By StephanieLee Elliott
FROM WIKIPEDIA COMMONS
Gary Leonard Oldman (born 21 March 1958) is an English actor and filmmaker. Known for his versatility and intense acting style, he has received various accolades, including an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, three British Academy Film Awards, and nominations for two Primetime Emmy Awards. His films have grossed over $11 billion worldwide, making him one of the highest-grossing actors of all time.
Oldman began acting in theatre in 1979 and made his film debut in Remembrance (1982). He appeared in London’s Royal Court and was a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company, with credits including Cabaret, Romeo and Juliet, Entertaining Mr Sloane, Saved, The Country Wife, and Hamlet. He rose to prominence in British film with his portrayals of Sid Vicious in Sid and Nancy (1986), Joe Orton in Prick Up Your Ears (1987) and Rosencrantz in Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead (1990). Regarded as a member of the “Brit Pack“, he achieved greater recognition as a New York gangster in State of Grace (1990), Lee Harvey Oswald in JFK (1991), and Count Dracula in Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992).
Oldman portrayed villainous roles in True Romance (1993), Léon: The Professional (1994), The Fifth Element (1997), Air Force One (1997), and The Contender (2000). He has also played franchise roles such as Sirius Black in the Harry Potter series (2004–2011), James “Jim” Gordon in The Dark Knight Trilogy (2005–2012), Lord Shen in Kung Fu Panda 2 (2011), and Dreyfus in Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014). He won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his role as Winston Churchill in the historical drama Darkest Hour (2017). He was Oscar-nominated for his portrayals of George Smiley in the thriller Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011), and Herman J. Mankiewicz in drama Mank (2020).
Oldman also wrote and directed the film Nil by Mouth (1997). On television, he starred in the BBC film The Firm (1989). Since 2022, he has starred as Jackson Lamb, a British spy in the Apple TV+ thriller series Slow Horses for which he was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series. He also earned an Emmy-nomination for his guest role as a serious actor on the NBC sitcom Friends in 2001. He has also acted in music videos for David Bowie, Guns N’ Roses, and Annie Lennox.
TODAY’S ALMANAC
Question of the Day
Advice of the Day
Home Hint of the Day
Word of the Day
Puzzle of the Day
Died
- Pocahontas (aka Rebecca Rolfe, funeral occurred on this date) –
- Frederick Winslow Taylor (father of scientific management”“) –
- Macdonald Carey (actor) –
- Herman Talmadge (governor & U.S. senator) –
- Rabbi Israel Miller (leader of the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany) –
- Johnny Bristol (producer, songwriter, & singer) –
- Ludmilla Tcherina (French-artist & ballet star) –
- Barney Martin (actor) –
- Bernard Lacoste (head of fashion company best known for its crocodile-crested polo shirts) –
- James Rebhorn (actor) –
Born
- Johann Sebastian Bach (composer; Old Style date) –
- Modest Mussorgsky (composer) –
- Florenz Ziegfeld (theatrical producer) –
- Halton Christian Arp (American astronomer) –
- Jules Bergman (newsman) –
- James Coco (actor) –
- Timothy Dalton (actor) –
- Gary Oldman (actor) –
- Ayrton Senna (race car driver) –
- Matthew Broderick (actor) –
- Rosie O’Donnell (comedienne & actress) –
Events
- Thomas Jefferson reported to President Washington in NY as the new Secretary of State –
- Jane Croly organized first club for professional women, Sorosis, in New York City –
- Journalist Henry M. Stanley began his famous expedition into Africa to locate the missing Scottish missionary, David Livingstone –
- World War I Second Battle of the Somme, one of the bloodiest in history, began in France –
- United Nations established temporary headquarters in New York City, at Hunter College –
- DJ Alan Freed hosted the first rock-n-roll concert, Cleveland, Ohio. Reportedly, 25,000 people showed up, though only 10,000 seats were available –
- Sharpeville Massacre took place in S. Africa when blacks besieged Johannesburg police station protesting law requiring all blacks to carry papers –
- The federal prison on Alcatraz Island, California, closed after 29 years of operation –
- Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. led thousands of civil rights demonstrators on a 50+ mile walk from Selma to Montgomery, AL, demanding voting rights for African Americans –
- Order of Canada, to honor outstanding contributions to society and country, instituted –
- Royals was the winning name for the new Kansas City baseball team –
- The Guess Who’s “American Woman” was released as a single –
- Soviet sub collided with USS Kitty Hawk –
- U.S. figure skater Debi Thomas became the first African American woman to win the world’s championship, Geneva, Switzerland –
- After 33 years, Dick Clark announced he was stepping down as host of American Bandstand –
- Former NBA star Michael Jordan was dropped from the White Sox major league baseball roster and sent to minor league spring training camp –
- Rajveer Meena recited 70,000 decimal places of pi –
Weather
- Tornado swept through southeastern U.S., killing more than 300 people –
COURTESY www.almanac.com
