Guy Pearce – Biography, Age, Career, Net Worth

Ely, Cambridgeshire, England is where Guy Pearce was born on October 5, 1967, and he currently works as an Australian actor. In Geelong, Victoria, where he was raised, he developed keen interests in acting, bodybuilding, and music. Neighbours (1986-1989) was where he started his acting career and Heaven Tonight (1990) was his first film debut. His performances in The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (1994) and Memento (2000) in Los Angeles brought him to prominence. The three films that were released in 1997, 2002, and 2013 were Confidential (1997), The Time Machine (2002), and Iron Man 3 (2013).

Jack Irish (2012-2021), Mildred Pearce (2011), and Mare of Easttown (2021) are just some of the popular TV shows he has appeared in. He has been nominated for multiple awards, such as an Academy Award, a BAFTA nomination, two Emmy Award nominations, two Golden Globe nominations, and more. Pearce has been in the business for more than three decades.

Pearce’s birth date was October 5th, 1967 in Ely, Cambridgeshire, England. Stuart Pearce’s father was a pilot in the Royal New Zealand Air Force and RAF, and Anne Cocking (née Pickering) worked as an English schoolteacher. His older sister is called Tracy. At the age of three, Pearce was relocated to Geelong, Victoria, Australia by his family. Pearce lost his father in an airplane accident when he was eight years old.

Pearce attended Geelong College and was involved in the Junior Players program of the Geelong Society of Operatic and Dramatic Arts (GSODA). As a 16-year-old, he competed in amateur bodybuilding and earned the title of Junior Mr. Victoria. In the late 1980s, he lived in Box Hill North, Victoria while he was a part of the Australian drama series Neighbours. During his time at Geelong College, he made his film debut in Life and Study at University, which was funded by the Victorian Vice-Chancellors and directed by Peter Lane of Deakin University.

Personal Life

His childhood sweetheart, psychologist Kate Mestitz, was the bride of Pearce in March 1997. They announced their divorce in October 2015 after 18 years of marriage. In August 2016, the couple welcomed Monte, a son they named together, which marked a new chapter in Pearce’s personal life.

Carice van Houten became Pearce’s girlfriend following his divorce.

Career

At the time of landing the role of Mike Young in the popular Australian soap opera ‘Neighbours’, Pearce was only a teenager. Since his departure from the show in 1989, he has stated that working in the series was a fantastic experience for him. Guy Pearce made his first appearance on the big screen in writer-producer Frank Howson’s ‘Heaven Tonight’, where he played Paul Dysart. He would team up with Hawson again on his next two films, which were ‘Hunting’ (1991) and ‘Flynn’ (1997). The former film was directed by Hawson, who financed Pearce’s trip to the 1991 Cannes Film Festival where the movie premiered.

His collaboration with Howson helped Pearce garner international exposure and eventually led to his casting in the critically and commercially successful comedy-drama, ‘The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert’ (1994). He played the leading role in the romantic-comedy ‘Dating the Enemy’ (1996).

Pearce made his Hollywood debut in ‘L.A. Confidential’, in which he shared screen space with fellow Aussie Russell Crowe. His performance resulted in him being nominated for the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture. The New York International Independent Film Award for Best Actor was given to him in 2001 for his roles in ‘Woundings’ and ‘Brand New World’ (1998).

William Friedkin’s war movie ‘Rules of Engagement’ saw him working with Samuel L. Jackson and Tommy Lee Jones in 2000. During that year, he had the opportunity to work with the emerging filmmaker Christopher Nolan in ‘Memento’. In 2001, he went back to Australia to work on a film called ‘The Hard Wood’ (2002) with Rachel Griffiths. Two Brothers, a 2004 family drama that was critically acclaimed, featured Pearce as a temple looter and a big-game hunter. He won the Australian Film Institute Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role for his role in the bushranger western film ‘The Proposition’ in 2005.

His career includes portraying Errol Flynn in ‘Flynn’ (1997), Andy Warhol in ‘Factory Girl’ (2006), and Harry Houdini in ‘Death Defying Acts’ (2008). The 2010 biographical movie ‘The King’s Speech’ featured him as King Edward VIII. In 2016, he appeared in John Logan’s film ‘Genius’ as F. Scott Fitzgerald and in 2018, in Ben Lewin’s movie ‘The Catcher Was a Spy’ as American intelligence officer Robert Furman.

His role in ‘Alien: Covenant’ was reprised by him in 2017. In the 2012 crime-drama ‘Lawless’, he played the role of Special Deputy Charley Rakes. Pearce’s role as Aldrich Killian in ‘Iron Man 3’ in 2013 brought him to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The 2016 western thriller ‘Brimstone’ involved him working with his real-life partner Carice van Houten. His 2018 performances included the comedy drama ‘Swinging Safari’ and the suspense thriller ‘Spinning Man’. He has a number of projects in the works, including the crime thriller ‘Domino’ and the historical drama ‘Mary Queen of Scots’.

He has been nominated for the Academy Award and BAFTA Award for Best Supporting Actor for his recent role in ‘The Brutalist’ (2024), which has received critical acclaim. Pearce’s prominence in the entertainment industry has not waned since February 2025. The film ‘The Brutalist’ has received multiple Oscar nominations for his performance, which has been lauded. Pearce’s continuous relevance in the industry is exemplified by his dedication to diverse and challenging roles.

Filmography

Movies

• 1990 Heaven Tonight
• 1991 Hunting
• 1994 The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert
• 1996 Dating the Enemy
• 1997 Flynn
• 1997 L.A. Confidential
• 1998 Brand New World
• 1999 Ravenous
• 1999 A Slipping-Down Life
• 2000 Rules of Engagement
• 2000 Memento
• 2002 The Hard Word
• 2002 The Time Machine
• 2002 The Count of Monte Cristo
• 2002 Till Human Voices Wake Us
• 2004 Two Brothers
• 2005 The Proposition
• 2006 First Snow
• 2006 Factory Girl
• 2008 Death Defying Acts
• 2008 Winged Creatures
• 2008 Traitor
• 2008 Bedtime Stories
• 2009 In Her Skin
• 2009 The Road
• 2009 The Hurt Locker
• 2010 The King’s Speech
• 2010 Animal Kingdom
• 2011 33 Postcards
• 2011 Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark
• 2011 Seeking Justice
• 2012 Lockout
• 2012 TED 2023
• 2012 Peter Weyland
• 2012 Prometheus
• 2012 Lawless
• 2013 Breathe In
• 2013 Iron Man 3
• 2013 Hateship, Loveship
• 2014 The Rover
• 2015 Results
• 2015 Holding the Man
• 2015 Lorne
• 2015 Equals
• 2016 Genius
• 2016 Brimstone
• 2017 Alien: Covenant
• 2018 Swinging Safari
• 2018 The Catcher Was a Spy
• 2018 Spinning Man
• 2018 Mary Queen of Scots
• 2019 Domino
• 20219 The Last Vermeer
• 2020 Disturbing the Peace
• 2020 Bloodshot
• 2021 The Seventh Day
• 2021 Without Remorse
• 2021 Zone 414
• 2021 Back to the Outback (voice)
• 2022 Memory
• 2022 The Infernal Machine
• 2023 The Convert
• 2024 Sunrise
• 2024 The Shrouds
• 2024 Inside
• 2024 The Brutalist
• 2025 The Woman in Cabin 10

TV Series

• 1986–1989, 2022–2024 Neighbours
• 1991 Home and Away
• 1994–19996 Snowy River: The McGregor Saga
• 1997 The Devil Game
• 1997 Halifax f.p.
• 2009–2018 Spicks and Specks
• 2011 Mildred Pierce
• 2012 Jack Irish: Bad Debts
• 2014 Sean Saves the World
• 2014 Jack Irish: Dead Point
• 2015 Neighbours 30th: The Stars Reunite
• 2015 Between a Frock and a Hard Place
• 2016–2021 Jack Irish
• 2016 The Wizards of Aus
• 2017 When We Rise
• 2018 The Innocents
• 2019 A Christmas Carol
• 2021 Advancing Australia
• 2021 Mare of Easttown
• 2022 A Spy Among Friends
• 2023 The Clearing

Net Worth

According to estimates, Guy Pearce has a net worth of $25 million. The main sources of income for him are his extensive acting career, music endeavors, and various investments. Pearce’s financial portfolio has been enhanced by his release of music albums such as ‘Broken Bones’ (2014) and ‘The Nomad’ (2018).

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