Happy birthday to Sean Bean, Boromir of Gondor in ‘The Lord of the Rings’ films.
One does not simply forget to wish Sean Bean a happy birthday!
Sean, well-known for his portrayal of Boromir in The Lord of the Rings films and Lord Eddard Stark in HBO’s Game of Thrones, was born on April 17, 1959, making today his 55th birthday.
A native of South Yorkshire — specifically Handsworth, Sheffield — in England, Sean graduated from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in 1983, and did a stint with the Royal Shakespeare Company from 1986 to 1988. Sean became widely known in Britain for his role as Richard Sharpe in the television series Sharpe, returning to the role many times between 1993 and 2008. Sean was introduced to most North American movie-goers through a succession of villain roles, including Irish terrorist Sean Miller in Patriot Games (1993), starring Harrison Ford, and treasure-seeking baddie Ian Howe in National Treasure (2004).
Fans have noticed that Sean’s characters tend to meet untimely deaths with alarming frequency. In fact, the general assumption these days is that any character Sean plays WILL die. There is even a Sean Bean Death Reel on YouTube (last updated in 2012 – MAJOR SPOILERS ALERT, not to mention violence).
The “One does not simply. . .” meme, based on Sean Bean’s line from ‘The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring’ continues to populate social media sites.
Ever the trendsetter, Sean has spawned several popular Internet memes. His line from The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. “One does not simply walk into Mordor,” has been mimicked over and over again. The famous words of House Stark in Game of Thrones, “Winter is coming,” is enjoying similar social media popularity.
From ‘Game of Thrones,’ Lord Eddard Stark’s reminders of “Winter is coming” sparked another Sean Bean based Internet meme. The example shown above is a fitting reminder for Sean on his own name day!
Sean will be seen in the new film Jupiter Ascending, to be released in summer 2014, and Any Day, currently in post-production.
All of us at Middle-earth News would like to wish Sean a very happy birthday. So, sound the Horn of Gondor, and let the Tower Guard take up the call!
Sean recently took part in recording an album to commemorate the centenary of the start of World War I. You can read the Middle-earth News story about the album here.
