Born:
November 02, 1959
in
Peterhead
Best Known For:
Playing hard-as-nails characters.
Early-life:
Peter Mullan was born in Peterhead on November 2, 1956, the fifth of eight children born to parents Patricia and Charles. His childhood was a troubled one, thanks to his father's battle with alcoholism, and a 14-year-old Peter once reportedly attempted to kill his father with sleeping pills. After falling in with a street gang and working as a bouncer at local pubs, Peter enrolled at Glasgow University on the same day his father died.
Career:
During his time at university, Mullan began acting, and continued after graduating. His CV includes appearances in hit films including Riff-Raff (1991), Shallow Grave (1994), Trainspotting (1996), Braveheart (1995), My Name Is Joe (1998), for which he won Best Actor at Cannes, and On a Clear Day (2005). Mullan also has plenty of small-screen appearances to his name, including the Channel 4 drama Boy A. An accomplished director, his most famous work is 2002 offering The Magdalene Sisters, which he also scripted. His other acting work includes Red Riding, The Fixer and Steven Spielberg's War Horse (2011). His most recent directing work is Neds, a project that won the best film award at the San Sebastian Film Festival in 2010. In 2013, he starred in the miniseries Top of the Lake.
Quote:
On the Vatican slating his film The Magdalene Sisters: "They've only given us some wonderful publicity. The best thing they could have done would have been to ignore us completely. It could be worth a million at the Italian box office now."
Trivia:
Away from the stage and screen, Mullan is an active campaigner in socialist issues.