Gary Oldman turns 65: 5 roles to remember

Talented, chameleonic, incredibly alive. But also genius and recklessness, between successes and defeats in work and in private life. It’s hard not to mention the name of Gary Oldman in the lists of the best international actors and not simply for some of his recent interpretations: the Londoner has always shown that he can make a difference regardless of the caliber of the project, regardless of the genre and regardless of the direction.

From the character of Sirius Black in the “Harry Potter” series to that of James Gordon in the Dark Knight trilogy directed by Christopher Nolan, passing through the sumptuous acting in “Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are dead”, awarded with the Golden Lion in 1990: Gary Oldman navigated between reality and fiction, between thriller and fantasy, between comedy and drama without ever sparing himself. Charismatic and with a thousand faces, complex and indecipherable: the Londoner can boast an enviable palmares, yet he hasn’t collected what he deserved. In fact, he is also part of that group of actors who are a little too underestimated by the cinema system, unable to fully understand his extraordinary versatility. Gary Oldman turns 65 today, a milestone to be celebrated with the five best performances of him.

Sid & Nancy (1986)

Presented at the 39th Cannes Film Festival in Quinzaine des Realisateurs, “Sid & Nancy” by Alex Cox marks the big screen debut of Gary Oldman. The London actor plays Sid Vicious, former bassist of the Sex Pistols punk band with a wild life. A story with a few too many inaccuracies, but characterized by intense and powerful acting performances.

Leon (1994)

Among the few exploits of Luc Besson’s career, “Leon” has gone down in history above all for the performances of its protagonists. Together with Jean Reno and Natalie Portman, the talent of Gary Oldman, here in the role of Norman Stranfield, corrupt DEA agent and drug addict. A fascinating and magnetic interpretation, even if as a psychotic villain.

The Mole (2011)

Gary Oldman earned his first Academy Award nomination in 2012 for his performance in it “The mole”directed by Tomas Alfredson and based on the 1974 novel of the same name. The Briton plays MI6 agent George Smiley and gives the character some bewitching nuances, returning the intentions and feelings of the character born from the pen of John le Carrè.

Darkest Hour (2017)

Gary Oldman in the footsteps of Winston Churchill ne “Darkest Hour”, his best interpretation but also one of the most beautiful performances of recent years. Over 200 hours of make-up to complete the transformation into the former British prime minister, but also poisoning from the 400 cigars smoked during filming. Body and soul for an intense and never over the top test. Among the various awards the Academy Award, the Golden Globe, the BAFTA Award, the Critics Choice Award and the Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Actor.

Mank (2020)

The performance in “Mank” by David Finche gave Gary Oldman his third and so far last Oscar nomination. The film follows the life of screenwriter Herman J. Mankiewicz, a borderline, arrogant and likable character. Extraordinary dialogues however verbose, a continuous flow of quality.

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