Career Timeline of Gary Oldman: Major Achievements and Milestones
How Gary Oldman built a successful career. Explore key moments that defined the journey.
Gary Oldman is a highly acclaimed English actor and filmmaker celebrated for his versatility and intense acting style. He has received numerous prestigious awards, including an Academy Award and Golden Globe, alongside multiple BAFTA wins and Emmy nominations. Oldman's films have collectively grossed over $11 billion globally, establishing him as one of the highest-grossing actors in cinematic history.
1988: Singing and playing piano in Track 29
In 1988, Oldman sang and played live piano in the film Track 29.
1993: Appearance in Annie Lennox's Love Song for a Vampire music video
In 1993, Oldman appeared in the music video for Annie Lennox's international hit "Love Song for a Vampire", which was written for the soundtrack to Bram Stoker's Dracula.
1994: Tracing Beethoven compositions in Immortal Beloved
In 1994, Oldman traced over Beethoven compositions in the film Immortal Beloved, and he tutored Daniel Radcliffe on bass guitar.
1997: Direction, production, and writing of Nil by Mouth
In 1997, Gary Oldman directed, produced, and wrote Nil by Mouth, which won the BAFTA Alexander Korda Award for Best British Film and the BAFTA Award for Best Screenplay, among others.
2000: Appearance in The Contender
In 2000, Gary Oldman appeared in The Contender as Sheldon Runyon, a zealous American Republican Party congressman, also serving as executive producer. He received a Screen Actors Guild Award nomination for his performance. Disputes arose regarding DreamWorks' alleged editing of the film, which Oldman's manager later dispelled as sensationalism.
May 2001: Guest appearance in Friends
In May 2001, Gary Oldman made two guest appearances in the NBC sitcom Friends, in "The One With Chandler and Monica's Wedding", playing Richard Crosby. He received a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for his performance.
2002: Starring in Interstate 60 and The Hire: Beat the Devil
In 2002, Gary Oldman starred in Interstate 60 and played the Devil in the BMW short film The Hire: Beat the Devil.
2002: Role as the Devil in BMW short film Beat The Devil
In 2002, Oldman played the Devil in the BMW short film Beat The Devil, alongside Clive Owen, James Brown and Marilyn Manson.
2003: Roles in Tiptoes and Sin
In 2003, Gary Oldman took on roles in the films Tiptoes and Sin, which were considered 'barrel-scraping roles' by some critics. Oldman did garner praise for his portrayal of a man with dwarfism in Tiptoes.
2004: First appearance in Harry Potter film series
In 2004, Gary Oldman made his first appearance in the Harry Potter film series, portraying Sirius Black in "The Prisoner of Azkaban", to positive reviews.
2004: Starring role in the Harry Potter film series
In 2004, Gary Oldman returned to prominence when he landed a starring role in the Harry Potter film series, playing Harry Potter's godfather Sirius Black, starting with The Prisoner of Azkaban.
2005: Starring role in Batman Begins
In 2005, Gary Oldman starred as James "Jim" Gordon in Christopher Nolan's commercially successful Batman Begins.
September 2006: Release of Donut
In September 2006, Nokia Nseries Studio released Donut, a short film directed by Gary Oldman.
2007: Portrayal of Sirius Black in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
In 2007, Gary Oldman continued his portrayal of Sirius Black in the film Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.
2008: Reprising role in The Dark Knight
In 2008, Gary Oldman reprised his role as James Gordon in The Dark Knight.
2009: Roles in A Christmas Carol and The Unborn
In 2009, Gary Oldman co-starred in A Christmas Carol, playing three roles, and had a starring role in The Unborn.
2010: Roles in The Book of Eli and Red Riding Hood
In 2010, Gary Oldman co-starred in The Book of Eli and played a lead role in Red Riding Hood. He also voiced Lord Shen in Kung Fu Panda 2, earning an Annie Award nomination.
2011: Directing music video for Alex Eden's single
In 2011, Gary Oldman directed a music video for then-wife Alex Eden's first single, "Kiss Me Like the Woman You Loved".
2011: Portrayal of George Smiley in Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
In 2011, Gary Oldman portrayed George Smiley in Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, earning his first Academy Award nomination and a BAFTA Award nomination.
2011: Portrayal of Sirius Black in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2
In 2011, Gary Oldman reprised his role as Sirius Black in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2.
2012: Role in Lawless
In 2012, Gary Oldman played Floyd Banner in John Hillcoat's Lawless.
2012: Reprising role in The Dark Knight Rises
In 2012, Gary Oldman reprised his role as James Gordon in The Dark Knight Rises.
2013: Starring in David Bowie's The Next Day video
In 2013, Oldman starred as a sleazy priest in the controversial religious-themed video for David Bowie's single "The Next Day".
2014: Roles in RoboCop and Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
In 2014, Gary Oldman starred in RoboCop and Dawn of the Planet of the Apes. He also faced controversy for comments made in an interview.
2015: Signing deal for Blood Riders book series
In 2015 Oldman and his manager Douglas Urbanski signed a deal with the Simon & Schuster/Atria Publishing Group label Emily Bestler Books for Blood Riders, a vampire book series.
2015: Roles in Child 44 and Man Down
In 2015, Gary Oldman played the head of police in Child 44 and had a supporting role in Man Down.
2015: Voicing Lord Vortech in Lego Dimensions
In 2015, Oldman voiced Lord Vortech, the evil mastermind in the Lego Dimensions video game.
2016: Role in Criminal
In 2016, Gary Oldman played a Central Intelligence Agency chief in Criminal.
2017: Roles in The Space Between Us, The Hitman's Bodyguard, and Darkest Hour
In 2017, Gary Oldman played roles in The Space Between Us, The Hitman's Bodyguard, and Winston Churchill in Darkest Hour, the latter receiving critical acclaim. He spent 200 hours in makeup for the role of Churchill.
2017: Discussion of immersion versus impression
In a 2017 interview, Oldman discussed the difference between immersion and impression in acting.
2018: Roles in Tau and Hunter Killer
In 2018, Gary Oldman voiced an evil artificial intelligence in Netflix's Tau and starred in Hunter Killer.
2019: Roles in Mary, The Courier, and The Laundromat
In 2019, Gary Oldman starred in Mary, The Courier, and The Laundromat.
2020: Starring role in Mank
In 2020, Gary Oldman starred as Herman J. Mankiewicz in the Netflix film Mank.
2021: Roles in Crisis and The Woman in the Window
In 2021, Gary Oldman starred in Crisis and The Woman in the Window.
November 2022: Intention to retire after Slow Horses
In November 2022, Gary Oldman stated that the Apple TV+ series Slow Horses would likely be his last role and that he intended to retire from acting after it ended.
August 2023: Starring in Parthenope
In August 2023, it was confirmed that Gary Oldman would star as John Cheever in Paolo Sorrentino's then-untitled film Parthenope.
May 2024: World premiere of Parthenope at Cannes Film Festival
In May 2024, Parthenope, starring Gary Oldman, had its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival where it earned a nine-and-a-half-minute standing ovation but received overall negative critical reviews.
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