Name: Paul Bettany
Birth Name: Paul Bettany
Birthdate: May 27, 1971
Birthplace: Harlesden, London, England
1-MINUTE RESUME FOR PAUL BETTANY
Aimless, ambitionless and disenfranchised as a teen, Paul Bettany moved
to London on his own after the devastating death of his younger brother
(from a fall) and kicked around for a few years until taking up stage
acting at age 19. He made his film debut with
Bent, a Holocaust drama, which also featured Clive Owen, Jude Law and Ian McKellen. Yet his breakthrough achievement came with
A Knight's Tale.
Although studio execs weren't impressed with Bettany initially,
director Brian Helgeland was determined to cast him and wrote the role
of Chaucer specifically for him; Bettany won the London Critics' Circle
Award and much acclaim, even though the movie was a dud. Since then,
he's had a noteworthy film career in such successful films as
A Beautiful Mind,
Master and Commander and
The Da Vinci Code.
5 Things:
1. He taught himself to play guitar and still plays today.
2. After getting severely burned by bleach, he opted to wear a wig to play a self-flagellating monk in The Da Vinci Code; he also broke his ankle while running down some stairs in his baggy costume.
3. He's appeared naked in almost all his films.
4. He started smoking at age 14 after seeing James Dean do it in Rebel Without a Cause; he quit in 2005.
5. One of his early jobs was working in an old folks home, where he
would sit with people as they died; washing off their bodies was one of
his responsibilities.
Quote:
"For some ungodly reason, I end up being naked in a lot of stuff. But
there is a certain grace and kudos that come with taking your clothes
off on the first day, a respect that is given by the rest of the cast.
They look at your body and go, 'F--k, you're brave! You can't even
spell "gym," can you?' That's one good thing about it."
—
E! Online, published date unknown
Family:
Wife: Jennifer Connelly, actress; born Dec. 12, 1970; met on the set of 2001's A Beautiful Mind; married Jan. 1, 2003
Son: Stellan, born Aug. 5, 2003
Stepson: Kai, born Jul. 1997 (mother: Connelly)
FILMS
The Da Vinci Code - (2006) - Actor
Firewall - (2006) - Actor
The Reckoning - (2004) - Actor
Wimbledon - (2004) - Actor
The Heart of Me - (2003) - Actor
Dogville - (2003) - Actor
Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World - (2003) - Actor
Gangster No. 1 - (2002) - Actor
A Beautiful Mind - (2001) - Actor
A Knight's Tale - (2001) - Actor
The Game of Death - (2000) - Actor
Mood Swingers - (2000) - Actor
Sharpe's Waterloo - (1997) - Actor
