Patrick Bennet 
From humble beginnings as a salesperson in a sports shop to becoming one of the most famous actors of our time, Gary Oldman worked his way up to a respectable spot in Hollywood. Despite playing some of this generation’s most beloved characters, such as Sirius Black in the “Harry Potter” series, Detective James Gordon in “The Dark Night” trilogy, and winning numerous movie awards, he still does not have an Academy Award, as reported by Ranker.
His “big” acting style and diverse career including theatre, film and television made him one of the most recognizable faces on the screen. He is also known for writing and directing his own movie, “Nil by Mouth” and despite it being his first, the movie won him two British Academy Film Awards for Best British Film and Original Screenplay, also a Kathy Burke Best Actress prize at the Cannes Film Festival in 1997.
Becoming one of the best actors worldwide was not an easy thing to achieve. As with many other celebrities, he had to mature quickly in order to provide for his family. At the age of 16, he left Deptford’s West Greenwich School to work as a salesman in a sports shop and continued working many other basic jobs, such as a porter in an operating theatre and beheading pigs in an abattoir.
A scholarship led him to the Rose Bruford College in Sidcup, Southern London, from which he graduated with a BA in Acting in 1979. His passion and persuasiveness made him the first in his class to receive professional work after leaving school. In an interview he admits that acting is his way out and “avenue for escape” from himself by “stepping into the characteristics of someone else”.
In 1986 his leading role as the punk icon Sid Vicious in “Sid & Nancy” brought him the attention of Hollywood and proved he could reinvent himself for any role. Since then his career had only risen up.
In 1990, his role in “State of Grace” was highly appreciated by the US film critics. His next big role was in the movie JFK, playing Lee Harvey Oswald. A character for whom Oldman had to do his own research to play, as very little was written about Oswald in the script.
His next role as Count Dracula in “Bram Stoker’s Dracula” won him an award for Best Actor by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films. Following that, in 1994 Gary Oldman was offered a role as the corrupted DEA officer Norman Stansfield in “Leon: The Professional”, a character described by many as one of the best villains in cinema.
After a couple of years out of the spotlight, in 2004 Oldman appeared back on screen with one of the most memorable roles in his career. The “Harry Potter” series of films are some of the most influential and inspirational for the young generation. In the film, Gary Oldman was recognized for his outstanding role as Harry Potter’s godfather Sirius Black. The following year granted Oldman with another big role as James Gordon in “The Dark Night” trilogy. Enormous appreciation was shown and profits were high for all members of the cast. All three films earned top positions on various cinema charts.
Even though he hasn’t yet won an Academy Award, Gary Oldman was nominated for one in 2012 for his role as George Smiley in “Tinker Taylor Soldier Spy”. The actor revealed that in the process of fitting into the skin of George Smiley, he gained 15 pounds and met Smiley’s creator John le Carre in order to nail the role.
As hard as it can be, Oldman chose to keep his personal life for himself and be extremely careful when it comes to sharing facts about his private life. However, he is very opinionated which is believed to be the reason why he doesn’t really get along with the Golden Globe event founders. He thinks the gathering is only a marketing strategy, rather than a celebration of art, and he doesn’t hide his point of view. On the other hand, his latest role as Winston Churchill in “Darkest Hour” could be his next chance winning an Oscar. The biopic is Oldman’s second and fans worldwide are hoping to see their cherished actor holding the Academy award.
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