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Clive Owen
Recently breaking into the top ranks of British superstars who are making it huge in Hollywood, the smoothly virile actor Clive Owen was born on October 3, 1964, in Coventry. His father was a country/western singer who deserted his family when Clive was only 3. He attended Binley Park Comprehensive School and joined the youth theater at 13 after playing the scene-stealing role of the Artful Dodger in a production of "Oliver!" In 1984, following graduation, Clive applied and was accepted into the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art for three years. While there, he built up a classical resume including roles in "Henry IV, Part I" and "The Lady from the Sea." He subsequently joined the Young Vic Theatre Company and in 1988, the handsome actor, while playing Romeo, fell in love with his Juliet, Sarah-Jane Fenton. The couple eventually married in 1995 and have two daughters.
1988 was a good year for another reason. Clive made his film debut in the British-madeVroom (1990) co-starring with David Thewlis as two fellows who restore a classic American car and take off on the road. Within two years, Clive became a full-fledged TV star playing devilish rogue Stephen Crane in "Chancer" (1990). However, the now-sought-after Clive abandoned the star-making part at the height of the show's popularity because of unwanted invasion of privacy and his fear of typecasting. His next project raised more than a few eyebrows when he filmed Close My Eyes (1991) in which he played a brother who acts on his incestuous desires for his older sister. Clive's reputation as a lovable shyster was completely shattered and he lost profitable commercial endorsements following the film's release. Offers fell off for the next two years as a result. But the persistent Clive carried on with stage work, including the role of a bisexual in a production of Noel Coward's "Design For Living." He returned to TV at that time as well and played a number of roles in both mini-movies and series.
In 1997, Clive had a huge hit on the London stage with "Closer," a cynical, contemporary ensemble piece about relationships. Controversy surrounded him again in the film role of Max in Bent (1997) playing a brash, reckless homosexual lothario in decadent pre-war Germany who finds unconditional love while interned in a Nazi war camp. His biggest film break, however, was in Mike Hodges' Croupier (1998), as a struggling writer-turned-casino employee who gets in over his head with a femme fatale scam artist. English audiences stayed away in droves but the U.S. embraced the film and Hollywood took notice of Clive, who was virtually unknown outside of England. Despite playing detective Ross Tanner in a series of successful "Second Sight" mini-movies and finding critical acclaim on stage with "The Day in the Death of Joe Egg" in 2001, Clive has focused primarily on film, including the offbeat Brit romantic comedy Greenfingers (2000), the classy and popular Robert Altman film Gosford Park (2001), the Matt Damon star-vehicle The Bourne Identity (2002), and the title role in King Arthur (2004). He has since reached the top rungs of the Hollywood ladder with the film version of his stage smash Closer (2004/I) co-starring Julia Roberts, in which he received an Academy Award nomination and won the BAFTA award for "Supporting Actor"; opposite Denzel Washington in Inside Man (2006); and alongside Julianne Moore and Michael Caine in Children of Men (2006). Upcoming is his portrayal of Sir Walter Raleigh opposite Cate Blanchett's Elizabeth I in the film Elizabeth: The Golden Age (2007). There seems to be only bigger and better things awaiting this versatile talent. Ever since playing the ultra-cool driver in BMW's "The Hire" series, there has been constant pressure for Clive to don a tux and become filmdom's next "James Bond". It has yet to happen, but it seems like it would be a perfect fit.
IMDb Mini Biography By: Gary Brumburgh / [email protected]
Spouse
Sarah-Jane Fenton(6 March 1995 - present) 2 children
Trade Mark
Deep dramatic baritone voice
Sardonic sense of humor
Frequently plays tough characters who use intelligence rather than strength
Many of his roles have him wearing a long coat, usually well worn and tattered
Known for playing highly intelligent but amoral characters
Trivia
Had a recurring role on a series of BMW commercials as their mysterious driver. He played a valet in the film Gosford Park (2001) and played a fellow "Agent" named the Professor in The Bourne Identity (2002) who was sent to kill Bourne.
Was accepted into the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in 1984. After he graduated, he joined the Young Vic Theatre.
Has four brothers and was raised by his mother and stepfather.
Has 2 daughters, Hannah Owen (born 1997) and Eve Owen (born 1999), with Sarah-Jane Fenton.
Is a huge David Bowie fan and has called singer "the biggest musical influence on my life." He says, "I don't know why, but no one else has ever had such an effect on me. I didn't have most of his work. I had everything." In the 1970s, when Bowie was changing his appearance and style with every album, Owen would re-dye his hair whatever color Bowie's was at the time.
Turned down the role as The Driver for BMW twice. He was sent a copy of the script for the first ad, read it and was impressed by its presentation. He immediately accepted the role, jumped on a plane to LA, and was whisked away to the set of the first ad as soon as he landed.
Two of his brothers, Alan and Lee, became musicians and released a single called "Heartbeat."
Met his wife at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art while doing Romeo and Juliet.
Mentioned in the song 'Risen Within' by MC Homicide featuring PAZ.
When his Beyond Borders (2003/I) co-star Angelina Jolie told him he looked sexy, she says, he "fell over laughing".
Invited to join AMPAS in 2005.
He is a supporter of Liverpool Football Club.
Was voted "Best dressed male" by GQ magazine in 2006
Began acting at age 13.
In a 2005 poll, was voted the top choice to play James Bond in Casino Royale (2006) but polled fewer votes than Pierce Brosnan continuing the role.
January 2007 - has signed on as the face of a new Lancome anti-aging cream for men. He was also be named the new spokesman of the cosmetics firm's new Hypnose Homme fragrance. The print adverts resulted in complaints to the advertising Standards Authority over the heavy airbrushing used to make him look younger.
In November 2006, he became patron of the Electric Palace Cinema in Harwich, England and launched an appeal for funds to repair deteriorating elements of the fabric.
In the original theater production of "Closer" he played the character Dan. In the film version he played the other prominent male character, Larry, while Dan was played by Jude Law.
Voted #5 in Elle (France) Magazine's "15 Sexiest Men" poll (June 2007).
Is the patron for the Electric Palace Cinema in Harwich, England.
Was named Empire Magazines #25 in the list of 100 Sexiest Stars(2007).
Lobbied for the role of Lord Asriel in The Golden Compass (2007).
After Russell Crowe turned down the role, he was chosen by Jerry Bruckheimer over Antoine Fuqua's choice of Daniel Craig for the lead role inKing Arthur (2004). Owen was later turned down for the role of Lord Asriel in The Golden Compass (2007) in favor of Daniel Craig in spite of offering to screen test for the part.
Although his 'official' date of birth is 1964, the News of the World published a birth certificate stating it as 1962 as part of an article about the real age of movie stars.
Got the the role of King Arthur (2004) after Russell Crowe, Mel Gibson and Hugh Jackman turned it down and after producer Jerry Bruckheimervetoed the director's choice of a then comparatively unknown Daniel Craig because he was convinced Owen was going to be the next James Bond.
Admitted in a Newsweek interview to promote The International (2009/I) that he has considered submitting false trivia about himself ("I once talked to someone about putting something on IMDB") and was surprised at how seriously people took it. In the same interview he also claimed he doesn't eat biscuits because 'He-men don't need biscuits.'.
In an interview published in the Daily Express, he said that he was terrified of badgers. In a subsequent interview in Newsweek, he denied being afraid of them and said it was a joke.
Personal Quotes
I've never been interested in playing good guys. I'm always attracted to dangerous characters. Those roles are usually far more interesting and I hold no fears about doing them. With my character in <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0159382/" style="color: rgb(19, 108, 178); ">Croupier (1998), you're never really sure where he's coming from. He's not really a good guy or a bad guy. But people generally aren't, are they?
The sexiest part of the body is the eyes. Corny, but that's what I believe. They're what connect us as human beings.
Theatre uses a different energy. It's like going to the gym and having a vigorous workout. But every few years is enough because I love filming. I am a real film animal.
When I was 10 or 11, I played the Artful Dodger in a school production of 'Oliver. From that point forward, I said I wanted to be an actor. Nobody in my family took it seriously, but I saw no other path. I was a cocky little kid. This one teacher said: 'You're a working-class kid from Coventry. What do you know?'
Theater is like exercise. I feel it's healthy. But I don't love it as much as movies. A bad experience in the theater can be so depressing. You've got to do it every night, even if the production is not working.
The lighter stuff has got to be really well written for me, or it just doesn't get me going. There's something to play if there's conflict going on. Whatever that conflict is, that's where drama is; if the character is grappling with something you've got something to play, there's layers to it. And when that isn't there it's ... less interesting.
[Talking about Daniel Craig]: "I think when Craig first took the (James Bond) part he got a pretty rough ride, which to a certain extent is inevitable because there are so many different people who have so many different ideas about something like that. You are never going to please everybody. The thing that is really exciting is that he is a proper actor. He is not shallow or posing, they have cast a really serious actor and I think that when the film comes out everyone will see what a great choice he was".
On his fear of badgers: I've never been bitten by one or anything like that, they just look evil to me. Even watching The Wind in the Willows they scared me. It was like the Devil staring straight into my eyes. It's something I've never outgrown. Even today, just the thought of badgers absolutely terrifies me. Hell to me is a room full of badgers.
Bond was the best thing that never happened to me. I was never in the running but the more I said so, the more people thought I had it in the bag. What's so funny about it all is my career in Britain was in really bad shape at the time, but my agents pretty much built me a new one in America by playing up all the Bond stories. All I had to do was keep on telling people I was never going to be Bond. I'd like to think I made it on talent, but it's really just dumb luck. If I hadn't worn that tux in Croupier, I'd still be begging for the parts Robson Green turned down on cop shows.
I don't "do" emotion. Emotions are overrated. I'm more interested in creating a presence.
(On Bond) It's easy to keep saying no to a role you're not being offered. If they really had offered? I don't know. It's possible I would have said yes. It's possible. But they never asked so we'll never really know.
I've heard people say I have a dull and monotonous voice, but the truth is that I put all my effort into communicating to the audience via my eyes. An actor can say so much with their eyes. I would have loved to have been an actor in the days of silent movies. Sounding interesting disinterests me. Looking interesting is another matter entirely.
I got in a cab in Glasgow years ago and this quite surly cabdriver says to me, 'You're that actor, aren't you? You get paid to lie, don't you? That's what actors are, aren't they? Professional bullsh***ers.' It had quite an effect on me. I f***ing get paid to lie. . . . I walked out of there and I spent a bit of time thinking about it. And then I realized I think it's the opposite: It's an opportunity to tell the truth. I try to do that in everything I do. And whether you like a movie I'm in or not, I want you to believe me. More than admire me or think I was brilliantly skillful, I want you to believe me.
[on bad scripts he is reading] These are films that are funded and ready to go - expensive movies. You're amazed that people are funding them. I start to think it's me, that I'm being too choosy.
(On his plans for Catweazle) Making the film (The Boys Are Back) made me realise I've not made many films my own children can see, and I want them to see what their old man does for a living. When I was a kid, Catweazle was the bees' knees, the best thing on TV. I didn't want to be Cedric or the other kid, I wanted to grow up to be just like Catweazle. It's my dream role. You could say my whole career has just been a rehearsal for Catweazle. It (the character's look) is a bit of a problem with the Lancombe contract, but if it comes to choice between them, it'll have to be Catweazle. I hope it doesn't come to that! Maybe they can do before and after adverts - with Catweazle the before!
http://thecliveowen.blogspot.com/
The fourth of five brothers, Owen was born in Coventry, in the English Midlands, a son of Pamela (née Cotton) and Jess Owen, a country and westernsinger. His father left the family when Owen was three years old, and despite a brief reconciliation when Owen was nineteen, the two have remained estranged.[1] Raised by his mother and stepfather, a railway ticket clerk,[2] he has described his childhood as "rough."[1] While initially opposed to drama school, he changed his mind in 1984, after a long and fruitless period of searching for work. Owen graduated from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in 1987[citation needed] with a class that included Rebecca Pidgeon, Serena Harragin, Mark Womack, and Liza Tarbuck. After graduation, he won a position at the Young Vic, performing in several Shakespearean plays.[citation needed]
Career
Initially, Owen carved out a career in television. In 1988 Owen starred as Gideon Sarn in a BBC production of Precious Bane and the Channel 4 film Vroombefore the 1990s saw him become a regular on stage and television in the UK, notably his lead role in the ITV series Chancer, followed by an appearance in the Thames Television production of Lorna Doone.
He won critical acclaim for his performances in the 1991 Stephen Poliakoff film Close My Eyes – in which he has a full frontal nude scene – about a brother and sister who embark on an incestuous love affair. He subsequently appeared in The Magician, Class of '61, Century, Nobody's Children, An Evening with Gary Lineker, Doomsday Gun, Return of the Native and then a Carlton production called Sharman, about a private detective. In 1996, he appeared in his first major Hollywood film The Rich Man's Wife alongside Halle Berry before finding international acclaim in a Channel 4 film directed by Mike Hodges called Croupier (1998). In Croupier, he played the title role of a struggling writer who takes a job in a London casino as inspiration for his work, only to get caught up in a robbery scheme. In 1999, he appeared as an accident-prone driver in Split Second, his first BBC production in a decade.
He then starred in The Echo, a BBC1 drama. He starred in a film called Greenfingers about a criminal who goes to work in a garden, before appearing in the BBC1 mystery series Second Sight. In 2001, he provided the voice-over for a BBC2 documentary about popular music through the years called Walk On By, as well as starring in a highly-acclaimed theatre production called A Day in the Death of Joe Egg, about a couple with a severely handicapped daughter.
He became well known to North American audiences in the summer of 2001 after starring as The Driver in The Hire, a series of short films sponsored by BMW and made by prominent directors. He then appeared in Robert Altman's Gosford Park, alongside an all-star cast including Helen Mirren, Maggie Smith, Michael Gambon, Kristin Scott Thomas and Ryan Phillippe. He appeared in the 2002 hit The Bourne Identity. In 2003, he teamed up with Hodges again to make I'll Sleep When I'm Dead. He starred in Beyond Borders and took on the title role in King Arthur, for which he took riding lessons.
Owen appeared in the West End and Broadway hit play Closer, by Patrick Marber, which was produced as a film, and was released in 2005. He played "Dan" in the play, but was "Larry" thedermatologist in the film version. His portrayal of Larry in the film version earned him a lot of recognition as well as the Golden Globe and BAFTA award and an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor. He noted that the expectations of him since the Oscar nomination have not changed the way he approaches film-making, stating "I try, every film I do, to be as good as I can and that's all I can do."[3]
After Closer, he appeared in Derailed alongside Jennifer Aniston, the comic bookthrillerSin City as the noirantiheroDwight McCarthy and as a mysterious bank robber in Inside Man. Despite public denials, Owen had long been rumoured to be a possible successor to Pierce Brosnan in the role of James Bond. A public opinion poll in the United Kingdom in October 2005 (SkyNews) found that he was the public's number one choice to star in the next installment of the series. In that same month, however, it was announced that fellow British actor Daniel Craig would become the next James Bond. In an interview in the September 2007 issue of Details, he claimed that he was never offered or even approached concerning the role.[4] In 2006, Owen spoofed the Bond connection by making an appearance in the remake of The Pink Panther in which he plays a character named "Nigel Boswell, Agent 006" (when he introduces himself to Inspector Clouseau, he quips that Owen's character is "one short of the big time").
Owen at the Children of MenPremiere in Mexico City, 2006
In 2006, Owen starred in the highly acclaimed Children of Men,[5] for which he received widespread praise. The film was nominated for various awards, including anAcademy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay; Owen worked on the screenplay, although he was uncredited.[6] The next year he starred alongside Paul Giamatti in the film Shoot 'Em Up and appeared as Sir Walter Raleigh opposite Cate Blanchett's Elizabeth I of England in the film Elizabeth: The Golden Age. He appeared in the Christmas special of the Ricky Gervais show Extras, as revealed in the video podcast teaser. Owen starred in The International (2009), a film which he described as a "paranoid political thriller".[7] He then played the lead in The Boys Are Back,[8] an Australian adaptation of the book The Boys Are Back In Town by Simon Carr.
In April 2010, he was cast as the lead in Juan Carlos Fresnadillo's horror-thriller Intruders.[9]
In June 2010 it was announced that Owen and Nicole Kidman will star in an HBO film about Ernest Hemingway and his relationship with Martha Gellhorn entitledHemingway & Gellhorn. James Gandolfini will serve as executive producer to the film written by Barbara Turner and Jerry Stahl. The film will be directed by Philip Kaufman and will reportedly begin shooting next year.[10]
Clive is currently shooting 'Shadow Dancer'[11] joint Irish UK production about a young mother who is heavily involved with the Irish republican Movement. She is arrested in London following an aborted bombing attempt and must either choose to inform on her family or spend the rest of her life behind bars. The Film also stars Andrea Riseborough, Gillian Anderson and Aidan Gillen and is being directed by James Marsh.
Personal life
In an incident he later described as "very schmaltzy", Owen met his future wife, actress Sarah-Jane Fenton, when they performed the leads in Romeo and Juliet at the Young Vic.[12] The couple married on 6 March 1995 and live in Highgate, London and Wrabness, north Essex, with their two daughters – Hannah and Eve.[citation needed]
In November 2006,[13] he became patron of the Electric Palace Cinema in Harwich, Essex, England and launched an appeal for funds to repair deteriorating elements of the fabric.[14][15]
He enjoys the music of indie rock band Hard-Fi and has been seen at two of their concerts, Brixton Academy, 15 May 2006[16] and Wembley Arena, 18 December 2007. He is also an avid Liverpool F.C fan.[17]
Filmography
YearFilmRoleNotes1988VroomJakeBoonGeoffBoon – TV Series 3 – Episode 8 "Peacemaker"1989Precious BaneGideon SarnTV movie1990ChancerStephen Crane/Derek LoveTV series: 20 EpisodesLorna DooneJohn RiddTV Movie1991Close My EyesRichard1993Class of '61Devin O'NeilTV MovieCenturyPaul ReisnerThe MagicianDet. Con. George ByrneTV Movie1994The Return of the NativeDamon WildeveTV MovieDoomsday GunDovTV MovieAn Evening with Gary LinekerBillTV MovieNobody's ChildrenBratuTV MovieThe TurnaroundNick SharmanPilot for TV series Sharman1995Bad Boy BluesPaulTV Movie1996Privateer 2: The DarkeningSer Lev ArisVideo gameThe Rich Man's WifeJake GoldenSharmanNick SharmanTV series: 4 Episodes1997CroupierJack ManfredBentMax1998The EchoMichael DeaconTelevision series1999Split SecondMichael AndersonTV MovieSecond SightDCI Ross TannerTelevision series2000GreenfingersColin BriggsSecond Sight series twoDCI Ross TannerTelevision series2001The HireThe DriverGosford ParkRobert ParksBroadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Cast
Florida Film Critics Circle Award for Best Cast
Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Cast
Satellite Award for Best Cast – Motion Picture
Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
Nominated – Phoenix Film Critics Society Award for Best CastWalk On ByNarratorTV documentary
Voice Only2002The Bourne IdentityThe Professor2003Beyond BordersNick CallahanI'll Sleep When I'm DeadWill2004CloserLarryBAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role
Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture
Las Vegas Film Critics Society Award for Best Supporting Actor
New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actor
National Board of Review Award for Best Cast
Toronto Film Critics Association for Best Supporting Actor
Nominated — Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor
Nominated — Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actor
Nominated — Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Cast
Nominated — London Film Critics Circle Award for British Actor of the Year
Nominated — Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Supporting Actor
Nominated — Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture
Nominated — Toronto Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting ActorKing ArthurArthur2005DerailedCharles SchineSin CityDwight McCarthy2006Children of MenTheo FaronCentral Ohio Film Critics Association Award Best Actor
Nominated — Saturn Award for Best Actor
Inside ManDalton RussellThe Pink PantherNigel Boswell/Agent 006Uncredited Cameo2007Elizabeth: The Golden AgeSir Walter RaleighShoot 'Em UpSmithNominated — Satellite Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy2009The InternationalLouis SalingerDuplicityRay KovalThe Boys Are BackJoe WarrAlso Executive Producer2011TrustWill CameronKiller EliteSpikeIntrudersJohn Farrow
