Drew Alexander Ross writes for Hollywood Insider with the aim of bringing the reader an uplifting and insightful experience. He combines his degree in film and business to show a unique point of view on cinema and his beliefs coincide with Hollywood Insider‘s values of promoting positive and meaningful content. Drew enjoys reading at the pace of one to two books a week and loves movies of all genres. He has placed in several screenwriting competitions and has short stories featured in several different publications.
Michael Sheen was born in Newport, Wales, in 1969 and grew up in Baglan, Port Talbot. An early moment that shaped his future was turning downthe opportunity to pursue professional football. At 12, Sheen was offered a spot on the Arsenal youth team, but his family wouldn’t relocate from Wales to London. Sheen would later be grateful for this decision, and instead, at 16, he joined the National Youth Theatre of Wales. Hecredited his influence on acting to his parents’ involvement in amateur theater productions. A BBCarticle attributes his later training at the internationally-renowned Royal Academy of Dramatic Art for setting him on the path to stardom.
Sheen’s first big role was while he was at the Academy. He starred alongsideVanessa Redgrave in the Globe Theater production ofWhen She Danced. Sheen received positive reviews for his performance and subsequently landed more and more roles in theater.When She Danced in 1991 was in London, but he was up the M5 the following year for a part inRomeo And Juliet at the Royal Exchange in Manchester. There were more positive reviews for his performance and another trip back down the M5 to London the following year so he could star inAlfred de Musset’sDon’t Fool With Love.
Astring of theater roles followed these early performances in the 1990s, but one of his most prominent parts came in the form of the leading role as Mozart inSir Peter Hall’s production ofAmadeus at the Old Vic Theater in 1999. Sheen would later reprise this role on Broadway. By this time, though, Sheen had already made headway in television and film and would continue to grow his resume in both.
Michael Sheen Taking Over the Screen
Sheen’s debut on screen was in the 1993 BBC miniseries ‘Mystery!: Gallowglass.’ His first performance on the big screen was inOliver Parker’s Shakespeare production of ‘Othello.’ He played the role of Lodovico alongside acting legendsKenneth Branagh andLaurence Fishburne. Sheen had a few minor roles in television and film during the mid and late 1990s, but he started to devote more time to being behind the camera in the 2000s.
Sheen’s presence in the industry continued to grow in the following years. His reprisal of Tony Blair in the 2006 Academy Award-winning film ‘The Queen’ was another big step in his career. While Sheen wasn’t nominated for an Oscar, he was nominated for a BAFTA for Best Actor in a Supporting Role. It was the third BAFTA he was nominated for in three years. He was up for Best Actor in the same year as ‘The Queen’ (2007) for his performance in BBC Four’s ‘Kenneth Williams: Fantabulosa!’ and was nominated in 2005 for Best Actor for his performance in ‘Dirty Filthy Love.’
Leading Roles and More Recognition
Sheen often took time to return to theater as he started gaining momentum in the film and television world. In 2006, he joined the cast of thePeter Morgan penned playFrost/Nixonat the Donmar Warehouse in London. The production was nominated for Best Play, Best Direction of a Play, and won Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play forFrank Langella at the 2007 Tony Awards. Both Langella and Sheen reprised their roles of ex-President Richard Nixon and English broadcaster David Frost inthe film adaptation. The movie was directed byRon Howard and went on to be nominated for five Oscars.
One under the radar but brilliant leading roles in Sheen’s long resume of acting performances was his turn asBrian Clough in ‘The Damned United.’ Sheen played the legendary, controversial British manager during his 44-day stint in charge of the famous English football club Leeds United. The movie was directed byTom Hooper and written byPeter Morgan.Roger Ebert praised Sheen and ‘The Damned United,’ giving it 3 and 1/2 out of 4 stars, and claimed that having not heard of Brian Clough is no reason not to see it.
A more commercially prominent role came in the form of Aro in ‘The Twilight Saga: New Moon.’ By this point, Sheen had shown his quality and capabilities as an actor. He was able to pick up smaller roles in the midst of choosing more artistic projects. He went on to reprise the role of Aro in the final two ‘Twilight’ films and also played a part inWoody Allen’s ‘Midnight in Paris.’ Supporting roles in the critically successful ‘Nocturnal Animals’ withJake Gyllenhaal andAmy Adams, and the Sci-Fi Thriller ‘Passengers’ withJennifer Lawrence andChris Pratt were other notable performances in the later 2010s.
While Michael Sheen has become a recognizable actor over the years on the big screen, his work in television is just as impressive. His short stint on ‘30 Rock’ is a memorable addition to his acting CV. The third time he reprised his role as Tony Blair in the television movie ‘The Special Relationship’ earned him an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or Movie. His standout performance on television in ‘Masters of Sex’ earned him a Golden Globe nomination for Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series – Drama.
Sheen has continued to grace the television screen over the years and recently starred in the adaptation ofNeil Gaiman andTerry Pratchett’s ‘Good Omens.’ The ITV miniseries ‘Quiz,’ about a former British army major caught cheating on the game show ‘Who Wants To Be A Millionaire,’ is another brilliant addition to Sheen’s filmography. His latest television outings are in the second season of Fox’s ‘Prodigal Son’ and in the lock-down comedy ‘Staged’ with fellow ‘Good Omens’ co-starDavid Tennant. The latter follows the two actors whose West End play has been put on hold due to Covid-19 as they continue rehearsals online.
While Michael Sheen is mostly known for his contribution to the arts, his contributions are not just in the form of performances. He isinvolved in many different charities and foundations. One of the charities he is involved with,Into Film, offers after-school film clubs to help improve literacy levels. He is also a patron of the British charitiesScene & Heard,NSPCC’s Child’s Voice Appeal,Healing the Wounds, and theWCADA.
One of Sheen’s charity involvements has roots in his childhood love of football. He has put his football boots back on and taken part in several charity matches over the years. This love of football fits in nicely with a story hetoldSAG AFTRA about being confused for Martin Sheen as a boy and an actor over the years. In the interview, Sheen described the first instance of mistaken identity when he scored for his team Baglan Boys Club as a boy. He searched for his name in the local paper. and found the goal had been attributed to a Martin Sheen. It wouldn’t be the last time he was mistaken for the other acting legend. Sheen’s first play in West End,When She Danced, had the name Martin Sheen painted outside for the advertising.
He finally metMartin Sheen at an event in Los Angeles years later. Michael was introduced as the Prime Minister (for his role as Tony Blair) to the President of the United States (for Martin’s role as Jed Bartlett in ‘The West Wing.’) Martin joked that Michael was the reason he was getting so many positive reviews in the past few years.
Michael Sheen need not worry about mistaken identity anymore. It might still happen, like when ‘Quiz’aired in the UK, but true film and television lovers know the difference.
We atHollywood Insider would like to thank Michael Sheen for his contribution to the acting world and his contributions to the humanities. He turned 52 on February the 5th. We wish him the best in the future and a very Happy Belated Birthday!
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Drew Alexander Ross writes for Hollywood Insider with the aim of bringing the reader an uplifting and insightful experience. He combines his degree in film and business to show a unique point of view on cinema and his beliefs coincide with Hollywood Insider's values of promoting positive and meaningful content. Drew enjoys reading at the pace of one to two books a week and loves movies of all genres. He has placed in several screenwriting competitions and has short stories featured in several different publications.
Drew Alexander Ross writes for Hollywood Insider with the aim of bringing the reader an uplifting and insightful experience. He combines his degree in film and business to show a unique point of view on cinema and his beliefs coincide with Hollywood Insider‘s values of promoting positive and meaningful content. Drew enjoys reading at the pace of one to two books a week and loves movies of all genres. He has placed in several screenwriting competitions and has short stories featured in several different publications.
Drew Alexander Ross writes for Hollywood Insider with the aim of bringing the reader an uplifting and insightful experience. He combines his degree in film and business to show a unique point of view on cinema and his beliefs coincide with Hollywood Insider‘s values of promoting positive and meaningful content. Drew enjoys reading at the pace of one to two books a week and loves movies of all genres. He has placed in several screenwriting competitions and has short stories featured in several different publications.
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