Paul Bettany was born on 27 May 1971 in London, Great Britain. He was raised in the theater clan. His father, Thane Bettany and mother, Anne Kettle, both were artists. His elder sister is writer.  His early brought was in North West London. In his childhood age at 9, he moved to Hertfordshire. He got married to Jennifer Connelly who was also an actress. Connelly has her son from previous relationship. They have two kids together, son Stellan and daughter, Agnes Lark.

He got coaching at the Drama Centre in London. He began acting on stage in several plays, including An Inspector Calls, One More Wasted Year and Love and Understanding. He also starred in the Royal Shakespeare Company’s creations, like Richard III, Romeo and Juliet, and Julius Caesar. He was also casted in a BBC production of Oliver Twist.

He was given his first role in British television in late 90’s. He was casted in the telefilm, Sharpe's Waterloo. He also performed in the film Bent.  There are various other films in which he appeared. He got his leading role in Gangsters No. 1. This movie brought him in the limelight and the audience started noting him as a talented actor. His acting in the movie earned him several awards nominations, including The British Independent Film Awards for best actor and London Film Critics' Circle.
After his commendable performance, he starred in the telefilm, David Copperfield. He also worked in the films including Kiss Kiss Bang Bang. He also appeared in A Knight’s Tale. This movie gave him an audience as his role was appreciated a lot. He co-starred with Heath Ledger in the movie.

He also co-starred with Russell Crowe in the movie A Beautiful Mind. At the set of A Beautiful Mind, he met actress Jennifer Connelly and finally they got married in 2003. He worked with Russell Crowe in another movie Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World. His role was appreciated by critics and he was nominated for a BAFTA. He has also starred in the Da Vinci Code, a novel authored by Dan Brown. He performed exceptionally as the albino monk Silas in the movie. He co-starred with Tom Hanks in the Da Vinci Code.

He has also starred in Inkheart. Bettany was also casted, besides Johnny Depp and Angelina Jolie in The Tourist. In 2011 he has done a film Priest. He has acted in more than thirty movies.