Gary Oldman in ‘Harry Potter’ and ‘The Dark Knight’.Photo:Collection Christophel/Alamy; Cinematic/AlamyGary Oldmanis reflecting on how his roles in theHarry Pottermovies andThe Dark Knighttrilogy helped him during a trying personal time.Oldman, 65, is well known for portraying the character Sirius Black in thePotterfilms and he costarred withChristian Baleas Gotham City police officer (and later commissioner) Jim Gordon inChristopher Nolan’s acclaimed take on Batman.During his recent appearance onThe Drew Barrymore Show, Oldman said he began turning down acting opportunities in the early 2000s in order to spend more time with his kids— Alfie, 35, Charlie John, 24, and Gulliver Flynn, 26 — after he became a single father in 2000 following his separation from third wife Donya Fiorentino.“Thank God forHarry Potter," he said. “I tell you, the two —BatmanandHarry Potter— really, they saved me, because it meant that I could do the least amount of work for the most amount of money and then be home with the kids.“Oldman has been married five times. He first wed English actress Lesley Manville in 1987, but they split in 1989 not long after the birth of their son, Alfie. He married Uma Thurman in 1990, and they also split two years later. He shares sons Charlie and Gulliber with Fiorentino, whom he was married to from 1997 to 2001.Gary Oldman on Dec. 8, 2023.Dominik Bindl/Getty“At 42 years old, I woke up divorced and I had custody of these boys and so that, in itself, was… That was hard because there was a shift in the industry where a lot of productions were being [filmed in] — it was Hungary, Budapest, Prague, Australia, you know, all of these places,” he recalled onThe Drew Barrymore Show.During his appearance on the daytime talk show, Oldman said he took as many as 27 round trips between London, where theDark Knighttrilogy filmed, and his home in Los Angeles in order to spend time with his children. The first film in that trilogy,Batman Begins, released in 2006; the third and final film,The Dark Knight Rises, released in 2013.Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.Oldman married his fourth wife, Alexandra Edenborough, on New Year’s Eve in 2008. Edenboroughfiled for divorce in January 2015and cited “irreconcilable differences” at the time. He married his current wife, Gisele Schmidt, in August 2017, as he confirmed to theAssociated Presslater that year.Gary Oldman in ‘Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix’.Everett CollectionThough Oldman has expressed gratitude for playing Sirius Black, he recently shared on Josh Horowitz’sHappy Sad Confusedpodcast that hebelieves his “work is mediocre” in thePottermovies.“Maybe if I had read the books like [late costarAlan Rickman], if I had got ahead of the curve, if I had known what’s coming, I honestly think I would have played it differently," Oldman said on the podcast.
Gary Oldman in ‘Harry Potter’ and ‘The Dark Knight’.Photo:Collection Christophel/Alamy; Cinematic/Alamy
Collection Christophel/Alamy; Cinematic/Alamy
Gary Oldmanis reflecting on how his roles in theHarry Pottermovies andThe Dark Knighttrilogy helped him during a trying personal time.Oldman, 65, is well known for portraying the character Sirius Black in thePotterfilms and he costarred withChristian Baleas Gotham City police officer (and later commissioner) Jim Gordon inChristopher Nolan’s acclaimed take on Batman.During his recent appearance onThe Drew Barrymore Show, Oldman said he began turning down acting opportunities in the early 2000s in order to spend more time with his kids— Alfie, 35, Charlie John, 24, and Gulliver Flynn, 26 — after he became a single father in 2000 following his separation from third wife Donya Fiorentino.“Thank God forHarry Potter," he said. “I tell you, the two —BatmanandHarry Potter— really, they saved me, because it meant that I could do the least amount of work for the most amount of money and then be home with the kids.“Oldman has been married five times. He first wed English actress Lesley Manville in 1987, but they split in 1989 not long after the birth of their son, Alfie. He married Uma Thurman in 1990, and they also split two years later. He shares sons Charlie and Gulliber with Fiorentino, whom he was married to from 1997 to 2001.Gary Oldman on Dec. 8, 2023.Dominik Bindl/Getty“At 42 years old, I woke up divorced and I had custody of these boys and so that, in itself, was… That was hard because there was a shift in the industry where a lot of productions were being [filmed in] — it was Hungary, Budapest, Prague, Australia, you know, all of these places,” he recalled onThe Drew Barrymore Show.During his appearance on the daytime talk show, Oldman said he took as many as 27 round trips between London, where theDark Knighttrilogy filmed, and his home in Los Angeles in order to spend time with his children. The first film in that trilogy,Batman Begins, released in 2006; the third and final film,The Dark Knight Rises, released in 2013.Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.Oldman married his fourth wife, Alexandra Edenborough, on New Year’s Eve in 2008. Edenboroughfiled for divorce in January 2015and cited “irreconcilable differences” at the time. He married his current wife, Gisele Schmidt, in August 2017, as he confirmed to theAssociated Presslater that year.Gary Oldman in ‘Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix’.Everett CollectionThough Oldman has expressed gratitude for playing Sirius Black, he recently shared on Josh Horowitz’sHappy Sad Confusedpodcast that hebelieves his “work is mediocre” in thePottermovies.“Maybe if I had read the books like [late costarAlan Rickman], if I had got ahead of the curve, if I had known what’s coming, I honestly think I would have played it differently," Oldman said on the podcast.
Gary Oldmanis reflecting on how his roles in theHarry Pottermovies andThe Dark Knighttrilogy helped him during a trying personal time.
Oldman, 65, is well known for portraying the character Sirius Black in thePotterfilms and he costarred withChristian Baleas Gotham City police officer (and later commissioner) Jim Gordon inChristopher Nolan’s acclaimed take on Batman.
During his recent appearance onThe Drew Barrymore Show, Oldman said he began turning down acting opportunities in the early 2000s in order to spend more time with his kids— Alfie, 35, Charlie John, 24, and Gulliver Flynn, 26 — after he became a single father in 2000 following his separation from third wife Donya Fiorentino.
“Thank God forHarry Potter," he said. “I tell you, the two —BatmanandHarry Potter— really, they saved me, because it meant that I could do the least amount of work for the most amount of money and then be home with the kids.”
Oldman has been married five times. He first wed English actress Lesley Manville in 1987, but they split in 1989 not long after the birth of their son, Alfie. He married Uma Thurman in 1990, and they also split two years later. He shares sons Charlie and Gulliber with Fiorentino, whom he was married to from 1997 to 2001.
Gary Oldman on Dec. 8, 2023.Dominik Bindl/Getty
Dominik Bindl/Getty
“At 42 years old, I woke up divorced and I had custody of these boys and so that, in itself, was… That was hard because there was a shift in the industry where a lot of productions were being [filmed in] — it was Hungary, Budapest, Prague, Australia, you know, all of these places," he recalled onThe Drew Barrymore Show.
During his appearance on the daytime talk show, Oldman said he took as many as 27 round trips between London, where theDark Knighttrilogy filmed, and his home in Los Angeles in order to spend time with his children. The first film in that trilogy,Batman Begins, released in 2006; the third and final film,The Dark Knight Rises, released in 2013.
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Oldman married his fourth wife, Alexandra Edenborough, on New Year’s Eve in 2008. Edenboroughfiled for divorce in January 2015and cited “irreconcilable differences" at the time. He married his current wife, Gisele Schmidt, in August 2017, as he confirmed to theAssociated Presslater that year.
Gary Oldman in ‘Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix’.Everett Collection
Everett Collection
Though Oldman has expressed gratitude for playing Sirius Black, he recently shared on Josh Horowitz’sHappy Sad Confusedpodcast that hebelieves his “work is mediocre” in thePottermovies.
“Maybe if I had read the books like [late costarAlan Rickman], if I had got ahead of the curve, if I had known what’s coming, I honestly think I would have played it differently," Oldman said on the podcast.
source: people.com
