Michael Sheen Biography

MICHAEL SHEEN

Date of Birth: February 5, 1969

A native of Wales, Michael Sheen trained at London's Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts where he won the Laurence Olivier Bursary Award. He made his stage debut in London's West End with director Robert Ackerman's When She Danced. He was then nominated for the Ian Charleson Award for his performance in the play Don't Fool With Love. Sheen next joined the Royal National Theatre, where he performed in productions of Henry V and Look Back in Anger.

Michael began making appearances on British television series and TV movies such as Gallowglass (1993), then made his feature film debut in Othello (1995), working alongside Kenneth Branagh and Laurence Fishburne. He next worked with Julia Roberts and John Malkovich in Mary Reilly (1996), and then with Jude Law and Vanessa Redgrave in Wilde (1997). Sheen returns to his stage roots as often as possible and received a nomination for the Outer Critics Circle Award for his role as Mozart, opposite David Suchet as Salieri in Amadeus, which opened in London, then moved to Broadway in December 1999.

His first major role in an American studio film was in The Four Feathers (2002), starring Heath Ledger. After playing the lead role in Heartlands for director Damien O'Donnell, Sheen landed the role of Lycan leader Lucien in Underworld, starring his longtime girlfriend Kate Beckinsale. Sheen and Beckinsale have a daughter, Lily, born in January 1999, but during the filming of the movie, their relationship fell apart. Beckinsale became engaged to Underworld director Len Wiseman in June 2003 and Sheen is now dating Canadian actress Rachel McAdams, his Midnight in Paris (2011) co-star.

Sheen also appeared in the recent films TRON: Legacy (2010), Midnight in Paris (2011), The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1 (2011) and Jesus Henry Christ (2012). He also reprised his role as a villainous vampire for the final installment of the Twilight franchise, The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2 in 2012. He then followed this up with roles in the comedy Admission (2013), the thriller Kill the Messenger (2014), and the period drama Far From the Madding Crowd

Michael then landed roles in the critically acclaimed drama Nocturnal Animals (2016), starring Amy Adams and Jake Gyllenhaal, the fantasy sequel Alice Through the Looking Glass (2016), starring Johnny Depp and Mia Wasikowska, and played the role of a robot bartenders in the sci-fi romance Passengers (2016), starring Jennifer Lawrence and Chris Pratt.

He appeared in Norman: The Moderate Rise and Tragic Fall of a New York Fixer (2017) opposite Richard Gere, and the comedies Home Again (2017) with Reese Witherspoon, and Brad's Status(2017) starring Ben Stiller, but it was on television that he became in demand for the next few years.

He played Roland Blum on the CBS drama The Good Fight (2019), Aziraphale on Prime Video's fantasy mini-series Good Omens (2019), Dr. Martin Whitly on Fox Network's crime drama series Prodigal Son (2019 - 2020) and Chris Tarrant on the British mini-series Quiz (2020), about a former British army major who cheated his way to the top of a game show. Michael also found time between those projects to make an appearance on the big screen as Dr. Blair Müdfly opposite Robert Downey Jr. in Dolittle (2020).

Michael divides his time between London and Los Angeles.

Filmography:

Dolittle (2020)

Brad's Status (2017)
Home Again (2017)
Norman: The Moderate Rise and Tragic Fall of a New York Fixer (2017)
Passengers (2016)
Alice Through the Looking Glass (2016)
Nocturnal Animals (2016)
Far From the Madding Crowd (2015)
Kill the Messenger (2014)
Admission (2013)
Jesus Henry Christ (2012)
The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2 (2012)
Jesus Henry Christ (2012)
The Gospel of Us (2012)
The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1 (2011)
Resistance (2011)
Few Options (2011)
Midnight in Paris (2011)
Capture Anthologies: The Dimensions of Self (2011)
TRON: Legacy (2010)
Beautiful Boy (2010)
Unthinkable (2010)
Alice in Wonderland (2010) (voice)
The Twilight Saga: New Moon (2009)
My Last Five Girlfriends (2009)
The Damned United (2009)
Underworld: Rise of the Lycans (2009)
Frost/Nixon (2008)
Music Within (2007)
Blood Diamond (2006)
Dead Long Enough (2006)
The Queen (2006)
Underworld: Evolution (2006)
The League of Gentlemen's Apocalypse (2005)
Kingdom of Heaven (2005)
Laws of Attraction (2004)
Timeline (2003)
Underworld (2003)
Bright Young Things (2003)
The Four Feathers (2002)
Heartlands (2002)
Wilde (1997)
Mary Reilly (1996)
Othello (1995)