A standout amidst the current crop of successful Aussies in Hollywood, Eric Bana was a popular comedian in Australia before hitting it big in Hollywood with starring roles in a string of action blockbusters. Born on August 9, 1968 in Melbourne, Australia to a Croatian father and a German mother, Bana worked odd jobs in his early 20s and for a time wanted to be a mechanic. He occasionally performed stand-up at a club he bartended for in Melbourne, which led him to pursue other opportunities as a comedian. The hilarious comic, who is barely known in the U.S. for his comedic talent, landed a part on a popular Australian sketch show, “Full Frontal”. Bana won various local comedy awards for his performance on the show, and in 1997 co-wrote, produced, and starred in his own sketch comedy special, “Eric”, which proved to be a huge success with audiences and critics.
Bana disappeared from the screen for a couple of years, but gained international recognition in 2000 for his lead role in the Australian drama “Chopper”, for which he earned a Best Actor award from the Australian Film Institute. Soon Bana was on the big screen again in a supporting role in Ridley Scott’s grueling war film “Black Hawk Down”. The former comedian, now a sought-after leading man and a major sex symbol, found himself bombarded with offers after grabbing the attention of Hollywood with his few film roles. One famous offer he refused was Vin Diesel’s role in the 2002 action film “xXx”, which he turned down to do the low-budget Australian comedy “The Nugget”. Bana then went on to star as the titular character in Ang Lee’s adaptation of “The Hulk”, which also starred Jennifer Connelly, Nick Nolte, and Sam Elliot. The typically brilliant Lee and his savvy writing and producing partner James Schamus attempted to make “The Hulk” into an epic drama, and the resulting product felt overblown and somewhat pretentious, resulting in a generally mixed reaction at the box office and with critics.
The hunky Aussie nonetheless turned heads with the film, which effectively exhibited his surprising dramatic talent. Bana certainly hasn’t found it hard getting roles in the years since. 2004 saw him take on Brad Pitt in “Troy”, and in 2005 he starred in Steven Spielberg’s somewhat dry but politically challenging film “Munich”, which chronicled the Israeli response to the Palestinian attack on Israeli athletes at the 1972 Olympic Games. Bana’s emotional performance in the prestigious film was arguably its best asset, and he proved beyond any doubt that he could anchor a non-action film.
Bana is a major star on the rise, and the friendly actor will add more impressive credits to his career in 2006 with Curits Hanson’s “Lucky You” alongside Drew Barrymore and the British drama “Romulus, My Father”.