Deakin University.
Career Film and television Pearce transitioned to television when he was cast in the Australian soap opera Neighbours in 1986, playing the role of Mike Young for three years. He reprised the role in 2022 for the show's then final episode, and returned to make multiple guest appearances in the revival from 2023 to 2024. Pearce also found roles in other television series such as Home and Away (1988) and Snowy River: The McGregor Saga (1993).
The director/producer/writer Frank Howson cast Pearce in his first three films, Heaven Tonight, Hunting, and Flynn, and paid for him to go to the Cannes Film Festival in 1991 for the premiere of the Howson-directed Hunting. The accompanying Howson-funded publicity campaign brought Pearce to the attention of the international film industry. He made his first major film breakthrough shortly after, with his role as a drag queen in The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert in 1994. Since then, he has appeared in several US productions including L.A. Confidential, Ravenous, Rules of Engagement, Memento, The Count of Monte Cristo, and The Time Machine.
Pearce portrayed pop artist Andy Warhol in Factory Girl and Harry Houdini in Death Defying Acts. He also appeared in The Road and in Bedtime Stories with Adam Sandler. Pearce continued to perform in Australian films, such as The Hard Word (2002) and The Proposition (2005), written by fellow Australian Nick Cave.
In January 2009, Pearce returned to the stage after a seven-year absence. He performed in the Melbourne Theatre Company's production of Poor Boy, a play with music, co-written by Matt Cameron and Tim Finn. In 2009, he portrayed Staff Sergeant Matthew Thompson in The Hurt Locker. In 2010, he appeared as David, Prince of Wales, who became Edward VIII, in The King's Speech. Both films won the Academy Award for Best Picture, making Pearce the first actor to appear in back-to-back Best Picture winners since Michael Peña (who appeared in Million Dollar Baby and Crash).
Pearce starred as the eponymous lead in the Australian TV miniseries Jack Irish, an adaptation of the detective novels of author Peter Temple broadcast on the ABC network in 2012. In May 2012, Pearce was cast to star in David Michôd's The Rover. In 2013, Pearce played the villain character Aldrich Killian in Iron Man 3. Pearce appeared in a documentary special celebrating Neighbours 30th anniversary, Neighbours 30th: The Stars Reunite, which aired in Australia and the UK in 2015. Pearce had a supporting role in Neil Armfield's 2015 romantic-drama film Holding the Man. Pearce later joined the epic period drama The Brutalist (2024), which was directed by Brady Corbet. He received widespread acclaim for his performance, and he received nominations for the Golden Globe Award, British Academy Film Award, and Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.
In 2026, Pearce starred in the post-apocalyptic action thriller The Dog Stars, which reunited him with director Ridley Scott. Later that year, he starred as Rupert Murdoch in Danny Boyle's Ink, which was adapted from the play of the same name.
Music In 1989, Pearce released the single "Call of the Wild" from the soundtrack Heaven Tonight. The song peaked at number 156 on the ARIA Charts. He appeared in Australian band Silverchair's music video for "Across the Night" and in Razorlight's video for "Before I Fall to Pieces." Pearce recorded the soundtrack for A Slipping-Down Life, singing and playing guitar on cover versions of songs by Ron Sexsmith, Vic Chesnutt and Robyn Hitchcock. Pearce released his first album, Broken Bones, in November 2014. Pearce released his second studio album, The Nomad, in 2018.
Personal life Pearce married his childhood sweetheart, psychologist Kate Mestitz, in March 1997. In October 2015, Pearce announced that he and his wife of eighteen years had divorced. In the same year, Pearce revealed that he was in a relationship with Dutch actress Carice van Houten; they had a son in August 2016. In January 2025, Van Houten stated that she and Pearce had separated, and have "... not been a couple for years". The couple did not share when their relationship ended.
In February 2025, Pearce accused his L.A. Confidential co-star Kevin Spacey of sexually harassing him while filming the movie. Spacey responded to the accusation by posting a video on the social media platform X, in which he told Pearce to "grow up" and said he was "not a victim."
Pearce has supported charitable organisations relating to animal conservation and habitat preservation as well as publicly expressing his solidarity with Palestine during the Gaza war. He is a signatory of the Film Workers for Palestine boycott pledge that was published in September 2025. In late 2025, Pearce shared posts on social media for which he later apologised, including material from Holocaust-denying white supremacist Nick Fuentes. Pearce later told Jewish News he had inadvertently re-posted content containing "misinformation and falsehoods”. He issued an apology and said that he would be leaving social media for some time.
Acting credits
Film Year Title Role Notes 1990 Heaven Tonight Paul Dysart 1991 Hunting Sharp 1994 The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert Adam Whitely / Felicia Jollygoodfellow 1996 Dating the Enemy Brett/Tash 1997 Flynn Errol Flynn L.A. Confidential Detective Lieutenant Ed Exley 1998 Brand New World Jimmy Compton aka Woundings 1999 Ravenous Captain John Boyd "Drumstrings" Casey 2000 Rules of Engagement Major Mark Biggs Memento Leonard Shelby 2002 Dale Alexander Hartdegen Fernand Mondego Till Human Voices Wake Us Dr. Sam Franks 2004 Two Brothers Aidan McRory 2005 Charlie Burns 2006 First Snow Jimmy Starks Factory Girl Andy Warhol 2008 Death Defying Acts Harry Houdini Winged Creatures Dr. Bruce Laraby Traitor FBI Agent Roy Clayton Bedtime Stories Kendall 2009 In Her Skin Mr. Barber aka I Am You The Veteran Staff Sergeant Matt Thompson 2010 King Edward VIII Animal Kingdom Detective Nathan Leckie 2011 33 Postcards Dean Randall Don't Be Afraid of the Dark Alex Hirst Seeking Justice Simon 2012 Lockout Marion Snow TED 2023 Peter Weyland Short film Prometheus Lawless Special Deputy Charley Rakes 2013 Breathe In Keith Reynolds Iron Man 3 Aldrich Killian Hateship, Loveship Ken Gaudette 2014 The Rover Eric 2015 Results Trevor Holding the Man Dick Conigrave Lorne Lorne Short film Equals Jonas 2016 Genius F. Scott Fitzgerald Brimstone Reverend 2017 Alien: Covenant Peter Weyland Uncredited 2018 Swinging Safari Keith Hall The Catcher Was a Spy Robert Furman Spinning Man Evan Birch Mary Queen of Scots William Cecil 2019 Domino Joe Martin The Last Vermeer Han van Meegeren 2020 Disturbing the Peace Jim Dillon Bloodshot Dr. Emil Harting 2021 The Seventh Day Peter Costello Without Remorse Secretary Thomas Clay Zone 414 David Carmichael Back to the Outback Frank (voice) 2022 Memory Vincent Serra The Infernal Machine Bruce Cogburn 2023 The Convert Thomas Munro 2024 Sunrise Reynolds The Shrouds Maury Inside Warren Murfett The Brutalist Harrison Lee Van Buren 2025 Killing Faith Dr. Bender The Woman in Cabin 10 Richard Bullmer 2026 The Dog Stars Pops Ink Rupert Murdoch TBA Post-production Harry S. Truman Post-production Trevor Huddleston Post-production Clay Mercer Post-production Nigel Post-production Uncle Joe (voice) Filming Adam Whitely / Felicia Jollygoodfellow Filming
Television Year Title Role Notes 1986–89, 2022–24 Neighbours Mike Young 1991 Home and Away David Croft 12 episodes 1994–1996 Snowy River: The McGregor Saga Rob McGregor 65 episodes 1997 Michael Television film 1997 Halifax f.p. Daniel & Richard Viney Episode: "Déjà Vu" 2011 Mildred Pierce Monty Beragon 5 episodes 2012 Jack Irish: Bad Debts Jack Irish Television film Jack Irish: Black Tide 2014 Sean Saves the World Liam Stone Episode: "The Dark Sean Rises" Jack Irish: Dead Point Jack Irish Television film 2015 Neighbours 30th: The Stars Reunite Himself Documentary Between a Frock and a Hard Place 2016–2021 Jack Irish Jack Irish 16 episodes 2016 The Wizards of Aus Morgan Wright Episode: "Honk" 2017 When We Rise Cleve Jones8 episodes 2018 The Innocents Halvorson 8 episodes 2019 A Christmas Carol Ebenezer Scrooge 3 episodes 2021 Advancing Australia Himself (host) Documentary series Mare of Easttown Richard Ryan6 episodes 2022 A Spy Among Friends Kim Philby 6 episodes2023 The ClearingBryce Latham8 episodes
Theatre + Year Title Role Company 1980 Sinbad Chorus Member Gsoda Junior Players 1981 Aladdin 1982 Hans Christian Andersen Professor Pfeiffer 1983 The Wizard of Oz The Tin Man 1984 Queen of Hearts The Racing Demon Snap 2023 And Thus Began the Tale Himself
Music videos Year Title Role Artist 2002 "Across the Night" Man Silverchair 2021 "Follow Me Around" The Man Radiohead
Discography Broken Bones (2014) The Nomad (2018)
Awards and nominations
On 18 September 2011, Pearce won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or Movie for his work in Todd Haynes' limited series Mildred Pierce as Monty Beragon. Pearce received a Golden Globe Award nomination for his performance. Pearce has been nominated for three Screen Actors Guild Awards winning for Outstanding Cast in a Motion Picture along with the cast of The King's Speech (2010). Pearce was nominated with the cast of L.A. Confidential (1997) and Mildred Pierce (2011).
See also List of Academy Award winners and nominees from Australia