Sean Bean was born on April 17, 1959 in Sheffield, South
Yorkshire, England.
Initially working for his father's business as a welder,
the acting bug didn't hit Bean as early as some. Instead,
Bean focused on holding a job and maintaining a "stable" personal
life that includes, so far, three marriages; the first of
which was to Debra James in 1981. In 1990 Bean remarried to
Melanie Hill. They were together seven years and had two children.
Between his second and third marriage, Bean was awarded an
Honorary Doctorate degree from Sheffield-Hallam University
in England in 1997. His final marriage was to Abigail Cruttenden
with whom he had one daughter and later divorced in 2000.
After working for his father's firm for several years, Sean
Bean tried his hand at theater. Subsequent to his graduation
from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London, Bean would
appear in a number of West End stage productions including
the Royal Shakespeare Company's "Fair Maid of the West" (1986),
after his professional debut on the stage of the Watermill
Theatre in Newbury, England in "Romeo and Juliet" (1983).
Bean would later perform his debut play for the Royal Shakespeare
Company in 1987. Currently Bean is still affiliated with the
Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford upon Avon.
Although English-native Sean Bean has acted in almost every
medium for approximately 20 years (theater, radio, television,
and movies), perhaps he is best known to America for his performances
in several major blockbusters, the first of which he starred
opposite Harrison Ford in 1992's "Patriot Games". Bean has
also appeared in the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy, "Fellowship
of the Ring" (2001), "Tale of the Two Towers"
(2002), and "The Return of the King" (2003), as
the fallen-hero Boromir. Recently he played Odysseus in the
major motion picture "Troy" (2004) starring opposite Brad
Pitt. The same year Bean also appeared as the villainous treasure
hunter in 2004's "National Treasure".
Despite his ability to play "the bad guy" to a "T", Bean
has admitted that he is, at times, uncomfortable with the
stereotype and tries to maintain selective in his roles as
a result; "[I] took the roles of Borimir and Odysseus because
[I] was tired of being known as a villainous actor to American
audiences". But Bean is remarkable either as the villain,
the warrior, or the passionate lover (mostly stage performances),
and his versatility only continues to aid his film credits.
Though Bean has yet to snag an Oscar he has been recognized
by The Screen Actors Guild, Broadcast Film Critics, and the
National Board of Review for Best Cast Ensemble for "The Return
of the King", despite his mere three seconds of archive footage.
Recently, Sean Bean was voted the second sexiest man in the
UK, stating "I don't have any problems with women seeing me
as their ideal bit of 'rough'. Why would I?". Despite the
sex-symbol status however, Bean remains a levelheaded patron
to his country and hometown of Sheffield (he maintains the
original accent). Bean currently lives in London where he
is free to support his favorite football team, The Sheffield
Blades (he sports a 100% BLADE tattoo on his shoulder), and
spend time raising his three daughters; Lorna, Molly, and
Evie.
Sean Bean's other notable credits include...
Sean Bean - MovieActors.com
