Biography
Who is Sean Bean?
Early life and real name
Sean Bean was born as Shaun Mark Bean in the Handsworth suburb of Sheffield on April 17, 1959. His parents were Rita and Brian K. Bean, and he grew up with a younger sister named Lorraine. His father owned a fabrication company that employed local workers, while his mother worked as a secretary there. As a child, he accidentally sustained a leg injury from glass during an argument, which left a noticeable scar.
He attended local schools including Handsworth Junior School, Athelstan School, and Brook Comprehensive School, leaving in 1975 with O levels in Art and English. After briefly working at a supermarket and for the local council, he joined his father's firm. He attended Rotherham College of Arts and Technology to study welding before discovering an interest in art and eventually enrolling in a drama course.
Education and early career
After participating in college plays and a performance at Rotherham Civic Theatre, Sean won a scholarship to study at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. He started a seven-term course there in January 1981 and graduated in 1983. Later that year, he made his professional acting debut playing Tybalt in a production of Romeo and Juliet at the Watermill Theatre in Newbury.
During his early career, he performed in both stage and screen projects and adopted the Irish spelling of his first name professionally. Between 1986 and 1988, he served as a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company, appearing in stage productions such as Romeo and Juliet and A Midsummer Night's Dream. He also made his film debut in Derek Jarman's Caravaggio in 1986.
Rise to fame and television roles
Sean found mainstream success on British television when he portrayed Richard Sharpe in the ITV drama series Sharpe. The series originally ran from 1993 to 1997 and followed the fictional experiences of a rifleman during the Napoleonic Wars. He replaced another actor who was injured just two days into filming, taking on the role under challenging conditions in Ukraine and Portugal.
He later gained international recognition for portraying Boromir in the fantasy film trilogy The Lord of the Rings from 2001 to 2003. On television, he appeared as Ned Stark in the HBO fantasy drama series Game of Thrones and won a British Academy Television Award for Best Actor for his role in the BBC One drama Time.
Film career and voice acting
Throughout his film career, Sean has portrayed several antagonists in major motion pictures. He played the main villain Alec Trevelyan in the James Bond film GoldenEye in 1995 and appeared as a treasure hunter in National Treasure in 2004. Other well-known film credits include Patriot Games in 1992, Ronin in 1998, Equilibrium in 2002, and The Martian in 2015.
In addition to his onscreen work, he has worked as a voice actor for video games and feature films. He provided voice work for The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion in 2006 and Sid Meier's Civilization VI in 2016. Since 2002, he has also served as the primary voiceover artist for advertisements by the telecommunications services provider O2.
Family and relationships
Sean has been married multiple times throughout his life. His past marriages include relationships with Debra James, Melanie Hill, Abigail Cruttenden, and Georgina Sutcliffe. He continues to work in television, film, and voice acting projects.
Birthday and age
Sean Bean was born on April 17, 1959, which makes Sean 67 years old today. That birthday falls under the Aries sign. Sean shares the date with 33 other famous people.
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