Sean Bean is one of the best known British actors with a glittering career which has spanned five decades so far. Throughout the early 1990s, the Sheffield-born actor made a name for himself on TV in various projects, but it was his role as Richard Sharpe in the ITV series Sharpe which turned him into a household name. Up to now, Bean has appeared in 57 films and more than 60 television shows. He has even broken into gaming with voices in games based on some of the movies he had starred in. Bean is easily the best actor to have come out of Sheffield, and it doesn’t seem like his career will be slowing down any time soon.
Bean’s Recent Projects Have Been Strong
In 2019 Bean acted in two British television series. In a Sky One production, Curfew, the 60-year-old played the lead role of The General over six episodes. The dystopian action series focuses on a deadly plague which is sweeping the world. The other series Bean starred in last year was the WWII epic from ITV Studios, World on Fire. The series was a big hit with each episode pulling in more than 6 million viewers. For this reason, it has been commissioned for another season.
Bean will appear on the silver screen again this year for the first time since 2017 when he starred in Dark River and Drone. The picture in question is Possessor, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January. This body horror film is directed by Brandon Cronenberg, the son of horror and science fiction legend David Cronenberg. The movie which also stars Christopher Abbott and Andrea Riseborough has been met with strong critical approval and has a score of 91 percent on Rotten Tomatoes.
Will Bean Add More Games to His Catalogue?
One of the most notable things about Bean is his highly distinctive, rich Yorkshire accent. This has made him a perfect voiceover star for games over the years. Since first lending his vocal cords to GoldenEye 007 in 1997, Bean has done voice acting for eleven other titles including The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers and The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. In 2019, Bean narrated A Plague Tale: Innocence, and has often spoken about how he enjoys providing speech for games.
There is certainly potential for Bean’s voice to be used in other games in the future. For example, he has acted in the Silent Hill film franchise but hasn’t appeared in any of the games up to now. This could be a possibility. A lot of fans would be most eager to see Bean reprise his iconic role of Eddard Stark in Game of Thrones. Despite the success of the HBO series, there have only been a handful of games based upon it. The Game of Thrones slot is an entertainment option for players, but while it contains symbols and the family names from the series, with dramatic music to fuel the mood, it doesn’t yet include voiceovers from the characters. There has been some speculation that there will be an open-world GOT title in the future, though, and this could give Bean an opportunity to return as the beloved Warden of the North.
Is Bean the Best Actor to Have Come from Sheffield?
Since first appearing in Winter Flight and The Bill in 1984, Bean has featured in either a film or TV show nearly every year. This makes him one of the most prolific actors on the planet. The Yorkshireman tends to star in a mixture of Hollywood blockbusters and niche British pictures. He’s far from a sell-out and seems to go for projects that mean something to him. This has helped him become world-famous, but he has also managed to keep his credibility as an actor.
Few would argue that Bean is the best actor out of Sheffield, as there are few others who have done as much as the Lord of the Rings star throughout their careers. But when looking at Yorkshire on a wider scale, there are numerous huge names that could give Bean a run for his money. One of the standout screen legends is Bean’s co-star from the first season of Game of Thrones, Mark Addy. Addy was born in York and has been in such classics as The Full Monty and A Knight’s Tale.
There are some other Yorkshire-born screen legends who would probably be placed in higher esteem than Bean as well. For example, Dame Judy Dench, Sir Ben Kingsley, and Sir Patrick Stewart are from York, Scarborough, and Mirfield respectively. All three of these people are icons of the silver screen and have been awarded knighthoods for their contributions to the cinema industry. While Bean may not quite be able to stack up against these heavyweights just yet, many would agree that he is deserving of the same recognition. He may well earn his title before his acting career is finished.
Bean is famous for many great instances of acting, and it’s his willingness to branch out into other media like games which has enabled him to gain a cult following. Luckily for fans of the son of Sheffield, he is showing no indication that he will be leaving the profession any time soon. Indeed, he could be in line for a knighthood if he continues his great work.
