Sean Bean

Biography

Shaun Mark Bean (born 17 April 1959) is an English actor. After graduating from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, Bean made his professional debut in a theatre production of Romeo and Juliet in 1983. Retaining his Yorkshire accent, he first found mainstream success for his portrayal of Richard Sharpe in the ITV series Sharpe, which originally ran from 1993 to 1997.

Bean's film roles include Patriot Games (1992), GoldenEye (1995), Ronin (1998), Don't Say a Word (2001), The Lord of the Rings trilogy (2001–2003), Equilibrium (2002), National Treasure (2004), Troy (2004), Flightplan (2005), North Country (2005), The Island (2005), Silent Hill (2006), Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief (2010), Black Death (2010), Jupiter Ascending (2015), and The Martian (2015).

His television roles include 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 the video games The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, Sid Meier's Civilization VI, and the feature films Wolfwalkers and Mummies among others. Bean has also been the main voice over for O2 and their adverts for over 20 years having originally taken the job in 2002.

In 2022, Bean won the British Academy Television Award as Leading Actor in Time, a BBC One drama.

Known For

The Isolate Thief 2026 ★ 6.8
Robin Hood 2025 ★ 7.5
Snowpiercer 2020 ★ 7.4
Medici: Masters of Florence 2016 ★ 7.7
The Martian 2015 ★ 7.7
Pixels 2015 ★ 5.8
Jupiter Ascending 2015 ★ 5.5
Legends 2014 ★ 6.4
Game of Thrones 2011 ★ 8.5
Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief 2010 ★ 6.2
Silent Hill 2006 ★ 6.6
The Island 2005 ★ 6.7
Troy 2004 ★ 7.2
National Treasure 2004 ★ 6.7
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King 2003 ★ 8.5
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring 2001 ★ 8.4
Family Guy 1999 ★ 7.4
TFI Friday 1996 ★ 7.1
Lady Chatterley 1993 ★ 6.3
The Jim Henson Hour 1989 ★ 9.0
Inspector Morse 1987 ★ 7.9
Screen Two 1985 ★ 7.1
The Bill 1984 ★ 6.8
Natural World 1983 ★ 7.4