« preview: vacancy (2007) | Home | today’s quote »
oldman just got another year older
By vrtualme | March 21, 2007
20 years ago Gary Oldman won an Evening Standard British Film Award for Most Promising Newcomer for his portrayal of Sid vicious in the movie Sid and Nancy (1986). And for that same performance he also won my admiration, so I take great pleasure in wishing him a very happy birthday today.
Since then Oldman has continued to put his everything into odd characters in films like Dracula (1992), True Romance (1993), Léon (1994), The Fifth Element (1997) and Hannibal (2001). He’s twice shared the screen with Kevin Bacon; first time playing the good guy against bacon’s bad in Criminal Law (1988), and then the bad against bacon’s good in Murder in the First (1995). Both very good films. And besides playing Sid he has taken an interest in playing other real life people such as Joe Orton in Prick Up Your Ears (1987), Emmett Foley (aka Chris Calhoun) in Chattahoochee (1989; a personal favorite of mine), Lee Harvey Oswald in JFK (1991), Ludwig van Beethoven in Immortal Beloved (1994) and Pontius Pilate in Jesus (1999).
In 1997 Gary wrote, directed and produced Nil by Mouth. A story he says was partially based on his real life. For this he won several awards including the Alexander Korda Award for Best British Film. It’s also considered to be one of the greatest British films of all time.
Just last September Nokia released a short film called ‘donut’ that Oldman shot with his phone. And here it is for your viewing enjoyment…
Big sloppy birthday kisses gary!
Topics: births & deaths, movies |