Sean Bean facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Sean Bean
Bean in October 2017
Born	Shaun Mark Bean (1959-04-17) 17 April 1959 (age 66) Sheffield, England
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1983–present
Spouse(s)	Debra James ​ ​ (m. 1981; div. 1988)​ Melanie Hill ​ ​ (m. 1990; div. 1997)​ Abigail Cruttenden ​ ​ (m. 1997; div. 2000)​ Georgina Sutcliffe ​ ​ (m. 2008; div. 2011)​ Ashley Moore ​ (m. 2017)​
Children	3

Sean Bean (born Shaun Mark Bean; 17 April 1959) is a famous English actor. He is known for many roles in movies and TV shows. After studying acting at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, he started his career in 1983. He kept his natural Yorkshire accent in many of his roles.

Sean Bean first became widely known for playing Richard Sharpe in the TV series Sharpe. This show was very popular from 1993 to 1997. He also appeared in films like Caravaggio (1986) and Patriot Games (1992). He played the bad guy Alec Trevelyan in the James Bond movie GoldenEye (1995).

He gained worldwide fame for playing Boromir in The Lord of the Rings movies (2001–2003). After this, he acted in many other films. These include Equilibrium (2002), National Treasure (2004), and Troy (2004), where he played Odysseus. He also appeared in The Martian (2015).

On television, Sean Bean played Ned Stark in the popular fantasy show Game of Thrones. He also starred in the BBC dramas Accused and Broken. As a voice actor, he has lent his voice to video games like The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion and Sid Meier's Civilization VI. He also voiced characters in animated films like Wolfwalkers and Mummies. In 2022, he won a British Academy Television Award for his role in the drama Time.

Early Life and Education

Sheffield Legends plaque in Bean's home city of Sheffield, England

Shaun Mark Bean was born on April 17, 1959, in Handsworth, a part of Sheffield, England. His parents were Rita and Brian K. Bean. He has a younger sister named Lorraine. His father owned a company that made metal products. His mother worked there as a secretary. Even though his family became quite well-off, they chose to stay in their council estate home. They wanted to remain close to their friends and family.

When he was a child, Sean had an accident that left a scar on his leg. This injury stopped him from becoming a professional football player, which was his dream.

In 1975, Sean left school. He worked at a supermarket and for the local council. Then he started working at his father's company. He also took a welding class at Rotherham College of Arts and Technology. While there, he found an art class and became interested in art. Later, he decided to try drama. After acting in some college plays, he won a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) in London. He started his acting training there in 1981.

Becoming an Actor

Early Roles and Sharpe

Sean Bean finished his studies at RADA in 1983. He made his first professional acting appearance that year. He played Tybalt in Romeo and Juliet at the Watermill Theatre in Newbury. Early in his career, he acted in both plays and films. He changed the spelling of his first name to Sean.

His first movie role was in Caravaggio (1986). He then starred in Stormy Monday (1988). In 1989, he played the villain Dominic O'Brien in The Fifteen Streets. This role helped him gain many fans.

In the late 1980s and early 1990s, Sean became a well-known actor on British TV. He appeared in BBC shows like Clarissa (1991) and Lady Chatterley (1993). In 1996, he got to combine his love for football with his acting. He played Jimmy Muir in the film When Saturday Comes. This movie allowed him to act out his childhood dream of playing for Sheffield United.

Sean Bean became famous for his role as Richard Sharpe in the TV series Sharpe. This show was based on Bernard Cornwell's books about the Peninsular War. The series followed Sharpe's adventures as he rose through the army ranks. Sean Bean was not the first actor chosen for the role. Another actor got injured, and Sean took over. The show ran from 1993 to 1997. Later, two more episodes were made: Sharpe's Challenge (2006) and Sharpe's Peril (2008).

His first big Hollywood movie was Patriot Games in 1992. He played an Irish republican terrorist. While filming a fight scene, Harrison Ford accidentally hit him, leaving a permanent scar. Sean Bean's tough look often led him to play villains. Many of these bad guys met dramatic ends in his films.

Lord of the Rings and Game of Thrones

Sean Bean at a movie premiere in 2005

In 1995, Sean Bean played James Bond's enemy, Alec Trevelyan, in the film GoldenEye. He also played other villain roles. These included a kidnapper in Don't Say a Word (2001) and a treasure hunter in National Treasure.

His most famous role was Boromir in Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings movies. He had a major part in the first movie, The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. He also appeared in flashbacks in the other two films. Sean Bean has a fear of flying in helicopters. This made filming in the mountains of New Zealand difficult. Once, he chose to take a ski lift and then hike for miles in his full costume rather than fly.

Sean Bean also took on many other interesting roles. He played a character who became emotional in Equilibrium (2002). He was a clever Odysseus in the movie Troy (2004). In 2005, he had important roles in Flightplan and North Country.

He has also done a lot of voice acting for commercials in the UK. He has been the main voice for O2 adverts since 2002. He also voiced Martin Septim in the video game The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion.

In 2011, Sean Bean starred in the first season of Game of Thrones. This was a very popular fantasy drama from HBO. He played Lord Eddard "Ned" Stark. His acting in this role was highly praised. Many people saw him as the main star of the show.

Recent Work

Sean Bean at a press conference for The Martian in 2015

After Game of Thrones, Sean Bean continued to work in film and television. In 2012, he played a cross-dressing teacher named Simon in the TV series Accused. This role won him a Royal Television Society award for best actor.

He starred in the spy TV series Legends as Martin Odum. Martin was an FBI agent who used different fake identities. There was a fun marketing campaign for the show using the hashtag #DontKillSeanBean. This was a joke about how many of his characters had died in past roles.

From 2015 to 2017, Sean Bean starred in The Frankenstein Chronicles. He also appeared in movies like Jupiter Ascending, Pixels, and The Martian. In 2017, he played a troubled priest in the BBC series Broken. This role earned him a BAFTA award for Best Actor. In 2019, he played a veteran soldier in the drama World on Fire.

In 2020, Sean Bean joined a special online reunion of Lord of the Rings cast members. This was for a YouTube series called Reunited Apart. In 2021, he starred in the BBC prison drama Time. He also appeared in the drama series Marriage in 2022.

Life Outside Acting

Sean Bean has been married five times and has three children. He also has four grandchildren.

He is a huge fan of Sheffield United, a football club. He has supported them since he was eight years old. He even has a tattoo on his left shoulder that says "100% Blade". He helped the club financially and was on their board of directors from 2002 to 2007. He later stepped down to go back to being a regular fan.

Sean Bean also has a tattoo of the number nine on his shoulder. It is written in Tengwar, which is an Elvish script from The Lord of the Rings. This tattoo is a nod to his role in the films. His character was one of the nine companions in the Fellowship of the Ring. Seven other actors from the Fellowship also have the same tattoo.

In his free time, Sean Bean enjoys gardening. He is also a Christian.

Awards and Honours

Sean Bean has received many honours in his home city of Sheffield. He has two honorary doctorates from local universities. He was also chosen as one of the first members of Sheffield Legends. This is like a local version of the Hollywood Walk of Fame. A plaque in his honour is placed in front of Sheffield Town Hall.

Filmography

Film

Television

Video games

Music videos

Voice over

See also

In Spanish: Sean Bean para niños