Peter Mullan
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Peter Mullan | |
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| Born | November 12, 1956 Peterhead, Scotland |
Peter Mullan (born October 21, 1956) is a Scottish actor and internationally acclaimed film maker who has been appearing in films since 1990.
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[edit] Biography
[edit] Early life
Mullan, the fifth of eight children, was born in Peterhead, in the northeast of Scotland, the son of Patricia, a nurse, and Charles Mullan, a lab technician who worked at Glasgow University.[1][2] His family was Roman Catholic[3] and moved to Cardonald, a working class suburb on the south side of Glasgow. An alcoholic and latterly a sufferer from lung cancer, Mullan's father became increasingly tyrannical and abusive. When he was fourteen, Peter tried to poison him with sleeping pills. For a brief period, Mullan was a member of a street gang while at high school, and worked as a bouncer in a number of rough south-side pubs. His father died on the day Peter started his studies (in economic history and drama) at Glasgow University.
[edit] Career
At University, Mullan began acting, and continued stage acting after graduation. He had roles in several Scottish films, including Shallow Grave, Trainspotting, Braveheart, and a supporting role in Ken Loach's Riff-Raff. He also began to work as a writer and director, producing the short films Close, Good Day for the Bad Guys, and Fridge. His first full-length film Orphans won an award at the Venice Film Festival.
Mullan's appearance in Loach's 1998 film My Name Is Joe, portraying a recovering alcoholic wrestling with his demons, won him the best actor prize at the Cannes Film Festival. He appeared in the lead role in Brad Anderson's 2001 psychological/supernatural thriller Session 9. In 2002 he returned to directing and screenwriting with the controversial film The Magdalene Sisters, based on life in an Irish Magdalene Asylum. For that movie Mullan won a Golden Lion award from the Venice Film Festival. In 2004, he starred in On a Clear Day. In 2006 he featured in Children of Men, a thriller directed by Alfonso Cuarón. In 2007, he played a prominent role in the Channel 4 adaptation of Boy A, and will star as the Irish freedom fighter James Connolly in the upcoming movie Connolly. He currently co-stars in the ITV crime drama The Fixer.
[edit] Personal life & activism
Mullan's partner is human rights campaigner Robina Qureshi. A UK tabloid newspaper revealed their relationship in September 2006[4]. The couple had their first baby, Sophia, in March 2008.[5] Mullan has three children from a former relationship.
A Marxist, Mullan was a leading figure in the left-wing theatre movement which blossomed in Scotland during the Conservative Thatcher government, including stints in the 7:84 and Wildcat theatre companies. He is a strident critic of Tony Blair's New Labour government, telling The Guardian "the TUC and the Labour Party sold us [the working class] out big style, unashamedly so".[6]
[edit] References
- ^ Peter Mullan Biography - Yahoo! Movies
- ^ Peter Mullan Biography (1960-)
- ^ Derek Malcolm talks to director Peter Mullan | Features | Guardian Unlimited Film
- ^ BBC NEWS | Scotland | What the Scottish Sunday papers say
- ^ Daily Record | Scotland | Baby Girl Joy For Fixer Star
- ^ Peter Mullan | | Guardian Unlimited Film
