Paul Bettany Biography

Fast Facts

• Left school at 16 and spent the next couple of years working as a busker in London, as well as at a care center for the elderly, before pursuing an acting career
• Early inspiration was his father, a former actor who left the profession to become a teacher
• Received the London Critics Circle Film Award in 2002 for British Supporting Actor of the Year for 2001's A Knight's Tale
• Prepared for his role in Wimbledon (2004) with the help of former tennis ace Pat Cash
• Worked alongside Jon Favreau while shooting Wimbledon
• Favreau later cast Bettany as the voice of Jarvis in the 2008 blockbuster film Iron Man