Born:
May 24, 1949
in
Lincoln
Best Known For:
Iris, Moulin Rouge! and Bridget Jones's Diary.
Early-life:
Born May 24, 1949, in Lincoln, the youngest of three children. Father Roy was a furniture maker, who also renovated a Methodist chapel, turning it into a theatre, which was renamed the Broadbent Theatre after his death in 1971. Mother Dee was a sculptress and a keen amateur thespian. Jim attended a Quaker boarding school in Reading and, after passing his A-levels, attended art college. His heart lay in acting and he later transferred to the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art.
Career:
Broadbent caught the eye of casting directors following Illuminatus in 1976, a 12-hour sci-fi production. He worked with the National Theatre, Royal Shakespeare Company and as the National Theatre of Brent, a two-man comedy troupe he co-founded with Patrick Barlow. Despite originally turning down the role of Del Boy, he played bent copper Roy Slater in Only Fools and Horses. Bigger parts came in the 1990s, in such projects as Life Is Sweet, Bullets Over Broadway, Richard III and Topsy-Turvy. He also starred in Bridget Jones's Diary, Moulin Rouge!, Iris (for which he won an Oscar), Gangs of New York, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull and two Harry Potter movies. His recent work includes The Iron Lady, Cloud Atlas, Le Week-End, The Harry Hill Movie, Paddington and Get Santa.
Quote:
"As an actor, I'm quite prepared to look silly. I don't mind looking like a complete berk."
Trivia:
He reportedly declined an OBE in 2002.