Hugh Michael Jackman (born 12 October 1968) is an Australian actor and producer who is involved in film, musical theatre and television.
Jackman has won international recognition for his roles in major films, notably as action/superhero, period and romance characters. He is well known from his role as Wolverine in the X-Men series, in addition to his leads in Kate & Leopold, Van Helsing, The Prestige, and Australia. Jackman is a singer, dancer, and actor in stage musicals, and won a Tony Award for his role in The Boy from Oz.
In November 2008, Open Salon named Hugh Jackman one of the sexiest men alive.[1] Later that same month, People magazine named Jackman "Sexiest Man Alive."[2]
A three-time host of the Tony Awards, winning an Emmy for one of these appearances, Jackman also hosted the 81st Academy Awards on February 22, 2009.[3]Contents [hide] 1 Early life 2 Career 2.1 Early stage, film, and television work 2.2 International stardom 2.2.1 Oklahoma! 2.2.2 X-Men 2.2.3 2001 2.2.4 Stage 2002–2009 2.2.5 Films 2003–2008 2.2.6 Australia 3 Future projects 4 Production company 5 Other interests 5.1 Charity work 5.2 Sports 6 Personal life 7 Filmography 8 Awards and nominations 8.1 Awards 8.2 Nominations 9 Mentions in popular culture 10 References 11 External links
Early life
Hugh Jackman was born in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, the youngest of five children of English parents Chris Jackman and Grace Watson, and the second of his siblings to be born in Australia (he also has a younger half sister).[4][5] His mother left the family when he was eight years old, and he remained with his accountant father and siblings.[6]
Hugh first went to primary school at Pymble Public School and then later Jackman attended the all-boys Knox Grammar School, where he starred in its production of the musical My Fair Lady in 1985, and became the captain of the School in 1986.[7] Following graduation, he spent a gap year working at Uppingham School in England. On his return to Australia he studied at the University of Technology, Sydney, graduating in 1991 with a BA in Communications.[8] After obtaining his BA, Jackman went on in 1991 to complete the one year course "The Journey" at the Actors' Centre in Sydney.[4]
After completing the course he was offered a role on the popular soap opera Neighbours, but turned it down[9] to attend the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts of Edith Cowan University in Perth, Western Australia, from which he graduated in 1994.[10] Career Early stage, film, and television work
On stage in Melbourne, Jackman played Gaston in the local Walt Disney production of Beauty and the Beast, and Joe Gillis in Sunset Boulevard. During his stage musical career in Melbourne, he starred in the 1998 Midsumma festival cabaret production Summa Cabaret. He also hosted Melbourne's Carols by Candlelight and Sydney's Carols in the Domain.
Jackman's early film work includes Erskineville Kings and Paperback Hero (1999), and his television work includes Correlli (a 10-part drama series on the ABC and Jackman's first major professional job, devised by Australian actress Denise Roberts — where he also met his future wife, Deborra-Lee Furness), Law of the Land, Halifax f.p., Blue Heelers, and Banjo Paterson's The Man from Snowy River. International stardom Oklahoma!
Jackman became known outside of Australia in 1998, when he played the leading role of Curly in the Royal National Theatre's acclaimed stage production of Oklahoma!, in London's West End. The performance earned him an Olivier Award nomination for Best Actor in a Musical. He also starred in the 1999 film version of the same stage musical, which has been screened in many countries. X-Men
In 2000, Jackman was cast as Wolverine in Bryan Singer's X-Men, replacing Dougray Scott. His co-stars include Patrick Stewart, James Marsden, Famke Janssen, and Ian McKellen. According to a CBS interview in November 2006, Jackman's wife Deborra-Lee Furness told him not to take the role, a comment she later told him she was glad he ignored.
Jackman, at 6'2 1/2 (1.83 m),[11] stands a foot taller than Wolverine, who is said in the original comic book to be 5' 3".[12] Hence, the filmmakers were frequently forced to shoot Jackman at unusual angles or only from the waist up to make him appear shorter than he actually is, and his co-stars wore platform soles. Jackman was also required to add a great deal of muscle for the role, and in preparing for the fourth film in the series, he bench-pressed over 300 pounds.[13] An instant star upon the film's release, Jackman later reprised his role in 2003's X-Men 2, 2006's X-Men: The Last Stand, and X-Men Origins: Wolverine, which was released May 1, 2009. 2001
Jackman starred as Leopold, opposite Meg Ryan, in the 2001 romantic comedy film Kate & Leopold, a role for which he received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actor Motion Picture Musical or Comedy. Jackman plays a Victorian English duke who is accidentally time-traveled to 21st-century Manhattan, where he meets Kate, a cynical advertising executive.
In 2001, Jackman also starred in the action/drama Swordfish, with John Travolta, and Halle Berry. This was the second time Jackman worked with Berry, and the two have worked together twice more in the X-Men movies, making a total of four movies starring Jackman and Berry from 2000 to 2006. He also hosted an episode of "Saturday Night Live" in 2001.[14] Stage 2002–2009
In 2002, Jackman sang the role of Billy Bigelow in the musical Carousel in a special concert performance at Carnegie Hall with the Orchestra of St. Luke's.
In 2004, Jackman won the Tony Award and the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actor in a Musical, for his 2003–2004 Broadway portrayal of Australian songwriter and performer Peter Allen, in the hit musical, The Boy from Oz, which he also performed in Australia in 2006.
In addition, Jackman hosted the Tony Awards in 2003, 2004, and 2005, garnering positive reviews. His hosting of the 2004 Tony Awards earned him an Emmy Award win for Outstanding Individual Performer in a Variety, Musical or Comedy program in 2005.
Jackman is co-starring with Daniel Craig on Broadway at the Schoenfeld Theatre in a limited engagement of the play A Steady Rain, opening in previews on September 10, 2009 and closing on December 6, 2009.[15] Films 2003–2008
After 2003's X2: X-Men United, in 2004 Jackman played the title role of a monster killer named Gabriel Van Helsing in the film Van Helsing. He was featured as the new Van Helsing in the book "Slayers and Their Vampires: A Cultural History of Killing The Dead" written by Bruce A. McClelland.
Also in 2005, Jackman was one of the choices to play James Bond, in 2006's Casino Royale, but eventually lost out to Daniel Craig.[16]
Jackman starred in the 2006 film The Prestige, directed by Christopher Nolan and also starring Christian Bale, Michael Caine, and Scarlett Johansson. As Robert Angier, Jackman portrayed a magician who built up a rivalry with contemporary Alfred Borden in attempt to 'one up' each other in the art of deception. Jackman stated that his main reason for doing The Prestige was to work with the musician Bowie, who played scientist Nikola Tesla.
Jackman portrayed three different characters in Darren Aronofsky's science-fiction film The Fountain: Tommy Creo, a neuroscientist, who's torn between his wife, Izzi (Rachel Weisz) who is dying of a brain tumor and his work at trying to cure her; Captain Tomas Creo, a Spanish Conquistador in 1532 Seville; and a future astronaut, Tom, travelling to a golden nebula in an eco-spacecraft and seeking to be reunited with Izzi. Jackman said The Fountain was his most difficult film thus far, due to the physical and emotional demands of the part.
Jackman also starred in Woody Allen's 2006 film Scoop, opposite Scarlett Johansson. He rounded out 2006 with two animated films: Happy Feet, directed by George Miller, in which he voiced the part of Memphis, an emperor penguin; and Flushed Away, where Jackman supplied the voice of a rat named Roddy who ends up being flushed down a family's toilet into the London sewer system. Flushed Away co-starred Kate Winslet and Ian McKellen (in Jackman's fourth time working with him).
In 2007, Jackman produced and guest-starred in the television musical-dramedy series Viva Laughlin, which was canceled by CBS after two episodes. A decision about the remaining episodes already filmed at the time of cancellation has yet to be made.
Jackman's 2008 movies included Deception (which he starred in and produced), Uncle Jonny, and Australia. Australia
In 2008, director Baz Luhrmann cast Jackman to replace Russell Crowe as the male lead in his much-publicized epic film, Australia, which co-starred Nicole Kidman. The movie was released in late November 2008 in Australia and the U.S.
Jackman played a tough, independent cattle drover, who reluctantly helps an English noblewoman in her quest to save both her philandering husband's Australian cattle station and the half-caste Aboriginal child she finds there.
Of the movie, Jackman said, "This is pretty much one of those roles that had me pinching myself all the way through the shoot. I got to shoot a big-budget, shamelessly old-fashioned romantic epic set against one of the most turbulent times in my native country's history, while, at the same time, celebrating that country's natural beauty, its people, its cultures.... I'll die a happy man knowing I've got this film on my CV."[17] Future projects An action drama, Drive, starring Jackman, is currently in production.[18] Jackman is also planned to star in a remake of Carousel, scheduled to be released in 2010, in which he will play Billy Bigelow.[19][20] Jackman is being considered, along with Ewan McGregor, to reprise the role of Joe Gillis in a new film version of the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical Sunset Boulevard.[21] Jackman is also currently working on creating a new comic book series, Nowhere Man, with U.S. publisher Virgin Comics and writer Marc Guggenheim, with hopes of adapting it to a film as well.[22] Jackman will star in a movie named Unbound Captives, to be released in 2010, where he will play alongside his past co-star, Rachel Weisz and Robert Pattinson.[23] Jackman will star in The Greatest American Showman, a contemporary musical based on the life of P.T. Barnum. The female love interest part is being written with Anne Hathaway in mind.[24] Jackman will be filming Wolverine 2 in Japan. Real Steel (2011), a DreamWorks sci-fi film.[25][26] Production company
In 2005, Jackman joined with longtime assistant John Palermo to form a production company, Seed Productions, whose first project was Viva Laughlin in 2007. Jackman's actress wife Deborra-Lee Furness is also involved in the company, and Palermo had three rings made with an inscription meaning "unity" for himself, Furness, and Jackman.[27] About the trio's collaboration Jackman reports "I'm very lucky in the partners I work with in my life, Deb and John Palermo. It really works. We all have different strengths. I love it. It's very exciting."[28]
The Fox-based Seed label has grown in size to include execs Amanda Schweitzer, Kathryn Tamblyn, Allan Mandelbaum and Joe Marino, with Alana Free operating the Sydney-based production office whose goal is to mount modest-budget films to harness local talent in Jackman's home country. Other interests Charity work
As a philanthropist, Jackman is a longtime proponent of microcredit — the extension of very small loans to impoverished prospective entrepreneurs in undeveloped countries. He is a vocal supporter of Muhammad Yunus, microcredit pioneer and the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize winner.[29][30][31]
Jackman is a global advisor of the Global Poverty Project, for which he narrated a documentary;[32] and he and the project's founder Hugh Evans visited the UN for the cause in 2009.[33]. Jackman hosted a preview of the Global Poverty Project Presentation in New York together with Donna Karran, Lisa Fox and his wife Debbora-lee [34]. He is also a World Vision ambassador and participated in the climate week NYC ceremony on September 21, 2009.[35][36]
Jackman supports The Art of Elysium[37] and the MPTV Fund Foundation,[38] and he and his wife Deborra-Lee Furness are patrons of the Bone Marrow Institute in Australia.[39] Jackman also narrated the 2008 documentary about global warming, The Burning Season.[40]
Jackman also uses his Twitter account for charity. On April 14, 2009 Jackman posted on his Twitter page that he would donate $100,000 to one individual's favorite non profit organization.[41] On April 21, 2009 he revealed his decision to donate $50,000 to Charity:Water and $50,000 to Operation of Hope.[42][43]
Hugh Jackman and Daniel Craig made a unique place for themselves in the history of Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS fundraising 8 December 2009, when it was announced that they had raised $1,549,953 in the 21st annual Gypsy of the Year competition, from six weeks of curtain appeals at their hit Broadway drama, A Steady Rain.[44] Sports
Jackman has shown keen interest in a variety of sports. In high school, he played rugby and cricket, took part in high jumping and was on the swimming team.[45] He also enjoys basketball and kayaking.[46] He has also expressed an interest in football, committing his support to Norwich City FC.
Jackman is a longtime fan and supporter of the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles, a NRL club based in Sydney's north.[47] He sang the national anthem at the 1999 NRL Grand Final.[48] Hugh also revealed on Sky Sports Soccer AM that he was a Norwich City F.C Fan.[49]
Jackman can also play the piano,[50] does yoga every day,[51] and has been a member of the School of Practical Philosophy since 1992.[52] Personal life
Jackman married Deborra-Lee Furness on 11 April, 1996. They met on Correlli, an Australian television series. Jackman personally designed an engagement ring for Furness, and their wedding rings bore the Sanskrit inscription "Om paramar mainamar," translated as "we dedicate our union to a greater source."[53] They currently divide their time between Sydney and New York City.[54]
Furness had two miscarriages,[55] following which she and Jackman adopted two children, Oscar Maximillian (born 15 May, 2000) and Ava Eliot (born 10 July, 2005). FilmographyYear Film Role Notes 1994 Law of the Land Charles McCray One episode 1995 Correlli Kevin Jones Main role Blue Heelers Brady Jackson One episode 1996 Snowy River: The McGregor Saga Duncan Jones Five episodes 1999 Erskineville Kings Wace Film Critics Circle of Australia Award for Best Actor Nominated — Australian Film Institute Award for Best Actor Paperback Hero Jack Willis 2000 X-Men Logan / Wolverine Saturn Award 2001 Kate & Leopold Leopold Nominated — Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy Someone Like You Eddie Swordfish Stanley Jobson 2003 X2 Logan / Wolverine Nominated — Empire Award for Best Actor 2004 Van Helsing Gabriel Van Helsing Van Helsing: The London Assignment Gabriel Van Helsing (voice) 2005 Stories of Lost Souls Roger segment "Standing Room Only" 2006 Happy Feet Memphis (voice) Flushed Away Roddy (voice) The Prestige Robert Angier Nominated — Australian Film Institute Award for Best Actor The Fountain Tomas / Tommy / Tom Creo Nominated — Satellite Award for Best Actor - Motion Picture Drama Scoop Peter Lyman X-Men: The Last Stand Logan / Wolverine 2008 Deception Wyatt Bose Producer Uncle Jonny Uncle Russell Tropfest 2008 Finalist Film[56] Australia The Drover The Burning Season Narrator Documentary 2009 X-Men Origins: Wolverine Logan / Wolverine Producer 2011 X-Men Origins 2: Wolverine Logan / Wolverine Producer
