Gary Oldman, born March 21, 1958, in
London, UK.
A tremendous actor who, as other noders have noted, has a keen grasp of accents and an ability to assume a role that goes far beyond traditional Hollywood standards. Screen debut was as a working class English skinhead (alongside a young Tim Roth) in the sharp British television drama Meantime. Other key roles include his role as the Sex Pistols' Sid Vicious in Sid and Nancy, his turn as queer playwright Joe Orton in Prick Up Your Ears, and a white, dreadlocked American pimp in True Romance. Even though his roles are sometimes limited, and he has begun to get typecast in clever, idiosyncratic villian roles, he is always a pleasure to watch.