Aussie hunk Hugh Jackman never thought he’d end up an actor, let alone a superstar. Born on October 12, 1968 in Sydney, Australia, Jackman grew up with his father and four older siblings, and earned a B.A. in Communications from the University of Technology, Sydney. Long interested in journalism, Jackman stumbled upon acting due to a course requirement in college, which led him to enroll in the Western Australian Academy of Performance Arts in Perth after finishing undergraduate studies. Something obviously clicked for the future star, as he soon found work on Australian television, making his screen debut in a 1994 episode of “Law of the Land”. A recurring role on the series “Correlli” in 1995 gave him greater exposure, in addition to the opportunity to act with his future wife Deborra-Lee Furness.
Jackman appeared in the series “Snowy River: The McGregor Saga” for several episodes in 1996, and in two Australian films in 1999, “Paperback Hero” and “Erskineville Kings”. However, it was his performances on stage during this period that earned him great acclaim. A talented singer on top of his acting abilities, Jackman impressed as Gaston in the Australian production of “Beauty and the Beast”, and in 1999 was nominated for the prestigious Laurence Olivier Award for his work in the acclaimed West End production of “Oklahoma!”, which was his first major work on the international level.
Like many talented stars before and since, Jackman’s Hollywood breakthrough arrived with luck on his side. Scottish actor Dougray Scott had already been cast as Wolverine in 2000’s “X-Men”, but last-minute shoots for “M:I-2” kept him from taking the role. Director Bryan Singer took a chance on Jackman, despite the demeanor of his previous performances as well as his unfavorable height (at 6’3, fans considered Jackman much too tall to play Wolverine). Fortunately he impressed in the role, and his number was soon on Hollywood’s A-list. A year later he was performing with Halle Berry and John Travolta in the hit actioner “Swordfish” in addition to starring in the quirky romantic comedy “Kate & Leopold” with Meg Ryan.
2003 saw him in the smash sequel “X2” and the Broadway hit “The Boy from Oz”, which earned him a Tony Award for Best Actor (Musical). He next appeared in the unmemorable blockbuster “Van Helsing” with a ravishingly gothic Kate Beckinsale, and he is currently on screen reprising his most popular role in “X-Men: The Last Stand”. Jackman has an huge year ahead with the surefire-hit comic book film, vocal work in the animated films “Happy Feet” and “Flushed Away”, starring roles in Woody Allen’s “Scoop” and Christopher Nolan’s “The Prestige” (alongside Scarlett Johansson and Christian Bale, respectively), and in Darren Aronofsky’s sci-fi epic “The Fountain”, which is probably the most anticipated film of the century thus far. The versatile actor is poised to become one of the biggest movie stars in the world, and unsurprisingly we aren’t hearing many complaints.