Shaun Mark Bean (born 17 April 1959) is an English film and stage actor. Bean has also acted in a number of television productions as well as performing voice work for computer games and television adverts. As an actor, he adopted the Celtic spelling "Sean" of his first name.

He has played a wide range of roles, from villains to heroes, and is best known for his roles as Boromir in The Lord of the Rings, Martin Septim in the The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion video game, James Bond's adversary Alec Trevelyan in GoldenEye, Nicolas Cage's competitor Ian Howe in National Treasure, IRA fringe terrorist Sean Miller out for revenge on Harrison Ford in Patriot Games, Captain Rich in Flightplan with Jodie Foster, and Odysseus in Troy. His portrayal as Richard Sharpe in the television series Sharpe has also earned him high acclaim in the United Kingdom.

Sean worked for his father's welding firm before he decided to become an actor. He attended RADA in London and appeared in a number of West End stage productions including RSC's "Fair Maid of the West" (Spencer), (1986) and "Romeo and Juliet" (1987) (Romeo) , as well as "Deathwatch" (Lederer) (1985) at the Young Vic and "Killing the Cat" (Danny) (1990) at the Theatre Upstairs. Sean has three young daughters, Lorna, Molly and Evie.

Sean Bean, England's most versatile actor, holds a stellar career spanning every medium for approximately 20 years, in theater, radio, television and movies. This soulful, green-eyed blonde's roles are so varied that his magnetic persona convincing plays angst-ridden villians, as in "Clarissa," passionate lovers like Mellors in "Lady Chatterley's Lover," rough-and-ready soldiers such as Richard Sharpe, heartwrenching warriors as the emotionally torn Boromir in "The Lord of the Rings," and noble Greeks, like Odysseus in "Troy," where his very presence in the film adds grace and validity to the rest of the movie. Recently, he did a turn in Shakespeare's "Macbeth," where as the principal lead, he so transfixed the audience that the show was extended in London and critically acclaimed. Bean, however, remains himself, a man's man, and in the glizty world of movies this is a rare thing indeed. Bean currently resides in London where he enjoys raising his beautiful daughters, his beloved football, and the occasional pint. In his home country of England, he was recently voted the second sexiest man in the UK, and seemed to enjoy this notoriety, stating, "I don't have any problems with women seeing me as their ideal bit of 'rough'. Why would I?" Well, good to know, because his legions of fans do not have a problem with it either.