Michael Sheen, OBE | |
Sheen at the 81st Academy Awards in February 2009 |
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Born | 5 February 1969 Newport, Wales, UK |
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Occupation | Actor |
Years active | 1993–present |
Michael Sheen, OBE (born 5 February 1969) is a BAFTA- and Laurence Olivier Award-nominated Welsh actor.
Having worked with screen writer Peter Morgan on five films,[1] Sheen has become known for his portrayals of well-known public figures: Tony Blair in the Stephen Frears directed films The Deal and The Queen, and again in the upcoming The Special Relationship; David Frost in both the stage production and the film version of Frost/Nixon; and football manager Brian Clough in The Damned United. He is also known for his role as Lucian in the Underworld film series.
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Biography
Early life
Michael Sheen was born in Newport,[2] to Irene and Meyrick Sheen, both of whom worked in personnel management. His father is also a part-time professional Jack Nicholson look-alike.[3][4] Sheen has one sibling, a younger sister named Joanne.
When he was five, the family moved to Liverpool, where as a winger he became a lifelong Liverpool F.C. fan by watching the side of the 1970's.[1][5] Three years later, the family returned to his parents home of Port Talbot, where he attended Glan Afan Comprehensive School and played football for Baglan boys club.[1]
Sheen was offered a trial at Arsenal FC after being spotted by the father of Tony Adams during a family holiday at Pontin's on the Isle of Wight,[5][6] but chose to pursue an acting career instead. "I was wearing a Swansea kit at the time, so everyone called me Swansea, which I hated. Tony Adams was playing against me and I skinned him a few times, so I must have made an impression."[7] Deciding not to take the trial as it would have meant the family leaving Port Talbot for London,[1] he lost interest in football in his early teens as football became a more physical game.[5]
He became interested in the theatre through both school study and parents being members of the local amateur dramatic group,[5] which resulted in Sheen joining the West Glamorgan Youth theatre, where he was a contemporary of writer Russell T Davies. [8] After leaving school Sheen accepted a place to study acting at the National Youth Theatre of Wales in Cardiff, and then trained at the internationally renowned Royal Academy of Dramatic Art.
Career
During his second year at RADA he scored his first starring role, opposite Vanessa Redgrave in When She Danced.[9] Sheen soon established himself as one of the most promising talents on the theatrical scene, notably being cast as Mozart in Peter Shaffer's play Amadeus, which was staged at the Old Vic theatre and directed by Sir Peter Hall. He later reprised this role on Broadway
His screen appearances include the BBC drama serial, Gallowglass (based on the novel by Ruth Rendell), and the films Wilde (1997) (in which he played Robert Ross) and Mary Reilly. However, he remained primarily a stage actor, having starred in high-profile productions of Henry V, Peer Gynt, The Dresser, Caligula and Look Back in Anger, among others.
In 2003, he appeared with Kate Beckinsale in the gothic action film Underworld as the werewolf Lucian. Salon critic Andrew O'Hehir commented that while the "... entire movie is full of campy overacting... Brolly and Sheen seem to have been selected for their talents in this regard."[10] Sheen has also appeared with Beckinsale in the season seven premiere of Punk'd.
He has become well-known for playing real-life characters. He played Tony Blair in the Channel 4 drama The Deal and later, in the film The Queen. He has also played Kenneth Williams in Fantabulosa! on BBC Four, H G Wells in H G Wells: War with the World on BBC Two, and in 2006, he played Nero in the BBC's Ancient Rome: The Rise and Fall of an Empire.
At the 2005 British Academy Television Awards, Sheen was nominated for Best Actor for his performance in the TV drama, Dirty Filthy Love, in which he played a man with obsessive-compulsive disorder. In 2007, he received two BAFTA nominations, this time for Best Supporting Actor in a Film, for his performance in The Queen, and for Best Television Actor, for his role in Fantabulosa; once again, he was unsuccessful in both cases.
Later that year, he played David Frost in the critically acclaimed Donmar Warehouse production of Peter Morgan's Frost/Nixon, which later transferred to the Gielgud Theatre before heading to Broadway in 2007. He has reprised the role in the 2008 Ron Howard-directed film adaptation.
In 2007, he read Paul Torday's novel Salmon Fishing in the Yemen on BBC Radio 4's Book at Bedtime. The same year, Sheen was invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.[11]
On 2 October 2007, it was announced that Peter Morgan was working on a sequel to The Queen, and that Sheen will be reprising his role as Tony Blair.
In January 2009, he returned to the role of Lucian in Underworld: Rise of the Lycans, the third release in the Underworld film series and prequel to the original 2003 film.
In March 2009 Sheen played Brian Clough to critical acclaim in Peter Morgan's adaptation of David Peace's novel The Damned Utd, based on Clough's 44-day spell in charge of Leeds United.
Other future projects include the upcoming Tim Burton film Alice in Wonderland alongside Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter and Anne Hathaway; in a television series My Last Five Girlfriends; in an American thriller, Unthinkable , alongside Samuel L. Jackson and Carrie-Anne Moss, due out in December 2009; and as the vampire Aro in the second installment of the Twilight film series, New Moon, due out on November 20, 2009 (US),[12] and November 27 2009 (UK). He will reprise his role as Tony Blair in The Special Relationship, starring alongside Dennis Quaid as former US President Bill Clinton and Hope Davis as Hillary Clinton. Sheen has also been the subject of rumors concerning the next James Bond film, in which it has been indicated he may play villain Ernst Stavro Blofeld.[13]
Personal life
Sheen and English actress Kate Beckinsale have a daughter, Lily Mo Sheen, born 31 January 1999. When Beckinsale shot the film The Golden Bowl, Sheen hit actor Jeremy Northam after he had insulted Beckinsale.[1] Their seven-year relationship ended when, during the filming of Underworld (in which they both starred), Beckinsale left him for the film's director, Len Wiseman, whom she then married.[14] Although he did not appear in the 2006 sequel Underworld: Evolution, other than in flashbacks to the first film, Sheen had a prominent role in the prequel Underworld 3: The Rise Of The Lycans, which Wiseman produced but did not write or direct,[15] and in which Beckinsale does not appear.[16]
Sheen lived for a time in the United States with Beckinsale, but since their relationship ended, he now splits his time between United Kingdom and Los Angeles co-parenting their daughter.[9] Sheen has been dating ballet dancer Lorraine Stewart since 2003, whom he met while watching cousin Caroline Sheen perform at the National Theatre.[1][5][17]
On 15 July 2008, Sheen was awarded the freedom of the borough of Neath Port Talbot, making him one of the youngest people to receive the honour and putting him amongst a select group of people including Sir Anthony Hopkins.[18]
Sheen was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2009 New Year Honours.[19]
Filmography
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
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1993 | Gallowglass | Joe | Made-for-television |
1995 | Othello | Lodovico | |
1996 | Mary Reilly | Bradshaw | |
1997 | Wilde | Robbie Ross | |
1998 | Lost in France | Owen | Made-for-television |
2002 | Heartlands | Colin | |
The Four Feathers | William Trench | ||
2003 | Bright Young Things | Miles | |
Underworld | Lucian | ||
The Deal | Tony Blair | Made-for-television | |
Timeline | Lord Oliver de Vannes | ||
2004 | Laws of Attraction | Thorne Jamison | |
Dirty Filthy Love | Mark Furness | Made-for-television Nominated Best Actor by BAFTA |
|
The Banker | The Banker | Short film | |
2005 | Dead Long Enough | Harry Jones | |
Kingdom of Heaven | Priest | ||
The Open Doors | Framton Nuttel | Short film | |
The League of Gentlemen's Apocalypse | Jeremy Dyson | ||
2006 | Underworld: Evolution | Lucian | Flash backs only |
Kenneth Williams: Fantabulosa! | Kenneth Williams | Made-for-television | |
The Queen | Tony Blair | Nominated Best Actor in a Supporting Role by BAFTA | |
Ancient Rome: The Rise and Fall of an Empire | Nero | 6 part television series | |
HG Wells: War with the World | H. G. Wells | Made-for-television | |
Blood Diamond | Simmons | ||
2007 | Music Within | Art Honeyman | |
Airlock Or How To Say Goodbye In Space | Adam Banton | Short film | |
2008 | Frost/Nixon | David Frost | Film nominated for five Academy Awards |
2009 | Underworld: Rise of the Lycans | Lucian | |
The Damned United | Brian Clough | ||
New Moon | Aro | post-prodution; Release Date: 20 November 2009 (US), 27 November 2009 (UK) | |
Unthinkable | TBA | in post-production | |
2010 | Eclipse | Aro | in pre-production |
Alice in Wonderland | The White Rabbit | in post-production | |
Tron Legacy | Villain | in post-production | |
The Special Relationship | Tony Blair | filming |
References
- ^ a b c d e f "That's all I play - me". The Guardian. 2009-03-20. http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2009/mar/20/michael-sheen-interview-damned-united. Retrieved on 2009-03-20.
- ^ BBC Wales profile
- ^ Michael Sheen: A touch of Frost - Features, Theatre - The Independent
- ^ BBC News - Sheen's father ill after car row
- ^ a b c d e "'After 40, not wearing pants turns into something more sinister': Michael Sheen on style". Daily Mail. 2009-03-07. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/moslive/article-1160026/After-40-wearing-pants-turns-sinister-Michael-Sheen-style.html. Retrieved on 2009-03-20.
- ^ PR-inside.com
- ^ [1]
- ^ [2]
- ^ a b Guardian Q&A
- ^ "Underworld" - Salon.com
- ^ Academy Invites 115 to Become Members
- ^ "From Tony Blair and Brian Clough to King of all Vampires, Michael Sheen is back in the Twilight zone". Mail Online. 2009-04-12. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1169331/From-Tony-Blair-Brian-Clough-King-Vampires-Michael-Sheen-Twilight-zone.html. Retrieved on 2009-04-12.
- ^ Xan Brooks. "Michael Sheen might be Bond baddie Blofeld". The Guardian. http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2009/jun/16/michael-sheen-bond-blofeld. Retrieved on 2009-7-1.
- ^ contactmusic.com: Kate Beckinsale - Beckinsale 'Proud' Wiseman and Sheen Get Along
- ^ Variety, Oct. 25, 2007: "'Underworld' prequel rises", by Tatiana Siegel
- ^ www.cinematical.com: Rise of the Lycans review
- ^ thisissouthwales.co.uk.
- ^ SideReel.com
- ^ London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 58929, p. 12, 31 December 2008.
External links
- Michael Sheen at the Internet Movie Database
- Michael Sheen at Allmovie
- Michael Sheen at the Internet Broadway Database
- Michael Sheen Online: a fansite
- Q&A: Michael Sheen
- Yahoo Lifestyle: "The Queen 's Michael Sheen (interview), January 29, no year given
- BBC News, January 11, 2007: "Actor Sheen backs Burberry fight"