Guy Edward Pearce is an English-Australian actor and musician, mainly known for his roles
as Mike Young in the Australian television series Neighbours and also some films such
as The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, L.A. Confidential, Memento, The King's
Speech, Lockout, Prometheus, and Iron Man 3.
He has won an Emmy Award and received nominations for Golden Globe Awards, Screen Actors Guild
Awards, and Saturn Awards.
Early life Pearce was born in Ely, Cambridgeshire.
His mother, Anne Cocking, was from County Durham, England; she was a schoolteacher specialising
in needlework and home economics, and his father, Stuart Pearce, was a New Zealand-born
air force test pilot who died when Pearce was eight.
When he was three years old, Pearce moved to Geelong, Victoria, where his mother ran
a deer farm.
He attended the Geelong College, a local private school, and was a member of the GSODA Junior
Players.
From the age of 15 to 22, he was a competitive amateur bodybuilder, leading to the title
of Junior Mr. Victoria.
He also partook in fencing.
He lived in Box Hill North, Victoria in the late 1980s while working on the Australian
drama series Neighbours.
Pearce starred in several theatre productions when he was young, and at 17 years of age
he auditioned for his first film role; a part in "Life and Study at University", a promotion
for University study produced and directed by Peter Lane of Deakin University.
The lead part called for a 23-year old University student and at first he was turned down due
to his young age, but his mother insisted that her son could play the part.
Career Pearce transitioned to television when he
was cast in the Australian soap opera Neighbours in 1985, playing the role of Mike Young for
several years.
Pearce also found roles in other television series such as Home and Away and Snowy River:
The McGregor Saga.
The directorwriter Frank Howson cast Pearce in his first three films, 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.
Pearce continues to perform in Australian films, such as The Hard Word and the critically
lauded The Proposition, written by fellow Australian Nick Cave.
In January 2009, Pearce returned to the stage after a seven-year absence.
He performed in the Melbourne Theatre Company's production of Poor Boy, a play with music,
co-written by Matt Cameron and Tim Finn.
In 2010, he appeared as playboy David, the Prince of Wales, who became King Edward VIII,
in the award-winning film The King's Speech.
He is 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 portrayed the character Aldrich Killian/The Mandarin in Iron Man 3.
Videos and awards Pearce appeared in Australian band Silverchair's
music video for "Across the Night" and in Razorlight's video for "Before I Fall to Pieces."
He 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.
On 18 September 2011, Pearce won an Emmy for Best Supporting Actor in a Miniseries for
his work in Mildred Pierce as Monty Beragon opposite Kate Winslet.
Personal life Pearce has been married to Kate Mestitz, a
psychologist, since March 1997.
He is a long-standing fan of Australian rules football, and supports the Geelong Football
Club in the Australian Football League.
Pearce does not believe in a God but believes "we're all connected."
Filmography References
External links Guy Pearce at the Internet Movie Database
Actor Profile