The actor told Insider back in 2015 . He is most known for his roles as J.A.R.V.I.S. Paul went on: 'I really want my children, and I want everybody, to just live authentically as the person they are, and however hard that is, it's absolutely better than pretending to be something other than you are. Someone recorded the fight and it soon transpired that the couple were splitting up, at least according to People magazine. In a cruel twist of fate, Matthew died at the end of Season 3 after a car crash, leaving fans devastated. Indeed, GQ also pointed out that "in person, Bettany is thoughtful and forthright, alternating between statue-still, sphynx-like observations from behind tinted glasses and leaning-forward non-negotiable philosophies." He first came to the attention of mainstream audiences when he appeared in the British film Gangster No. Grade-A student: Matthew Shepard was just 5ft 2in and his slight frame gave him an air of vulnerability. Paul Bettany Says Watching His Father Struggle with Sexuality Shaped Him as a Dad | PEOPLE.com. Wimbledon star Paul Bettany turned to drugs and alcohol after the tragic death of his younger brother "tore" him apart. Bettany knows it isnt healthy. Judy and Dennis Shepard run the Matthew Shepard Foundation, which funds educational programmes and an online community for teens to discuss sexual orientation and gender issues. There was a time, though, when his career had gone almost terminally cold. The pair originally met when Matt was growing up in Saudi Arabia. It sees the pairdropped into a 1950s suburban town and discovering they're in a black and white sitcom and hurtling through the decades togethe. Tragedy split the family apart, and it had lasting consequences on all of them. Hell bring a piece of memorabilia to set, like his siblings old sweater, and bundle it up somewhere near the camera, so that its in his eyeline but out of the shot. While growing up, Paul Bettany "was close" to his sister, Sarah, and his brother, Matthew, who was eight years younger. He also played a gun-toting archangel in Legion and a vampire hunter in the dystopian horror Priest, as well as an actual priest opposite Willem Dafoe and Tom Hardy in The Reckoning. Bettany met his wife Jennifer Connelly on the A Beautiful Mind set in 2001, per People. They did get married in 2003and now have two kids together, Stellan and Agnes Lark, as well as a son, Kai, from Connelly's previous relationship. While the WandaVision star surely inherited some acting skills from his mother, it turns out that she may have gotten her talent from her own parents. How old is Paul Bettany? Russell Henderson used to hang around with gay people, Johnson told me. He worked as a dishwasher in local cafes before landing a job as a cabin boy at age 12. But sweet, kind-hearted Vision is the exception on Bettanys CV and his next role is a bit of a palate cleanser, he says. ", However, Thane experienced a personal struggle regarding his faith and who he was following Andy's death. Yet, when Paul has opened up about his dad in the past, he's talked about a different aspect of his father's life. "Thane came out in his 60s, and went on to live happily in rural Fife with his partner," reported the Daily Mail. But this is not the Matthew Shepard who became a celebrated figure for the gay-rights movement in America. "My dad decided to go back inside the closet and say that it had all been a big misunderstanding because he was a Catholic," Bettany elaborated. 'Getting to film in front of a live studio audience, pretending you're in a Dick Van Dyke show but you're a superhero character from the Marvel Cinematic Universe was a magical joyful thing. Bettany, however, would like to point out that there are only perhaps 10 actors in the world who get to choose their films. I dont feel that I signed some Faustian pact with the devil when I became an actor to give away all my privacy, he says firmly. Early on, his look lent itself to roles with religious overtones. And the role hit close to home, as it left Bettany wondering how different his father's life could have been. He landed the lead role in "Beauty in the Beast" and "Apostle," plus the series "Legion. By
He grew up in London, where he spent most of his childhood. ", The actor also recalled a trip that had the potential to provide that very proof. In fact, he's practically (kind of, in a way) related to the Queen of England. Per People, Matt revealed via social media in July 2021 that his father was suffering with chronic lymphocytic leukemia. We have the same daft sense of humour. Someone at my kids school asked them if they knew their parents were getting a divorce, he recalls, reenacting his disbelief: eyes wide, mouth agape. "What happened really tore me apart," he told The Irish Examiner. But the Matthew Shepard story is not yet finished. Matthew was born about a month before I Dream of Jeannie premiered, on August 29, 1965.As he grew up, he developed certain resentments towards the show and his mother's famous character, among them that she missed his second birthday due to an absolute need to . It's not that I'm closed off to the argument, but I do feel the burden of proof. To counter the protest, Matthews friends dressed as angels. Of course, he's also a part of the highly-touted Disney+ Marvel series WandaVision, where he stars opposite Elizabeth Olsen. Loss: His father Thane Bettany split from his mother Anne in 1993 after 25 . They were like the identity politics of criminal law. passed away on October 31, 2022. (1 minute) Paul Bettany, 50, is an English actor best known for playing Vision in TV's "WandaVision" and as the voice of J.A.R.V.I.S. To numb the pain of his brother's death, Bettany turned to alcohol and drug use. I would go hide in the deputy headmasters room because it was untenable for me to be out in the playground, or whatever.. Bettany has appeared in several films, including Bent in 1997 as Captain, The Land Girls in 1998 as . "Clearly we noticed each other and clearly we liked each other," Connelly shared to The Guardian, adding, "But I have very strong feelings about things that are right and things that aren't and that was all very clear.". passed away on September 7, 2022. "I thought I should have stuck close to him been there for him but I wasn't.". "That's a statistic I can understand because I have a daughter and I can imagine what will likely befall eight out of 10 girls in her class. It sits in a flat, treeless sweep of high plains. Trial by Twitter is unhelpful. These breaks in conversation, though, dont feel like someone self-censoring; rather, he is careful about gathering his words, actively wrestling against his impulse to put walls up. According to the Gospel of Matthew: "As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector's booth. Thane and Anne Bettany divorced in 1993 after 25 years of marriage. Matthew. Bettany does this often; unfurling in surprising, often devastating candour only to brush it off with a casual word. The series doesn't shy away from killing off favorite characters, either. What was strange about it was you suddenly have one of the most scabrous newspapers in London and their lawyers pouring through your texts for the last 10 years. When it's three o'clock in the morning on set and we're making each other laugh doing . Hughes won a bursary to attend Notting Hill and Ealing High School in Ealing. Start your Independent Premium subscription today. Ignoring the tragedies of Matthews life prior to his murder will do nothing to help other young men in our community who are sold for sex, ravaged by drugs, and generally exploited. My mum and dad were teachers and I was . Can you imagine what it would be like, honestly, to have a bunch of lawyers go through every one of your emails and texts for 10 years? They were not charged with a hate crime, as that wasnt possible under Wyomings criminal law. 1'. I wasnt very good at it. The bullying started when he moved from London to Hertfordshire where he attended Chancellors School. After he had accidentally been given a decoy script to review, he was given a second he was also supposed to dive into. But when Matthews friends Walt Boulden and Alex Trout heard of the attack they rushed to the hospital. in Disney . Soon after, Paul Bettany left home to live on his own in London. He then went on to have a relationship with a man, Andy Clark, which lasted until 2015, when Andy passed away. Just like Paul Bettany's mother and grandparents, his father, Thane Bettany, was a performer. Paul Bettany was mostly grown and raised in his hometown in London. Matthew was eight, Paul was 16. The young, unemployed men had not had easy lives. Itll be his first time treading the boards in 25 years. It should be noted, however, that his alleged involvement in the dialogue is arguably at odds with the fact that he has supported the NYC March for Gender Equality while also acknowledging the terrifying and devastating statistics regarding violence towards women. Elizabeth, 31, and Paul, whose charactersWanda Maximoff (Scarlet Witch) and Vision enjoyed a brief and epic romance in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, have reprised their roles in the new Disney+ series. According to Dan Stevens, his character's sudden death was a personal choice to explore more acting roles. When he was eight years old, his brother Matthew Bettany died in 1987. he's worked steadily and shown up in various films and series, Marvel stars may not make as much as fans think, bringing attention to imprisoned activists, Depp didn't offer much of an explanation or apology. Matthew was beaten by two assailants, Aaron McKinney and Russell Henderson. He suffered heartache at a young age. The grief that came following the death of Bettany's brother "led him to turn to drink and drugs," per The Sun. passed away on November 1, 2022. THE COLOR OF TRAGEDY. After leaving Matthew tied to the fence, McKinney and Henderson headed for Matthews home, but on the way encountered two young Hispanic men, Emiliano Morales and Jeremy Herrera, slashing tyres for fun. Matthew Shepards murder will always be, for some, a symbol of the hatred many lesbians and gay men face in the US and beyond. Apr 22, 2019, 10:48 AM. ; At the age of 16, Bettany lost his brother Matthew, who was only 8 when he died. I dont know why there is so much hostility towards Steve, he told me. Life was never the same again." For instance, he joined the NYC March for Gender Equality in 2015. Matthew Henson/Cause of death. Fans of Netflix's popular series The Crown may be aware of the fact that Paul Bettany might have taken on the role of a royal onscreen when he was in talks "to play Prince Philip" in the third season of the show which follows the British family throughout the years, according to Deadline. While Bettany may have "made his name in smaller roles and quieter films," according to GQ, things have really taken off for the actor. Some of his more famous films include A Knight's Tale, A Beautiful Mind, Captain America: Civil War, and Iron Man, per IMBd. The coroner's report found the cause of his death to be acute pneumonia and severe anemia, similar to the causes attributed to his wife Brittany's death in the same house. But, he is bald and wearing some kind of hair system. 1:34. It isn't in any way planned," he told The Oklahoman. While that opportunity didn't end up panning out for the star, he does have his own real-life royal connection. 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