Paul Bettany Wiki: Movie, Net Worth, A Beautiful Mind & Facts To Know

Born on the 27th of May, 1971, in Shepherd's Bush, London, Paul Bettany, an English actor, is the son of Thane Bettany (father) and Anne Kettle (mother). His father was a drama teacher, actor, as well as dancer. Paul Bettany's mother too was a teacher of theater, a stage singer, and manager. It is no wonder therefore that Paul Bettany, their son, took over the parents' profession. However, for his education, he attended the Drama Center, London where he trained to become an actor. As a child given birth to by Catholic parents, Paul Bettany grew up in the Catholic faith and teachings and was regular at masses until he was confirmed and he started drifting back. From Catholic church, Paul Bettany has experimented with different denominations before he eventually became an atheist. In the year that Paul Bettany turned 16, an unfortunate incidence happened in their family and that was the death of Paul Bettany's younger brother, Matthew, who was only 8 years old then. Matthew fell from a roof on a concrete floor and couldn't survive the accident. This experience seemed to have had a traumatizing effect on Paul Bettany because no sooner had the incident occurred than he dropped out of school, started living alone, and eventually became a performer on the street of London. Typically, Paul Bettany would often stay in one corner with his guitar playing and singing and as people pass by and listen to his songs, they dropped whatever they had to support him. That was how he earned money to rent a flat for himself. Unfortunately, things did not remain the same for his parents after he stopped staying with them; the couple eventually divorced and after some two years that Paul Bettany has been playing as a busker, he got a job which was to take care of the elderly. This was where he saved some money to attend The Drama Center, London where he had his education. So, if you're talking about an artist that had a rough beginning, perhaps, the list would not be complete without Paul Bettany. Even though he spent most of his formative years in London, UK, Paul now resides in Brooklyn, New York in the US. He is married to Jennifer Connelly and the couple is blessed with two children.

It is good to clarify that it wasn't until 1990 when Paul Bettany was 19 years old that he began his schooling at The Drama Center, London. This course requires that he spend 3 years and it was while he was in school that he had his first stage appearance in a stage theater titled "An Inspector Calls" which was written by Stephen Daldry. Just about the same time he made his debut stage appearance, the Royal Shakespeare Company produced three stage plays which were "Romeo and Juliet," "Richard III," and "Julius Caesar." Paul Bettany was offered a role in all of these three stage plays. Similarly, in the year that he turned 21, the BBC produced "Oliver Twist" and Paul Bettany was called upon to play the role of Bill Sikes there. All of these stage performances were during his college days. Before he had his first movie appearance, he was also involved in "Sharpe" which was a series by Sean Bean and the role he played there was HRH The Prince of Orange. After appearing in the last series of this production, that was when he started acting in films proper. Paul Bettany's first film appearance was in "Bent" which was a Holocaust drama which had several other star actors such as Lan McKellen, Clive Owen, and Jude Law. From there on to date, he has been appearing in various films and television shows, which makes his net worth quite remarkable.

From his various roles in movies and T.V series, one of the Hollywood writers and directors, Brian Helgeland, came across the audition tape of this "Avengers: Infinity War" star and was consequently impressed by what he saw. At the time of his discovery, he was planning to produce a movie titled "The Sin Eater." For reasons best known to Helgeland, he changed his mind and produced "A Knight's Tale" instead. The members of the studio executive team didn't like the idea that Paul Bettany would be among the cast but Helgeland went ahead to cast him anyway. In fact, he went on to personally write his part, Chaucer, for him. Just to mention, "A Knight's Tale" was the first major Hollywood appearance for Paul Bethany and maybe it's understandable while some studio executives never had confidence in him. Howbeit, his stone which some builders thought to reject eventually became a cornerstone in that Paul Bethany was widely acclaimed for his role in that project. For his role in "A Knight's Tale," he was crowned London Film Critics Circle Award for Best British Supporting Actor. With the help of Helgeland, Paul Bettany eventually became a force to be reckoned with in the Hollywood. Helgeland kind of promoted Bettany by showing his audition tape to many of his friends, one of whom was Ron Howard! Ron Howard was working on "A Beautiful Mind" then when Paul Bettany was introduced to him and without hesitating, Ron Howard drafted Paul Bettany as one of the cast members in the movie "A Beautiful Mind." Just after his role in "A Beautiful Mind," Bettany started having several offers to feature in various Hollywood movies.

The movie "A Beautiful Mind" was written by Akiva Goldsman, produced by the duo of Brian Grazer and Ron Howard and Howard doubled as the director too. Released in 2001, "A Beautiful Mind" tells the story of a Nobel Laureate in Economics by the name John Nash. It started by displaying the early days of the Nobel Laureate at Princeton University where he suffered paranoid schizophrenia which brought a lot of confusion to his wife. He watched as his condition brought untold pain to his darling wife. The key actors in this movie alongside Paul Bettany are Jennifer Connelly (later became Paul's wife); Adam Goldberg, Ed Harris, Christopher Plummer, Josh Lucas, Judd Hirsch, and Anthony Rapp. Paul Bettany was the Charles Herman in "A Beautiful Mind." The film which was first introduced to the US market on the 21st of December, 2001, was so much bought that it prides of a whopping $313 million worldwide sales. It equally won several awards, notably four Academy Awards, and brought many of its actors into the limelight.

Till date, Paul Bettany has appeared in a total of 41 movies and 8 TV series. Of all of these appearances, perhaps the one he is widely known for is his voice role in the Marvel and Cinematic Universe as J.A.R.V.I.S. and the Vision. Also, movies such as The Avengers (2012), Iron Man (2008), Iron Man 2 (2010), Iron Man 3 (2013) were some of the work that brought him to the attention of many movie lovers. In each of these Iron Man movies and "The Avengers," Bethany played the voice role as J.A.R.V.I.S. His role as the voice of J.A.R.V.I.S. was also repeated in the movie "Avengers: Infinity War" which until now, is yet to be released. Other movies where Paul Bettany has featured in are "The Land Girl" (1998), "Dead Babies" (2000), "The Heart of Me" (2002), "Wimbledon" (2004), "The Da Vinci Code" (2006), "Captain America: Civil War" (2016) and many more. His most recent appearances in movies are in "Avengers: Infinity Wars" (2018), "Solo: A Star Wars Story" (2018), and "Untitled Avengers Film" (2019). The TV series where Paul Bettany has played one role or the other includes "Wycliffe" (1994), "The Bill" (1996), "Sharpe's Waterloo" (1997), "Coming Home" (1998), "Killer Net" (1998), "Every Woman Knows A Secret" (1999), "David Copperfield" (2000), and "Manhunt:Unabomber."

It's most likely this is something about Paul Bettany you have been yearning to know. Well, the voice of "J.A.R.V.I.S." and "Iron Man 2" actor seems to be more than comfortable with his financial life. The Celebrity Net Worth has put the English actor's net worth at $20 million. That's a huge one you would say? Yes, it is. However, there is every reason to believe that "The Avengers" actor may even surpass this net worth in the coming years. Talking about some of his movies that are of commercial significance now, we cannot leave aside "The Avengers" which commanded a gross of $1.5 billion worldwide. Also, "Avengers: Age of Ultron" grossed some $1.2 billion-plus too. Following closely is "Iron Man 3" which also made a gross profit of $1.2 billion. "Iron Man 2" did not command as many sales the others. In view of the huge money made by the producers of these films which starred Paul Bettany. it is, therefore, not difficult to understand while his net worth is that fat. Bettany is just 46 years old and still much active. And that potents a greater net worth than his current $20 million in the nearest future.

In all, Paul Bettany, the "Iron Man 2" and "Iron Man 3" actor has been nominated for various awards numbering up to 15. Of these nominations, he has been able to win 5. These are: 1. London Film Critics' Circle Award for Supporting Actor of the Year which he won in 2001 for his role in the movie "A Knight's Tale" 2. Evening Standard British Film Award for Best Actor which he won in 2003 for his sterling role in "Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World" and "The Heart of Me." 3. London Film Critics' Circle Award for British Actor of the Year which he also won in 2003 for his role in "Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World." 4. Jordan Award for Best Actor for his role in "Wimbledon" (2004). 5. Glamour Awards Man of the Year which was bestowed on him in 2006. In all, his role in the movie "Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World" got him the highest nominations and obviously, two of the awards he won were as a result of his brilliant performance there. Two other notable awards for which Paul Bettany was nominated include BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role and Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture.

It is necessary to beam our searchlight on this movie that has won Bettany the highest number of awards and nominations. Just to let you know, "Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World" got Bettany at least five award nominations. The movie was partly written by Peter Weir as it was based on an earlier novel written by Patrick O'Brian titled "Master and Commander." It's a war-drama film which gulped a whopping sum of $150 million for its production. Some of the stars in this movie are Russell Crowe who played the role of Jack Aubrey, and of course, Paul Bettany who was the Dr. Stephen Maturin in the movie. Others include Billy Boyd, James D'Arcy, Chris Larkin, and Edward Woodall. As Dr. Stephen Maturin, Paul Bethany acted as a spy, physician, and naturalist in the Royal Navy when the Napoleonic Wars was still ongoing. The movie was well acclaimed when it was released on the 13th of November, 2003. It grossed about $212 million worldwide. Similarly, when the 76th edition of the Academy Awards was held, it was nominated for ten different awards out of which it won two. The other movie which stole some of the other awards from it was "The Lord Of the Rings."

It was when Paul Bettany and Jennifer Connelly were both partaking in "A Beautiful Mind" in 2001 that they met and liked each other. However, the two of them were in a relationship at that time and as such, could not become a couple right away. But when the film production was over, each did away with their former relationships and eventually got married on January 1, 2003. Jennifer Connelly is also into acting but an American. It's on record that Jennifer Connelly has always been the crush of Paul Bettany right from childhood when Bettany saw her perform in a movie titled "Labyrinth." Again, until the September 11 attacks, Bettany has been timid in asking Connelly out. But the attack seems to give him more courage to make known his feelings for her. Before their marriage, Jennifer Connelly already had a son which she got from an earlier relationship. But since the two came together in 2003, they've both had two children together too; one a son and the other a daughter. Currently, the couple lives in Brooklyn, USA.

"The Avengers" and "Solo: A Star Wars Story" star has a lot of interesting facts about him that you would want to know. These are bulleted below 1. Did you know that Paul Bettany detests Emojis? Yes, "The Avengers" star prefers to use words than using emojis. He opines that with the use of emojis, human beings would start losing some words. 2. Each time the "Iron Man 3" actor visits a new country, he likes to eat the foods of the natives. To him, food brings people together and no matter the security around him to prevent him from doing so, Paul Bettany would still find a way to slip past them. 3. The veteran "Solo: A Star Wars Story" actor claims he puts the same energy and vibes into all his work. He said that although some action-packed movies often require that actors put more effort into their shapes, he ensures that every work receives the highest level of commitment from him. 4. When asked about Vision or J.A.R.V.I.S., Bettany chose "Vision." describing it as a "Double-edged sword." He said J.A.R.V.I.S. only requires that he records his voice and he'll be given a "big bag of money." 5. The "Solo: A Star Wars Story" actor also hates doing laundry and washing dishes by himself. He contends that if he had his own J.A.R.V.I.S., he would just make it do all that for him. 6. Paul would choose J.A.R.V.I.S. over Siri because according to him, there is hardly anytime he would step out without people asking him to do a J.A.R.V.I.S. for them. 7. Did you know that Paul Bettany's daughter doesn't love his dad's Vision Roles as much as "Iron Man 2" and "Iron Man 3" by Robert Downey? This, according to "The Avengers: Infinity Wars" actor is quite humiliating for him. Oftentimes, the daughter would call Robert Downey to commend him over her dad. 8. One thing that Bettany loves so much about his acting profession is the opportunity it affords him to travel far and wide. That, to him, allows him to meet with different people and cultures of the world. 9. The "Solo: A Star Wars Story" actor yearns to be able to act in the Philippines one day. He stated while discussing with some of his Philippino's fans that he's got an idea of what movie to act there but that he wasn't going to reveal it so no one else steals it from him. 10. There was a time the star was struggling with making ends meet. Then, he worked as a busker to raise some money to survive.

11. Did you know that Paul Bettany smokes until 2005 when the "Solo: A Star Wars Story" star saw Stellan, his two-year-old boy Straighten to mimic his father's smoking style using a pen? Bettany feared that his own kids too could one day pick the habit from him. 12. Michael Williams was supposed to play the role Bettany played in "Solo: A Star Wars Story" but because the former could not make it to the re-shoot of the movie, the role was transferred to Paul and the character too got changed from alien to human. 13. Although Paul Bettany, the veteran actor in "Avengers: Infinity War" was the first choice in the movie “The King’s Speech,” he turned down the offer leaving the chance for Colin Firth to take up the role. And guess what? Colin Firth won the Oscar Award as the Best Actor for the same role. 14. One of the producers Paul Bettany worked with once told him that his career was over and while he was yet still sitting outside the office of the said producer, he was beckoned upon to take up a superhero role in "The Avengers." 15. As expected of a good husband that loves his wife, the "Iron Man 2" and "Iron Man 3" hero stood for his wife when one Colin Firth who was a media executive to her tore her photo in public with the excuse that Bettany's wife was once his favorite actress. 16. For him to be able to play the role of a physician well in the movie “Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World,” he had to attend to attend the Royal College of Surgeons right in the heart of London. His mission was to perfect his knowledge of how to use the 18th-century surgical instruments which would help him play his role well. 17. Paul Bettany who was the star in "Iron Man 2" and "Iron Man 3" was the only cast member in the movie, “Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World” that didn't become seasick after the voyage ended. The reason is he had been a member of the Sea Cadets while he was young. 18. You'd be surprised Paul Bettany named his first child Stellan after his very good friend, Stellan Skarsgard, whom they've both acted together in various movies. 19. Paul says that in playing any role assigned to him, he would first ask himself what he has followed by what he doesn't. Then, for anything he doesn't have, he goes after such things. 20. One of the movies Bettany enjoys most is “Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World” which was released in 2013. The "Avengers: Infinity War" actor continues to praise Peter Weir describing him as one of the greatest directors ever living.

Paul Bettany's story is in many ways an inspiration to upcoming artists who might not have had the privilege of being raised with a silver spoon in their mouth. He was through thick and thin but through dints of hard work, dedication, and commitment, he was able to reach the level he is today. Paul Bettany's versatility is also among the things that helped him to move this far and fast, apart from the contemporary acting, he can also voice act, produce, and direct movies. In fact, he's a screenwriter too. Perhaps, one thing he'd be grateful for is him being able to marry his childhood crush. At first, he was hesitating but at last, he took the courage to express his feeling for the American actress and today, all is history. At 46, the prolific "Iron Man 2" and "Iron Man 3" actor still has some more promising years ahead of him if he still keeps his motivation up. And being more relevant in the Hollywood means a fatter net worth than he currently has. His rejection of the lead role in a movie titled "Solo: A Star Wars Story" that later saw his replacement win an Oscar Award is just another lesson. Though, it isn't sure that if "The Avengers" star had taken up the role, the same would have been true for him too. By and large, the lesson there may just be that not all jobs are worth bidding for. Finally, the fact that Bettany puts equal effort into every role he's given is no doubt, another reason for his greatness. The usual thing by many actors would be to let the size of the project determine how much effort they would put into it. But to the "Avengers: Infinity War" star, whatever is worth doing at all, is worth doing well.