Paul Bettany

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Date of Birth : May 27th 1971

English actor best known for his roles as Geoffrey Chaucer in A Knight’s Tale, Charles Herman in A Beautiful Mind, Stephen Maturin in Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World, Peter Colt in Wimbledon and as Silas in The Da Vinci Code.

When Bettany was nineteen, he decided to be an actor, and he pursued that career with determination, studying at the London Drama Centre in Chalk Farm. He made his stage debut in Stephen Daldry’s acclaimed West End revival of An Inspector Calls at the Aldwych Theatre, playing the part of Eric Birling. He also appeared in the Royal Shakespeare Company’s productions of Richard III, Romeo and Juliet, and Julius Caesar (for which he received a Charleson Award nomination). When Bettany was 21 he appeared in a BBC production of Oliver as Bill Sykes.

Critical acclaim poured in after A Knight’s Tale, for which he won the London Critics Circle Award for British Supporting Actor. After the movie wrapped, Helgeland, determined that Hollywood should recognize Bettany’s talent, showed the audition tape to many of his peers, including Ron Howard, who promptly cast Bettany in A Beautiful Mind. It was on that set that Bettany would befriend Russell Crowe and meet his future wife, Jennifer Connelly. Both were already in relationships, so they kept themselves only to friendship for about a year. Finally both single, they began dating. After A Beautiful Mind, Bettany was offered the role of the brutal serial killer “The Tooth Fairy” in Red Dragon, opposite Edward Norton and Anthony Hopkins. To the great displeasure of his managers, he turned down the role in favor of accepting a part with Stellan Skarsgård and Nicole Kidman in controversial director Lars Von Trier’s Dogville.

Married Jennifer Connelly in 2003, they have one child.