Jim Broadbent is a favorite of British audiences. His talent and acting skills are recognized not only in the UK, but also in North America and Europe. Unusual appearance helped the actor to become recognizable in any motion picture or theatrical production. On account of Jim Broadbent one "Oscar", two dozen different film awards and more than 50 nominations for the best embodiment of images.
Jim Broadbent is one of the most recognized British character actors. The most successful year in Broadbent's career was 2001, when the actor was awarded the prestigious American Oscar for his supporting role in Iris. In the same year, Jim Broadbent was awarded the British Film Awards for his participation in the film "Moulin Rouge".
Jim Broadbent is a versatile actor who has played a wide variety of characters, from the unlucky nightclub owner in the comedy The Voice to the British politician and protector of the female killer Myra Hindley in Longford.
Childhood and early years of Jim Broadbent
James Broadbent was born on May 24, 1949 in Lincoln to Doreen "Dee" Findlay and Roy Laverick Broadbent. Both parents were involved in the creative field: Dee was a sculpture, and Roy's areas of activity included interior design, furniture production and painting. James's father took up construction work and turned the old church into a theater. Both spouses founded The Holton Theater. From an early age, the boy decided to follow in the footsteps of his parents. Dee and Roy approved of the choice of their son in creative pursuits.
Jim Broadbent's education
The boy was sent to study at the Quaker boarding school in Reading. Despite his "angelic" appearance, Jim has earned a reputation as a rebel for his cocky responses to teachers. Soon, the student was even expelled from school for drinking alcohol.
A few years later, Jim Broadbent was successfully admitted to the art school. The teenager fell in love with acting and transferred to the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts.
Prior to graduation in 1972, Broadbent began working in an open theater in London's Regency Park, where Jim was promoted to theater director. He worked for several years before he started playing himself.
British actor career
At the age of four, boy Jim made his mother's amateur theater debut in A Doll's House.
The first acting job in Jim Broadbent's career at the National Theater in London was the film adaptation of the science fiction and satirical book by Robert Shea and Robert Wilson, The Illuminatus. The production was successful. Jim Broadbent was required to embody several characters in the novel at once.
At the same time, the British actor began to collaborate with director Mike Lee in staging theatrical performances. Lee later directed a short film based on Broadbent's screenplay.
Gradually, the talented actor began to attract the attention of British filmmakers, he began to receive offers to appear in films and television series.
Jim Broadbent's first Hollywood work was the fantastic Superman 4: The Quest for Peace with Christopher Reeve and Gene Hackman. Along with his work in the cinema, Jim Broadbent actively starred in television projects on the BBC, including the historical comedy series with Rowan Atkinson "The Black Viper".
The famous American filmmaker Woody Allen invited Jim Broadbent to participate in his 1994 crime comedy Bullets Over Broadway.
The actor's career flourished throughout the nineties. Jim Broadbent did an excellent job with both the main roles and the supporting role. By the late 90s, Broadbent had fallen in love with the British public and became one of the most recognizable and respected actors.
After the 2000s, the actor was actively borrowed in the work of American directors. Jim Broadbent's name entered the Hollywood A-List.
In 2001, Broadbent played the role of the main character's father in The Diary of Bridget Jones, and the following year, another successful film with Leonardo DiCaprio and Daniel Day-Lewis "Gangs of New York" was released, where Jim Broadbent embodied the image of the American politician William "The Boss »Tweed.
The British actor starred in such famous films as:
- Adventures "Around the World in 80 Days";
- comedy melodrama "Bridget Jones: Edge of Reason" and "Bridget Jones 3";
- Adventures of The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe;
- Crime comedy "Tough Pointing Type";
- Adventures of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull;
- fantasy "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" and "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II";
- the series "Game of Thrones";
- comedy drama "Dirt";
- fantasy "Cloud Atlas";
- melodrama "Brooklyn".
Jim Broadbent is selective about the roles he is offered: "I never want to repeat myself." Today, the actor, along with filming, is actively working in theatrical productions.
Personal life of Jim Broadbent
Jim Broadbent is married to former costume designer, now just a painter, Anastasia Lewis. He met her in 1983. The couple got married four years later. The couple raised two sons from the first marriage of Anastasia, Tom and Paul.
Despite his worldwide fame, Jim Broadbent looks like an ordinary family man outside of work on the set: “I like going to the supermarket, taking the subway and doing housework. I am fortunate to be able to lead a quiet life off stage. Sometimes people smile at me when they meet me. I just smile back. They will probably recognize me."
Jim Broadbent devotes his free time from filming to his wife Anastasia. The couple often spend time together either in London or in the countryside of Lincolnshire.
Jim Broadbent loves to carve wood: “I craft figures: this is another way of creating 'images'. I have a huge number of them. And I don't know what to do with them."
