'Marvel' star Paul Bettany reveals guilt that still haunts him after brother's death

Paul Bettany has revealed that he still struggles with guilt following his brother's death in a childhood accident

Web Desk

Published October 14, 2026

Paul Bettany has revealed that he still struggles with guilt following his brother's death in a childhood accident.

The Marvel star, 55, was just 16 when his eight-year-old brother, Matthew, died after falling from the roof of a tennis pavilion at a school in Hertfordshire, where their father worked as a teacher.

Speaking up to Sibling Revelry podcast on Sunday Paul shared: 'My brother died when he was eight. And that was bad. I guess that's part of the reason I ended up on the streets busking.

'It was really incredibly hard. He fell off, I guess he was playing hide and seek and he fell off a building that I had taught him how to climb. So there was an enormous amount of guilt to work through on that.'

The family were living on the grounds of Queenswood School, near Hatfield, where their father, drama teacher Thane Bettany, worked.

Following Matthew's death, Paul left school and moved to London, where he earned money busking with his guitar.