n an on-line chat a few years back, he’s said “I’m from all over England. I’m a gypsy.” (You can by the way, read the whole transcript of the chat by following the link on the Three page.)
Edward was in fact, born in Birmingham, UK. When
he was 10 years old, the family moved to London.
The next thing we know is that he went up to
Trinity College, Cambridge. He studied Social Anthropology and graduated with an MA. Edward was also a Choral Scholar and a member of the Chorus in the Martina Franca Opera
Festival in Italy, from 1986-88. In addition, he is an accomplished clarinet player - (Grade 5).
When or how he decided to go into acting is still part of the mists, but he studied drama
at the Central School of Speech and Drama in London and graduated in 1992. And as you’ll
see on the filmography page, he’s been pretty busy taking on diverse roles on the big screen, television and on stage, since then.
The above alone makes an impressive resume, but there’s more.... Edward is fluent in
French and Japanese and has filmed Ichigensan, in the words of a critic: “in beautiful Japanese.” He may have in fact, lived in Tokyo, Japan in the mid-'80s, if my interpretation of the bizzare English delivered by a search engine translation of a Japanese page, is accurate.
Edward also has a black belt in karate! (And you thought he was just cerebral, eh?) He
has a Stage Fighting BFA Certificate, as well. And just in case you’re wondering what
type of a swimmer he is, just watch Far Harbor.
And finally for a bit of ancient history.... I debated weather including this would be in
poor taste, but realized what would be in poor taste is to treat it as an unmentionable. I
am, of course talking about Salma Hayek. Their relationship it seems, was highly
publicized. (Goes to show the mists I’m in when it comes to celebrity gossip! I wasn’t
even sure who exactly Salma Hayek was before this!!) Edward met her during the filming
of The Hunchback in 1996 and they were "a wonderful combination of hysterias” (that’s
a Salma quote) until 1999, when they parted company. There’s some lovely photos from
this period and considering what a rarity photos of him seem to be, here they are: on
IMDb. (This one from Pictures Now, at the afterparty for the GQ Men of the Year Awards at Radio City Music Hall, NYC, October 1998.)
)
