Shaun Mark Bean was born in Sheffield, Yorkshire, England on April 17, 1959. His parents are Brian and Rita Bean, and he has a younger sister, Lorraine. He is 5'11" and has green eyes and dark blond hair. Sean left school at 16 with two 'O' levels, in Art and English. He had a variety of jobs, including selling cheese in a supermarket, shoveling snow, and working as a welder at his father's steel fabrication shop. He discovered acting while attending an art course at Rotherham College. Sean auditioned for London's Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in April 1980. He began studying at RADA in Spring 1981, and was awarded a silver medal for his graduation performance in Waiting for Godot in Spring 1983. Sean's professional acting debut was as Tybalt in the Watermill Theatre's (Newbury) production of Romeo and Juliet in May 1983. He appeared on stage in London's West End in a number of productions, including The Fair Maid of the West, Romeo and Juliet and A Midsummer Night's Dream for the Royal Shakespeare Company. More recently Sean's career has focused on film and TV. Well known in Britain for playing sexy, romantic roles, he's made a big name in the US in numerous big budget action films, taking the role of the villian to new heights with a delicious ease. He can be seen in the James Bond film Goldeneye, and opposite Michael Douglas in the thriller Don't Say A Word. One of Sean's most well-known British projects are the Sharpe movies, a series of movies based on books by Bernard Cornwell, in which he played eighteenth century British soldier Richard Sharpe. His more recent work includes Bravo Two Zero, the true story of an ill-fated mission during the Gulf War; Terry Winsor's Essex Boys; and probably the most well-known, as the warrior Boromir in The Lord of the Rings-The Fellowship of the Ring. Recently Sean has headed back to the stage, appearing in Macbeth in the UK in an extended run. Sean Bean has several distinguishing features; a scar from a fight scene with Harrison Ford when they were filming Patriot Games; and two tattoos. One, "100% Blade" on his left shoulder, refers to his life-long support to his local football team, Sheffield United, the Blades. Sean recently agreed to become a member of the club's Board of Directors. The other tattoo is said to be on his right shoulder; the Elvish symbol for '9'. All nine actors who portrayed the nine members of the Tolkien's Fellowship chose to get this tattoo, to symbolize the immense and lasting friendships they forged in the filming of The Lord of the Rings. Sean has been married and divorced three times and has three children, all daughters. He is currently single.