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Born in Keresley, Coventry, Warwickshire, England
October 3, 1964
The fourth of five brothers, Owen was born in Coventry, West Midlands, England, the son of Pamela and Jess Owen. His father, a country and western singer, left the family when Owen was three years old, and despite a brief reconciliation when Owen was nineteen, the two have remained estranged. Raised by his mother and stepfather, a railway ticket clerk, he has described his childhood as "rough." While initially opposed to drama school, he changed his mind in 1984, after a long and fruitless period of searching for work. Owen graduated from RADA in 1987 with a class that included Ralph Fiennes and Jane Horrocks. After graduation, he won a position at the Young Vic, performing in several William Shakespeare plays. In an incident he later described as "very schmaltzy", he met his future wife when the two performed the leads in Romeo and Juliet.
Close My Eyes,
September 6, 1991
Owen won critical acclaim for his performances in a 1991 Stephen Poliakoff film called Close My Eyes, about a brother and sister who embark on an incestuous love affair.
The Rich Man's Wife
September 13, 1996
Owen appeared in his first major Hollywood film The Rich Man's Wife alongside Halle Berry. The film portrays a beautiful young woman whose marriage to a rich older man is on the rocks. When a make-up vacation goes badly, the wife confides to a stranger in a bar that she wishes her husband were dead. A short time later he is killed in an apparent car-jacking, and the wife is the prime suspect.
Sarah-Jane Fenton
July 1, 1998 - Now
Owen met his wife Sarah-Jane Fenton when he acted in Romeo and Julet at the Young Vic 16 years ago.
In 1997 his first daughter Hannah was born and in 1999 his second daughter Eve was born.
Croupier
June 18, 1999
Owen ffound international acclaim in a Channel 4 film directed by Mike Hodges called Croupier in 1998. He played the title role of a struggling writer who takes a job in a London casino as inspiration for his work, only to get caught up in a robbery scheme.
Greenfingers
September 14, 2001
Owen played the role of Colin Briggs. Briggs is placed in an experimental program to finish off his prison sentence, all he wants is peace and quiet. But after his wise, elderly roommate Fergus introduces him to gardening, Colin uncovers a talent and passion for plants. Teaming up with his fellow inmates, Colin gets the attention of celebrated gardener Georgina Woodhouse. Soon, the unexpected gardeners are preparing to compete for England's highset flower show award, the Hampton Court Flower Show. And when Colin meets Georgina's beautiful daughter Primrose, he discovers another reason to fight for his freedom: true love.
Gosford Park
January 4, 2002
Owen starred in Gosford Park, a film set in 1932 at an English country house. A party of wealthy Britons and Americans accompanied by their servants gather at the home of Sir William McCordle for shooting weekend. A murder occurs in the middle of the night, the film presenting the murder from the servants' perspective. But rather than a simple mystery to be solved, the film uses the whodunit format to create a drama showcasing the tensions of the British class system. Many intertwining subplots detail the complex relationships among the characters, both above stairs (the wealthy guests) and below (the servants).
The Bourne Identity
June 14, 2002
Owen starred as The Professor in the Bourne Identity, a film about It an amnesiac attempting to discover his true identity amidst a clandestine conspiracy within the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) to track him down and arrest or kill him for inexplicably failing to carry out an officially unsanctioned assassination and then failing to report back in afterwards.
Derailed
November 11, 2005
The protagonist, Charles Schine (Clive Owen), is an advertising executive married to a schoolteacher in Chicago. The introductory scenes of the movie reveal that Charles' marriage is deteriorating due to the stresses of caring for a teenage daughter who is seriously ill with diabetes, while the parents both have busy careers.
While on a commuter train, Charles encounters an alluring woman named Lucinda (Jennifer Aniston) — he had forgotten his fare and was about to be thrown off the train when Lucinda offers to pay for it. The attraction is mutual, and the two begin meeting more frequently. Ultimately, the two are intent on consummating their affair in a shady hotel. Just as Charles and Lucinda are about to have sex, an armed man later named as Philippe LaRoche (Vincent Cassel) bursts into the hotel room, beats Charles and brutally rapes Lucinda. Charles and Lucinda agree not to report the crime, as they do not want their spouses to learn of the affair. Shortly after the incident, Charles is blackmailed by LaRoche, who threatens to kill Charles' family if he doesn't pay $20,000, which Charles does. But a month later, the attacker calls again, demanding $100,000 — and he's calling from Charles' house. Charles rushes home to find LaRoche visiting with his wife and daughter, posing as a business associate.
The Pink Panther
Feburary 10, 2006
Owen made an appearance in the remake of The Pink Panther in which he plays a character named "Nigel Boswell, Agent 006" (when he introduces himself to Inspector Clouseau he quips that Owen's character is "one short of the big time").
Inside Man
March 23, 2006
Owen starred as a mysterious bank robber in Inside Man.
Patron of the Electric Palace Cinema
November 1, 2006
In November 2006, Owen became patron of the Electric Palace Cinema in Harwich, England and launched an appeal for funds to repair deteriorating elements of the fabric.
Children of Men
December 25, 2006
Owen starred in the highly acclaimed Children of Men. He received widespread praise for his role as the former political activist-turned-reluctant hero Theo Faron. The film was nominated for various awards including an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay; Owen worked on the screenplay, although he was uncredited.
New Face of Lancome
January 1, 2007
Owen signed on as the face of a new Lancome anti-aging cream for men. He will also be named the new spokesman of the cosmetics firm's new Hypnose Homme fragrance.
15 Sexiest Men
June 1, 2007
Voted #5 in Elle (France) Magazine's "15 Sexiest Men" poll.
Shoot 'Em Up
September 7, 2007
The film follows Smith (Clive Owen), a drifter with an extensive military background and a fondness for carrots who wants nothing more than to be left alone. Smith finds himself embroiled in a complex political conspiracy once he aids a pregnant woman who is being chased by a hitman. He takes the baby and goes on the run with a lactating prostitute (Monica Bellucci). The unlikely family is trailed by the intelligent and ruthless Hertz (Paul Giamatti) and his army of thugs. A myriad of elaborate gunfights ensue, between which Smith pieces together the story. A United States Senator who strongly supports gun control had been breeding babies for their bone marrow to treat his cancer; a prominent gun baron has contracted Hertz to kill the babies.
Elizabeth: The Golden Age
October 12, 2007
Owen appeared as Sir Walter Raleigh opposite Cate Blanchett's Elizabeth I of England in the film Elizabeth: The Golden Age. The film won an Academy Award for Best Costume Design and was nominated for Best Actress (Cate Blanchett).
