Sean Bean

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Sean Bean

Bean at the premiere of North Country at the 2005 Toronto Film Festival
Born Shaun Mark Bean
17 April 1959 (1959-04-17) (age 49)
Sheffield, England
Years active 1986 - present
Spouse(s) Debra James (1981-1990)
Melanie Hill (1990-1997)
Abigail Cruttenden (1997-2000)
Georgina Sutcliffe (2008-)

Shaun 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 Celtic spelling "Sean" of his first name.

Bean has played a wide range of roles, from villains to heroes. His first successful role was his portrayal of Richard Sharpe in the United Kingdom television series Sharpe.[1] Since then he has become well known internationally for his roles as Boromir in The Lord of the Rings, Martin Septim in The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion video game, James Bond's adversary Alec Trevelyan in GoldenEye, Nicolas Cage's competitor Ian Howe in National Treasure, IRA fringe terrorist Sean Miller out for revenge on Harrison Ford in Patriot Games, Captain Rich in Flightplan with Jodie Foster, and Odysseus in Troy.

Contents

[edit] Early life & Family

Bean was born Shaun Mark Bean in the Handsworth district of Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, the son of Rita and Brian Bean.[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]

As a child, Bean smashed a glass door due to an argument over scissors. It left a piece of glass embedded in his leg and left a large scar that briefly impeded his walking.[2] This accident prevented him from pursuing his love of football professionally (although he would later carry out this dream in film). In 1975, Bean left Brook Comprehensive school with two O Levels in Art and English.[4] After a job at a supermarket and another 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 got.[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 which also starred Lord Olivier.

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 became infamous for the sex scenes between him and Joely Richardson.[8] In 1990 Bean co-starred with Richard Harris in Jim Sheridan's adaption of the John. B. Keane play, The Field.

[edit] Sharpe

Main article: Sharpe

However it was the character Richard Sharpe that he would become most associated with. Bean was the first choice to play Sharpe, but was unavailable; so the part went to Paul McGann. Two days into filming, however, McGann was injured in a football match, and, although the producers initially tried to work around his injury, eventually he was replaced with Bean, who was by then available.[9] 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 Sergeant to Lieutenant Colonel by the time of the Battle of Waterloo. 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, more episodes were produced, called Sharpe's Challenge, which aired in April 2006, and Sharpe's Peril which will air on ITV in the Autum of 2008 and will later be released on DVD.[10] Bean also played the role of Lord Richard Fenton in the TV Miniseries Scarlett based on the sequel to Margaret Mitchell's Gone with the Wind.

[edit] Hollywood

His first notable Hollywood appearance was as an Irish republican terrorist in the 1992 film adaptation of Patriot Games.

This would be the first of several villains that he would portray.[11] He became Alec Trevelyan (MI6's 006), the major villain of the 1995 James Bond film GoldenEye, minor antagonist Spence in Ronin (1998), a wife-beating ex-con in Essex Boys (2000), the malevolent kidnapper-jewel thief in Don't Say a Word (2001) and the greedy treasure hunter in National Treasure (2004).

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 not critically acclaimed, Sean Bean got credit for a good performance.[12]

[edit] The Lord of the Rings

Main article: The Lord of the Rings film trilogy

His perhaps most widely seen role was as Boromir in Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings trilogy, although his only major part was in the first film, only appearing briefly in the extended edition of The Two Towers, and a flashback in The Return of the King. Due to his fear of flying he was reluctant to take the helicopters out to remote mountain locations while filming for The Fellowship of the Ring. After a particularly rough ride, he vowed not to fly to a location again, and in one instance he chose to take a ski lift into the mountains and then hike the final few miles, all in full costume.[13] As a reference to promos he made for the Sharpe series, Boromir cuts himself on Isildur's sword and mutters, "Still sharp".[citation needed]

Bean has a tattoo of the Elvish word for "nine", a reference to his involvement in the Lord of the Rings and the fact that his character was one of the nine members of the Fellowship of the Ring. The other actors of "The Fellowship" (Elijah Wood, Sean Astin, Billy Boyd, Ian McKellen, Dominic Monaghan, Viggo Mortensen, and Orlando Bloom) got the same tattoo with the exception of John Rhys-Davies whose stunt double got the tattoo instead.[14]

[edit] Recent career

Later roles gave more scope for his acting abilities. He became the repentant Grammaton cleric who gives in to his emotions in Equilibrium in 2002, a quirky alien cowboy in 2003's The Big Empty, a sympathetic and cunning Odysseus in the 2004 film Troy, a villainous treasure hunter Ian Howe in National Treasure, a villainous scientist in The Island (2005) and a sympathetic soul in North Country (2005) , in which Bean converted his naturally heavy Sheffield accent into that of Minnesota 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.

Bean'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 as well as for Acuvue and the Sci-Fi Channel in the United States. He also does the voice over for the National Blood Service's television and radio campaign. He also voiced Martin Septim in the Role Playing video game The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion.[18]

Bean has completed a one hour pilot, called Faceless, for American television. He has also appeared in Outlaw, an independent British production, and a remake of The Hitcher (released in January 2007), in which he put on an American accent again. He spent time in Norway filming another independent film called Far North.[16]

In 2005, he played "Captain Rich" in Flightplan.

Two films in production will reportedly star Bean. Come Like Shadows is an adaptation of Macbeth.[19] He had starred in a production of Macbeth on the London stage with Samantha Bond as Lady Macbeth with much critical success. As of 2008, this film as well as A Woman of No Importance are listed as being in pre-production according to the Independent Movie Data Base. The actor also has said that he would like to appear in Coronation Street (joking that he could be the milkman).[20] He has also stated that he would like to do some wildlife presenting sometime in the future.[21]

It has also recently been announced that Bean will be in the film Black Death, set during the time of the first outbreak of the Bubonic Plague, Bean will stay alongside Lena Headley and Rupert Friend.

[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.[22] He admits he doesn't mind being considered the ladies' "bit of rough".[23]

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.[24]

He is often compared to British-born Australian comedian Bob Franklin, in appearance.

[edit] Acting style

Despite being professionally trained, Sean Bean adopts an instinctive style of acting.[25] He has said in interviews that the most difficult part is at the start of filming when trying to understand the character.[26] 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.[27] Other fans include the directors Mike Figgis (Stormy Monday) and Wolfgang Petersen (Troy) who described working with him as a "beautiful thing".[25]

[edit] Personal life

He has been married four times and subsequently divorced three times.[28] His first marriage was to 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. Bean married actress Georgina Sutcliffe on February 19, 2008, after previously cancelling the wedding less than twenty-four hours before it was set to take place. He describes himself as quiet.[28] 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, and does both welding and sketching.

Bean's first love was football and he has been a passionate Sheffield United supporter from a young age (he now has a tattoo on his left shoulder that reads 100% Blade).[1] He was until December 2007 one of the directors of the club but finally decided to "go back to the terraces, where (he) truly belong(s)"[29]. He also wrote the foreword and helped promote a book of anecdotes called Sheffield United: The Biography.[30] He also follows Yorkshire County Cricket Club.[21] He had some problems with Neil Warnock, former manager of Sheffield United, after Warnock claimed that Bean stormed into his office and shouted at him in front of his wife and daughter after the 2006/2007 season. Bean denies it, calling Warnock "bitter" and "hypocritical".

[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,[31]: from the Screen Actors Guild, the National Board of Review and 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 and an honorary degree in English Literature from The University of Sheffield in July 2007.[32][31] 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.[33]

[edit] Filmography

Year Film Role Other notes
1986 Caravaggio Ranuccio
1988 Stormy Monday Brendan
1989 How to Get Ahead in Advertising Larry Frisk
1989 War Requiem German Soldier
1990 Windprints Anton
1990 The Field Tadgh McCabe
1991 Clarissa Robert Lovelace
1992 Patriot Games Sean Miller
Fool's Gold: The Story Of The Brink's Mat Robbery Micky McAvoy
1993 Sharpe's Rifles Sergeant/Lieutenant Richard Sharpe TV programme
Sharpe's Eagle Captain Richard Sharpe TV programme
Lady Chatterley Oliver Mellors
1994 Sharpe's Company Captain Richard Sharpe TV programme
Sharpe's Enemy Major Richard Sharpe TV programme
Sharpe's Honour Major Richard Sharpe TV programme
Black Beauty Farmer Grey
Shopping Venning
1995 Sharpe's Gold Major Richard Sharpe TV programme
Sharpe's Battle Major Richard Sharpe TV programme
Sharpe's Sword Major Richard Sharpe TV programme
GoldenEye Alec Trevelyan
1996 When Saturday Comes Jimmy Muir
Sharpe's Regiment Major Richard Sharpe TV programme
Sharpe's Siege Major Richard Sharpe TV programme
Sharpe's Mission Major Richard Sharpe TV programme
1997 Anna Karenina Vronsky
Sharpe's Revenge Major Richard Sharpe TV programme
Sharpe's Justice Major Richard Sharpe TV programme
Sharpe's Waterloo Lieutenant Colonel Richard Sharpe TV programme
1998 Ronin Spence
1999 Extremely Dangerous Neil Byrne
Bravo Two Zero Andy McNab
2000 Essex Boys Jason Locke
2001 The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring Boromir
Don't Say a Word Patrick Koster
2002 The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers Boromir
Equilibrium Partridge
Tom and Thomas Paul Shepherd
2003 The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King Boromir
The Big Empty Cowboy
2004 Pride Dark (voice)
National Treasure Ian Howe
Troy Odysseus
2005 North Country Kyle
Flightplan Captain Marcus Rich
The Island Dr. Merrick
2006 The Dark James
Silent Hill Chris DeSilva
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (video game) Martin Septim voice
Sharpe's Challenge Richard Sharpe
2007 The Hitcher John Ryder
Outlaw Danny Bryant
2008 Far North Loki completed
The Root Of All Evil post-production
Sharpe's Peril Richard Sharpe post-production
A Woman of No Importance Lord Illingworth pre-production
Come Like Shadows Macbeth of Scotland pre-production

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b 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, 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: Sharpe's Rifles - TV.com
  10. ^ Sharpe rumours. Retrieved on 2006-09-16.
  11. ^ Sean Bean Biography. Hollywood Media Corporation. Retrieved on 2006-09-14.
  12. ^ When Saturday Comes review. Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved on 2006-09-14.
  13. ^ Flightplan interview. Retrieved on 2006-09-14.
  14. ^ The stars of The Lord of the Rings trilogy reach their journey's end. SciFi.com. Retrieved on 2007-05-31.
  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. ^ "Bean eager for Coronation Street role", RTE, 2006-01-27. Retrieved on 2006-09-16. 
  21. ^ a b "Its hard being a sex symbol!" (reprint), Woman's Own, 2003-01-13. Retrieved on 2006-09-15. 
  22. ^ "Bloom is Britain's sexiest actor", Daily Mail, 2004-06-14. Retrieved on 2006-09-14. 
  23. ^ "The Andrew Duncan Interview" (reprint), Radio Times, 1996-05-11. Retrieved on 2006-09-29. 
  24. ^ "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. 
  25. ^ a b "Sheffield Steel" (reprint), Vogue, June 2004. Retrieved on 2006-10-11. 
  26. ^ Sean Bean: The Interview. Retrieved on 2006-10-11.
  27. ^ Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, Cast Commentary, region 2
  28. ^ a b Black, Mary. "The Thinking Woman's Bit of Rough" (reprint), Ms London Magazine, 2005-08-08. Retrieved on 2006-09-14. 
  29. ^ The Star
  30. ^ ""Sheffield United: The Biography"", FL Interactive. Retrieved on 2007-06-23. 
  31. ^ a b The Sean Bean Picture Pages. Retrieved on 2006-09-14.
  32. ^ Sheffield University. Retrieved on 2007-07-20.
  33. ^ Sheffield Legends. Retrieved on 2006-09-14.

[edit] External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:
Preceded by
Robert Davi		 Official James Bond villain actor
1995		 Succeeded by
Jonathan Pryce
v • d • e
Jack Ryan Film Series
Films
Actors playing Ryan
Other Actors
Persondata
NAME Sean Bean
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Shaun Mark Bean
SHORT DESCRIPTION Actor
DATE OF BIRTH 17 April 1959
PLACE OF BIRTH Sheffield, England
DATE OF DEATH
PLACE OF DEATH