Hugh Jackman Picture 7

Biography

A star in his native Australia thanks to his work on television and in musical theatre, actor Hugh Jackman became known to American audiences through his role as Logan/Wolverine in Bryan Singer's lavish adaptation of the popular Marvel comic X-Men (2000).

Born of English parentage in Sydney on October 12, 1968, Jackman was raised as the youngest of five children. After earning a communications degree as a journalism major from Sydney's University of Technology, he attended the Western Australia Academy of Performing Arts, where he studied drama. The fledgling actor got his first big break immediately after graduation, when he was offered a starring role on the popular TV series Corelli; his casting proved to be doubly serendipitous, as it provided him with an introduction to his future wife, actress Deborrah-Lee Furness, with whom he would have a son.

Jackman starred in a number of other TV series -- and also began to earn recognition for his work on the stage in such productions as Beauty and the Beast, Sunset Boulevard, and Trevor Nunn's acclaimed Royal National Theatre production of Oklahoma!, the latter of which featured the actor in an Olivier-nominated performance as Curly McLain. In 1999, a year after being nominated for the Olivier, Jackman was again honored, this time with a Best Actor nomination from the Australian Film Institute for his portrayal of a man estranged from his brother in the urban drama Erskineville Kings. The actor's winning streak continued when he was hired to replace Dougray Scott as Wolverine in Bryan Singer's high-profile adaptation of X-Men. The film, whose cast also included Ian McKellen, Patrick Stewart, Anna Paquin, James Marsden, and Halle Berry, opened to strong reviews and box-office to become one of the biggest hits of the summer. Jackman's rising international popularity was reflected by his casting in Tony Goldwyn's Someone Like You, a romantic comedy also starring Ashley Judd and Greg Kinnear. Jackman was hard to ignore in 2001, appearing just a few short months later in John Travolta's latest comback, Swordfish. ~ Rebecca Flint, All Movie Guide

Filmography

Van Helsing (2004) .... Abraham Van Helsing
X-Men 2 (2003) .... Wolverine/Logan
Standing Room Only (2002)
74th Annual Academy Awards, The (2002) (TV) .... Himself
Making of 'Swordfish', The (2001) (TV) .... Himself
Kate & Leopold (2001) .... Leopold Alexis Elijah Walker Gareth Thomas Mountbatten
2001 MTV Movie Awards (2001) (TV) .... Himself/Presenter
Swordfish (2001) .... Stanley Jobson
Someone Like You (2001) .... Eddie Alden
... aka Animal Attraction (2001) (UK)
X-Men (2000) .... Logan (Wolverine)
Fox Studios Australia: The Grand Opening (1999) (TV) .... Himself (host)
Oklahoma! (1999) (TV) .... Curly McLain
Erskineville Kings (1999) .... Wace
Paperback Hero (1999) .... Jack Willis
Halifax f.p: Afraid of the Dark (1998) (TV) .... Eric Ringer
Hey Mr. Producer (1998) (V) .... Curly (Oklahoma)
... aka Hey Mr. Producer!: The Musical World of Cameron Mackintosh (1998) (V) (USA: complete title)
"InFashion" (1997) TV Series .... Himself, as host
"Snowy River: The McGregor Saga" (1993) TV Series .... Duncan Jones (1996)
... aka "Banjo Paterson's The Man From Snowy River" (1993)
"Correlli" (1995) TV Series .... Kevin Jones