Age: 67
male
Shaun Mark Bean (born 17 April 1959) is an English actor. After graduating from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, Bean made his professional debut in a theatre production of Romeo and Juliet in 1983. Retaining his Yorkshire accent, he first found mainstream success for his portrayal of Richard Sharpe in the ITV series Sharpe, which originally ran from 1993 to 1997. Bean's film roles include Patriot Games (1992), GoldenEye (1995), Ronin (1998), Don't Say a Word (2001), The Lord of the Rings trilogy (2001–2003), Equilibrium (2002), National Treasure (2004), Troy (2004), Flightplan (2005), North Country (2005), The Island (2005), Silent Hill (2006), Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief (2010), Black Death (2010), Jupiter Ascending (2015), and The Martian (2015). His television roles include the BBC anthology series Accused, Broken, Game of Thrones, and the ITV historical drama series Henry VIII and Legends. As a voice actor, Bean has been featured in the video games The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, Sid Meier's Civilization VI, and the feature films Wolfwalkers and Mummies among others. Bean has also been the main voice over for O2 and their adverts for over 20 years having originally taken the job in 2002. In 2022, Bean won the British Academy Television Award as Leading Actor in Time, a BBC One drama.
A small West Virginia town is mysteriously transported back in time to 1632 Germany, landing in the midst of the brutal Thirty Years' War. The residents of Grantville, armed with modern knowledge and technology, must navigate a world of religious conflict, political intrigue, and medieval warfare. Led by Mike Stivers and supported by a diverse group of townspeople—engineers, doctors, teachers, and soldiers—they attempt to survive and build a new society while preventing catastrophic historical events. As word spreads of these mysterious Americans with advanced knowledge, various European powers seek to exploit, capture, or ally with them. The story explores themes of cultural clash, technological advantage, moral responsibility, and the unintended consequences of changing history. The Grantville community must balance their desire to improve the world with the dangers of disrupting the timeline, all while forging unlikely alliances with historical figures and navigating complex political landscapes that threaten their survival and the fate of Europe itself.
