| Biography |
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Michael Sheen was born in Newport, Monmouthshire in Wales, on the 5th February 1969, to Irene and Meyrick Sheen. Apart from a few years living in Liverpool, he was brought up in Port Talbot, South Wales, along with his younger sister Joanne and attended Glan Afan Comprehensive School. As a child, his main obsession was football. He has admitted that he would play every evening after school until it was too dark to see the ball. |
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At 12 years old, while on a family holiday at Pontins in the Isle of Wight, he played against ex-Arsenal player, Tony Adams who was 16 at the time. Michael and his family were approached by Tony's father and he was offered a place in Arsenal's youth team. Michael's father turned him down saying he was too young and it would mean the family relocating to London.
At the time Michael was very disappointed, but later found other interests, although he is still a keen football supporter and player. He once joined David Beckham and LA Galaxy in a Brit Night Celebrity game for charity.
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His interest in acting was kindled by studying for school plays ,and his parents were also known to dabble in amateur dramatics. Even now, his father enjoys some success impersonating Jack Nicholson. His cousin, Caroline is also a celebrated West End actress At 14 he joined the West Glamorgan Youth Theatre Company, and at 16 he joined the National Youth Theatre of Wales, which has trained young actors and entertainers for over 30 years including Matthew Rhys, Ruth Jones and Rob Brydon. Until he graduated, he supported himself by flipping burgers. |
In December 2007 he made an impromptu visit to the WGYTC. |
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At 18 he went on to study at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts winning a Laurence Olivier Bursary in his second year. Even before he graduated he was offered a role opposite Vanessa Redgrave. He soon established himself as one of the most promising talents on the theatrical scene and continued to impress theater audiences throughout his twenties.
He appeared in some TV and film, but remained primarily a stage actor. |
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However, 2003 was a pivotal year for Michael, as not only did he appear in his first two blockbusters (Timeline and Underworld), but also appeared on TV in Peter Morgan's The Deal as Tony Blair.
It was during the filming of Underworld that he went through a very public separation from his long term girlfriend, Kate Beckinsale. They met while performing opposite each other in a production of The Seagull and have a daughter, Lily Mo Sheen, born in 1999. Kate left when she fell for the film's director Sam Wiseman.
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He continues to split his time between the US and London as he shares custody of his daughter with Kate. In 1996 he co-founded with Helen McCrory and Robert Delamere, a writing production company called 'Foundry' and also ran 'Thin Language' a Welsh theatre company co-jointly with Simon Harris. On the 15th July 2008, Sheen was awarded the freedom of the borough of Neath Port Talbot, making him one of the youngest people to receive the honour and putting him amongst a very elite group of people including Sir Anthony Hopkins. There is also a Michael Sheen suite in Port Talbot's town centre Blanco's Hotel. Michael has gained a reputation for playing the part of real-life characters. He has played Blair twice, Art Honeyman in Music Within, Kenneth Williams in Fantabulosa!, also David Frost in Frost / Nixon and more recently Brian Clough in Damned United. His career has not only centred around the stage and screen. He has also recorded several audio books, mostly for Naxos Audio Books, as well as BBC plays and Radio serialisations. He was awarded an OBE in the 2009 honours list for services to drama, and does not seem to be running out of work any time soon as his career goes from strength to strength. |
FAQs |
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| Birthday | 5th February 1969 |
| Height | 5ft 9in |
| Hair colour | Brown |
| Eyes | Green/Brown |
| Contact Address | UK Roxane Vacca Management 73, Beak St, London, W1F 9SS International |
| Married/Single? | Long term partner, but we would prefer not to discuss his private life |
| Children | Lily Mo Sheen (mother Kate Beckinsale) |
| Residence | London, UK and Santa Monica, USA. |
| Favourite Group | Radiohead |
| Favourite Author | Stephen King |
| Favourite Film | A Matter Of Life And Death (1946) |
