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Jim Broadbent
Age: 60
Height: 6' 1 1/2"
Birth Place: Lincoln, Lincolnshire, England, UK
Born: May. 24th, 1949
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Jim Broadbent's Main TV Roles
NOTE: Complete List of Works can be found at
IMDB
BIOGRAPHY: One of England's most versatile character actors, Jim Broadbent was born on May 24, 1949, in Lincolnshire, the youngest son of furniture maker Roy Broadbent and sculptress Dee Broadbent. Jim attended a Quaker boarding school in Reading before successfully applying for a place at an art school. His heart was in acting, though, and he would later transfer to the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA). Following his 1972 graduation, he began his professional career on the stage, performing with the Royal National Theatre, the Royal Shakespeare Company, and as part of the National Theatre of Brent, a two-man troupe which he co-founded. In addition to his theatrical work, Broadbent did steady work on television, working for such directors as Mike Newell (I) and Stephen Frears. Broadbent made his film debut in 1978 with a small part in Jerzy Skolimowski's The Shout (1978). He went on to work with Frears again in The Hit (1984) and with Terry Gilliam in Time Bandits (1981) and Brazil (1985), but it was through his collaboration with Mike Leigh that Broadbent first became known to an international film audience. In 1990 he starred in Leigh's Life Is Sweet (1991), a domestic comedy that cast him as a good-natured cook who dreams of running his own business. Broadbent gained further visibility the following year with substantial roles in Neil Jordan (I)'s The Crying Game (1992) and Mike Newell (I)'s Enchanted April (1992), and he could subsequently be seen in such diverse fare as Woody Allen's Bullets Over Broadway (1994), Widows' Peak (1994), Richard Loncraine's highly acclaimed adaptation of Shakespeare's Richard III (1995) and Little Voice (1998), the last of which cast him as a seedy nightclub owner. Appearing primarily as a character actor in these films, Broadbent took center stage for Leigh's Topsy-Turvy (1999), imbuing the mercurial W.S. Gilbert with emotional complexity and comic poignancy. Jim's breakthrough year was 2001, as he starred in three critically and commercially successful films. Many would consider him the definitive supporting actor of that year. First he starred as Bridget's dad (Colin Jones) in Bridget Jones's Diary (2001), which propelled Renée Zellweger to an Oscar nomination for Best Actress. Next came the multiple Oscar-nominated film (including Best Picture) Moulin Rouge! (2001), for which he won a Best Supporting Actor BAFTA award for his scene-stealing performance as Harold Zidler. Lastly, came the small biopic Iris (2001/I), for which he won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor as devoted husband John Bayley to Judi Dench's Iris Murdoch, the British novelist who suffered from Alzheimer's disease. The film hit home with Jim, since his own mother had passed away from Alzheimer's in 1995.
TRIVIA:
- Considered for the role of Wilbur Turnblad in _Hairspray (2007)_ (qv).
- Graduated from the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts in 1972.
- At The Orange British Academy Film Awards on Monday January 28th 2002, he was nominated for the best Performance by an Actor in a leading role Award for his role in the film Iris.
- Was offered the part of Del Boy in BBC's Sitcom "Only Fools and Horses", but declined the role. But he did guest-star in three episodes of the show.
- Honorary President of the Lindsey Rural Players
- He won an Oscar for playing John Bayley in _Iris (2001/I)_ (qv), making him one of eleven actors to win the Award for playing a real person who was still alive at the evening of the Award ceremony (as of 2007). The other ten actors and their respective performances are: 'Spencer Tracy' (qv) for playing Father Edward Flanagan in _Boys Town (1938)_ (qv), 'Gary Cooper (I)' (qv) for playing Alvin C. York in _Sergeant York (1941)_ (qv), 'Patty Duke' (qv) for playing Helen Keller in _The Miracle Worker (1962)_ (qv), 'Jason Robards' (qv) for playing Benjamin Bradlee in _All the President's Men (1976)_ (qv), 'Robert De Niro' (qv) for playing Jake La Motta in _Raging Bull (1980)_ (qv), 'Sissy Spacek' (qv) for playing Loretta Lynn in _Coal Miner's Daughter (1980)_ (qv), 'Susan Sarandon' (qv) for playing Sister Helen Prejean in _Dead Man Walking (1995)_ (qv), 'Geoffrey Rush' (qv) for playing David Helfgott in _Shine (1996)_ (qv), 'Julia Roberts (I)' (qv) for playing Erin Brockovich in _Erin Brockovich (2000)_ (qv) and most recently 'Helen Mirren' (qv) for playing Queen Elizabeth II in _The Queen (2006)_ (qv).
- Nominated for a 2004 Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album for Children for Winnie-the-Pooh.
- He is the son of Roy Broadbent, who was involved in converting a Methodist Church into a theater. It was later renamed the Broadbent Theater after his death in 1971.
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