| First acting role was in a high school musical based on Bram Stoker's Dracula. |
| Studied sculpting at London's Camberwell College of Arts. |
| Developed a Cockney accent during his childhood in order to fit in at school. |
| Turned down the part of Severus Snape in the Harry Potter film series to play the villain in Tim Burton's 2001 Planet of the Apes remake. |
| Breakout role came with Quentin Tarantino's Reservoir Dogs (1992); also worked with the director on Pulp Fiction (1994) and Four Rooms (1995). |
| Made his feature directing debut with the 1999 drama The War Zone. |