Oldman was born in New Cross, London on 21 March 1952. He is the son of housewife Kathleen (née Cheriton; born 28 November 1919), and Leonard Bertram Oldman (21 May 1921 – October 1985), a former sailor who also worked as a welder. Oldman has stated that his father was an alcoholic who left the family when Oldman was seven years old. Oldman attended West Greenwich School in Deptford, leaving school at the age of 16 to work in a sports shop.