Paul Bettany (Paul Bettany): filmography and the personal life of the actor

British actors often become popular in Hollywood. This happened with Paul Bettany. The attractive Englishman has played many diverse roles - from a religious fanatic to a romantic tennis player. Each image succeeds him surprisingly well and brings more and more fans. But what is he really like?

Childhood

It seems that Paul Bettany from birth had every chance to become a celebrity. He was born in a creative family: his mother is the famous pop singer Anne Kettle, and his father is an actor of the prestigious Shakespearean theater, a talented dancer and teacher of theatrical arts. Not only Paul's parents are famous. His grandmother, Olga Gvinn, was a real celebrity at the beginning of the twentieth century and played on the stages of several famous London theaters. Thus, we can say that it comes from a real cast dynasty. However, the actor has an older sister, Sarah, who went a completely different way. So his talent is not only successful genes, but also his own skill.

Family Tragedy

Not everything in the life of the actor was cloudless. The boy hated school, where he was constantly teased and humiliated. Paul Bettany, whose height is now almost two meters, was already the tallest in the class at that time, which seemed to be a good reason for ridicule. But the main trouble was not at all. When Paul was still a teenager, his younger brother Matthew fell off the roof and fell into a coma. Doctors said that he will forever be bedridden and unlikely to regain consciousness, after which the parents decided to turn it off from the life support device. The tragedy could not pass without a trace - Paul's father and mother divorced, and he left home and began to rent an apartment.

To make a living and rent, he played the guitar. Depression constantly tormented the guy who wandered aimlessly through the streets of London, he drank from time to time and did not see in life any chance of a change for the better. During frequent drinking bouts, he even tried drugs a couple of times. The situation aggravated the news that his father had discovered a homosexual orientation and was preparing for a change of sex. This Paul could not accept. It is not known what would have ended his story, if not for his friend Dan Fredenberg, who advised him to enter an acting school.

The beginning of acting career

In an attempt to cope with depression, Paul submitted documents to the Drama Center in London and successfully passed the entrance exams. He studied with the best British teachers and immediately showed himself. He was noticed very quickly and he began to appear in theatrical productions. At first, Paul worked on the stage of the West End, and then he was invited to Shakespeare's theater, where his father used to work. In 1996, the audience first saw him as a movie actor. He played in the movie "Waterloo Sharpa", which was not very popular. After that, he received episodic roles in the films "After the Rain" and "Addiction." In parallel, he participated in the series. A real success came in 2000, when actor Paul Bettany took part in the tape "Gangster No. 1". This role not only made him famous, but also ensured the award of the British Cinematographic Association.

Invitation from overseas

Films with Paul Bettany attracted the attention of American filmmakers. The first Hollywood way was the narrator Jeffrey Chaucer - a tape called "The Story of a Knight" was released in 2001. Immediately after participating in this film, Paul Bettany received an offer to play in the movie "Mind Games". The tape was Oscar-winning, and not only - it was on the set of this film that Paul Bettany and Jennifer Connelly met. Despite the fact that in the movies they did not have a single general scene, in life they became close friends.

During this period, the British actor made a successful career in Hollywood. One after another came such films as "My Heart", "The Day of Reckoning", "The Master of the Seas". Soon, Paul Bettany, whose filmography has increased significantly after moving to America, will become a real star, starring in the tape "Wimbledon." But before it will also be shooting with Lars von Trier. They became a real test for Paul.

On the set of "Dogville"

The difficulty of working with a brilliant Scandinavian director in Hollywood is legendary. Nevertheless, Paul Bettany, whose filmography has not included such unusual films, bravely went to the shooting of "Dogville". Lars von Trier settled all the actors in one hotel, where they kept listening to their conversations, and one day he knocked at Paul's room drunk and naked. The work process was also difficult - the director allowed himself to shout at the actors. He constantly arranged some sort of antics, tested everyone for strength every minute.

But the actors coped, and the world saw a bizarre art-house tape, the role in which many seem to be one of the best in the career of Paul Bettany. The film itself is considered mandatory for viewing. In addition to being able to make sure of his acting talent on the set, Bettani's participation in the tape helped him to understand his relationship with Jennifer. At that time he met with another girl, and Connelly was just a friend to him, but frequent phone conversations and her sincere support made him realize - this is a true feeling.

Happy personal life

Returning from Sweden, Paul Bettany decided to part with his girlfriend, Laura Frazier, with whom they had very uneven and tense relationships. With Jennifer Connelly, he managed to find what he had been looking for all his life. Actors played a wedding in Scotland, in one of the small cathedrals, inviting only friends and relatives. Soon the first-born appeared in the family - on August 5, 2003 the couple had a son Stellan, whom Paul named after his close friend Stellan Skarsgard.

Before his appearance, the couple brought up Jennifer's son from a previous marriage. Paul accepted Kai with all his heart. The couple decided to live in New York, so that the boy could sometimes communicate with his biological father, and although Bettany honestly admitted in an interview that he misses London, he does not regret this choice.

New roles

Saturated personal life did not prevent the talented actor from appearing again and again on the screen. He played many worthy roles. Separately it is worth noting "Origin", where Paul played Darwin, and his beloved Jennifer was the role of the wife of the scientist. The tape was released in 2009. Deserves attention and work in the tapes "Legion", "Shepherd" and "Young Victoria". Many fans are surprised at how much Paul Bettany reincarnates in his characters. The photos from the filming and the footage of the films seem to represent different people.

The idolized monk from the Da Vinci Code does not in any way resemble Lord Melbourne of Young Victoria. And it's not surprising - in the interview, the actor admitted that the scenes of self-torture brought him, though not physical, but moral pain. He has not been to the church since the death of his brother Matthew, although he was brought up as a Catholic mother. All the roles of religious people are given to him especially uneasy. It was for such amazing self-giving in every picture of Paul and fell in love with thousands of fans around the world.

Honored recognition

The British Empire Awards called Bettany the best actor in the UK. His works were noted by various societies of film critics, viewers of the popular MTV channel at the Movie Awards, nominated for the Screen Actors Guild Award and BAFTA, and there is also an Oscar nomination.

In total, for his acting career, Paul received more than twenty different awards, each of which he was absolutely deserved. This figure causes a fair respect among fans, but Bettany himself with typical English self-irony is especially proud of those nominations in which he received nothing.

Works of recent years

In 2011, in a close-knit family Connelly and Bettany, a replenishment occurred - the daughter of Agnes was born. Paul has long dreamed of having many children, so that the third child became a real happiness for him. But nothing prevents the young father actively to act in films. Together with his wife, no less popular in the cinema, Paul often appears on the screens.

So, in 2012 the world saw the "Avengers" tape, in the same year the film "Blood" was released. 2013-th pleased fans "Iron Man-3", and more recently went on the rental tape "Excellence". In the coming months, the release of a film titled "Missing Rooms" is planned. At the moment, the actor is busy shooting the tapes of "Maccabray" and "Iron Man-4", both of which are planned for 2015. In addition, there is work on the film "Destroyer", the release date of which is currently unknown. In it Paul Bettany will play one of the main roles. There is no doubt that the acting career of the wonderful Briton will not end there either.