---
name: "Gary Oldman"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/gary-oldman"
fi1m_id: "gary-oldman"
imdb_id: "nm0000198"
tmdb_id: 64
wikidata_id: "Q83492"
roles: ["Actor","Producer","Director"]
born: "21 March 1958"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 24
average_fi1m_score: 72
average_as: "actor"
average_over: 23
updated: "2026-10-05T12:01:06.690910+00:00"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Gary Oldman

## Identity

Gary Oldman

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/gary-oldman
- **Type:** Person
- **Fi1m ID:** gary-oldman
- **IMDb ID:** nm0000198
- **TMDB ID:** 64
- **Wikidata ID:** Q83492
- **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gary_Oldman, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q83492, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000198/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/64

Actor and producer. Born 21 March 1958 in London, England, UK.

## Details

- **Work:** Actor, Producer, Director
- **Born:** 21 March 1958, London, England, UK
- **Active:** 1991–present
- **Also known as:** Gary Leonard Oldman, Sir Gary Oldman , Sir Gary Leonard Oldman , ゲイリー・レナード・オールドマン
- **Titles on Fi1m:** 24: 23 acting, 1 directing
- **Frequently works with:** [Charles Roven](https://film.one/person/charles-roven.md), [Christian Bale](https://film.one/person/christian-bale.md), [Christopher Nolan](https://film.one/person/christopher-nolan.md), [Douglas Urbanski](https://film.one/person/douglas-urbanski.md), [Emma Thomas](https://film.one/person/emma-thomas.md), [Luc Besson](https://film.one/person/luc-besson.md), [Anthony Hopkins](https://film.one/person/anthony-hopkins.md), [Christian Slater](https://film.one/person/christian-slater.md)
- **Academy Awards:** 1 Oscar (1 won · 2 nominated)
- **Average Fi1m score:** 72, as actor, over 23 titles
- **Fi1m score by decade:** 1990s 77 (8), 2000s 67 (9), 2010s 72 (6), 2020s 82 (1)
- **Fi1m against the critics:** 72 to 68 across 22 titles
- **Score spread:** 8 at 80+, 11 at 60–79, 4 under 60
- **Lead roles:** 9 of 21 acting credits billed first or second
- **Genres:** Drama 13, Crime 9, Action 8, Thriller 8, Adventure 6, Fantasy 5
- **Screen time:** 46 hours of reviewed films
- **Box office:** $9,206m across 20 films with figures
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gary_Oldman, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q83492, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000198/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/64

## Streaming the US now

- **HBO Max:** [*The Dark Knight*](https://film.one/film/the-dark-knight.md) (85), [*Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban*](https://film.one/film/harry-potter-and-the-prisoner-of-azkaban.md) (82), [*Batman Begins*](https://film.one/film/batman-begins.md) (81), [*The Dark Knight Rises*](https://film.one/film/the-dark-knight-rises.md) (74), [*Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix*](https://film.one/film/harry-potter-and-the-order-of-the-phoenix.md) (68)
- **Netflix:** [*True Romance*](https://film.one/film/true-romance.md) (82), [*The Fifth Element*](https://film.one/film/the-fifth-element.md) (73)
- **Amazon Prime Video:** [*Léon: The Professional*](https://film.one/film/leon-the-professional.md) (74), [*Air Force One*](https://film.one/film/air-force-one.md) (72)
- **Apple TV:** [*Slow Horses*](https://film.one/tv/slow-horses.md) (82)
- **Disney+:** [*Dawn of the Planet of the Apes*](https://film.one/film/dawn-of-the-planet-of-the-apes.md) (78)
- **Pluto TV:** [*The Contender*](https://film.one/film/the-contender.md) (64)

For United States; add `?region=XX` for another country.

## Fi1m on Gary Oldman

> Gary Oldman can make a character’s bad manners feel like a deliberate defence. We rate him most when the voice and physical business leave something unspoken; when every line demands attention, even his gifts can become tiring.

In *Slow Horses* (2022), Gary Oldman’s Jackson Lamb looks repulsive by choice. Costume designer Guy Speranza supplies the neglected raincoat and socks with the toes out; Oldman makes their wearer seem determined to repel company. We laughed at how completely he commits to being unpleasant, especially beside Kristin Scott Thomas’s immaculately dressed Diana Taverner. Yet the performance lets us suspect that the mess is useful to him, a way of keeping other people from looking too closely. It is the strongest reason to watch a series whose office life is more interesting than its thriller plots.

After the breakthroughs of *Sid and Nancy* (1986) and *Prick Up Your Ears* (1987), Hollywood made frequent use of him as a villain in the early 1990s. Supporting franchise roles followed from the mid-2000s. By *Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy* (2011), his George Smiley offered a quieter, more contained lead. The capacity to hold back was there; it is worth remembering when the louder performances threaten to define him.

Luc Besson gives that louder Oldman considerable room in *Léon: The Professional* (1994). As Norman Stansfield, he brings an ugly excitement that makes his appearances gripping, but the insistence can also turn danger into theatre. Jean Reno’s restraint gives us a welcome pause from him. We would not remove the excess altogether: it belongs to the film’s appeal, though Besson might have done better to ask for less of it.

The excess is less useful in Steven Soderbergh’s *The Laundromat* (2019), where his Jürgen Mossack explains money straight to camera alongside Antonio Banderas’s Ramón Fonseca. Oldman’s German accent is laboured, and Banderas is the more amusing company. Ellen Mirojnick dresses them as men accustomed to getting their way, while Soderbergh shoots them in bright, flat, saturated frames. The clothes and images make sense of their complacency. The performances keep enjoying it long after the joke has worn thin.

Lamb gives Oldman something more worthwhile to do with calculated bad behaviour. The occasional decency matters because he does so little to advertise it, and it makes the repellence funny without exhausting our patience. Start with *Slow Horses*; no great enthusiasm for espionage is required.

## Biography

Gary Oldman is an English actor. He trained at Rose Bruford College and began his career in theatre in 1979 before making his film debut in 1982.

He is known for roles including Sid Vicious in *Sid and Nancy* (1986), Norman Stansfield in *Léon: The Professional* (1994), Jim Gordon in the *Dark Knight* trilogy (2005–2012), Sirius Black in the *Harry Potter* series (2004–2011), and Harry Truman in *Oppenheimer* (2023). He played Jackson Lamb in the series *Slow Horses* (2022–) and Jürgen Mossack in the film *The Laundromat* (2019). Oldman received an Academy Award for *Darkest Hour* (2017).

*Sources: en.wikipedia.org, apnews.com, variety.com.*

## On Fi1m (24)

### Performed in (23) — the average rests on these

- *Slow Horses* (2022), Fi1m 82, as Jackson Lamb — [page](https://film.one/tv/slow-horses.md)
- *The Laundromat* (2019), Fi1m 48, as Jürgen Mossack — [page](https://film.one/film/the-laundromat.md)
- *Darkest Hour* (2017), Fi1m 66, as Winston Churchill — [page](https://film.one/film/darkest-hour.md)
- *Dawn of the Planet of the Apes* (2014), Fi1m 78, as Dreyfus — [page](https://film.one/film/dawn-of-the-planet-of-the-apes.md)
- *The Dark Knight Rises* (2012), Fi1m 74, as Commissioner Gordon — [page](https://film.one/film/the-dark-knight-rises.md)
- *Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2* (2011), Fi1m 83, as Sirius Black — [page](https://film.one/film/harry-potter-and-the-deathly-hallows-part-2.md)
- *Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy* (2011), Fi1m 84, as George Smiley — [page](https://film.one/film/tinker-tailor-soldier-spy.md)
- *A Christmas Carol* (2009), Fi1m 50, as Bob Cratchit / Marley / Tiny Tim (voice) — [page](https://film.one/film/a-christmas-carol.md)
- *Planet 51* (2009), Fi1m 52, as General Grawl (voice) — [page](https://film.one/film/planet-51.md)
- *The Dark Knight* (2008), Fi1m 85, as Gordon — [page](https://film.one/film/the-dark-knight.md)
- *Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix* (2007), Fi1m 68, as Sirius Black — [page](https://film.one/film/harry-potter-and-the-order-of-the-phoenix.md)
- *Batman Begins* (2005), Fi1m 81, as Jim Gordon — [page](https://film.one/film/batman-begins.md)
- *Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire* (2005), Fi1m 68, as Sirius Black — [page](https://film.one/film/harry-potter-and-the-goblet-of-fire.md)
- *Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban* (2004), Fi1m 82, as Sirius Black — [page](https://film.one/film/harry-potter-and-the-prisoner-of-azkaban.md)
- *Hannibal* (2001), Fi1m 54, as Mason Verger — [page](https://film.one/film/hannibal.md)
- *The Contender* (2000), Fi1m 64, as Shelly Runyon — [page](https://film.one/film/the-contender.md)
- *Air Force One* (1997), Fi1m 72, as Ivan Korshunov — [page](https://film.one/film/air-force-one.md)
- *The Fifth Element* (1997), Fi1m 73, as Zorg — [page](https://film.one/film/the-fifth-element.md)
- *Léon: The Professional* (1994), Fi1m 74, as Norman Stansfield — [page](https://film.one/film/leon-the-professional.md)
- *Fallen Angels* (1993), Fi1m 72, as Pat Kelley — [page](https://film.one/tv/fallen-angels-1993.md)
- *True Romance* (1993), Fi1m 82, as Drexl Spivey — [page](https://film.one/film/true-romance.md)
- *Bram Stoker's Dracula* (1992), Fi1m 79, as Dracula — [page](https://film.one/film/bram-stokers-dracula.md)
- *JFK* (1991), Fi1m 80, as Lee Harvey Oswald — [page](https://film.one/film/jfk.md)

### Directed (1)

- *Nil by Mouth* (1997), Fi1m 87, Writer, Producer, Director — [page](https://film.one/film/nil-by-mouth.md)

## Complete filmography (105)

Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page.

- *Parthenope* (2024), as John Cheever
- *Oppenheimer* (2023), as Harry Truman — Fi1m 84, [page](https://film.one/film/oppenheimer.md)
- *Slow Horses* (2022), series, as Jackson Lamb · Executive Producer — Fi1m 82, [page](https://film.one/tv/slow-horses.md)
- *Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard* (2021), as Vladislav Dukhovich (archive footage)
- *The Woman in the Window* (2021), as Alistair Russell
- *Crisis* (2021), as Dr. Tyrone Brower
- *Mank* (2020), as Herman Mankiewicz
- *A Place Among the Dead* (2020), as GO
- *The Courier* (2019), as Ezekiel Mannings
- *The Laundromat* (2019), as Jürgen Mossack — Fi1m 48, [page](https://film.one/film/the-laundromat.md)
- *Mary* (2019), as David
- *Killers Anonymous* (2019), as The Man
- *Obscura* (2018), as Special guest
- *Hunter Killer* (2018), as CJCS Charles Donnegan
- *Tau* (2018), as Tau (voice)
- *Darkest Hour* (2017), as Winston Churchill — Fi1m 66, [page](https://film.one/film/darkest-hour.md)
- *The Hitman's Bodyguard* (2017), as Vladislav Dukhovich
- *The Space Between Us* (2017), as Nathaniel Shepherd
- *Man Down* (2016), as Captain Peyton
- *Criminal* (2016), as Quaker Wells
- *The Driver* (2015), as Cy (voice)
- *Child 44* (2015), as General Mikhail Nesterov
- *Dawn of the Planet of the Apes* (2014), as Dreyfus — Fi1m 78, [page](https://film.one/film/dawn-of-the-planet-of-the-apes.md)
- *RoboCop* (2014), as Dr. Dennett Norton
- *La Petite Mort* (2013), as Narrator (voice)
- *Paranoia* (2013), as Nicholas Wyatt
- *Guns, Girls and Gambling* (2012), as Elvis Elvis
- *Lawless* (2012), as Floyd Banner
- *The Dark Knight Rises* (2012), as Commissioner Gordon — Fi1m 74, [page](https://film.one/film/the-dark-knight-rises.md)
- *Jack White: Unstaged* (2012), Director
- *Final Cut: Ladies and Gentlemen* (2012), as (archive footage)
- *Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy* (2011), as George Smiley — Fi1m 84, [page](https://film.one/film/tinker-tailor-soldier-spy.md)
- *Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2* (2011), as Sirius Black — Fi1m 83, [page](https://film.one/film/harry-potter-and-the-deathly-hallows-part-2.md)
- *Kung Fu Panda 2* (2011), as Lord Shen (voice)
- *Red Riding Hood* (2011), as Father Soloman
- *One Night in Turin* (2010), as Narrator
- *Countdown to Zero* (2010), as Narrator (voice)
- *The Book of Eli* (2010), as Carnegie
- *Planet 51* (2009), as General Grawl (voice) — Fi1m 52, [page](https://film.one/film/planet-51.md)
- *A Christmas Carol* (2009), as Bob Cratchit / Marley / Tiny Tim (voice) — Fi1m 50, [page](https://film.one/film/a-christmas-carol.md)
- *Rain Fall* (2009), as Holtzer
- *The Unborn* (2009), as Rabbi Joseph Sendak
- *The Dark Knight* (2008), as Gordon — Fi1m 85, [page](https://film.one/film/the-dark-knight.md)
- *Gotham Tonight* (2008), series, as Lt. James Gordon
- *Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix* (2007), as Sirius Black — Fi1m 68, [page](https://film.one/film/harry-potter-and-the-order-of-the-phoenix.md)
- *The Backwoods* (2006), as Paul
- *Chutzpah, This Is?* (2005), Actor
- *Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire* (2005), as Sirius Black — Fi1m 68, [page](https://film.one/film/harry-potter-and-the-goblet-of-fire.md)
- *Dead Fish* (2005), as Lynch
- *Batman Begins* (2005), as Jim Gordon — Fi1m 81, [page](https://film.one/film/batman-begins.md)
- *Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban* (2004), as Sirius Black — Fi1m 82, [page](https://film.one/film/harry-potter-and-the-prisoner-of-azkaban.md)
- *Sin* (2003), as Charlie Storm
- *Tiptoes* (2002), as Rolfe
- *Beat the Devil* (2002), as Devil
- *Interstate 60* (2002), as O.W. Grant
- *Greg the Bunny* (2002), series, Actor
- *The Hire* (2001), series, as Devil
- *Hannibal* (2001), as Mason Verger — Fi1m 54, [page](https://film.one/film/hannibal.md)
- *Nobody's Baby* (2001), as Buford Dill · Producer
- *The Contender* (2000), as Shelly Runyon · Executive Producer — Fi1m 64, [page](https://film.one/film/the-contender.md)
- *Jesus* (1999), as Pontius Pilate
- *Jesus* (1999), series, as Pontius Pilate
- *Plunkett & Macleane* (1999), Executive Producer
- *Quest for Camelot* (1998), as Ruber (voice)
- *Lost in Space* (1998), as Dr. Zachary Smith
- *Nil by Mouth* (1997), Writer, Producer, Director — Fi1m 87, [page](https://film.one/film/nil-by-mouth.md)
- *Air Force One* (1997), as Ivan Korshunov — Fi1m 72, [page](https://film.one/film/air-force-one.md)
- *The Fifth Element* (1997), as Zorg — Fi1m 73, [page](https://film.one/film/the-fifth-element.md)
- *Basquiat* (1996), as Albert Milo
- *The Scarlet Letter* (1995), as Rev. Arthur Dimmesdale
- *Murder in the First* (1995), as Associate Milton Glenn
- *Immortal Beloved* (1994), as Ludwig van Beethoven
- *Friends* (1994), series, as Richard Crosby — Fi1m 78, [page](https://film.one/tv/friends.md)
- *Léon: The Professional* (1994), as Norman Stansfield — Fi1m 74, [page](https://film.one/film/leon-the-professional.md)
- *The Mysterious Career of Lee Harvey Oswald* (1993), as Lee Harvey Oswald (voice)
- *Romeo Is Bleeding* (1993), as Jack Grimaldi
- *True Romance* (1993), as Drexl Spivey — Fi1m 82, [page](https://film.one/film/true-romance.md)
- *Fallen Angels* (1993), series, as Pat Kelley — Fi1m 72, [page](https://film.one/tv/fallen-angels-1993.md)
- *Bram Stoker's Dracula* (1992), as Dracula — Fi1m 79, [page](https://film.one/film/bram-stokers-dracula.md)
- *JFK* (1991), as Lee Harvey Oswald — Fi1m 80, [page](https://film.one/film/jfk.md)
- *Director: Alan Clarke* (1991), Actor
- *Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead* (1991), as Rosencrantz
- *Heading Home* (1991), as Ian Tyson
- *Henry & June* (1990), as Pop
- *State of Grace* (1990), as Jackie
- *Chattahoochee* (1990), as Emmett Foley
- *Criminal Law* (1989), as Ben Chase
- *The Firm* (1989), as Bex Bissell
- *We Think the World of You* (1988), as Johnny
- *Track 29* (1988), as Martin
- *Prick Up Your Ears* (1987), as Joe Orton
- *England's Glory* (1987), as Interviewee
- *Rat in the Skull* (1987), as Police Constable Eric Naylor
- *Sid and Nancy* (1986), as Sid Vicious
- *Honest Decent & True* (1986), as Derek Bates
- *Rachel and the Roarettes* (1985), as Gary
- *Screen Two* (1985), series, as Bex, Derek Bates, Ian Tyson
- *Morgan's Boy* (1984), series, as Colin
- *Morgan's Boy* (1984), as Colin
- *Meantime* (1983), as Coxy
- *Dramarama* (1983), series, as Ben
- *Remembrance* (1982), as Daniel
- *Knots Landing* (1979), series, as Don Ross
- *The Year of Magical Thinking*, Actor
- *Who Was Lee Harvey Oswald?*, as Lee Harvey Oswald (voice)

## Gallery

- ![Gary Oldman as George Smiley in Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011)](https://film.one/media/title/738/still-6bdeaf635feb.jpg) Gary Oldman as George Smiley in *Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy* (2011) — Image via TMDB
- ![Gary Oldman as Jackson Lamb in Slow Horses (2022)](https://film.one/media/title/33/still-0fb6ae916077.jpg) Gary Oldman as Jackson Lamb in *Slow Horses* (2022) — Image via TMDB
- ![Gary Oldman as Dracula in Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992)](https://film.one/media/title/4097/still-4da62258cf13.jpg) Gary Oldman as Dracula in *Bram Stoker's Dracula* (1992) — Image via TMDB
- ![Gary Oldman](https://film.one/media/person/762/gallery-1423cca32019.jpg) Gary Oldman — Gage Skidmore, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e6/Gary_Oldman_by_Gage_Skidmore.jpg/1280px-Gary_Oldman_by_Gage_Skidmore.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Gary Oldman](https://film.one/media/person/762/gallery-3ebe93f57f82.jpg) Gary Oldman — Image via TMDB
- ![Gary Oldman](https://film.one/media/person/762/gallery-fdd33531d5af.jpg) Gary Oldman — Image via TMDB
- ![Gary Oldman](https://film.one/media/person/762/gallery-25e25f1c470b.jpg) Gary Oldman — Image via TMDB
- ![Gary Oldman](https://film.one/media/person/762/gallery-f658ff5c6a29.jpg) Gary Oldman — Image via TMDB
- ![Gary Oldman](https://film.one/media/person/762/gallery-7aaad5d73ad7.jpg) Gary Oldman — Image via TMDB
- ![Gary Oldman](https://film.one/media/person/762/gallery-07f0bf2e28db.jpg) Gary Oldman — Image via TMDB

## Awards

### Academy Awards — 1 won, 2 nominated

- 2021: Best Actor (nominated), for *Mank*
- 2018: Best Actor (won), for *Darkest Hour*
- 2012: Best Actor (nominated), for *Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy*

### BAFTA Film Awards — 3 won

- 2018: Best Actor in a Leading Role (won), for *Darkest Hour*
- 1997: Best Original Screenplay (won), for *Nil by Mouth*
- 1997: Best British Film (won), for *Nil by Mouth*

### Golden Globes — 1 won

- 2018: Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama (won), for *Darkest Hour*

### SAG Awards — 1 won

- 2018: Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role (won)

### Other awards — 2 won, 2 nominated

- Knight Bachelor 2025: Knight Bachelor (won)
- Critics' Choice Awards 2018: Best Actor (won), for *Darkest Hour*
- European Film Award – People's Choice Award for Best European Film 2018: European Film Award – People's Choice Award for Best European Film (nominated), for *Darkest Hour*
- European Film Award for Best Actor 2012: European Film Award for Best Actor (nominated), for *Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy*

*From Wikidata, which records wins more completely than nominations.*

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/gary-oldman