Guy Pearce
Guy Edward Pearce (born 5 October 1967)[1] is a British-Australian actor, musician, singer and songwriter.[2] He is known for having starred in the role of Mike Young in the Australian television series Neighbours and for appearing in films such as The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (1994), L.A. Confidential (1997), Ravenous (1999), Memento (2000), The Count of Monte Cristo (2002), The Time Machine (2002), The Road (2009), The King's Speech (2010), 33 Postcards (2011), Prometheus (2012), and Iron Man 3 (2013). In Australian cinema, he has appeared in The Proposition (2005), Animal Kingdom (2010), The Rover (2014), Holding the Man (2015) and The Wizards of Aus (2016). He has won a Primetime Emmy Award and received nominations for Golden Globe Awards, Screen Actors Guild Awards, and AACTA Awards. Since 2012, he has played the title role in the TV adaptations of the Jack Irish stories by Australian crime writer Peter Temple.
Guy Pearce | |
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![]() Pearce in 2012 | |
Born | Guy Edward Pearce 5 October 1967 Ely, Cambridgeshire, England |
Nationality | Australian British |
Occupation | Actor, musician, singer-songwriter |
Years active | 1985–present |
Home town | Geelong, Victoria, Australia |
Spouse(s) | Kate Mestitz
( m. 1997; div. 2015) |
Children | 1 |
Early life
Pearce was born in Ely, Cambridgeshire, UK.[3] When Pearce was three years old, the family relocated to Geelong, Victoria. When Pearce was age 8, his father died in an aviation accident.[1][4][5][6]
Pearce attended Geelong College, and was a member of the Geelong Society of Dramatic Arts (GSODA) Junior Players. At the age of 16, he was a competitive amateur bodybuilder, leading to the title of Junior Mr. Victoria. He lived in Box Hill North, Victoria in the late 1980s while working on the Australian drama series Neighbours.
Career
Pearce transitioned to television when he was cast in the Australian soap opera Neighbours in 1985, playing the role of Mike Young for several years. Pearce also found roles in other television series such as Home and Away (1988) and Snowy River: The McGregor Saga (1993).
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The director/producer/writer Frank Howson cast Pearce in his first three films, Heaven Tonight, Hunting, and Flynn, and paid for him to go to the Cannes Film Festival in 1991 for the premiere of the Howson-directed Hunting. The accompanying Howson-funded publicity campaign brought Pearce to the attention of the international film industry. He made his first major film breakthrough shortly after, with his role as a drag queen in The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert in 1994. Since then, he has appeared in several US productions including L.A. Confidential, Ravenous, Rules of Engagement, Memento, The Count of Monte Cristo, and The Time Machine.
Pearce portrayed pop artist Andy Warhol in Factory Girl and Harry Houdini in Death Defying Acts. He also appeared in The Road and in Bedtime Stories with Adam Sandler.[7]
Pearce continues to perform in Australian films, such as The Hard Word (2002) and The Proposition (2005), written by fellow Australian Nick Cave.
In January 2009, Pearce returned to the stage after a seven-year absence.[8] He performed in the Melbourne Theatre Company's production of Poor Boy, a play with music, co-written by Matt Cameron and Tim Finn.[8]
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In 2010, he appeared as David, Prince of Wales, who became King Edward VIII, in The King's Speech. He is the eponymous lead in the Australian TV miniseries Jack Irish, an adaptation of the detective novels of author Peter Temple broadcast on the ABC network in 2012. In May 2012, Pearce was cast to star in David Michôd's The Rover. In 2013, Pearce played the villain character Aldrich Killian in Iron Man 3.
Pearce had a supporting role in Neil Armfield's romantic-drama film Holding the Man, as Dick Conigrave. The 2015 film stars Ryan Corr and Craig Stott, with supporting performances from Pearce, Anthony LaPaglia and Geoffrey Rush. Holding the Man was adapted from Timothy Conigrave's 1995 memoir of the same name.
Next to acting, Guy has a lifelong passion for music and songwriting. He released his first album, Broken Bones, in November 2014.[9] Pearce appeared in a documentary special celebrating Neighbours' 30th anniversary titled Neighbours 30th: The Stars Reunite, which aired in Australia and the UK in March 2015.[10][11]
Pearce released his second studio album The Nomad in 2018.[12]
Videos and awards
Pearce appeared in Australian band Silverchair's music video for "Across the Night" and in Razorlight's video for "Before I Fall to Pieces." He recorded the soundtrack for A Slipping-Down Life, singing and playing guitar on cover versions of songs by Ron Sexsmith, Vic Chesnutt and Robyn Hitchcock.
On 18 September 2011, Pearce won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or Movie for his work in Mildred Pierce as Monty Beragon opposite Kate Winslet.
Personal life
Pearce married his childhood sweetheart,[13] psychologist Kate Mestitz, in March 1997.[14] In October 2015, Pearce confirmed he and Mestitz had ended their marriage after 18 years.[15] Pearce has a son with Dutch actress Carice van Houten; born August 2016.[16][17][18]
An Australian rules football fan who supports the Geelong Football Club in the Australian Football League, Pearce has done media work with the club, including a documentary narration.
He supports a number of charitable organizations for many causes such as animal rights, animal welfare and protecting the Earth's ecology.[19]
Filmography
Film
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1990 | Heaven Tonight | Paul Dysart | |
1991 | Hunting | Sharp | |
1994 | The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert | Adam Whitely/Felicia Jollygoodfellow | |
1996 | Dating the Enemy | Brett | |
1997 | Flynn | Errol Flynn | |
1997 | L.A. Confidential | Ed Exley | Nominated—Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture |
1998 | Brand New World | Jimmy Compton | aka Woundings New York International Independent Film Award for Best Actor |
1999 | Ravenous | Capt. John Boyd | |
1999 | A Slipping-Down Life | Drumstrings Casey | |
2000 | Rules of Engagement | Maj. Mark Biggs | |
2000 | Memento | Leonard Shelby | San Diego Film Critics Society Award for Best Actor Nominated—Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Actor Satellite Award for Best Actor - Motion Picture Drama Saturn Award for Best Actor |
2002 | The Hard Word | Dale | Nominated—Film Critics Circle of Australia Award for Best Actor |
2002 | The Time Machine | Alexander Hartdegen | |
2002 | The Count of Monte Cristo | Fernand Mondego | |
2002 | Till Human Voices Wake Us | Dr. Sam Franks | |
2004 | Two Brothers | Aidan McRory | |
2005 | The Proposition | Charlie Burns | Nominated—Australian Film Institute Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role Film Critics Circle of Australia Award for Best Actor Inside Film Award for Best Actor |
2006 | First Snow | Jimmy Starks | |
2006 | Factory Girl | Andy Warhol | |
2008 | Death Defying Acts | Harry Houdini | Nominated—Australian Film Institute Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role |
2008 | Winged Creatures | Dr. Bruce Laraby | |
2008 | Traitor | Roy Clayton | |
2008 | Bedtime Stories | Kendall | |
2009 | In Her Skin | Mr. Barber | aka I Am You |
2009 | The Road | The Veteran | |
2009 | The Hurt Locker | Staff Sergeant. Matt Thompson | Gotham Independent Film Award for Best Ensemble Cast Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association Award for Best Ensemble |
2010 | The King's Speech | King Edward VIII | Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture Nominated—British Independent Film Award for Best Supporting Actor |
2010 | Animal Kingdom | Det. Nathan Leckie | Nominated—Australian Film Institute Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role |
2011 | 33 Postcards | Dean Randall | Nominated—AACTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role |
2011 | Don't Be Afraid of the Dark | Alex Hirst | |
2011 | Seeking Justice | Simon | |
2012 | Lockout | Marion Snow | |
2012 | Prometheus | Peter Weyland | |
2012 | Lawless | Charley Rakes | |
2013 | Breathe In | Keith Reynolds | |
2013 | Iron Man 3 | Aldrich Killian | |
2013 | Hateship, Loveship | Ken Gaudette | |
2014 | The Rover | Eric | Nominated—AACTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role |
2015 | Results | Trevor | |
2015 | Holding the Man | Dick Conigrave | |
2015 | Lorne | Lorne | Short film |
2015 | Equals | Jonas | |
2016 | Genius | F. Scott Fitzgerald | |
2016 | Brimstone | The Reverend | |
2017 | Alien: Covenant | Peter Weyland | Uncredited |
2018 | Swinging Safari | Keith Hall | |
2018 | The Catcher Was a Spy | Robert Furman | |
2018 | Spinning Man | Evan Birch | |
2018 | Mary Queen of Scots | William Cecil | |
2019 | Domino | Joe Martin | |
2019 | The Last Vermeer | Han Van Meergren | |
2020 | Disturbing the Peace | Jim Dillon | |
2020 | Bloodshot | Dr. Emil Harting | |
Television
Discography
- Broken Bones (2014)
- The Nomad (2018)
References
- "Guy Pearce Biography (1967–)". Filmreference.com. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 13 April 2011.
- Gary Dretzka (1 June 2003). "An Interview With Guy Pearce". Movie City News. Archived from the original on 15 November 2008. Retrieved 15 February 2009.
- "In profile: Iron Man actor Guy Pearce". Ely-News.co.uk. 19 April 2013. Archived from the original on 22 May 2013. Retrieved 19 April 2013.
Ely-born actor Guy Pearce...
- Aviation Safety Network. Archived 12 August 2018 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 4 February 2019.
- Iley, Chrissy (4 March 2007). "Portrait of the artist". The Guardian. London. Archived from the original on 15 March 2007. Retrieved 4 May 2010.
- "Guy Pearce biography". Tiscali.co.uk. Archived from the original on 7 February 2009. Retrieved 13 April 2011.
- Phillips, Michael (2008). "'Bedtime Stories' stars Adam Sandler, Keri Russell, Guy Pearce". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on 2 October 2013. Retrieved 30 September 2013.
- Tracee Hutchison (27 January 2009). "Guy Pearce returns to the stage". The 7.30 Report. Archived from the original on 7 February 2009. Retrieved 15 February 2009.
- "GUY PEARCE IS RELEASING HIS DEBUT ALBUM IN NOVEMBER". Archived from the original on 12 August 2014. Retrieved 10 August 2014.
- Knox, David (28 February 2015). "Airdate: Neighbours 30th: The Stars Reunite". TV Tonight. Archived from the original on 15 January 2016. Retrieved 3 March 2015.
- Kilkelly, Daniel (4 March 2015). "Neighbours 30th anniversary schedule confirmed by Channel 5". Digital Spy. Archived from the original on 5 March 2015. Retrieved 5 March 2015.
- "Joe Henry Has Produced The Second Guy Pearce Album". noise11. 12 June 2018. Archived from the original on 12 June 2018. Retrieved 13 June 2018.
- Lytal, Cristy (27 August 2008). "A real details Guy". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 6 March 2016. Retrieved 13 October 2016.
- Grant, James (15 July 2003). "The Adventures of Guy Pearce". MovieMaker. Archived from the original on 4 March 2012.
- Guglielmi, Jodi (13 October 2015). "Guy Pearce Announces Split from Wife Kate Mestitz After 18 Years of Marriage". People. Retrieved 8 August 2020.
- Stone, Natalie (19 March 2016). "Game of Thrones' Star Carice van Houten Is Pregnant". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on 11 August 2016. Retrieved 13 October 2016.
- "Guy Pearce and Carice van Houten Welcome Son Monte". People. 29 August 2016. Archived from the original on 30 August 2016. Retrieved 13 October 2016.
Son Monte arrived last week in Amsterdam, van Houten’s rep tells People.
- Pearce, Guy (29 August 2016). "A cute little package arrived and told us his name's Monte Pearce". Guy Pearce verified Twitter account. Archived from the original on 13 October 2016. Retrieved 13 October 2016.
- "Guy Pearce – Cause". Archived from the original on 15 April 2015. Retrieved 20 June 2015.
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Guy Pearce. |
- Guy Pearce on IMDb
- Actor Profile at Local World's Ely News