English heartthrob Orlando Bloom found worldwide fame when he tacked on pointy prosthetic ears to play the wise warrior elf Legolas in Peter Jackson’s blockbuster “Lord of the Rings” film trilogy. It was only his second feature film role, and Bloom impressed with his considerable on-screen poise and earnest charm. These qualities have led him down the path of major Hollywood stardom, and he has since headlined a string of popular films.
Bloom was born on January 13, 1977 in Canterbury, Kent, England to a globetrotting English family that over the years lived in Australia, India, and South Africa. Bloom, however, was born and raised in Canterbury, and attended St. Edmund’s School in his hometown. The talented actor found school difficult due to his dyslexia, and at 16 years old moved to London where he entered the National Youth Theatre. He excelled during his two-year tenure, and earned a scholarship to the British American Drama Academy. He made his professional screen debut in the TV series “Casualty”, and in 1997 appeared in the ensemble cast of the biopic “Wilde” with Stephen Fry and a young Jude Law. His performance in 2001’s “Fellowship of the Ring”, the first installment of the “Rings” trilogy, significantly bolstered his career and helped him earn a meaty role in Ridley Scott’s Gulf War drama “Black Hawk Down” and later in “Ned Kelly” with Heath Ledger.
His starring role in 2003’s “Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl” pushed his stardom over the edge. Playing the young blacksmith Will Turner, the mega-hit fantasy adventure saw Bloom fill the shoes of major leading men with a charming, romantic performance opposite rising starlet Keira Knightley and Johnny Depp. Bloom continued to court his status as the #1 period leading man, starring with Brad Pitt and Eric Bana in the international hit “Troy”, and in 2005 he carried Ridley Scott’s underrated Crusades epic “Kingdom of Heaven”. As the morally confused young warrior Balian, Bloom showed that he was more than capable of occupying complicated lead roles. Later in 2005 he starred in Cameron Crowe’s “Elizabethtown” with Kirsten Dunst.
Bloom is currently battling sea ghosts and a conniving Jack Sparrow in “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest”, and can be seen later this year in “Haven” and “Love and Other Disasters”. In addition to several in-development projects, 2007 will see Bloom in the third “Pirates” film, "At World's End". Bloom’s personal life is a constant mystery, but for the past two years he has been occasionally linked to “Superman Returns” stunner Kate Bosworth.