Jim Broadbent, a renowned English character actor, was born on May 24, 1949, in Lincolnshire, to furnituremaker Roy Laverick Broadbent and sculptress Doreen "Dee" (Findlay) Broadbent.
As the youngest son, Jim was raised in a family that valued the arts, which would later influence his career choices.
He attended a Quaker boarding school in Reading before successfully applying for a place at an art school, where he discovered his true passion for acting.
Jim would later transfer to the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA),where he honed his craft and graduated in 1972.
Following his graduation, he began his professional career on the stage, performing with the Royal National Theatre, the Royal Shakespeare Company, and as part of the National Theatre of Brent, a two-man troupe which he co-founded.
In addition to his theatrical work, Jim did steady work on television, working with renowned directors such as Mike Newell and Stephen Frears.
His film debut came in 1978 with a small part in Jerzy Skolimowski's The Shout (1978),and he went on to work with Frears again in The Hit (1984) and with Terry Gilliam in Time Bandits (1981) and Brazil (1985).
Jim's breakthrough year was 2001, as he starred in three critically and commercially successful films, including Bridget Jones's Diary (2001),Moulin Rouge! (2001),and Iris (2001),for which he won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor as devoted husband John Bayley to Judi Dench's Iris Murdoch, the British novelist who suffered from Alzheimer's disease.
This personal connection to the film made it a particularly poignant and meaningful role for Jim, as his own mother had passed away from Alzheimer's in 1995.
Throughout his career, Jim has worked with many acclaimed directors and actors, and has become known for his versatility and range as a character actor.
His numerous film credits include Life Is Sweet (1990),The Crying Game (1992),Enchanted April (1991),Bullets Over Broadway (1994),Widows' Peak (1994),Richard III (1995),Little Voice (1998),and many more.
