Tim Roth: The Many Sides of a Talented Character Actor

Ever look at an actor and think, "Where have I seen him before?" That's how I felt when I saw Tim Roth in "Lie to Me". Looking at his film credits it's no wonder I've seen him before. And, it's no surprise that "Lie to Me" producers, Samuel Baum and Brian Grazer pursued him for "a long, long, time" until he agreed to play Dr. Cal Lightman.

Tim Roth is what you might call a character actor. He's 5'7" and tends to look a bit scruffy a good deal of the time. But what he lacks in glorious good looks he makes up for in talent. He has played punks, artists, lovers, criminals, pompous aristocrats and demented superheroes all with intensity and skill.

Some of the movies you may have seen Tim Roth in are: "Reservoir Dogs", "Pulp Fiction", "The Incredible Hulk", "Rob Roy", and "Planet of the Apes". He has been a favorite of Quentin Tarantino's for years, acting in three of his films. He is good friends with Gary Oldman, who he co-starred with in "Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead". He prefers playing bad guys, saying that villains are just more fun, but has played good guys on occasion, and he even sings. Check out Woody Allen's "Everyone Says I Love You" to see his rendition of a crooning convict.

In real life, Roth is the father of three sons, Jack, Timothy Hunter and Cormac, whose births are commemorated by tattoos on his right arm. He's been married to Nikki Butler since 1993.He was born and raised in London by a teacher mom and journalist dad who changed the original family name Smith to Roth because of anti-British sentiments in some of the countries he traveled to. Before he abecame an actor he was an art student, studying sculpture at Camberwell College of the Arts in London.

Roth has appeared in over 60 movies, and ten plays. He has been nominated 23 times for various awards, including an Oscar for "Rob Roy" (which he did not win), and has won ten, including a BAFTA for that same role.

A couple of roles you might have seen him in, but it wasn't meant to be: he was considered for the role of Severus Snape in the Harry Potter movies, but chose to be in "Planet of the Apes" instead. He was also considered for the role of Hannibal Lector in "Hannibal" when Anthony Hopkins was wavering about returning to the role.

He has a wry sense of humor and intensity that comes across in many of his roles. His portrayal of Dr. Cal Lightman on "Lie to Me" gives him the opportunity to play an obsessive, driven man who has his own agenda in life and cares little for what others think of him. "Lie to Me" is in its second season and Roth seems to be hitting his stride with the Cal Lightman character. He is still blunt and pushy, but we've also seen his softer more reasonable side in interactions with his ex-wife, played by Jennifer Beals, and his daughter, Emily, played by Hayley McFarland.

Tim's next two projects are "King Conqueror", and "Pete Smalls is Dead" both of which are in post-production. That will give you two more opportunities to watch this terrific actor on the big screen. Meanwhile, tune into Fox on Monday nights to watch Roth's portrayal of a human lie detector on "Lie to Me". You won't be disappointed.

Sources:

http://www.imdb.com/find?s=all&q=tim+roth&x=0&y=0

http://www.hulu.com/watch/54140/lie-to-me-tim-roth---dr-cal-lightman#s-p1-st-i1

http://www.tim-roth.com/