Gary Oldman is an English actor and film director whose edgy, intense style has brought him acclaim in such hits as 'Sid and Nancy,' 'JFK,' 'The Dark Knight' and 'Darkest Hour.'

From the moment his star first shined as Sex Pistols bassist Sid Vicious in Sid and Nancy (1986), Gary Oldman has brought a raw, powerful edge to his roles, which have run the gamut from Dracula to Beethoven to Lee Harvey Oswald. He earned his first Oscar nomination for his work in the 2011 remake of Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, and claimed Golden Globe and Academy Award wins for his portrayal of Winston Churchill in Darkest Hour (2017).

Leonard Gary Oldman was born in London, England, on March 25, 1958. The son of a welder and a homemaker, Oldman grew up in a hardscrabble working-class neighborhood of south London. His childhood and later adult years were framed by the absence of his father, who left the family when Oldman was just 7 years old.

Hardly a committed student, Oldman dropped out of school at the age of 16, when he found work as a store clerk. But after discovering his ability to perform on stage, Oldman returned to the classroom and enrolled at the Young People's Theatre in Greenwich, England. He then earned a scholarship to attend the Rose Bruford College of Theatre and Performance in London, earning his bachelor's degree in 1979.