Sean Bean Biography: Movies, Age, Net Worth, Wife, Children, Height, Game of Thrones, Lord of the Rings

Shaun Mark Bean, professionally known as Sean Bean, is a distinguished English actor celebrated for his versatility across theatre, television, and film.

He rose to prominence with his portrayal of Richard Sharpe in the ITV series Sharpe (1993–1997) and has since delivered memorable performances in major films including Patriot Games (1992), GoldenEye (1995) as antagonist Alec Trevelyan, The Lord of the Rings trilogy (2001–2003) as Boromir, Troy (2004) as Odysseus, and The Martian (2015).

On television, Bean is widely recognized for his role as Ned Stark in HBO’s Game of Thrones, and has starred in acclaimed series such as Accused, Broken, Henry VIII, and Legends.

Profile

• Full Name: Shaun Mark Bean
• Stage Name: Sean Bean
• Born: 17 April 1959
• Age: 66 years old
• Birthplace: Handsworth, Sheffield, United Kingdom
• Nationality: British
• Occupation: English actor
• Height: 1.79 m
• Parent: Brian Bean and Rita Bean (née Tuckwood)
• Siblings: Lorraine Bean
• Spouse: Ashley Moore (m. 2017), Georgina Sutcliffe (m. 2008–2010), Debra James (m. 1981-1988), Melanie Hill (m. 1990-1997), Abigail Cruttenden ​(m. 1997-2000)
• Children: Molly Bean, Evie Natasha Bean, Lorna Bean
• Relationship: Married
• Net Worth: $20 million

Early Life And Education

Shaun Mark Bean was born on April 17, 1959, in Handsworth, a suburb of Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. He is the son of Brian Bean, who owned a metal fabrication company employing around 50 people, and Rita Bean (née Tuckwood), who worked as a secretary in the same firm.

Bean has one younger sister, Lorraine. He attended Handsworth Junior School, followed by Athelstan School until age 12, and later Brook Comprehensive School, where he completed his O Levels in Art and English in 1975.

After working various jobs, including at his father’s welding business, he took welding courses at Rotherham College of Arts and Technology. It was there that he developed an interest in art and drama, leading him to enroll in a drama course at the college.

His acting potential earned him a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA), where he began a seven-term program in January 1981. Bean is of white ethnicity, though his religious beliefs have not been publicly disclosed.

Career

Sean Bean began his acting career after graduating from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in 1983, making his professional debut as Tybalt in Romeo and Juliet at the Watermill Theatre. Early in his career, he toured with the Royal Shakespeare Company, performing in classics such as Romeo and Juliet, Fair Maid of the West, and A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

His initial screen roles included Derek Jarman’s Caravaggio (1986) and War Requiem (1988), which established his presence in both theatre and film. Bean gained wider recognition on British television in the late 1980s and early 1990s with appearances in productions like Clarissa and Lady Chatterley, but his breakthrough came with the ITV series Sharpe (1993–1997), where his portrayal of Richard Sharpe solidified his reputation as a leading actor known for complex and heroic roles.

Bean’s international film career grew with memorable roles such as the villain Alec Trevelyan in the James Bond film GoldenEye (1995) and a supporting part in Ronin (1998). His portrayal of Boromir in Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings trilogy (2001–2003) brought him worldwide acclaim.

Throughout the 2000s, he demonstrated his versatility with roles in films like Equilibrium (2002), National Treasure (2004), and Troy (2004). Bean continued to work across genres with performances in Flightplan (2005), Silent Hill (2006), and Black Death (2010), for which he won a Chainsaw Award for Best Actor. His television work during this period included acclaimed dramas such as Red Riding (2009) and Accused (2010), the latter earning him a Royal Television Society award.

In 2011, Bean achieved renewed international recognition with his role as Ned Stark in HBO’s Game of Thrones, a character whose early death became iconic. He has since maintained a strong television presence with roles in series such as Broken, Henry VIII, and Legends.

Beyond acting, Bean is an accomplished voice artist, contributing to video games like The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion and animated films such as Wolfwalkers and Mummies. He has also been the long-standing voiceover for O2 advertisements since 2002.

Most recently, Sean Bean won the British Academy Television Award for Best Actor in 2022 for his performance in the BBC One drama Time, further cementing his status as a distinguished and versatile actor.

Social Media

• Instagram handle: @sean_bean_official
• Facebook handle:
• Twitter handle: @iam_seanbean

Personal Life

Sean Bean has been married five times. His first marriage was to his childhood sweetheart, Debra James, in 1981, which ended in divorce in 1988. He then married actress Melanie Hill in 1990, and they had two daughters, Lorna and Molly, before divorcing in 1997.

Later that year, he married his Sharpe co-star Abigail Cruttenden, with whom he had a daughter, Evie, in 1998; their marriage ended in 2000.

In 2008, Bean married Georgina Sutcliffe, but the couple separated in 2010 amid reports of domestic issues and eventually divorced. In 2017, he married his fifth wife, Ashley Moore, who is 26 years his junior, and they remain together.

Sean is a father to three daughters—Lorna, Molly, and Evie—and is also a grandfather.

Filmography

• Winter Flight (1984)
• Caravaggio (1986)
• Stormy Monday (1988)
• Patriot Games (1992)
• GoldenEye (1995)
• Ronin (1998)
• Bravo Two Zero (1999)
• Don’t Say a Word (2001)
• The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)
• The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
• Troy (2004)
• North Country (2005)
• Flightplan (2005)
• The Island (2005)
• Silent Hill (2006)
• The Hitcher (2007)
• Black Death (2010)
• The Young Messiah (2016)
• Drone (2017)
• Dark River (2017)
• Game of Thrones
• Possessor (2020)
• Wolfwalkers (2020) (voice)
• Mummies (2023) (voice)
• Knights of the Zodiac (2023)
• Buffalo Kids (2024) (voice)

Net Worth

Sean Bean’s net worth is estimated to be between $10 million and $20 million, with many sources citing approximately $20 million as of 2024–2025. His wealth is largely derived from a prolific acting career spanning over four decades, featuring prominent roles in acclaimed television series like Sharpe and Game of Thrones, as well as major films including The Lord of the Rings trilogy, GoldenEye, and Troy.