Customer Reviews

Sean Bean: The Biography

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Born in Sheffield of working-class stock, Sean Bean has risen to become one of Britain's most popular and respected actors, while always remaining true to his roots. Biographer Laura Jackson does a splendid job of covering the life and career of this charismatic yet enigmatic individual.

Sean Bean is a very private individual, and apart from the first dozen pages which deal with his youth, and tidbits here and there pertaining to his personal life and relationships, the focus of the book is on his career. Commencing with his first acting job at the age of 21 in a 1980 production of "Cabaret," through his subsequent (and impressive) enrolment in London's Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, and culminating with his role in 2001's "Fellowship of the Ring," Jackson takes us year by year through Bean's extensive and varied career. She presents a brief summary of each project Bean was involved in, as well as background information such as how the particular project came about, how or why Bean was chosen, and so on.

The project given the most attention in the book is the tremendously popular "Sharpe" series. With five series filmed over as many years, much of the latter half of the book is devoted to a behind-the-scenes look at this series. There are plenty of anecdotes from many involved in the production (including author Bernard Cornwell himself!), and it is the part of the book that I personally enjoyed the most.

Bean's character, personality and professional ability are revealed primarily through interviews with former tutors and teachers, as well as professional colleagues (such as directors, producers, and fellow actors). Being human, Bean is not without his flaws, and some of his opinions are sure to cause many a cringe. Overall, however, the portrait that is painted is of a man who, though naturally shy and reserved, is kind, thoughtful and considerate of others and whose unpretentious and down-to-earth nature belies his hard-earned status as an international celebrity.

As for the book itself, it is 231 pages and includes an index and a list of all Bean's appearances in film, television and theatre. There are 19 photos (mostly colour) on eight pages. Most of the photos are of Bean in his professional capacity; only three are of his family, and they are public shots rather than from any personal collection. There are (somewhat surprisingly) no photos of Bean growing up; the earliest photo of him is at age 21.

All in all, this was an interesting and informative book focusing on the career of a very talented and versatile actor. Recommended to fans of the "Sharpe" series or of Sean Bean's work in general.

I have been a fan of Sean Bean for some time - from the first time I saw the Sharpe series through the Robert Lovelace/Clarissa role and the odd villainous appearances. I don't generally read biographies of actors but thought since he'd portrayed such an interesting variety of characters that there would be an interesting person behind them. However, I wouldn't know if there was or not. He seems to have led an interesting life but there really isn't a shred of the man himself in this book.

Maybe it's too much to expect - I wasn't looking for dirt but I was certainly looking for substance and found nothing. "Everyone likes him, he's a man's man, he's a great actor". The book leads you to believe that he had about as much depth as a cereal bowl and I tend to think that there's more to this actor than that. I found it very vacuous.

Laura Jackson does get some of the details wrong, like stating that Sean Bean divorced his first wife after moving to London to attend at RADA. In reality, they split before. However, she provides an overall well-rounded portrait of the actor, which makes for an interesting if rather quick read. There are several pages of colour photos as well, an added point of interest, and fascinating details about several of Sean Bean's projects. How many people know that several of the cast of Sharpe got very ill from the Ukraine catering?

If you're looking for a book to fill in the gaps on your knowledge of this actor, or just something to while away a lazy summer afternoon, this one will do quite nicely. And the cover alone is gorgeous - surely Sean Bean should get an award for Best Smile of the Year?

I looked forward to this book with great anticipation, having just become a Sean Bean fan via a re-broadcast of the Sharpe series here in Canada. I was therefore majorly disappointed when I finally received it, and, started to read that what we have here is a major schmooze fest, your basic typical celebrity bio in which people say nice things about the star in question, &, that's about all. There is no nitty gritty, no digging to find out what really makes Sean Bean tick. He's gone through 3 marriages & it's all dealt with in less than 10 pages. On the up side there are some interesting quotes from co-stars, & colleagues. There are some interesting descriptions about how some projects got made, particularily Sharpe. Mostly, though, it's style without substance.

There isn't any really deep analysis of Sean Bean as a person. Next to nothing about his childhood is in the book, nor any photos of him as a kid. The author had no access to his relatives, and only interviewed a teacher of his from primary school and his drama teacher from Sheffield.

Primarily this is a good book for his devoted fans who want a good chronological account of his acting work and very superficial details about his life. The author was not granted an interivew with Sean Bean,nor any of his relatives or very close friends. It's not an official biography. Jackson interviewed people who worked with Bean, and slight acquaintances, but none of his close friends gave her quotes. Bean is well known for being absolutely silent about his personal life which he assiduously guards.....and that's part of his charisma. What Bean holds back is what makes him so fascinating. He gives 1,000% in performances, and really that is ALL he owes the public.

The photo section is very skimpy, you can get much better pictures of Bean online at various fan sites such as "The Compleat Bean". Reading this book made me convinced the author simply sat down and read every article, website and watched taped interviews of the star to compile her book because she was denied interviews with those people closest to her subject. Because she doesn't have the astuteness to extrapolate all those sources and create a psychological profile - you finish reading the book wondering....great actor - but what is he REALLY like?

Nearly every single interview of people who worked with Bean all say the same thing, namely that he is shy, soft spoken, has genuine humility, extremely polite, good hearted, a little awkward with people he doesn't know well, really a sweetheart of a guy, loves beer, football, smoking and he doesn't emotionally bond well with women....it's his male friends he's closest to....an adoring father who was forced to be separated from his wives and three adorable daughters for long periods of time while filming movies. Hence, his three divorces.

He's had a terrible personal price to pay for his success as an actor, yet the author doesn't even write about this which is a major factor in his life. I didn't want her to slink to the level of tabloid gossip and "dish dirt" I just wanted some semblance of an anyalsyis of the man as a person. The book reads more like a resume of his work......without much "meat" about him as a person to fill in the blanks.

Well, you can get that same information from just going online and reading media/magazine/newspaper archives at "The Compleat Bean" and save yourself the cost of the book. For goodnss sake, don't pay $80.00 for it! It's also posted as selling for over $200.00!

The back of the book has an excellent very detailed index and an accurate precise listing of all his films, narration work, television and theatre performances. I've been a great admirer of his work for 20 years, dating back to 1986 when I first saw him perform as an unknown in the film "Caravaggio". Although I know nearly everything ever written about him, reading this book actually did fill in some bits and pieces of information about him. No earth shattering revelations - but a nice, easy read.

A very kind British friend gave me this book as a gift because I had such a hard time locating it online in the USA and didn't want to pay a fortune for it. It's out of print and very hard to find. I've seen it sell in the USA for $40.00 to $80.00 and consider myself a very lucky lass to receive it free. Depending on if you are bonkers for Bean-o would determine how much you're willing to pay for the book.

The author doesn't really dig too deep and only has flattering postive things to say about the star, she comes fairly close to crossing the line into a pure "gush-fest". The book makes you believe he is just nearly perfect. He's only human and everyone has positive and negative aspects to their nature. I wish this book had more substance and gave me a more authentic portrait of him.

On the other hand, "Sharpe Cut - The Making of Sharpe's Challenge" published in 2006, by Linda Blandford skewers Bean to bits. That author doesn't like him one little bit, she makes this quite clear to the reader. Blandford nitpicks about trivial things she views as huge character flaws of Bean's and spends most of the book "Bean Bashing" then 3/4 through the book admits he's won her over, sheerly on the professionalism and devotion to his craft he exhibits on the set. Known for his introverted reticence and ability to completely avoid answering personal questions he doesn't want to reveal about himself.....Bean more or less didn't trust Linda Blandford because she had written a previous article him that was quite cruel, negative and hurt his feelings deeply. Yet, his tremendous charm and personal warmth eventually wins Blandford over and she almost begrudgingly admits she likes him at the close of the book.

I wish that a really skilled writer would create a book somewhere in the middle between these two books about Sean Bean. Not a "gushfest" nor a hatchet job......but a work that would give the public a genuine understanding of what makes him tick and his interior dialogue.....he's almost Garboesque in his need for absolute privacy about his personal life, which is what makes Sean Bean so refreshing - unlike some of the publicity hounds that are celebrity actors - he comes across as a pretty normal bloke, who just happens to be a world class actor. He's got no interest in "making the scene" or having a flashy, glitzy high profile life....this is not an actor pursuing the "Bling Bling" lifesytle. He enjoys being an internationally known star and the perks that come with it, but seems to have a good head on his shoulders and keeps things in perspective. Probably this accounts for how Bean's been able to maintain a solid career as a working actor in a very ruthless, competitive industry for well over 25 years.

Blandford book and Jackson's book are both flawed - but both are a good read for true Bean Buffs. "Sharpe Cut" has more facts about filmaking/television industry which give you a really strong background and she really makes a point of criticizing Bean - Jackson's book is more a chronological citation of the work of the star - with very little personal insight into his personality. Read both books and come to your own conclusions.

Best thing about this book.......well it would have to be Sean Bean's wicked sexy smile on the cover in the sepia tinted photograph. I've been dying to find a copy of that photo that doesn't chop off part of his face....anybody know where to find it online? I've been searching for ages to get a full version of the book cover photograph! This guy has definitely got sex appeal galore........I call him "Lord Sexitude" and he can knock on my box any day of the week.......the only middle-aged guy with lots of wrinkles I am bonkers about!

I read this book because I ordered it from an inter library loan. It is not for sale through Amazon much to my disappointment. The book is a good overview of Mr.Bean's work in films. It does not offer anything else.

As I am a relatively new devotee to the works of Sean Bean (FOTR), I found this a wonderful guide to his past roles. Although it does not delve very deeply into Sean as a person, it is a very useful travel guide to the World Of Bean. Also very nice to know that there are some actors who like "real" women & not skeletons!

I am a solidly addicted "Richard Sharpe" devotee. I admit I bought this bio to read about the making of that series. This book did not disappoint. Fairly well written.