Gary Oldman: A transformative genius with Parthenope on the horizon

Oscar, BAFTA, and Golden Globe-winning actor, known as a “chameleon” for his transformative performances, Gary Oldman is celebrated for bringing audiences to tears with his talent. His latest project is titled “Parthenope.”

Gary Oldman has never been ordinary—neither as a person nor as an actor. Even the odd jobs he took during his youth were out of the ordinary. He has worked as a surgical orderly, a factory worker, a shoe salesman, and—perhaps most surprisingly—as a butcher’s assistant, decapitating pigs. These were his early years, supplementing the meager income from his debut performances on West End stages. His high paychecks would come later.

Thanks to his distinctive physique and extraordinary ability to transform himself for each role, changing voices and flawlessly mimicking even the most difficult accents, his resume is packed with unforgettable characters. He was the controversial Sex Pistols bassist Sid Vicious in Sid and Nancy (1986), the romantic Count Dracula in Francis Ford Coppola’s Dracula (1992), the ruthless pimp Drexl Spivey in True Romance (1993), Gotham City’s law-abiding Commissioner in Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy, the cartoonishly evil Zorg in The Fifth Element (1997), the fearless spy George Smiley in Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011), and the impeccably portrayed Winston Churchill in Darkest Hour (2017)—a role that earned him his first Oscar. More recently, he delivered a stunning performance as the alcoholic screenwriter Herman Mankiewicz in Mank (2020).

Oldman has been married five times—his second wife being Uma Thurman, then just 20 years old. Their marriage lasted only three years, from 1990 to 1992. He has three children and two grandchildren. His fifth and current wife (for now) is author and art curator Gisele Schmidt, who has proudly held the title of Mrs. Gary Oldman since 2017.

At 66, Oldman has battled a 25-year alcohol addiction, a string of failed marriages, and being typecast as deranged characters. Yet, he still hopes to one day land his dream role: “Those who know me understand that I have a sense of humor, that I’m a bit of a clown. I would love for someone to explore that side of me and send me a script for a romantic comedy.”

Although his new film, Parthenope, is an impressive work, it once again fails to fulfill his secret wish. But even so, he remains extraordinary.

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