Guy Pearce
{{Short description|Australian actor (born 1967)}}
{{distinguish|Guy Pearse}}
{{Use Australian English|date=March 2025}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2025}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Guy Pearce
| image = Crew members of the movie "Genius" at the Berlinale party (25036107966) (cropped).jpg
| caption = Pearce in 2016
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|df=yes|1967|10|5}}
| birth_place = Ely, Cambridgeshire, England
| occupation = Actor
| years_active = 1985–present
| spouse = {{marriage|Kate Mestitz|1997|2015|end=div}}
| partner = Carice van Houten (2015–2025)
| children = 1
| awards = Full list
}}
Guy Edward Pearce (born 5 October 1967) is an Australian{{cite web|first=Gary |last=Dretzka |work=Movie City News |title=An Interview With Guy Pearce |url=http://moviecitynews.com/Interviews/pearce.html |access-date=15 February 2009 |date=1 June 2003 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081115051601/http://www.moviecitynews.com/Interviews/pearce.html |archive-date=15 November 2008}} actor. His accolades include a Primetime Emmy Award, and nominations for an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, and two Golden Globe Awards.
Born in Cambridgeshire and raised in Geelong, Pearce started his career portraying Mike Young in the Australian television series Neighbours (1986–1989). Pearce received international attention for his break-out roles in The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (1994), L.A. Confidential (1997), Ravenous (1999), and Memento (2000).
His subsequent roles were in The Time Machine (2002), The Count of Monte Cristo (2002), Bedtime Stories (2008), The Road (2009), The Hurt Locker (2009), The King's Speech (2010), Lawless (2012), and Mary Queen of Scots (2018). He portrayed Peter Weyland in Prometheus (2012) and Alien: Covenant (2017), and acted in the Marvel Cinematic Universe playing Aldrich Killian in the film Iron Man 3 (2013). In Australian cinema he has acted in The Proposition (2005), Animal Kingdom (2010), The Rover (2014), and Swinging Safari (2018). For his performance as a wealthy industrialist in The Brutalist (2024), he received a nomination for the Academy Award and the BAFTA Award for Best Supporting Actor.
On television, he has played the title role in the series of films Jack Irish (2012–2021). Pearce starred in the HBO miniseries Mildred Pierce (2011) and Mare of Easttown (2021). The former won him a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor.
Early life
Pearce was born on 5 October 1967 in Ely, Cambridgeshire, England.{{cite web|url=http://www.ely-news.co.uk/People-and-Places/In-profile-Iron-Man-actor-Guy-Pearce-20130419161044.htm |title=In profile: Iron Man actor Guy Pearce |publisher=Ely-News.co.uk |date=19 April 2013 |access-date=19 April 2013| quote=Ely-born actor Guy Pearce...| archive-date=22 May 2013 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130522031037/http://www.ely-news.co.uk/People-and-Places/In-profile-Iron-Man-actor-Guy-Pearce-20130419161044.htm}} His father, Stuart Pearce, was a Royal New Zealand Air Force pilot and RAF test pilot, and his mother, Anne Cocking ({{Nee|Pickering}}), was an English schoolteacher.{{cite web |url=https://www.upi.com/topic/Guy_Pearce/ |title=Topic: Guy Pearce |publisher=upi.com |access-date=17 February 2021 |archive-date=29 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230329195405/https://www.upi.com/topic/Guy_Pearce/ |url-status=live }} He has an elder sister, Tracy.{{Cite web|title='Everybody feels fragile': Guy Pearce on fame, family pressures and fatherhood at 50|first=Emine|last=Saner|date=21 August 2018|url=https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2018/aug/21/guy-pearce-everybody-feels-fragile-neighbours-the-innocents-netflix|access-date=12 February 2022|website=The Guardian}} When Pearce was three years old, the family relocated to Geelong, Victoria, Australia. When he was eight years old, Pearce's father died in an aircraft accident.{{cite web|url=http://www.filmreference.com/film/14/Guy-Pearce.html |title=Guy Pearce Biography (1967–) |publisher=Filmreference.com |access-date=13 April 2011 | archive-date=3 March 2016 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160303215357/http://www.filmreference.com/film/14/Guy-Pearce.html| url-status=live}}[https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19760806-0 Aviation Safety Network.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180812022615/https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19760806-0 |date=12 August 2018 }} Retrieved 4 February 2019.{{Cite news | url=http://film.guardian.co.uk/interview/interviewpages/0,,2025921,00.html | work=The Guardian | location=London | title=Portrait of the artist | date=4 March 2007 | access-date=4 May 2010 | first=Chrissy | last=Iley | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070315084837/http://film.guardian.co.uk/interview/interviewpages/0,,2025921,00.html | archive-date=15 March 2007 | url-status=live }}{{cite web |url=http://www.tiscali.co.uk/entertainment/film/biographies/guy_pearce_biog.html |title=Guy Pearce biography |publisher=Tiscali.co.uk |access-date=13 April 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090207090337/http://www.tiscali.co.uk/entertainment/film/biographies/guy_pearce_biog.html |archive-date=7 February 2009 |url-status=live }}
Pearce attended Geelong College, and was a member of the Geelong Society of Operatic and 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. His first film appearance, while still at Geelong College, was in a Victorian Vice-Chancellors-funded film Life and Study at University, produced and directed by Peter Lane of Deakin University.
Career
= Film and television =
Pearce transitioned to television when he was cast in the Australian soap opera Neighbours in 1986, playing the role of Mike Young for three years.{{Cite news |date=1990-02-18 |title=Gambling on a bright future |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-age-gambling-on-a-bright-future/95623322/ |access-date=2025-04-05 |work=The Age |pages=22}} He reprised the role in 2022 for the show's then final episode, and returned to make multiple guest appearances in the revival from 2023 to 2024.{{Cite web |date=2022-06-03 |title=Hollywood star Guy Pearce returns to Neighbours for final episode |url=https://metro.co.uk/2022/06/03/hollywood-star-guy-pearce-returns-to-neighbours-for-final-episode-16767083/ |access-date=2025-04-05 |website=Metro |language=en}}{{Cite web |date=2023-05-20 |title=Guy Pearce hints at another Neighbours return as Mike Young |url=https://www.digitalspy.com/soaps/neighbours/a43947515/guy-pearce-neighbours-2023-return/ |access-date=2025-04-05 |website=Digital Spy |language=en-GB}} Pearce also found roles in other television series such as Home and Away (1988) and Snowy River: The McGregor Saga (1993).{{Cite web |date=2022-01-26 |title=TV collides! The surprising Aussie actors who've appeared on both Neighbours and Home and Away |url=https://www.nowtolove.com.au/entertainment/tv/actors-appeared-both-neighbours-and-home-and-away-35943/ |access-date=2025-04-05 |website=Now To Love |language=en-AU}}
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.{{cite web |url=http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/movies/chi-bedtimestories-review-1225_dec26,0,6965428.story |title='Bedtime Stories' stars Adam Sandler, Keri Russell, Guy Pearce |work=Chicago Tribune |first=Michael |last=Phillips |date=2008 |access-date=30 September 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131002221646/http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/movies/chi-bedtimestories-review-1225_dec26,0,6965428.story |archive-date=2 October 2013 |url-status=live }} Pearce continued 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.{{cite web|first=Tracee|last=Hutchison|work=The 7.30 Report|title=Guy Pearce returns to the stage|url=http://www.abc.net.au/7.30/content/2008/s2475577.htm|access-date=15 February 2009|date=27 January 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090207062535/http://www.abc.net.au/7.30/content/2008/s2475577.htm|archive-date=7 February 2009|url-status=live}} He performed in the Melbourne Theatre Company's production of Poor Boy, a play with music, co-written by Matt Cameron and Tim Finn. In 2009, he portrayed Staff Sergeant Matthew Thompson in The Hurt Locker. In 2010, he appeared as David, Prince of Wales, who became Edward VIII, in The King's Speech. Both films won the Academy Award for Best Picture, making Pearce the first actor to appear in back-to-back Best Picture winners since Michael Peña (who appeared in Million Dollar Baby and Crash).
Pearce starred as 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 appeared in a documentary special celebrating Neighbours{{'}} 30th anniversary, Neighbours 30th: The Stars Reunite, which aired in Australia and the UK in 2015.{{cite web |last=Knox |first=David |date=28 February 2015 |title=Airdate: Neighbours 30th: The Stars Reunite |url=http://www.tvtonight.com.au/2015/02/airdate-neighbours-30th-the-stars-reunite.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160115130452/http://www.tvtonight.com.au/2015/02/airdate-neighbours-30th-the-stars-reunite.html |archive-date=15 January 2016 |access-date=3 March 2015 |publisher=TV Tonight}}{{cite web |last=Kilkelly |first=Daniel |date=4 March 2015 |title=Neighbours 30th anniversary schedule confirmed by Channel 5 |url=http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/soaps/s14/neighbours/news/a633173/neighbours-30th-anniversary-schedule-confirmed-by-channel-5.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150305051220/http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/soaps/s14/neighbours/news/a633173/neighbours-30th-anniversary-schedule-confirmed-by-channel-5.html |archive-date=5 March 2015 |access-date=5 March 2015 |work=Digital Spy}} Pearce had a supporting role in Neil Armfield's 2015 romantic-drama film Holding the Man. For his role in the 2024 film The Brutalist, he received an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor nomination.
= Music =
In 1989, Pearce released the single "Call of the Wild" from the soundtrack Heaven Tonight. The song peaked at number 156 on the ARIA Charts.{{Cite web|url=https://www.bubblingdownunder.com/2020/11/week-commencing-13-november-1989.html|title=Week commencing 13 November 1989|website=Bubbling Down Under|date=November 2020|access-date=26 May 2024|archive-date=26 May 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240526031028/https://www.bubblingdownunder.com/2020/11/week-commencing-13-november-1989.html|url-status=live}} He appeared in Australian band Silverchair's music video for "Across the Night" and in Razorlight's video for "Before I Fall to Pieces." Pearce 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. Pearce released his first album, Broken Bones, in November 2014.{{cite web |date=7 August 2014 |title=GUY PEARCE IS RELEASING HIS DEBUT ALBUM IN NOVEMBER |url=http://www.pedestrian.tv/news/music/guy-pearce-is-releasing-his-debut-album-in-novembe/be77138a-7d20-4556-837d-2330ae21920a.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140812210634/http://www.pedestrian.tv/news/music/guy-pearce-is-releasing-his-debut-album-in-novembe/be77138a-7d20-4556-837d-2330ae21920a.htm |archive-date=12 August 2014 |access-date=10 August 2014}} Pearce released his second studio album, The Nomad, in 2018.{{cite web |date=12 June 2018 |title=Joe Henry Has Produced The Second Guy Pearce Album |url=http://www.noise11.com/news/joe-henry-has-produced-the-second-guy-pearce-album-20180612 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180612212747/http://www.noise11.com/news/joe-henry-has-produced-the-second-guy-pearce-album-20180612 |archive-date=12 June 2018 |access-date=13 June 2018 |publisher=noise11}}
Personal life
Pearce married his childhood sweetheart, psychologist Kate Mestitz, in March 1997.{{cite news |last=Lytal |first=Cristy |date=27 August 2008 |title=A real details Guy |work=Los Angeles Times |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2008-aug-27-et-pearce27-story.html |url-status=live |access-date=13 October 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160306222008/http://articles.latimes.com/2008/aug/27/entertainment/et-pearce27 |archive-date=6 March 2016}}{{cite news| url = http://www.moviemaker.com/articles/item/the_adventures_of_guy_pearce_2997/ |title=The Adventures of Guy Pearce | work=MovieMaker | first=James |last=Grant | date =15 July 2003| archive-date= 4 March 2012| archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20120304130518/http://www.moviemaker.com/directing/article/the_adventures_of_guy_pearce_2997/}} In October 2015, Pearce announced their divorce.{{cite magazine|last=Guglielmi|first=Jodi|date=13 October 2015|title=Guy Pearce Announces Split from Wife Kate Mestitz After 18 Years of Marriage|url=https://people.com/celebrity/guy-pearce-divorcing-wife-kate-mestitz-after-18-years-of-marriage/|magazine=People|access-date=8 August 2020|archive-date=27 April 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220427140713/https://people.com/celebrity/guy-pearce-divorcing-wife-kate-mestitz-after-18-years-of-marriage/|url-status=live}} Pearce was in a relationship with Dutch actress Carice van Houten; they had a son in August 2016.{{cite news |last=Saner |first=Emine |date=21 August 2018 |title='Everybody feels fragile': Guy Pearce on fame, family pressures and fatherhood at 50 |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2018/aug/21/guy-pearce-everybody-feels-fragile-neighbours-the-innocents-netflix |access-date=25 August 2020}}{{cite news| url = http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/game-thrones-star-carice-van-876876 |work=The Hollywood Reporter | title=Game of Thrones' Star Carice van Houten Is Pregnant| date= 19 March 2016 |first= Natalie|last= Stone| access-date= 13 October 2016| archive-date=11 August 2016 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20160811040703/http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/game-thrones-star-carice-van-876876|url-status=live}}{{cite news| url= http://celebritybabies.people.com/2016/08/29/guy-pearce-carice-van-houten-welcome-son-monte/| title= Guy Pearce and Carice van Houten Welcome Son Monte| work= People| date= 29 August 2016| access-date= 13 October 2016| archive-date= 30 August 2016| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20160830155412/http://celebritybabies.people.com/2016/08/29/guy-pearce-carice-van-houten-welcome-son-monte/| url-status= dead| quote= Son Monte arrived last week in Amsterdam, van Houten’s rep tells People.}} In January 2025, Van Houten stated that she and Pearce have split, and have "... not been a couple for years".{{cite web |url=https://www.ad.nl/show/carice-van-houten-en-guy-pearce-uit-elkaar-zijn-al-jaren-geen-stel-meer~ade96bcb/ |title=Carice van Houten en Guy Pearce uit elkaar, zijn 'al jaren' geen stel meer |website=AD.nl |language=Dutch |date=22 January 2025 |access-date=22 January 2025}}
Pearce has supported charitable organisations related to animal conservation and habitat preservation,{{cite web |first1=Guy |last1=Pearce |author1-link=Guy Pearce |title=Guy Pearce - Cause |url=https://www.guypearce.net/index.php/charity |website=www.guypearce.net |publisher=Guy Pearce |access-date=15 July 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220206215427/http://guypearce.net/index.php/charity |archive-date=6 February 2022 |quote=Like most of you, I support a number of charitable organisations. ... |url-status=live}} as well as publicly expressing his solidarity with Palestine amid the Gaza war.{{cite web |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2024/05/29/style/vanity-fair-france-guy-pearce-cec/index.html |title='It's a disgrace:' Actor Guy Pearce responds to Vanity Fair France's edit of Palestine flag pin |website=cnn.com |language=English |date=30 May 2024 |access-date=27 January 2025}}{{cite web |url=https://www.vulture.com/article/hollywood-is-torn-over-artists4ceasefires-pins.html |title= 'Let People Wear Whatever Pin They Want' |website=vulture.com |language=English |date=28 February 2025 |access-date=28 February 2025}}
In February 2025, Pearce accused his L.A. Confidential co-star Kevin Spacey of sexually harassing him while filming the movie. Spacey responded to the accusation by posting a video on the social media platform X, where he told Pearce to "grow up" and that he was "not a victim."{{Cite web|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/guy-pearce-kevin-spacey-la-confidential-encounters-interview-1236139720/|title=Guy Pearce Gets Choked Up Recalling Troubling Encounters With Kevin Spacey While Filming 'L.A. Confidential': "He Targeted Me, No Question"|last=Gardner|first=Chris|work=The Hollywood Reporter|quote=THR has reached out to a rep for Spacey for response to Pearce’s comments. The actor responded on Tuesday via a video on X, telling Pearce, "grow up, you are not a victim."|date=17 February 2025|accessdate=18 February 2025}}
Acting credits
=Film=
=Television=
class="wikitable sortable unsortable" |
Year
! Title ! Role ! class="unsortable" | Notes |
---|
1986–89, 2022–24
| |
1991
| David Croft | 12 episodes |
1994–96
| Snowy River: The McGregor Saga | Rob McGregor | 65 episodes |
1997
| {{sortname|The|Devil Game|nolink=1}} | Michael | Movie |
1997
| Daniel & Richard Viney | Episode: "Déjà Vu" |
2009–18
| Himself | 3 episodes |
2011
| Monty Beragon | Miniseries |
rowspan="2" | 2012
| rowspan="2" | Jack Irish | rowspan="2" | Movie |
Jack Irish: Black Tide |
rowspan="2" | 2014
| Liam Stone | Episode: "The Dark Sean Rises" |
Jack Irish: Dead Point
| Jack Irish | Movie |
rowspan="2" | 2015
| Neighbours 30th: The Stars Reunite | rowspan="2" | Himself | rowspan="2" | Documentary |
Between a Frock and a Hard Place |
2016–21
| Jack Irish | 3 series |
2016
| {{sortname|The|Wizards of Aus}} | Morgan Wright | Episode: "Honk" |
2017
| Miniseries |
2018
| Halvorson | 8 episodes |
2019
| Miniseries |
rowspan="2" | 2021
| Himself | Documentary series |
Mare of Easttown
| Richard Ryan | Miniseries |
2022
| 6 episodes |
2023
|Bryce Latham |8 episodes |
= Theatre =
class="wikitable sortable"
|+ ! Year ! Title ! Role ! Company |
1980
| Sinbad | rowspan="2" | Chorus Member | rowspan="6" | Gsoda Junior Players |
1981
| Aladdin |
1982
| Hans Christian Andersen | Professor Pfeiffer |
1983
| The Wizard of Oz |
1984
| Queen of Hearts | The Racing Demon Snap |
2023
| And Thus Began the Tale | Himself |
=Music videos=
class="wikitable unsortable" |
Year
! Title ! Role ! class="unsortable" | Artist |
---|
2002
| "Across the Night" | Man |
2021
| "Follow Me Around" | The Man |
Discography
- Broken Bones (2014)
- The Nomad (2018)
Awards and nominations
{{main|List of awards and nominations received by Guy Pearce}}
On 18 September 2011, Pearce won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or Movie for his work in Todd Haynes' limited series Mildred Pierce as Monty Beragon.{{cite web|url= https://www.emmys.com/bios/guy-pearce|title= Guy Pearce - Emmy Awards|website= Emmys.com|accessdate= 3 May 2021|archive-date= 6 June 2023|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20230606205731/https://www.emmys.com/bios/guy-pearce|url-status= live}} Pearce received a Golden Globe Award nomination for his performance. Pearce has been nominated for three Screen Actors Guild Awards winning for Outstanding Cast in a Motion Picture along with the cast of The King's Speech (2010).{{cite web|url= https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/sag-award-winner-announced-94453|title= SAG Awards Winners: 'King's Speech' Tops|website= The Hollywood Reporter|date= 30 January 2011|accessdate= 3 May 2021|archive-date= 4 May 2021|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210504022026/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/sag-award-winner-announced-94453|url-status= live}} Pearce was nominated with the cast of L.A. Confidential (1997) and Mildred Pierce (2011).{{cite web|url= https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/sag-awards-guy-pearce-mildred-pierce-285714|title= SAG Awards: Guy Pearce on his 'Mildred Pierce' Nomination|website= The Hollywood Reporter|date= 29 January 2012|accessdate= 3 May 2021|archive-date= 4 May 2021|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210504022024/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/sag-awards-guy-pearce-mildred-pierce-285714|url-status= live}}
See also
References
{{reflist}}
External links
{{commons category}}
- {{IMDb name|1602}}
- [http://www.ely-news.co.uk/People-and-Places/In-profile-Iron-Man-actor-Guy-Pearce-20130419161044.htm Actor Profile] at Local World's Ely News
{{Navboxes
|title = Awards for Guy Pearce
|list =
{{AACTA International Award for Best Supporting Actor}}
{{Dallas–Fort Worth Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actor}}
{{EmmyAward MiniseriesSupportingActor}}
{{Silver Logie Award for Most Popular Actor on Australian Television}}
{{San Diego Film Critics Society Award for Best Actor}}
{{Satellite Award Best Supporting Actor Motion Picture}}
{{Satellite Award Best Actor Television Miniseries or Film}}
}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pearce, Guy}}
Category:20th-century Australian male actors
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