Paul Bettany Memorabilia & Collectibles

At age 19, Bettany decided to become an actor and pursued his studies at the Drama Centre London in Chalk Farm. He played in various stage plays such as West End revival of An Inspector Calls, Romeo and Juliet, Richard III, and Julius Caesar, in which he received a nomination for Charleson Awards.

His first film was in the Holocaust drama entitled Bent, in which he had a chance to work with Ian McKellen, Law, and Clive Owen. Then, Bettany also starred in other films such Gangster No. 1, wherein he got his first lead role. This movie enabled him to work with other popular stars like David Thewlis and ...   more

At age 19, Bettany decided to become an actor and pursued his studies at the Drama Centre London in Chalk Farm. He played in various stage plays such as West End revival of An Inspector Calls, Romeo and Juliet, Richard III, and Julius Caesar, in which he received a nomination for Charleson Awards.

His first film was in the Holocaust drama entitled Bent, in which he had a chance to work with Ian McKellen, Law, and Clive Owen. Then, Bettany also starred in other films such Gangster No. 1, wherein he got his first lead role. This movie enabled him to work with other popular stars like David Thewlis and Malcolm McDowell. Bettany’s promising performance in that movie earned him a nomination for Best Actor in The British Independent Film Awards, and a British Newcomer of the Year nomination from the London Film Critics' Circle.

According to sources, director/writer Brian Helgeland planned to create a new movie titled The Sin Eater and was impressed by Bettany’s performance in the audition tape. However, Bettany decided to star in the film A Knight’s Tale. Moreover, a role in the movie A Beautiful Mind was offered to Bettany but he turned down the role in favor of Dogville with Nicole Kidman and Stellan Skarsgård.

After his movie with Kidman and Skarsgård, Bettany starred in Peter Weir's Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World along with Russell Crowe. His successful portrayal of naturalist and surgeon Stephen Maturin brought him to stardom and even gained a nomination in BAFTA.