Sean Bean

Sean Bean (born Shaun Mark Bean; 17 April 1959) is an English actor renowned for his roles in movies and TV series like the ITV series Sharpe, The Lord of the Rings trilogy, and GoldenEye. After graduating from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, he made his professional debut in a production of Romeo and Juliet in 1983 at The Watermill Theatre. As he retained his Yorkshire accent, he found mainstream success for his portrayal of Richard Sharpe in the ITV series Sharpe, which initially ran from 1993 to 1997.

Bean's filmography is quite extensive, with roles in films such as Stormy Monday (1988), Patriot Games (1992), GoldenEye (1995), Ronin (1998), The Lord of the Rings trilogy (2001–2003), National Treasure (2004), Troy (2004), The Island (2005), and The Martian (2015). He has also had significant television roles in the BBC anthology series Accused, Broken, Game of Thrones, and the ITV historical drama series Henry VIII and Legends. As a voice actor, Bean has been featured in video games like The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion and Sid Meier's Civilization VI. Since 2002, Bean has been the main voiceover for O2 adverts, with his most recent narrated advert released in November 2024. In 2022, Bean won the British Academy Television Award as Leading Actor in Time, a BBC One drama.