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Born into a theatrical London family in 1971, Paul Bettany has become one of Britain's most promising actors.
After finishing drama school, he appeared in London's West End in An Inspector calls. A talented songwriter, Paul apparently also had a short career as a busker.
After appearing in films like Bent (1997) and The Land Girls (1998), Bettany made a big impression in Gangster No 1 (2000), playing a ruthless young man making his way up through the criminal underworld. He then played Geoffrey Chaucer in A Knight's Tale after the film's director Brian Helgeland refused to make the picture without him.
Paul Bettany met his wife, actress Jennifer Connelly, on the set of A Beautiful Mind (2001). He is great friends with Russell Crowe having appeared alongside him in both Ron Howard's film and Peter Weir's Master And Commander: The Far Side Of The World (2003). He agreed to star in Lars Von Trier's Dogville (2003), after being persuaded by actor and best friend Stellan Skarsgård that it would be great fun, only to realise later that the director is notoriously exacting.
Bettany will star as a British tennis player trying to succeed on those famous grass courts in Wimbledon later this year.
