Guy Pearce

Template:Short description Template:Distinguish Template:Use Australian English Template:Use dmy dates Template:Infobox person Guy Edward Pearce (born 5 October 1967) is an Australian<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> actor. He has received various accolades, including a Primetime Emmy Award, AACTA Award, and nominations for an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, and two Golden Globe Awards.

Born in Cambridgeshire and raised in Geelong, Pearce started his career portraying Mike Young in the Australian television series Neighbours (1986–1989). Pearce received international attention for his break-out roles in The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (1994), L.A. Confidential (1997), Ravenous (1999), and Memento (2000).

His subsequent roles were in The Time Machine (2002), The Count of Monte Cristo (2002), Bedtime Stories (2008), The Road (2009), The Hurt Locker (2009), The King's Speech (2010), Lawless (2012), and Mary Queen of Scots (2018). He portrayed Peter Weyland in Prometheus (2012) and Alien: Covenant (2017), and acted in the Marvel Cinematic Universe playing Aldrich Killian in the film Iron Man 3 (2013). In Australian cinema he has acted in The Proposition (2005), Animal Kingdom (2010), The Rover (2014), and Swinging Safari (2018). For his performance as a wealthy industrialist in The Brutalist (2024), he received a nomination for the Academy Award and the BAFTA Award for Best Supporting Actor.

On television, he has played the title role in the series of films Jack Irish (2012–2021). Pearce starred in the HBO miniseries Mildred Pierce (2011) and Mare of Easttown (2021). The former won him a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor.

Early life

Pearce was born on 5 October 1967 in Ely, Cambridgeshire, England.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="filmref" /> His father, Stuart Pearce, was a Royal New Zealand Air Force pilot and RAF test pilot, and his mother, Anne Cocking (Template:Nee), was an English schoolteacher.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He has an elder sister, Tracy.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> When Pearce was three years old, the family relocated to Geelong, Victoria, Australia. When he was eight years old, Pearce's father died in an aircraft accident.<ref name=filmref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Aviation Safety Network. Template:Webarchive Retrieved 4 February 2019.</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Pearce attended Geelong College, and was a member of the Geelong Society of Operatic and Dramatic Arts (GSODA) Junior Players. At the age of 16, he was a competitive amateur bodybuilder, leading to the title of Junior Mr. Victoria. He lived in Box Hill North, Victoria in the late 1980s while working on the Australian drama series Neighbours. His first film appearance, while still at Geelong College, was in a Victorian Vice-Chancellors-funded film Life and Study at University, produced and directed by Peter Lane of Deakin University.

Career

Film and television

Pearce transitioned to television when he was cast in the Australian soap opera Neighbours in 1986, playing the role of Mike Young for three years.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He reprised the role in 2022 for the show's then final episode, and returned to make multiple guest appearances in the revival from 2023 to 2024.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Pearce also found roles in other television series such as Home and Away (1988) and Snowy River: The McGregor Saga (1993).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

File:GuyPearce07TIFF.jpg

Pearce at the 2007 Toronto International Film Festival

The director/producer/writer Frank Howson cast Pearce in his first three films, Heaven Tonight, Hunting, and Flynn, and paid for him to go to the Cannes Film Festival in 1991 for the premiere of the Howson-directed Hunting. The accompanying Howson-funded publicity campaign brought Pearce to the attention of the international film industry. He made his first major film breakthrough shortly after, with his role as a drag queen in The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert in 1994. Since then, he has appeared in several US productions including L.A. Confidential, Ravenous, Rules of Engagement, Memento, The Count of Monte Cristo, and The Time Machine.

Pearce portrayed pop artist Andy Warhol in Factory Girl and Harry Houdini in Death Defying Acts. He also appeared in The Road and in Bedtime Stories with Adam Sandler.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Pearce continued to perform in Australian films, such as The Hard Word (2002) and The Proposition (2005), written by fellow Australian Nick Cave.

In January 2009, Pearce returned to the stage after a seven-year absence.<ref name="poor boy">Template:Cite web</ref> He performed in the Melbourne Theatre Company's production of Poor Boy, a play with music, co-written by Matt Cameron and Tim Finn.<ref name="poor boy"/> In 2009, he portrayed Staff Sergeant Matthew Thompson in The Hurt Locker. In 2010, he appeared as David, Prince of Wales, who became Edward VIII, in The King's Speech. Both films won the Academy Award for Best Picture, making Pearce the first actor to appear in back-to-back Best Picture winners since Michael Peña (who appeared in Million Dollar Baby and Crash).

Pearce starred as the eponymous lead in the Australian TV miniseries Jack Irish, an adaptation of the detective novels of author Peter Temple broadcast on the ABC network in 2012. In May 2012, Pearce was cast to star in David Michôd's The Rover. In 2013, Pearce played the villain character Aldrich Killian in Iron Man 3. Pearce appeared in a documentary special celebrating NeighboursTemplate:' 30th anniversary, Neighbours 30th: The Stars Reunite, which aired in Australia and the UK in 2015.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Pearce had a supporting role in Neil Armfield's 2015 romantic-drama film Holding the Man. For his role in the 2024 film The Brutalist, he received an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor nomination.

Music

In 1989, Pearce released the single "Call of the Wild" from the soundtrack Heaven Tonight. The song peaked at number 156 on the ARIA Charts.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He appeared in Australian band Silverchair's music video for "Across the Night" and in Razorlight's video for "Before I Fall to Pieces." Pearce recorded the soundtrack for A Slipping-Down Life, singing and playing guitar on cover versions of songs by Ron Sexsmith, Vic Chesnutt and Robyn Hitchcock. Pearce released his first album, Broken Bones, in November 2014.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Pearce released his second studio album, The Nomad, in 2018.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Personal life

Pearce married his childhood sweetheart, psychologist Kate Mestitz, in March 1997.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In October 2015, Pearce announced their divorce.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> Pearce was in a relationship with Dutch actress Carice van Houten; they had a son in August 2016.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In January 2025, Van Houten stated that she and Pearce have split, and have "...not been a couple for years".<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Pearce has supported charitable organisations related to animal conservation and habitat preservation,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> as well as publicly expressing his solidarity with Palestine amid the Gaza war.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In February 2025, Pearce accused his L.A. Confidential co-star Kevin Spacey of sexually harassing him while filming the movie. Spacey responded to the accusation by posting a video on the social media platform X, where he told Pearce to "grow up" and that he was "not a victim."<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Acting credits

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1990	Heaven Tonight	Paul Dysart
1991	Hunting	Sharp
1994	The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert	Adam Whitely / Felicia Jollygoodfellow
1996	Dating the Enemy	Brett/Tash
1997	Flynn	Errol Flynn
	L.A. Confidential	Detective Lieutenant Ed Exley
1998	Brand New World	Jimmy Compton	aka Woundings
1999	Ravenous	Captain John Boyd
	Template:Sortname	"Drumstrings" Casey
2000	Rules of Engagement	Major Mark Biggs
	Memento	Leonard Shelby
2002	Template:Sortname	Dale
	Template:Sortname	Alexander Hartdegen
	Template:Sortname	Fernand Mondego
	Till Human Voices Wake Us	Dr. Sam Franks
2004	Two Brothers	Aidan McRory
2005	Template:Sortname	Charlie Burns
2006	First Snow	Jimmy Starks
	Factory Girl	Andy Warhol
2008	Death Defying Acts	Harry Houdini
	Winged Creatures	Dr. Bruce Laraby
	Traitor	FBI Agent Roy Clayton
	Bedtime Stories	Kendall
2009	In Her Skin	Mr. Barber	aka I Am You
	Template:Sortname	The Veteran
	Template:Sortname	Staff Sergeant Matt Thompson
2010	Template:Sortname	King Edward VIII
	Animal Kingdom	Detective Nathan Leckie
2011	33 Postcards	Dean Randall
	Don't Be Afraid of the Dark	Alex Hirst
	Seeking Justice	Simon
2012	Lockout	Marion Snow
	TED 2023	Peter Weyland	Short film
	Prometheus
	Lawless	Special Deputy Charley Rakes
2013	Breathe In	Keith Reynolds
	Iron Man 3	Aldrich Killian
	Hateship, Loveship	Ken Gaudette
2014	The Rover	Eric
2015	Results	Trevor
	Holding the Man	Dick Conigrave
	Lorne	Lorne	Short film
	Equals	Jonas
2016	Genius	F. Scott Fitzgerald
	Brimstone	Reverend
2017	Alien: Covenant	Peter Weyland	Uncredited
2018	Swinging Safari	Keith Hall
	The Catcher Was a Spy	Robert Furman
	Spinning Man	Evan Birch
	Mary Queen of Scots	William Cecil
2019	Domino	Joe Martin
	The Last Vermeer	Han van Meegeren
2020	Disturbing the Peace	Jim Dillon
	Bloodshot	Dr. Emil Harting
2021	The Seventh Day	Peter Costello
	Without Remorse	Secretary Thomas Clay
	Zone 414	David Carmichael
	Back to the Outback	Frank (voice)
2022	Memory	Vincent Serra
	The Infernal Machine	Bruce Cogburn
2023	The Convert	Thomas Munro
2024	Sunrise	Reynolds	<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
	The Shrouds	Maury	<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
	Inside	Warren Murfett
	The Brutalist	Harrison Lee Van Buren
Template:TableTBA	Killing Faith	Dr. Bender	Post-production<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
	The Woman in Cabin 10	Richard Bullmer	Post-production<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
	The Dog Stars		Filming<ref name="DL">Template:Cite web</ref>

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1986–89, 2022–24	Neighbours	Mike Young
1991	Home and Away	David Croft	12 episodes
1994–96	Snowy River: The McGregor Saga	Rob McGregor	65 episodes
1997	Template:Sortname	Michael	Movie
1997	Halifax f.p.	Daniel & Richard Viney	Episode: "Déjà Vu"
2009–18	Spicks and Specks	Himself	3 episodes
2011	Mildred Pierce	Monty Beragon	Miniseries
2012	Jack Irish: Bad Debts	Jack Irish	Movie
	Jack Irish: Black Tide
2014	Sean Saves the World	Liam Stone	Episode: "The Dark Sean Rises"
	Jack Irish: Dead Point	Jack Irish	Movie
2015	Neighbours 30th: The Stars Reunite	Himself	Documentary
	Between a Frock and a Hard Place
2016–21	Jack Irish	Jack Irish	3 series
2016	Template:Sortname	Morgan Wright	Episode: "Honk"
2017	When We Rise	Cleve Jones	Miniseries
2018	The Innocents	Halvorson	8 episodes
2019	A Christmas Carol	Ebenezer Scrooge	Miniseries
2021	Advancing Australia	Himself	Documentary series
	Mare of Easttown	Richard Ryan	Miniseries
2022	A Spy Among Friends	Kim Philby	6 episodes
2023	The Clearing	Bryce Latham	8 episodes

Theatre

Year	Title	Role	Company
1980	Sinbad	Chorus Member	Gsoda Junior Players
1981	Aladdin
1982	Hans Christian Andersen	Professor Pfeiffer
1983	The Wizard of Oz	The Tin Man
1984	Queen of Hearts	The Racing Demon Snap
2023	And Thus Began the Tale	Himself

Music videos

Year	Title	Role	Artist
2002	"Across the Night"	Man	Silverchair
2021	"Follow Me Around"	The Man	Radiohead

Discography

• Broken Bones (2014)
• The Nomad (2018)

Awards and nominations

On 18 September 2011, Pearce won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or Movie for his work in Todd Haynes' limited series Mildred Pierce as Monty Beragon.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Pearce received a Golden Globe Award nomination for his performance. Pearce has been nominated for three Screen Actors Guild Awards winning for Outstanding Cast in a Motion Picture along with the cast of The King's Speech (2010).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Pearce was nominated with the cast of L.A. Confidential (1997) and Mildred Pierce (2011).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

See also

• List of Australian Academy Award winners and nominees
• List of actors with Academy Award nominations

External links

• Template:IMDb name
• Actor Profile at Local World's Ely News