Paul Bettany

Paul Bettany
Bettany at the 2023 Phoenix Fan Fusion
Born (1971-05-27) 27 May 1971 (age 52)
London, England
Citizenship
  • United Kingdom
  • United States
EducationDrama Centre London
OccupationActor
Years active1992–present
Spouse
(m. 2003)
Children2
Parent

Paul Bettany (born 27 May 1971) is an English actor. He is best known for his roles as J.A.R.V.I.S. and Vision in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, including the Disney+ miniseries WandaVision (2021), for which he garnered a Primetime Emmy Award nomination.

Bettany first gained popularity for appearing in the films Gangster No. 1 (2000), A Knight's Tale (2001) and A Beautiful Mind (2001). He was nominated for a BAFTA Award for playing Stephen Maturin in the film Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (2003). Other films in which Bettany has appeared include Dogville (2003), Wimbledon (2004), The Da Vinci Code (2006), The Tourist (2010), Margin Call (2011), Legend (2015) and Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018). He made his directorial debut with the film Shelter (2014), which he also wrote and co-produced.

In television and theatre, Bettany has portrayed Ian Campbell, 11th Duke of Argyll in the series A Very British Scandal and Andy Warhol in the play The Collaboration in the West End, which is set to transfer to Broadway.

Early life

Bettany was born on 27 May 1971 in London, to Anne (née Kettle), a stage singer, theatre teacher, and stage manager, and Thane Bettany, a dancer, actor, drama teacher and godfather to Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh. Bettany was raised Roman Catholic, although his church attendance drifted after his confirmation. Bettany then experimented with other Christian denominations among which were Methodist and Church of England congregations with his father. Bettany is now an atheist. While his father taught at the all-girls boarding school Queenswood School, near Hatfield, Hertfordshire, the family lived on the school grounds.

When Bettany was 16, his brother Matthew died at age 8 after falling onto concrete from a tennis pavilion roof at Queenswood. Soon after, Bettany dropped out of school, left home, and became a street performer in London. He lived in a small flat and earned money by playing his guitar in the streets as a busker. His parents later divorced. After two years, he found a new job in a home for the elderly. After working there for a year, Bettany enrolled at the Drama Centre London.

Career

In 1990, at the age of 19, Bettany began a three-year course at the Drama Centre London 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 Twist, playing Bill Sikes.

After appearing in the finale of Sean Bean's series Sharpe as William II of the Netherlands at the Battle of Waterloo, he made his film debut with a small part in Bent, a Holocaust drama which also featured Clive Owen, Jude Law, and Ian McKellen. He continued doing work in stage and television: these included Joe Penhall's Love and Understanding, which played at London's Bush Theatre and then ran in Connecticut. He had roles in the television productions Killer Net and Coming Home, during which he met and dated Emily Mortimer. His last stage work was in One More Wasted Year and Stranger's House at the Royal Court Theatre. He filmed several more movies, including his first leading role in Gangster No. 1. The British Independent Film Awards nominated him for Best Actor, and the London Film Critics' Circle nominated him for British Newcomer of the Year.[citation needed]

Back in Hollywood, writer/director Brian Helgeland (L.A. Confidential) was planning a new film called The Sin Eater (also known as The Order). He was impressed by Bettany's audition tape, though Helgeland eventually decided to film A Knight's Tale instead. The studio executives were not impressed, but Helgeland was determined to cast him, even writing the part of Chaucer for him. A Knight's Tale would be Bettany's first big Hollywood production. He received critical acclaim for A Knight's Tale, including winning the London Film Critics Circle Award for Best 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 alongside Russell Crowe and Jennifer Connelly. After A Beautiful Mind, Bettany was offered the role of serial killer Francis Dolarhyde in Red Dragon, opposite Edward Norton and Anthony Hopkins. He turned down the role due to his commitment to a role in Lars von Trier's Dogville.

Bettany's next major project saw him starring again alongside A Beautiful Mind costar Russell Crowe in Peter Weir's Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World. His portrayal of surgeon and naturalist Stephen Maturin brought him a BAFTA nomination, and he was named British Actor of the Year (London Film Critics' Circle), and Best Actor (Evening Standard).

On 28 June 2004, Bettany and 13 other actors were included in the 2004 invitation to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Dogville and The Reckoning were released in limited cinemas in 2004. In September of that year, Bettany made his leading-man debut in Wimbledon, a romantic comedy with Kirsten Dunst. The film's cast would also introduce him to Jon Favreau, playing his manager, a relationship that would return when Favreau cast him as the voice of J.A.R.V.I.S. in Iron Man. In mid-2005, Bettany filmed Firewall in Vancouver, Canada, a thriller also starring Harrison Ford and Virginia Madsen, which reunited him with Wimbledon director Richard Loncraine. He spent the autumn of 2005 filming The Da Vinci Code, based on Dan Brown's best-selling novel and starring Tom Hanks, Audrey Tautou and Ian McKellen. In the film, he played an Opus Dei monk named Silas.

In 2007, Bettany went to London to star in There For Me, written by his friends Dan Fredenburgh and Doraly Rosen. In 2008, he appeared in the New Line Cinema family fantasy Inkheart, playing the part of a fire-eater named Dustfinger. In 2009, he appeared as Charles Darwin in Creation, starring opposite his own wife Jennifer Connelly. In 2010, Bettany appeared alongside Johnny Depp and Angelina Jolie in The Tourist and portrayed the archangel Michael in Legion, a film depicting divine vengeance upon humanity. He starred in the films Priest and Margin Call, both released in 2011.

Bettany reprised his voice role as J.A.R.V.I.S. in 2010's Iron Man 2, 2012's The Avengers, 2013's Iron Man 3, and Disneyland's Innoventions attraction. In 2014, Bettany starred alongside Johnny Depp and fellow British actor Rebecca Hall in the feature film Transcendence. He was once again paired with Depp in Mortdecai, a 2015 motion picture also starring Gwyneth Paltrow and Ewan McGregor. After voicing J.A.R.V.I.S. for five years, Bettany made his first onscreen appearance in a Marvel Cinematic Universe film in the 2015 film Avengers: Age of Ultron, playing Vision. He reprised the role in the sequels Captain America: Civil War (2016) and Avengers: Infinity War (2018).

Bettany portrayed Ted Kaczynski in the Discovery Channel television show, Manhunt: Unabomber. Bettany replaced Michael K. Williams in Solo: A Star Wars Story, after Williams was removed from the final film, as he was unable to return to set during the film's reshoots. Bettany was cast in his place, with the character being reworked from a motion-capture alien to a human. On 20 January 2018, it was reported that Bettany was nearing a deal to play Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh on the Netflix series The Crown, succeeding Matt Smith. Days later, on 25 January, it was reported by TVLine that Bettany was ultimately unable to sign on due to scheduling conflicts.

Bettany starred alongside Elizabeth Olsen in the Marvel television miniseries WandaVision, portraying a new version of his Marvel Cinematic Universe character, Vision, with Olsen portraying the titular Wanda. It premiered on Disney+ in January 2021, garnering praise from critics. Reviewing the series, Matt Purslow of IGN wrote Bettany "effortlessly takes to the comedic skits" and that he and Olsen "provide a fantastic amount of life, wit, and emotion". For his performance, Bettany received nominations for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie and Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Miniseries or Television Film.

Bettany starred in the 2021 miniseries A Very British Scandal. He played artist Andy Warhol in a production of the play The Collaboration by Anthony McCarten at the Young Vic in London from February to April 2022. He is slated to reprise the role in a film adaptation of the play. Bettany is attached to portray businessman Alexander Nix in a film about the Facebook–Cambridge Analytica data scandal as well as co-write and star in the dramedy film Harvest Moon.

Bettany will reprise his role as Vision in the television series Vision Quest.

Personal life

On 1 January 2003, Bettany married American actress Jennifer Connelly in Scotland. They met when they starred together in the 2001 film A Beautiful Mind. They did not become a couple until some time after filming, as both were in other relationships at the time. As a teenager, he had developed a crush on her after seeing her in the 1986 film Labyrinth. The September 11 attacks motivated him to act on his feelings for her, and after two days of attempting to contact her, he proposed, despite the fact that they were not yet in a relationship. Soon after their marriage, they moved to Brooklyn Heights after living in Tribeca. The couple have two children together. Bettany is stepfather to Connelly's son from a previous relationship.

Bettany is a close friend of actor Johnny Depp. Text messages between Bettany and Depp from 2013 were used as evidence in 2020 during Depp's defamation trial against The Sun and in 2022 as part of Depp's defamation trial against his ex-wife, actress Amber Heard.

Acting credits

Film

Year Title Role Notes
1997 Bent Captain
1998 The Land Girls Philip
1999 After the Rain Steph
2000 Kiss Kiss (Bang Bang) Jimmy
The Suicide Club Shaw a.k.a. Game of Death
Dead Babies Quentin
Gangster No. 1 Young Gangster
2001 A Knight's Tale Geoffrey Chaucer
A Beautiful Mind Charles Herman
2002 Euston Road "Y" Short
The Heart of Me Rickie
2003 Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World Dr. Stephen Maturin
Dogville Tom Edison
2004 The Reckoning Nicholas
Wimbledon Peter Colt
2006 Firewall Bill Cox
The Da Vinci Code Silas
2008 Iron Man J.A.R.V.I.S. Voice
The Secret Life of Bees T. Ray Owens
Inkheart Dustfinger
Broken Lines Chester
2009 The Young Victoria Lord Melbourne
Creation Charles Darwin
2010 Legion Michael
Iron Man 2 J.A.R.V.I.S. Voice
The Tourist John Acheson
2011 Priest Priest
Margin Call Will Emerson
2012 The Avengers J.A.R.V.I.S. Voice
2013 Iron Man 3 J.A.R.V.I.S. Voice
Blood Joe Fairburn
2014 Transcendence Max Waters
Shelter Writer & director only
2015 Mortdecai Jock Strapp
Avengers: Age of Ultron J.A.R.V.I.S. (voice)
Vision
Legend Charlie Richardson
2016 Captain America: Civil War Vision
2017 Journey's End Osborne
2018 Avengers: Infinity War Vision
Solo: A Star Wars Story Dryden Vos
2020 Uncle Frank Frank Bledsoe
2024 Here Post-production
TBA The Collaboration Andy Warhol Post-production
Key
Denotes films that have not yet been released

Television

Year Title Role Notes
1994 Wycliffe Ian Greaves Episode: "The Pea Green Boat"
1996 The Bill Jake Connolly Episode: "The Right Thing"
1997 Sharpe's Waterloo Prince William of Orange Television film
1998 Coming Home Edward Carey-Lewis Television serial
Killer Net Joe Hunter Miniseries
1999 Every Woman Knows a Secret Rob Miniseries
2000 David Copperfield James Steerforth Television film
2017 Manhunt: Unabomber Ted Kaczynski Miniseries
2021 WandaVision Hex Vision, White Vision Miniseries
Marvel Studios: Assembled Himself Documentary; Episode: "Assembled: The Making of WandaVision"
What If...? Vision / J.A.R.V.I.S. (voice) 2 episodes: "What If... Zombies?!", "What If... Killmonger Rescued Tony Stark?"
A Very British Scandal Ian Campbell, 11th Duke of Argyll Main role
TBA Vision Quest Vision Lead role; in development
Key
Denotes series that have not yet been released

Theatre

Year Title Role Venue
1993 An Inspector Calls Eric Birling Aldwych Theatre, West End
1995 Romeo & Juliet Paris Royal Shakespeare Company
Julius Caesar Decius Brutus/Strato Royal Shakespeare Company
Richard III Richmond Royal Shakespeare Company
1997 One More Wasted Year Royal Court Theatre, West End
Love and Understanding Richie Bush Theatre, West End
2022 The Collaboration Andy Warhol The Young Vic, West End
Manhattan Theatre Club, Broadway

Awards and nominations

Association Year Category Work Result Ref.
Beijing International Film Festival Awards 2018 Best Supporting Actor Journey's End Won
British Academy Film Awards 2004 Best Actor in a Supporting Role Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World Nominated
British Independent Film Awards 2000 Best Actor Gangster No. 1 Nominated
Camerimage Awards 2015 Best Directorial Debut Shelter Nominated
Chicago Film Critics Association Awards 2002 Most Promising Performer Nominated
Critics' Choice Movie Awards 2004 Best Supporting Actor Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World Nominated
Critics' Choice Super Awards 2022 Best Actor in a Superhero Series WandaVision Nominated
Critics' Choice Television Awards 2022 Best Actor in a Movie/Miniseries WandaVision Nominated
Empire Awards 2005 Best British Actor Wimbledon Nominated
Evening Standard British Film Awards 2003 Best Actor Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World
The Heart of Me
Won
Glamour Awards 2006 Man of the Year Won
Golden Globe Awards 2022 Best Actor – Miniseries or Television Film WandaVision Nominated
Golden Nymph Awards 2021 Best Actor Uncle Frank Won
Gotham Awards 2011 Best Ensemble Performance Margin Call Nominated
GQ Men of the Year Awards 2021 Leading Man of the Year Won
Hollywood Critics Association TV Awards 2021 Best Actor in a Limited Series, Anthology Series or Television Movie WandaVision Nominated
Hollywood Film Awards 2008 Ensemble Acting of the Year The Secret Life of Bees Won
Independent Spirit Awards 2012 Robert Altman Award Margin Call Won
London Film Critics' Circle Awards 2001 British Newcomer of The Year Gangster No. 1 Nominated
2002 British Supporting Actor of the Year A Knight's Tale Won
2003 British Supporting Actor of the Year A Beautiful Mind Nominated
2004 British Actor of the Year Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World Won
MovieGuide Awards 2005 Grace Award for Most Inspiring Actor The Reckoning Nominated
Primetime Emmy Awards 2021 Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie WandaVision Nominated
Satellite Awards 2022 Best Actor – Television Series Musical or Comedy WandaVision Nominated
Saturn Awards 2016 Best Supporting Actor Avengers: Age of Ultron Nominated
Screen Actors Guild Awards 2002 Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture A Beautiful Mind Nominated
Teen Choice Awards 2016 Choice Movie: Chemistry Captain America: Civil War Nominated

This page was last updated at 2024-03-16 14:55 UTC. Update now. View original page.

All our content comes from Wikipedia and under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.


Top

If mathematical, chemical, physical and other formulas are not displayed correctly on this page, please useFirefox or Safari