Wissenswertes

Has used a different speaking voice (i.e., accent) in practically every movie in which he has ever been.

Was famously told by the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts (RADA) to find a new career other than acting before training at Rose Bruford.

As of July 2014, films starring Oldman have grossed over $3.8 billion at the United States box office, and over $9.9 billion worldwide. In 2012, The Hollywood Reporter named Oldman the highest-grossing actor in history, based on lead and supporting roles.

Before his nod for Dame, König, As, Spion (2011), he was considered one of the greatest actors never nominated for an Oscar.

His performance as Sid Vicious in Sid & Nancy (1986) is ranked #62 on Premiere magazine's 100 Greatest Performances of All Time (2006).

Performed a vocal duet with David Bowie for the song "You've Been Around" on the album "The Sacred Squall of Now" (1995) by longtime Bowie guitarist Reeves Gabrels. He is also featured on the song "Stamford Hill" on the same album.

On August 8, 1991, he was arrested for drunk driving in Los Angeles and released on bail the next morning. His passenger in the car was his friend Kiefer Sutherland.

Played Lee Harvey Oswald in both JFK: Tatort Dallas (1991) and Who Was Lee Harvey Oswald? (1993).

He took on the role of Sirius Black in the Harry Potter films partially to impress his sons, but mainly because he needed the money, having taken a year off work to spend time with his family.

Is very close to Harry Potter co-star Daniel Radcliffe.

Actors Tom Hardy and Alexander Skarsgård have named Oldman as their favorite actor.

When their 18-month marriage ended, he and Uma Thurman made a pact not to talk about each other.

Turned down the title role in Edward mit den Scherenhänden (1990), which went to Johnny Depp.

Was a friend of David Bowie and he paid tribute to him at the BRIT awards after Bowie passed away.

Received the scar below his right eye during a rehearsal for Meantime (1983), where Tim Roth threw a bottle that hit a light and fell on Oldman.

Directed a music video for Jewish hip-hop group Chutzpah shot entirely on Nokia cell phones. Actress Juliet Landau directed a 25-minute documentary - Take Flight: Gary Oldman Directs Chutzpah (2009) - about the making of the music video.

Auditioned for the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts (RADA) but was rejected and told by advisers that he should consider something besides acting.

In 2011, he named his five favorite films as Apocalypse Now (1979), Der Dialog (1974), Der Pate 2 (1974), Badlands - Zerschossene Träume (1973) and Ratcatcher (1999) and cites his director from Bram Stokers Dracula (1992), Francis Ford Coppola, as his favorite filmmaker.

His problems with alcohol were well known during the early 1990s: he checked himself into rehab for alcoholism treatment in 1995. In subsequent interviews Oldman acknowledged his problems with alcohol, and called himself a recovering alcoholic in a 2001 interview with Charlie Rose. Oldman lives a teetotal lifestyle and attributes his success in beating his addiction to attending meetings with Alcoholics Anonymous, whom he has publicly praised.

He went uncredited for Hannibal (2001) when he was denied star billing with Anthony Hopkins and Julianne Moore.

Has been an inspiration to many actors including up and comers Michael Fassbender, Bo Barrett, Ryan Gosling, Shia LaBeouf, Chris Kato, and Kaili Thorne.

Christian Bale, Hugh Jackman, Benedict Cumberbatch, Shia LaBeouf, Ben Mendelsohn, Johnny Depp, Jason Isaacs, Josep Gordon Levitt, Chris Pine, Tom Hiddleston, Jessica Chastain, and Michael Fassbender have all named Oldman as a major influence.

Used to work various jobs on assembly lines, as a porter in an operating theatre, selling shoes, and beheading pigs in an abattoir.

Harry Potter co-star Jason Isaacs lists him as one of his favorite actors.

His older sister Laila Morse plays the character Maureen "Big Mo" Harris on the British soap opera EastEnders (1985).

Filmed a role in Der schmale Grat (1998) but all his scenes were deleted from the final cut.

Attended and graduated from Rose Bruford Drama College three year acting course BA-Hons in London, England.

His film Nil by Mouth (1997) is loosely based upon his own life growing up in London.

Friends with Benedict Cumberbatch.

Submitted a recorded voice audition for General Grievous in Star Wars: Episode III - Die Rache der Sith (2005). George Lucas later chose the anonymous audition of Matthew Wood for the role instead.

Has three sons: Alfie Oldman (born 1988) from his first marriage to Lesley Manville. Gulliver Flynn Oldman (born August 20, 1997) and Charlie John Oldman (born February 11, 1999) with Donya Fiorentino.

Since moving to the US, he had lost most of his native English accent over the years. With the help of a voice coach, he relearned it in order to portray the character George Smiley in Dame, König, As, Spion (2011).

Is the third actor to be nominated for an Oscar for playing a role in a John le Carré novel adaptation. The others were Richard Burton for Der Spion, der aus der Kälte kam (1965) and Rachel Weisz who won the award for her performance in Der ewige Gärtner (2005).

Like Ian McKellen, he has taken on popular characters in screen adaptations of cult favorite fantasy novels and comic books. He appeared as James Gordon in Batman Begins (2005) and The Dark Knight (2008) and as Sirius Black in the middle three Harry Potter films: Harry Potter und der Gefangene von Askaban (2004), Harry Potter und der Feuerkelch (2005), and Harry Potter und der Orden des Phönix (2007).

Director Patrice Chéreau originally wanted him for the lead role in Intimacy (2001), which he turned down because of the sex scenes.

For his portrayal of Churchill in Die dunkelste Stunde (2017), he became the third performer to win an Oscar for playing a British prime minister. The first was George Arliss for Disraeli (1929) and the second was Meryl Streep for Die Eiserne Lady (2011).

He and his ex-wife, Uma Thurman, have both appeared in Batman films. Thurman played Poison Ivy in Batman & Robin (1997), and Oldman played James Gordon in Batman Begins (2005).

He turned down the villain role in Speed 2: Cruise Control (1997) in order to play the villain in Air Force One (1997).

Starred in David Bowie's music video David Bowie: The Next Day (2013) alongside Marion Cotillard, his co-star in The Dark Knight Rises (2012).

Despite numerous lead and supporting roles in major Hollywood films, he is intensely private about his personal life and is known for his stance on celebrity and the ideals of Hollywood.

Actors Tom Hardy and Joseph Gordon-Levitt have cited Oldman as their inspiration.

He was a pianist as a child, and later a singer, but gave up his musical aspirations to pursue an acting career after seeing Malcolm McDowell's performance in Der wütende Mond (1971). In a 1995 interview with Charlie Rose, Oldman said: "Something about Malcolm just arrested me, and I connected, and I said, 'I wanna do that'.".

During their divorce, Donya Fiorentino claimed that Oldman physically assaulted her in front of the pair's children. Oldman denied the accusation. Police investigated but filed no charges, and Oldman was awarded sole legal and physical custody of the children. Gulliver later asserted that the alleged incident was a fabrication on the part of his "sad and very troubled" mother.

Member of jury at the Cannes Film Festival in 1993.

Is the second actor to be nominated for a Best Actor Oscar for playing a lead character in a John le Carré novel adaptation. This first was Richard Burton for "The Spy Who Came in from the Cold," which featured George Smiley.

Brad Pitt and Ryan Gosling have both cited Oldman as their favorite actor.

Although he has spent much of his career playing psychotic and sadistic characters, he has recently moved away from that on-screen image by playing more likeable, sympathetic characters like Sirius Black (in Harry Potter und der Gefangene von Askaban (2004), Harry Potter und der Feuerkelch (2005), and Harry Potter und der Orden des Phönix (2007)) and James Gordon (in Batman Begins (2005)).

Appears in Harry Potter und der Feuerkelch (2005) and Harry Potter und der Orden des Phönix (2007) with Ralph Fiennes. Both of them have played villains in the Hannibal Lecter series: Fiennes played Francis Dolarhyde in Roter Drache (2002), and Oldman played Mason Verger in Hannibal (2001).

His The Dark Knight Rises (2012) co-star Tom Hardy has named Oldman as his idol and described him as "hands down, the greatest actor that's ever lived".

Gary was first inspired to pursue an acting career after seeing Malcolm McDowell's performance in Der wütende Mond (1971).