Gary Oldman is one of the most accomplished actors in cinema. With an impressive career of over 40 years under his belt, Oldman has become best known for his ability to completely transform into iconic characters, like Count Dracula, Winston Churchill, and Sirius Black, just to name a few. The 63-year old English actor recently received the third Academy Award nomination of his career, this time for his leading role in the 2021 film, Mank.
Gary Oldman’s wife was in the crowd cheering him on in 2018 when he won an Oscar for his performance as Winston Churchill in Darkest Hour. She even got a shout-out during his acceptance speech. But who exactly is Gary Oldman’s spouse? Here’s an inside look at the successful actor’s fifth wife, Gisele Schmidt.
Gary Oldman Has Been Married Five Times
The 63-year old English actor has been through a fair share of public romances. Oldman has walked down the aisle four other times before settling in with his current wife, Gisele Schmidt. He’s confident that the fifth time’s a charm. Speaking on the ups and downs of his past relationships, Oldman said to the New York Daily News, “I’ve gone through my thing and we’re like peas in a pod… I’m nearly 60 and at last, I think I’ve come home.”
Oldman’s first two wives were both actresses. He was married to his first wife, Lesley Manville, between 1987 and 1990. They share a son named Alfie. After Oldman’s marriage to Manville, he began a relationship with another actress who would go on to become a Hollywood icon: Uma Thurman. When the couple met, Thurman was just 18 years old, while Oldman was 12 years her senior. The marriage only lasted for two years, and Vanity Fair described the relationship as “turbulent.”
Oldman’s third marriage was his most tumultuous. He was married to photographer Donya Fiorentino between 1997 and 2001. During the four-year relationship, the couple had two kids: Gulliver and Charlie. Fiorentino described the marriage as a “nightmare,” and alleged that Oldman was physically abusive towards her in front of the children. Their divorce played out in tabloids while Oldman denied the allegations.
Right before meeting his current wife, Gisele Schmidt, Oldman was married to Alexandra Edenborough, a singer-songwriter. Their union lasted from 2008 to 2015.
The three-time Oscar nominee met his current wife while finalizing the divorce from Edenborough. He explained the proposal on an episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live! He said, “There was a break in the filming, and we had talked about it and I just felt the urge. We were down in the war rooms, and I took her into the map room. And as Winston Churchill, I said ‘Will you marry me?’”
After the Winston Churchill proposal, Oldman and Schmidt formally tied the knot in August 2017. The couple held their ceremony at Oldman’s manager’s home in Beverly Hills, California.
Who Is Gisele Schmidt?
Schmidt’s IMDb page states that she served as an assistant to Oldman during the 2017 production of Darkest Hour, which explains how he was able to propose while dressed completely in character as Winston Churchill.
Before her match with the Oscar-winning actor, Schmidt was married to someone else. This previous marriage lasted for about twenty years, and they share a young son named William. Schmidt maintains a positive relationship with her ex-husband. He even attended her wedding to Oldman. According to Oldman, Schmidt’s ex-husband is a “great guy.”
Gisele Schmidt Is An Art Curator And Writer
Oldman and his Schmidt are both creatives with a passion for art, which is what helped bring the couple closer together. Oldman is an avid photographer, and Schmidt is an art curator and a writer. On Instagram, Schmidt shares pictures of her life and family with her 118,000 followers.
The couple reportedly connected over their shared interest in art photography. According to Page Six, Schmidt introduced the A-list actor to an artist and photographer named Ian Ruhter, who is known for creating large-scale works. This sparked an artist collaboration which is documented in a short film called, The Carnival of Dreams. Schmidt wrote about the collaboration in an accompanying piece for a magazine called Build, which is a publication by the Laboratory Arts Collective.