Happy birthday, Gary Oldman: Best performances by the fine actor

"Is that really Gary Oldman?" This question may have occurred to you every time you watched him act because he possesses an incredible gift of enthralling audiences with his versatile range of playing unconventional characters. Since making his debut in the early 1980s, the British actor's chameleonic transformation has amazed the audience. On Oldman's 65th birthday, we gather his "greatest roles ever" to date.

For the movie Darkest Hour, Oldman not only transformed into the former British Prime Minister during WWI, Winston Churchill with the aid of prosthetics, but he embodied his mannerisms and speech pattern, in such a way, that it won him an Academy Award for Best Actor. Oldman was widely praised for capturing the bombastic personality of Churchill, while also revealing his vulnerability when needed.

"You cannot capture a man's entire life in two hours." Portraying the character of screenwriter Herman Mankiewicz for David Fincher, Oldman yet again proved that he does not need layers of prosthetics to effectively convey the character's cynicism, wit, and complexity. Featuring alongside Amanda Seyfried and Lily Collins, Oldman's rapid-fire dialogues won him a nomination at the Oscars in the Best Actor category.

Oldman joined Harry in his adventures in the fantasy movie series Harry Potter and appeared prominently from Part 3 onwards. Based on the books by JK Rowling, the actor played the character of Sirius Black, who was complicated yet enigmatic, and Oldman balanced his darker aspects with moments of levity and humor. Critics appreciated Oldman's chemistry with the protagonist Daniel Radcliffe as Harry Potter.

Depicting the iconic Ludwig van Beethoven is no child's play! But, Oldman showed his acting prowess when he captured the tormented and passionate nature of the character with all his genius. Immortal Beloved was a groundbreaking film that chronicled Beethoven's pursuit of one of his many lost loves—the foremost being his passion for music. Set in 19th-century Europe, this is a must-watch Oldman film.

The beauty of this list is that it includes all the greatest roles of Oldman which were at times overlooked. Prick Up Your Ears is probably Oldman's least well-known movie, but happens to contain one of the best performances by him in his four-decade-long illustrious career. In Stephan Frears's biographical film, Oldman took up the role of John Kingsley Orton, an influential English playwright-author-diarist.