Actor Jim Broadbent

Jim Broadbent
Photo of actor Jim Broadbent
One of England's most versatile character actors, Jim Broadbent was born on May 24, 1949, in Lincolnshire, the youngest son of furniture maker Roy Broadbent and sculptress Dee Broadbent. Jim attended a Quaker boarding school in Reading before successfully applying for a place at an art school. His heart was in acting, though, and he would later transfer to the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA). Following his 1972 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, Broadbent did steady work on television, working for such directors as Mike Newell and Stephen Frears. Broadbent made his film debut in 1978 with a small part in Jerzy Skolimowski's The Shout (1978). He went on to work with Frears again in The Hit (1984) and with Terry Gilliam in Time Bandits (1981) and Brazil (1985), but it was through his collaboration with Mike Leigh that Broadbent first became known to an international film audience. In 1990 he starred in Leigh's Life Is Sweet (1990), a domestic comedy that cast him as a good-natured cook who dreams of running his own business. Broadbent gained further visibility the following year with substantial roles in Neil Jordan's The Crying Game (1992) and Mike Newell's Enchanted April (1992), and he could subsequently be seen in such diverse fare as Woody Allen's Bullets Over Broadway (1994), Widows' Peak (1994), Richard Loncraine's highly acclaimed adaptation of Shakespeare's Richard III (1995) and Little Voice (1998), the last of which cast him as a seedy nightclub owner. Appearing primarily as a character actor in these films, Broadbent took center stage for Leigh's Topsy-Turvy (1999), imbuing the mercurial W.S. Gilbert with emotional complexity and comic poignancy. Jim's breakthrough year was 2001, as he starred in three critically and commercially successful films. Many would consider him the definitive supporting actor of that year. First he starred as Bridget's dad (Colin Jones) in Bridget Jones's Diary (2001), which propelled Renée Zellweger to an Oscar nomination for Best Actress. Next came the multiple Oscar-nominated film (including Best Picture) Moulin Rouge! (2001), for which he won a Best Supporting Actor BAFTA award for his scene-stealing performance as Harold Zidler. Lastly, came the small biopic Iris (2001/I), 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. The film hit home with Jim, since his own mother had passed away from Alzheimer's in 1995.
Place of birth
Lincoln, Lincolnshire, England, UK Lincoln, Lincolnshire, England, UK
Date of birth
24th May 1949
Movies that starred Jim Broadbent (34 in total)
Paddington in Peru poster

Paddington in Peru [2024]

Samuel Gruber
A Boy Called Christmas poster

A Boy Called Christmas [2021]

King
Dolittle poster

Dolittle [2020]

Lord Thomas Badgley
Paddington 2 poster

Paddington 2 [2017]

Samuel Gruber
The Legend of Tarzan poster

The Legend of Tarzan [2016]

Prime Minister
Bridget Jones's Baby poster

Bridget Jones's Baby [2016]

Mr. Colin Jones
Eddie the Eagle poster

Eddie the Eagle [2016]

BBC Commentator
The Lady in the Van poster

The Lady in the Van [2015]

Underwood
Paddington poster

Paddington [2014]

Samuel Gruber
Big Game poster

Big Game [2014]

Herbert
The Harry Hill Movie poster

The Harry Hill Movie [2013]

Cleaner
Cloud Atlas poster

Cloud Atlas [2012]

Captain Molyneux / Vyvyan Ayrs / Timothy Cavendish / Korean Musician / Prescient 2
Arthur Christmas poster

Arthur Christmas [2011]

Santa (voice)
The Iron Lady poster

The Iron Lady [2011]

Denis Thatcher
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince poster

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince [2009]

Horace Slughorn
The Damned United poster

The Damned United [2009]

Sam Longson
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull poster

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull [2008]

Dean Charles Stanforth
Inkheart poster

Inkheart [2008]

Fenoglio
Hot Fuzz poster

Hot Fuzz [2007]

Inspector Frank Butterman
Art School Confidential poster

Art School Confidential [2006]

Jimmy
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe poster

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe [2005]

Professor Kirke
Around the World in 80 Days poster

Around the World in 80 Days [2004]

Lord Kelvin
Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason poster

Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason [2004]

Bridget's Dad
Vanity Fair poster

Vanity Fair [2004]

Mr. Osborne
Gangs of New York poster

Gangs of New York [2002]

William "Boss" Tweed
Bridget Jones's Diary poster

Bridget Jones's Diary [2001]

Bridget's Dad
Moulin Rouge! poster

Moulin Rouge! [2001]

Harold Zidler
Iris poster

Iris [2001]

John Bayley
The Avengers poster

The Avengers [1998]

Mother
Little Voice poster

Little Voice [1998]

Mr. Boo
The Borrowers poster

The Borrowers [1997]

Pod Clock
Smilla's Sense of Snow poster

Smilla's Sense of Snow [1997]

Dr. Lagermann
Rough Magic poster

Rough Magic [1995]

Doc Ansell
Richard III poster

Richard III [1995]

The Duke of Buckingham
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