"I always look at films as real stories with real people in real situations. That's why I struggle with the whole notion of calling someone the 'good guy' or the 'bad guy', because I think we all have potential to do good things and all have the potential to do bad things."
Guy Edward Pearce (born October 5, 1967 in Ely, England) is an English-born Australian actor and musician who has won an Emmy Award and received nominations for Golden Globe Awards, Screen Actors Guild Awards, and Saturn Awards.
He and Carice Van Houten have been in a relationship since 2015 and have a son together.
He appeared in
- Neighbours (1986–89, 2022–) as Mike Young
- Home and Away1991) as David Croft
- The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (1994) as Adam Whitely / Felicia Jollygoodfellow
- Dating the Enemy (1996) as Brett/Tash
- L.A. Confidential (1997) as Detective Lieutenant Ed "Shotgun Ed" Exley
- Ravenous (1999) as Captain John Boyd
- Rules of Engagement (2000) as Major Mark Biggs
- Memento (2000) as Leonard Shelby
- The Time Machine (2002) as Alexander Hartdegen
- The Count of Monte Cristo (2002) as Fernand Mondego
- Two Brothers (2004) as Aidan McRory
- The Proposition (2005) as Charlie Burns
- Factory Girl (2006) as Andy Warhol
- Traitor (2008) as FBI Agent Roy Clayton
- Bedtime Stories (2008) as Kendall
- In Her Skin (2009) as Mr. Barber
- The Road (2009) as The Veteran
- The Hurt Locker (2009) as Staff Sergeant Matt Thompson
- The King's Speech (2010) as King Edward VIII
- Animal Kingdom (2010) as Detective Nathan Leckie
- Mildred Pierce (2011) as Monty Beragon
- Don't Be Afraid of the Dark (2011) as Alex Hirst
- Lockout (2012) as Marion Snow
- Prometheus (2012) as Peter Weyland
- Lawless (2012) as Peter Weyland
- Alien: Covenant (2018) as Peter Weyland (uncredited)
- Iron Man 3(2013) as Aldrich Killian
- The Rover (2014) as Eric
- Holding the Man (2015) as Dick Conigrave
- Jack Irish (2016-) as Jack Irish
- Brimstone (2016) as Reverend
- When We Rise (2017) as Cleve Jones
- Swinging Safari (2018) as Keith Hall
- The Catcher Was a Spy (2018) as Robert Furman
- Mary, Queen of Scots (2018) as William Cecil
- A Christmas Carol (2019) as Ebenezer Scrooge
- Disturbing the Peace (2020) as Jim Dillon
- Bloodshot (2020) as Dr. Emil Harting
- Back to the Outback (2021) as Frank (voice)
- Mare of Easttown (2021) as Richard Ryan
- Memory (2022) as Vincent Serra
- A Spy Among Friends (2022) as Kim Philby
Tropes
- Creator Backlash: Took a year off in 2001 following making The Time Machine and The Count of Monte Cristo to reassess why he was acting for a living, angry at the studio politics of Hollywood.
- Fake American: Rarely plays a British or Australian character. Films he makes in Australia are generally exceptions.
- Faux Affably Evil: When he plays villains, he can usually be counted upon to give them a lot of charm and a sly wit that does little to hide their true nature.
- Great Detective: Plays a lot of these character types; either as a straight law-abiding officer, corrupt cop, amateur sleuth, or the love interest of a police officer.
- Mr. Fanservice: Most of his roles are quick to draw attention to his good looks and chiseled features. It helps that he's a former bodybuilder.
- Pretty Boy: With his razor-sharp cheekbones, striking eyes, elegant features and fit body, Guy is this personified.
- Silver Fox: He's in his fifties with his hair having largely gone grey but it hasn't taken away from his good looks and charisma in the slightest.
- Smug Snake: He's an expert at playing bad guys who are way too pleased with themselves and aren't anywhere near as clever or slick as they might like to think.
- Star-Making Role: The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert was his first big introduction to audiences but it was L.A. Confidential and then Film/Memento that really made him a household name.
- Tall, Dark, and Handsome: Indeed.
- Those Two Actors: Played lovers with Kate Winslet in Mildred Pierce and Mare of Easttown.
- Tom Hanks Syndrome: Following his stint on Australian soaps, it was Pearce’s role in The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert that blew people away, showing audiences his talent as a lead. Coupled with the complete opposite role of Ed Exley in L.A. Confidential, Pearce certified his talent as a chameleon character actor.
- Typecasting: Tends to play a lot of villains and generally unsavory types, so much so that quite a few viewers of Mare of Easttown expected Richard to be revealed as the killer just for being played by Guy.
