Sean Bean

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Sean Bean

Sean Bean at the premiere of North Country at the 2005 Toronto Film Festival, photo by Tony Shek
Birth name Shaun Mark Bean
Born 17 April 1959
Sheffield, England
Height 1.80 m
Notable roles Mellors in Lady Chatterley (1993)
Major Richard Sharpe in Sharpe (1993-1997)
Alec Trevelyan in Goldeneye (1995)
Boromir in The Lord of the Rings film trilogy (2001-2003)


Sean Mark Bean (born 17 April 1959) is an English film and stage actor. Bean has also acted in a number of television productions as well as performing voice work for computer games and television adverts. As an actor, he adopted the Irish/Scottish spelling "Sean" of his first name.

Bean is best known for his role as Boromir in Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings film trilogy, and as Alec Trevelyan, Agent 006 in the James Bond film, Goldeneye. In the United Kingdom, his portrayal of Richard Sharpe in the television series Sharpe has also earned him high acclaim.[1]

Contents

[edit] Early life

Sean Mark Bean was born to Brian and Rita Bean in Handsworth district of Sheffield, South Yorkshire.[2] Bean's father owned a steel plating business, which he had set up with a colleague. The business employed a total of 50 people. Bean's mother worked as a secretary. He has a younger sister named Lorraine. Despite becoming relatively wealthy (his father owned a Rolls Royce Silver Shadow), the family never moved away from the council estate, because they preferred to remain close to friends and family.[3]

Bean's first love was football and he has been a loyal Sheffield United supporter from a young age (he now has a tattoo on his left shoulder that reads 100% Blade).

As a child, Bean smashed a glass door due to an argument over scissors. A piece of the glass embedded in his leg and left a large scar and impedes his walking.[2]

In 1975, Bean left Brook Comprehensive school with two O Levels in Art and English.[4] Bean's childhood accident prevented him from pursuing his love of football professionally (although he would later carry out this fantasy in film). After a job selling cheese at a supermarket and another clearing snow for the council, Bean started working for his father's firm with a day release at Rotherham College of Arts and Technology doing a welding course. While at Rotherham, after stumbling on an arts class, Bean decided to pursue his interest in art. After attending courses at two other colleges, one for half a day and the other for less than a week, he returned to Rotherham College, where he came across a drama course that he subsequently signed up for. After some college plays and one at Rotherham Civic Theatre, he applied and auditioned for a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA), which he won.[2]

[edit] Career

[edit] Early career

He graduated from RADA in 1983 having won the Silver Medal for his performance in Waiting for Godot.[5] He made his professional acting début in 1983 at the Watermill Theatre in Newbury, Berkshire as Tybalt in Romeo and Juliet.[2] His early work involved a mixture of stage and screen work. His first national exposure came in an advert for non-alcoholic lager.[6] Between 1986 and 1988 he toured the country with the Royal Shakespeare Company doing productions of Romeo And Juliet, Fair Maid of the West, and A Midsummer Night's Dream. He appeared in his first film in 1986 when he played Ranuccio Thomasoni in Derek Jarman's film Caravaggio he then reunited with the director on War Requiem in 1988.

During the late 80s and early 90s he became an established actor on British television.[7] He had notable performances in the BBC productions Clarissa and Lady Chatterley. His role in the latter becoming infamous for the sex scenes between him and Joely Richardson.[8] However it was the character Richard Sharpe that he would become most associated with.

[edit] Sharpe end of television

Sean Bean (right) as Richard Sharpe and Brian Cox as Major Michael Hogan in Sharpe's Eagle.
Enlarge
Sean Bean (right) as Richard Sharpe and Brian Cox as Major Michael Hogan in Sharpe's Eagle.

He was not the original choice for the role but when an accident prevented Paul McGann from taking it Sean Bean stepped in. The 14-episode Sharpe television series was based on Bernard Cornwell's novels about the Napoleonic Wars and started with Sharpe's Rifles. The series followed the fortunes of Richard Sharpe as he rose from Lieutenant to Major in the British Army. It ran from 1993 to 1997 with 3 episodes produced each year. This established him as a household name in the UK. After several years of rumours another one-off episode, called Sharpe's Challenge, was aired in April 2006.[9]

His popularity in the Sharpe series became an in-joke in many of his later films and he works the word "sharp" into his characters' dialogue whenever possible. For example, in his first scene in The Fellowship of the Ring, he pricks his finger on a shard of the sword Narsil and comments, "Still sharp". [10]

[edit] Cracking Hollywood

His first notable Hollywood appearance was as an Irish terrorist in the 1992 film adaptation of Patriot Games. During the filming of the death scene he was struck in the head with a boat hook by Harrison Ford. This left him with a scar over his left eye.[11]

Sean Bean as Alec Trevelyan in the James Bond film GoldenEye.
Enlarge
Sean Bean as Alec Trevelyan in the James Bond film GoldenEye.

This would be the first of several villains that he would portray.[12] He became Alec Trevelyan (MI6's 006), the major villain of the 1995 James Bond film GoldenEye, weapons expert Spence in Ronin (1998), a wife-beating ex-con in Essex Boys (2000) and the malevolent kidnapper-jewel thief in Don't Say a Word (2001).

In 1996 he finally achieved his childhood dream of playing for Sheffield United, albeit as Jimmy Muir in the film When Saturday Comes. Although the film was critically unacclaimed, Sean Bean got credit for a good performance.[13]

His perhaps most widely seen role was as Boromir in The Lord of the Rings film trilogy, although his only major part was in the first of the films, only appearing briefly in the extended editions of the latter two. Due to his fear of flying he refused to take the helicopters out to remote mountain locations while filming for The Fellowship of the Ring. Instead he chose to take a ski lift into the mountains and then hike the final few miles, all in full costume.[14]

[edit] Life after Lord of the Rings

Later roles gave more scope for his acting abilities. As sympathetic warrior Odysseus in the 2004 film Troy, as villainous treasure hunter Ian Howe in National Treasure, as a villainous scientist in The Island (2005) and as a sympathetic soul in North Country (2005) , in which Bean converted his naturally heavy Sheffield accent into that of Minnesota American slang, and a dedicated father in Silent Hill.

He was cameoed with a myriad of other Hollywood stars in Moby's music video We Are All Made of Stars in February 2002.[15] In the same year he returned to the stage in London performing in Macbeth alongside Samantha Bond.[16] Due to popular demand, the production would run until March 2003.

Sean's high profile and recognisable voice has created a number of opportunities for doing voice over work, especially in the British advertising industry.[17] He has featured in television adverts for O2, Morrisons and Barnardos. He also does the voice over for the National Blood Service's television and radio campaign. He also voiced Martin Septim in the computer game The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion.[18]

Sean has completed a one hour pilot, called Faceless, for American television. He will also appear in Outlaw, an independent British production, and a remake of The Hitcher, which are both currently in post production. He is currently in Norway filming another independent film called True North.[16]

As of 2006 two films in pre-production will reportedly star Sean Bean. Come like Shadows is an adaptation of Macbeth.[19] Information released about another play adaptation, this one from Oscar Wilde's A Woman of No Importance, states that it will feature Sean Bean.[20] Both films are set to start production sometime in the autumn of 2006. He has said that he would like to appear in Coronation Street (joking that he could be the milkman).[21] He has also stated that he would like to do some wildlife presenting sometime in the future.[22]

[edit] Image

Often described as down-to-earth, Sean Bean has retained his Sheffield accent despite now living in London.[8] He is also described as a sex symbol; he was voted the UK's second sexiest man in 2004.[23] He embarrassingly admits he doesn't mind being considered the ladies' "bit of rough".[24]

He has developed a reputation as a loner, a label he considers unfair.[8] In addition, he has been accused of being a chauvinist; this originated after his second wife claimed he watched too much football, spent too much time in the pub and left clothes about the house.[25]

[edit] Acting style

Despite being professionally trained, Sean Bean adopts an instinctive style of acting.[26] He has said in interviews that the most difficult part is at the start of filming when trying to understand the character.[27] After achieving this he can snap in and out of character instantly. This ability to go from the quiet man on set to the warrior figure "amazed" Sean Astin during filming of The Fellowship of the Ring.[28] Other fans include the directors Mike Figgis (Stormy Monday) and Wolfgang Petersen (Troy) who described working with him as a "beautiful thing".[26]

[edit] Personal life

He has been married and subsequently divorced three times.[29] First to his high-school sweetheart Debra James on 11 April 1981, which broke up when he moved to London to attend RADA. Then to actress Melanie Hill, between 27 February 1990 and August 1997, with whom he shares daughters Lorna and Molly. He then married Sharpe co-star Abigail Cruttenden on 22 November 1997, mother of his third daughter Evie Natasha. They divorced in July 2000. His current romantic interest is student/actress Georgina Sutcliffe.

He describes himself as quiet.[29] Although he admits he can be a workaholic in his spare time he likes relaxing with a book or listening to music. He is also a keen gardener. He states in interviews that he is not into showbiz parties. He remains a die hard Blades fan and is now a director of the club. He also follows Yorkshire County Cricket Club.[22]

[edit] Awards and honours

Sean Bean is yet to receive a major individual award in the film industry. However he did receive 3 separate awards as part of the ensemble cast in Return of the King.[30] One from the Screen Actors Guild, another from the National Board of Review and one from the Broadcast Film Critics Association, all in 2004.

In his home city of Sheffield he received an Honorary Doctorate from Sheffield Hallam University in 1997.[30] He was also selected as one of the inaugural members of Sheffield Legends, the Sheffield equivalent of the Hollywood Walk of Fame. He is to have a plaque in his honour placed in front of Sheffield Town Hall.[31]

[edit] Selected filmography

Year Film Role
2007 The Hitcher (remake) The Hitcher
2006 The Dark Sarah's father James
Silent Hill Christopher DaSilva
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (video game) Martin Septim (voice)
2005 North Country Kyle
Flightplan Captain Rich
The Island Dr. Merrick
2004 Pride Dark (voice)
National Treasure Ian Howe
Troy Odysseus
2003 The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King Boromir
2002 The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (extended edition) Boromir
Equilibrium Partridge
2001 The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring Boromir
Don't Say a Word Patrick Koster
2000 Essex Boys Jason Locke
1999 Extremely Dangerous Neil Byrne
Bravo Two Zero Andy McNab
1998 Ronin Spence
1997 Anna Karenina Vronsky
1996 When Saturday Comes Jimmy Muir
1995 GoldenEye Alec Trevelyan
1994 Black Beauty Farmer Grey
1993 Lady Chatterley Oliver Mellors
1992 Patriot Games Sean Miller
1991 Clarissa Robert Lovelace
1990 The Field Tadgh McCabe
1989 How to Get Ahead in Advertising Larry Frisk
1986 Caravaggio Ranuccio

[edit] References

  1. ^ Sean Bean Profile. UKTV Interactive Limited. Retrieved on 2006-09-14.
  2. ^ a b c d Sean Bean Biography. Tiscali. Retrieved on 2006-09-14.
  3. ^ "'I do my work and if things work out, they work out'", Telegraph Group Limited, 2006-03-14, p. 4.
  4. ^ Sean Bean - actor. Sharpe Appreciation Society. Retrieved on 2006-09-14.
  5. ^ Biography. AOL. Retrieved on 2006-09-14.
  6. ^ Barbican Ad (1999-12-26). Retrieved on 2006-09-24.
  7. ^ MSN Movies. Microsoft. Retrieved on 2006-09-14.
  8. ^ a b c "Sharpe still cuts it", The Times, 2006-04-22. Retrieved on 2006-09-14.
  9. ^ Sharpe rumours. Retrieved on 2006-09-16.
  10. ^ Movie Mistakes. Retrieved on 2006-09-14.
  11. ^ Patriot Games. Retrieved on 2006-09-14.
  12. ^ Sean Bean Biography. Hollywood Media Corporation. Retrieved on 2006-09-14.
  13. ^ When Saturday Comes review. Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved on 2006-09-14.
  14. ^ Flightplan interview. Retrieved on 2006-09-14.
  15. ^ We are all made of Stars. Retrieved on 2006-09-24.
  16. ^ a b The Compleat Sean Bean. Retrieved on 2006-09-18.
  17. ^ "Voice that's earning a bean or two..." (reprint), Sheffield Today, 2003-11-11. Retrieved on 2006-09-24.
  18. ^ Bethesda Softworks Taps Hollywood Voice Talent. Bethesda Softworks. Retrieved on 2006-09-24.
  19. ^ "Bean and Swinton lead 'user-friendly' Macbeth", Guardian Newspapers Limited, 2006-06-29. Retrieved on 2006-09-16.
  20. ^ A Woman of No Importance. Retrieved on 2006-09-16.
  21. ^ "Bean eager for Coronation Street role", RTE, 2006-01-27. Retrieved on 2006-09-16.
  22. ^ a b "Its hard being a sex symbol!" (reprint), Woman's Own, 2003-01-13. Retrieved on 2006-09-15.
  23. ^ "Bloom is Britain's sexiest actor", 2004-06-14. Retrieved on 2006-09-14.
  24. ^ "The Andrew Duncan Interview" (reprint), Radio Times, 1996-05-11. Retrieved on 2006-09-29.
  25. ^ "Sean Bean, the Sheffield welder turned actor, is careful not to sever his roots." (reprint), The Times, 1999-01-02. Retrieved on 2006-09-25.
  26. ^ a b "Sheffield Steel" (reprint), Vogue, June 2004. Retrieved on 2006-10-11.
  27. ^ Sean Bean: The Interview. Retrieved on 2006-10-11.
  28. ^ Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, Cast Commentary, region 2
  29. ^ a b Black, Mary. "The Thinking Woman's Bit of Rough" (reprint), Ms London Magazine, 2005-08-08. Retrieved on 2006-09-14.
  30. ^ a b The Sean Bean Picture Pages. Retrieved on 2006-09-14.
  31. ^ Sheffield Legends. Retrieved on 2006-09-14.

[edit] External links

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Preceded by:
Robert Davi		 Official James Bond villain actor
1995		 Succeeded by:
Jonathan Pryce
Persondata
NAME Sean Bean
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Shawn Mark Bean
SHORT DESCRIPTION Actor
DATE OF BIRTH 17 April 1959
PLACE OF BIRTH Sheffield, England
DATE OF DEATH
PLACE OF DEATH
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org../../../s/e/a/Sean_Bean_2684.html"