Overview (3)

Mini Bio (1)

Sean Bean's career since the eighties spans theatre, radio, television and movies. Bean was born in Handsworth, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, to Rita (Tuckwood) and Brian Bean. He worked for his father's welding firm before he decided to become an actor. He attended RADA in London and appeared in a number of West End stage productions including RSC's "Fair Maid of the West" (Spencer), (1986) and "Romeo and Juliet" (1987) (Romeo) , as well as "Deathwatch" (Lederer) (1985) at the Young Vic and "Killing the Cat" (Danny) (1990) at the Theatre Upstairs.



This soulful, green-eyed blonde's roles are so varied that his magnetic persona convincing plays angst-ridden villains, as in Clarissa (1991), passionate lovers like Mellors in Lady Chatterley (1993), rough-and-ready soldiers such as Richard Sharpe, heart wrenching warriors as the emotionally torn Boromir in "The Lord of the Rings," and noble Greeks, like Odysseus in Troja (2004), where his very presence in the film adds grace and validity to the rest of the movie. Recently, he did a turn in Shakespeare's "Macbeth," where as the principal lead, he so transfixed the audience that the show was extended in London and critically acclaimed. Bean, however, remains himself, a man's man, and in the glitzy world of movies this is a rare thing indeed. Bean resides in London where he enjoys raising his beautiful daughters, his beloved football, and the occasional pint.



Bean has three daughters, Lorna, Molly and Evie.

- IMDb Mini Biography By: Winona Kent and moviefarie

Spouse (5)

Trade Mark (4)

He often plays men who start off as heroes and, sometime during the course of the film, take a dark turn and become villainous



He often plays characters with a tendency to appear brooding



He often plays characters who die in a violent manner. This has occurred more than 20 times



His distinctive Yorkshire accent



Trivia (44)



Daughter, Evie Natasha born, with Abigail Cruttenden . [November 1998]

He is a devoted follower of the Sheffield United Football Club.



He was a presenter at the 1995 BAFTA Awards.





In a scene midway through Sharpe: Die Scharfschützen - 5. Der Preis der Ehre (1994), Sharpe and Marquesa Dorada are galloping down a hill on horseback when they suddenly tumble off the horse and land in the middle of a shallow stream. The scene is real; the horse stumbled as it was crossing the stream, sending Bean and co-star Alice Krige down into the water. Director 'Tom Clegg' liked the scene and kept it for the final cut.



Was not the first choice for the role of Richard Sharpe in the Sharpe series; he stepped in when an accident prevented actor Paul McGann from taking the part.

Made his professional stage debut in "Romeo and Juliet" (as Tybalt) at the Watermill Theatre in Newbury, England in 1983.





Appeared in Moby 's video for "We Are All Made of Stars". [2002]

Was awarded an Honorary Doctorate degree from the University of Sheffield in England in 1997.



He has a "100% BLADE" tattoo on his left shoulder, in honour of his favourite football team, Sheffield United whose nickname is "The Blades". The tattoo is frequently converted (with makeup) into a scar - or a different tattoo - when he is filming.





He has two scars. He got one when he was a child and the other from Harrison Ford while shooting his death scene in Die Stunde der Patrioten (1992). Ford accidentally hit him with a boat hook. In the Sharpe series, this was emphasised with makeup to add credibility to his character.

Says that he took the roles of Boromir and Odysseus because he was "tired of being known as a villainous actor" to American audiences (he says he was tired of playing just bad guys and wanted a change of pace and to play a sympathetic character or two).



Since February 2004, has been living in a London hotel after a burst water pipe flooded his house.



He has retained his Sheffield accent.





The only film awards he's ever won are from the Screen Actors Guild, the National Board of Review and the Broadcast Film Critics Association; these awards were all for Best Cast Ensemble for Der Herr der Ringe: Die Rückkehr des Königs (2003), in which he only appeared for three seconds in archive footage.

Graduated from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) in London, England.



Is a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) in Stratford Upon Avon, England, where his credits include "A Midsummer Nights Dream" and "King Richard II".



Once played Romeo at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre in streetwise-wearing biker's leather.





His dislike for flying is so intense that he tries to avoid it as much as he can. During the filming of the "Mount Caradhras" scene in Der Herr der Ringe: Die Gefährten (2001), he chose to walk to the top for 2 hours every day. While his fellow cast members were ferried in by helicopter, they could often see him hiking in costume to the shooting site. After having flown back to England when his shoot was over, Peter Jackson conceived of an elaborate flashback scene for which Bean was again required to fly to New Zealand. Unfortunately, the scene was later omitted from the movie, although it was included in the extended DVD edition.



Like fellow countryman Gary Oldman , he started out his career playing villainous characters, only to later distance himself from that on screen image by taking more likable roles like the ones he played in Troja (2004) and Kaltes Land (2005).

Appeared in UK adult comic Viz (issue 76, Feb/Mar 1996) in a spoof photo-love story called "I've Bean to Paradise".



Applied successfully for a grant to study at RADA where he won a Silver Medal and two fencing medals.



Presented the award for Duo of the Year to John Tams and Barry Coope at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards. (4th February 2008).





Was considered for the part of Kainan in Outlander (2008).

Has a younger sister called Lorraine Bean.





Of his many death scenes, his favorite is Boromir's in Der Herr der Ringe: Die Gefährten (2001), commenting that "you couldn't ask for a more heroic death".

His father, Brian, owned a fabrication (metal) shop and his mother, Rita, worked as a secretary.



His fear of flying was cured during the filming of The Lord of the Rings.





He has received multiple articles of fan mail intended for Rowan Atkinson , who played Mr. Bean.

Bean has been a fan of Sheffield United since he was eight years old, and has a tattoo on his left shoulder that reads "100% Blade". He opened their hall of fame in 2001 and, after making a six-figure contribution to the club's finances, was on their board of directors between 2002 and 2007 to help raise the profile of the club. He stepped down in 2007 to "go back to being an ordinary supporter" where he feels at home. During his time there, he had some issues 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 when the club had just been relegated from the Premier League. Bean denies it, calling Warnock "bitter" and "hypocritical". He wrote the foreword and helped to promote a book of anecdotes called Sheffield United: The Biography.



He follows Yorkshire County Cricket Club.





He was considered for the role of Hank Pym in Ant-Man (2015) that went to Michael Douglas

Major supporter of the Labour Party.



Sean Bean has become a source of popular Facebook/Internet memes of his character Boromir in the "Lord Of The Rings" films. The memes always begin with the line "One simply does not..." followed by a humorous quote or reference to something in the news or pop culture. This is based on his line "One does not simply walk into Mordor.".



In an interview with The Sun, he announced that he will no longer accept roles that end up being killed in a movie. [September 2019]



At RADA he won the silver medal for his graduation performance in 'Waiting For Godot' and soon after made his stage debut in an 18 week run of 'Romeo and Juliet' at Glasgow's Citizens Theatre playing Tybalt then a compelling Romeo at Stratford.



Has received the Yorkshire Award, was honored with a star on Sheffield's walk of fame, and was awarded 2 Honorary Doctorates by different Sheffield universities.



Personal Quotes (16)

[talking about his character Boromir] He's a fallen hero, a very gentle man under that exterior. He's lived in an environment always ravaged by war and had to be realistic. He wants to use the ring against the enemy instead of destroying it. He doesn't understand the complexities this piece of metal can have on human beings.





en in answer to question at Cannes Film Festival Troja (2004) Interview] There's a wealth of literature out there which, hopefully, will be, you know, exploded in the future, and I personally find it very rewarding to be involved with classic storytelling, and sort of legendary characters.



[on James Bond 007: Casino Royale (2006)] I think there was a time I was linked to it but I suppose I blew it playing 006. They made a good choice in Daniel Craig . He's a very good actor. He was in one of the first Sharpes we ever did and I gave him a bit of a battering. So we can always say Sharpe battered Bond.

A common misperception of me is...that I am a tough, rough northerner, which I suppose I am really. But I'm pretty mild-mannered most of the time. It's the parts that you play I guess. I don't mind it. I'm not a tough guy. I'd like to act as a fair, easygoing, kind man at some point.



I sort of leave the characters at the end of the day. I don't carry anything around with me. No excess baggage or unnecessary thoughts. I think it's too exhausting to do that. To put things into perspective - your work is your work and your leisure time is something else.



Lou Reed,

I was a big Bowie ( David Bowie ) fan when I was younger and I still am. I even dyed my hair red and had the same hairstyle. He was very big in Sheffield, people don't realize how important he was - so were Marc Bolan Roxy Music ... it was a very luxurious time.



[on David Bowie ] To be able to create music like that, to be a poet, to constantly change his look and challenge everything, was quite incredible. It was very attractive, if I'm honest. He was luxurious and decadent and it was infectious, you wanted to be in the world that his character inhabited.



[on Madness ] All the videos were so good, they always seem fresh and new, though the lyrics are quite melancholy.



With actors there used to be a kind of taboo about 'Are you a TV actor or a film actor?' Those lines don't exist anymore. Now you're getting people like Matthew McConaughey and many others doing quality television. And I think audiences appreciate it. They're saying, 'We're not just watching the same old stuff now.' There are unpredictable endings.



[on Peter O'Toole ] The first time I met him on the set, he was in a robe with a cigarette holder and he said: 'Sean, how are you, dear boy?' He was just how I imagined him to be.



[on Jeremy Corbyn ] I think he speaks a lot of sense. I don't mean I want to go back to the 80s, the strikes and stuff like that, but he's sticking up for the working-class man and it's time we heard that voice again.

[on Donald Trump] I don't think British people can believe that this buffoon is a prospective American president.



We took a break from filming Sharpe in the late 1990s and the work just dried up for me. I was still being offered parts but they were rubbish. I wasn't prepared to do any old tat so I just sat at home, slowly being driven up the wall, waiting for something decent to come in. I felt demoralised and dejected and it was a difficult time in my life. Like anyone who has been out of work will tell you, it really gets you down. I finally did a small British film, called Essex Boys, which didn't do brilliantly at the box office but got me started again. I don't know if being unemployed had made me difficult to live with, but it probably did. I know that I was pretty unhappy with life.



All this focus on my private life is the most unappealing aspect of being an actor. I don't like it, but it goes with the territory and I have to put up with it. I certainly don't set out to attract attention.



I've played a lot of baddies, they were great but they weren't very fulfilling - and I always died.

