Guy Pearce

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Guy Pearce
Born Guy Edward Pearce
October 5, 1967 (1967-10-05) (age 40)
Flag of England Ely, Cambridgeshire, England, United Kingdom

Guy Edward Pearce (born October 5, 1967) is a Screen Actors Guild Award-nominated English-born[1] Australian-raised actor, perhaps best known for his critically acclaimed portrayal of Anterograde amnesia victim Leonard Shelby in Christopher Nolan's Memento, and for his role as Mike Young in the popular Australian television series Neighbours. Other notable credits include the films Rules of Engagement, The Count of Monte Cristo and L.A. Confidential as well as a starring role in The Proposition.

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[edit] Biography

[edit] Early life

Pearce was born in Ely, Cambridgeshire, England, the son of Anne Cocking (née Pickering), a County Durham-born schoolteacher specializing in needlework and home economics, and Stuart Pearce, a New Zealand-born air force test pilot who died when Pearce was nine.[2][3][4] Pearce moved to Geelong, Australia, where his mother ran a deer farm, when he was three years old. He attended The Geelong College. Pearce lived in Blackburn North, Australia in the late 80's whilst working on the Australian drama series 'Neighbours'. From ages 16 to 22, he was a competitive amateur bodybuilder, culminating in a Mr. Natural Victoria title.

[edit] Career

Pearce has always been interested in performing, and he excelled at mimicking accents. He starred in several plays when he was young, and graduated to television when he was cast in the Australian soap opera Neighbours in 1985, playing the role of Mike Young for several years (In both Neighbours and Memento, Pearce's character suffers a head injury that results in a change of demeanour). Pearce also found roles in other television series such as Home and Away (1988) and Snowy River: The McGregor Saga (1993).

The director/producer/writer Frank Howson cast Pearce in his first three movies, which established him as an actor of substance and helped elevate him above his possible soapy-star type-casting. Howson also paid for Pearce to go to the Cannes Film Festival in 1991 for the premiere of the Howson-directed Hunting. With the accompanying Howson-funded publicity campaign, this brought Pearce to the attention of the international film industry. His first major film breakthrough came shortly after, with his role as a drag queen in Priscilla, Queen of the Desert in 1994. Since then, he has appeared in several US productions including L.A. Confidential, Ravenous, Rules of Engagement, Memento, The Count of Monte Cristo, and The Time Machine. However, he continues to act in Australian theatre productions as well as Australian films, such as The Hard Word (2002) and the critically lauded The Proposition (2005). Pearce recently portrayed pop artist Andy Warhol in the much derided film Factory Girl. He will portray Harry Houdini in the upcoming film Death Defying Acts. He is also set to appear in Bedtime Stories with Adam Sandler.[5]

Pearce appeared in Australian band Silverchair's video for "Across the Night" and in Razorlight's video for "Before I Fall to Pieces".

[edit] Personal life

He has been married to Kate Mestitz, a psychologist, since March of 1997.[6] He is a long-time supporter of the Geelong Football Club in the Australian Football League.[7]

[edit] Filmography

Upcoming

[edit] References

  1. ^ Pearce was born in England, and states himself that he is technically English IMDB biography
  2. ^ Interview: Guy Pearce | Interviews | guardian.co.uk Film
  3. ^ Guy Pearce biography
  4. ^ Guy Pearce Biography (1967-)
  5. ^ It’s Bedtime for Keri Russell
  6. ^ The Adventures of Guy Pearce / After much Hollywood success, he's still a feisty, insecure, hilarious bloke determined go his own way | MovieMaker Magazine
  7. ^ http://gfc.com.au/default.asp?pg=insidetheclub&spg=socialclub&articleid=241777

[edit] External links