One of the most versatile English actors, Gary Oldman turns 63 today. From playing Harry Potter’s Godfather, Sirius Black to flawlessly getting under the skin of former English Prime Minister, Winston Churchill in The Darkest Hour, Gary has enthralled his audience and critics with a wide range of performances throughout his career that started in 1979 from theatre.
Gary had a fulfilling stage career during which he performed at London’s Royal Court and was a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company. He made his debut in movies with the 1982 movie Remembrance. He then went on to play Sid Vicious a bassist of a punk rock band called Sex Pistols in the British movie Sid and Nancy in 1986. The movie brought much deserved attention to Gary, who from there starred in various movies like True Romance, Hannibal, Dracula and more.
Most recently, the actor has impressed critics and the jury of Academy Awards with his acting. Let us take a look at all the movies of Gary that have been nominated for the Academy Awards:
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011):Gary received his maiden Oscar nomination for best actor with this movie. Directed by Tomas Alfredson, the movie was a screen adaptation of John Le Carre’s spy novel. The movie also starred Colin Firth, Tom Hardy, John Hurt, Toby Jones, Mark Strong, Benedict Cumberbatch, Ciarán Hinds, David Dencik and Kathy Burke in supporting roles. Gary plays George Smiley, an espionage veteran in the bleak days of the Cold War, who is forced from semi-retirement to uncover a Soviet Agent within MI6.
The Darkest Hour (2018):The British star won his first Oscar in the best actor category for this biopic of Winston Churchill. The uncanny resemblance that the actor showed, in terms of makeup, body language and speaking, has certainly left quite an impression. The movie traces the story of the controversial British leader who had to face one of his toughest run as prime minister. Directed by Joe Wright, the film shows an impeccable performance of Gary where he is trying to warn the world of the dangers he foresees in Adolf Hitler, Churchill’s contemporary and leader of Germany.
Mank (2020):This year, Gary has been nominated for his third Oscar for his performance in Mank. This is another biopic in which Gary is portraying Herman Mankiewicz, the screenwriter who worked with Orson Welles to write Citizen Kane. Directed by David Fincher, Mank also stars Amanda Seyfried, who has also been nominated for an Oscar in the best supporting actress category for the movie.