Hugh Jackman facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Hugh Jackman
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Jackman in 2024
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Hugh Michael Jackman
12 October 1968 Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
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| Years active | 1994–present |
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Performances |
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Deborra-Lee Furness
(m. 1996; separated 2023) |
| Children | 2 |
| Awards | Full list |
| Honours | Companion of the Order of Australia |
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Hugh Michael Jackman (born 12 October 1968) is a famous Australian actor, singer, and producer. He is best known for playing the superhero Wolverine in the X-Men movies. He played Wolverine from the first X-Men movie in 2000 all the way to Deadpool & Wolverine in 2024.
Hugh Jackman has starred in many different types of movies and stage shows. He has won several big awards, like a Primetime Emmy Award, a Grammy Award, and two Tony Awards. He was also nominated for an Academy Award and a British Academy Film Award. In 2019, he received a special honor called the Companion of the Order of Australia.
He has been the main star in many popular films. These include the romantic comedy Kate & Leopold (2001), the action movie Van Helsing (2004), and the mystery The Prestige (2006). He also starred in the musical Les Misérables (2012) and The Greatest Showman (2017). For his role in Les Misérables, he won a Golden Globe Award. He also won a Grammy Award for The Greatest Showman soundtrack. Hugh Jackman has also lent his voice to animated movies like Flushed Away and Happy Feet (both 2006).
Before his film career, Jackman was a big star in theatre. He played Gaston in Beauty and the Beast in 1995 and Joe Gillis in Sunset Boulevard in 1996. He was nominated for a Laurence Olivier Award for his role in Oklahoma! in London in 1998. In 2004, he won a Tony Award for playing Peter Allen in the Broadway musical The Boy from Oz. He also hosted the Tony Awards four times and won an Emmy Award for hosting the 2005 show. In 2009, he hosted the 81st Academy Awards.
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Early life and education
Hugh Jackman was born in Sydney, Australia, on 12 October 1968. His parents, Grace and Christopher, were from England. They moved to Australia in 1967. Because his parents were born in the UK, Hugh also has British citizenship. One of his great-grandfathers was from Greece. His parents were very religious.
When Hugh was eight, his parents divorced. He stayed in Australia with his father and two brothers. His mother moved back to England with his two sisters. As a child, Hugh loved being outdoors. He spent a lot of time at the beach and went camping. He dreamed of seeing the world. He once said he wanted to be a chef on a plane so he could travel.
Hugh went to Pymble Public School and then Knox Grammar School in Sydney. He acted in a school play called My Fair Lady in 1985. In 1986, he became the school captain. After high school, he spent a year working as a physical education teacher in England.
When he returned to Australia, he studied at the University of Technology, Sydney. He graduated in 1991 with a degree in Communications. In his last year, he took a drama class. He felt very comfortable with the people in that class. He realized that acting was what he wanted to do.
After university, Hugh studied acting full-time at the Actors Centre Australia in Sydney. He said he didn't think about acting as a job until he was 22. He turned down a role in a popular TV show called Neighbours to go to the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts. He graduated from there in 1994. Hugh has said that he felt like the "dunce of the class" when he started drama school. He believes this helped him work harder as an actor.
Career highlights
Early career in theatre and TV
Right after graduating from acting school, Hugh Jackman got his first big job. He was cast in an Australian TV drama series called Correlli. This is where he met his future wife, Deborra-Lee Furness. Hugh said that meeting her was the best thing about the show.
After Correlli, Hugh started working in theatre in Melbourne. In 1996, he played Gaston in Disney's Beauty and the Beast. He also played Joe Gillis in Sunset Boulevard. He hosted Christmas carols events in Melbourne and Sydney. Hugh also appeared in early films like Erskineville Kings and Paperback Hero. He was in TV shows such as Law of the Land and Blue Heelers.
Hugh became known outside Australia in 1998. He played the main role of Curly in the stage production of Oklahoma! in London. This performance earned him an Olivier Award nomination. He later starred in the 1999 film version of the musical.
Becoming Wolverine and Hollywood success
Hugh Jackman's big breakthrough role was playing Wolverine in the movie X-Men (2000). This superhero film is based on the Marvel Comics team. The role was first offered to Russell Crowe, who suggested Hugh instead. Hugh's wife actually advised him not to take the role because she thought it sounded "ridiculous."
To prepare for Wolverine, Hugh studied wolves. He also watched actors like Clint Eastwood and Mel Gibson to learn how to show strong emotions with few words. Hugh was determined to do his own stunts. He even practiced walking around with Wolverine's claws at home, which led to some small injuries!
Wolverine is much shorter in the comic books than Hugh Jackman, who is about 1.90 meters (6 feet 3 inches) tall. So, the filmmakers had to use special camera angles to make him look shorter. Hugh also had to gain a lot of muscle for the role.
Hugh played Wolverine many times. He appeared in X2 (2003), X-Men: The Last Stand (2006), and X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009). He also had a small appearance in X-Men: First Class (2011). He returned for The Wolverine (2013), X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014), and X-Men: Apocalypse (2016). In 2017, he played Wolverine for what he said would be the last time in the movie Logan. This role earned him a Guinness World Record for the 'longest career as a live-action Marvel superhero'.
In 2001, Hugh starred in the romantic comedy Kate & Leopold. He played a Victorian English duke who travels through time to modern-day New York. He was nominated for a Golden Globe for this role. He also starred with John Travolta and Halle Berry in the action film Swordfish.
In 2004, Hugh won a Tony Award for his role as Peter Allen in the Broadway musical The Boy from Oz. He also hosted the Tony Awards several times, winning an Emmy Award in 2005 for his hosting.
Hollywood success and new roles
Hugh Jackman was considered for the role of James Bond before Daniel Craig got the part. But Hugh turned it down because he was busy with X-Men 2. He didn't want to play two very famous characters at the same time.
In 2006, Hugh starred in the mystery thriller The Prestige with Christian Bale. Hugh played a magician named Robert Angier who has a rivalry with another magician. The movie was very popular.
He also played three different characters in the science-fiction film The Fountain. This was a very challenging role for him. That same year, he was in the film Scoop with Scarlett Johansson. He also voiced characters in the animated movies Happy Feet and Flushed Away.
Return to Broadway and film musicals
In 2008, Hugh starred in the epic film Australia with Nicole Kidman. He played a tough cattle drover.
Hugh also returned to Broadway. He starred with Daniel Craig in the play A Steady Rain in 2009. In 2011, he had a one-man show called Hugh Jackman: Back on Broadway. He sang his favorite songs from Broadway and Hollywood musicals.
In 2012, Hugh voiced the Easter Bunny in the animated film Rise of the Guardians. He then starred as Jean Valjean in the movie musical Les Misérables. For this role, he lost a lot of weight and then gained some back. He won a Golden Globe Award and was nominated for an Academy Award for his performance.
In 2015, Hugh went on a national tour of Australia with his show Broadway to Oz. He performed songs from musicals like Les Misérables. In 2016, he played a ski coach in the film Eddie the Eagle.
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In 2017, Hugh starred as P. T. Barnum in the musical The Greatest Showman. He was nominated for a Golden Globe for this film. The movie's soundtrack also won him a Grammy Award. In 2019, he voiced a character in the animated film Missing Link.
Concert tour and new projects
In 2019, Hugh Jackman went on his first world tour called The Man. The Music. The Show.. He performed songs from The Greatest Showman: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack and other musicals. The tour had 88 shows across North America, Europe, and Australia.
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He also starred in the comedy-drama Bad Education (2019). Hugh and Laura Dern starred in the film The Son (2022).
He returned to Broadway in a new production of The Music Man. He played Harold Hill from 2021 to 2023. For this role, he received another Tony Award nomination.
Hugh Jackman will play Wolverine again in the movie Deadpool & Wolverine, which was released in July 2024. He said that getting back in shape for Wolverine was hard, especially eating enough food to gain muscle.
Other ventures
Production company
In 2005, Hugh Jackman started a production company called Seed Productions with his assistant John Palermo. His wife, Deborra-Lee Furness, is also involved.
Philanthropy
Hugh Jackman is a strong supporter of microcredit. This is when very small loans are given to people in poor countries to help them start businesses. He supports Muhammad Yunus, who won the Nobel Peace Prize for his work with microcredit.
In 2009, Hugh announced he would donate $100,000 to non-profit organizations. He gave $50,000 to Charity:Water and $50,000 to Operation of Hope. He is also a global advisor for the Global Poverty Project. He and his wife support the Bone Marrow Institute in Australia.
Hugh and fellow actor Daniel Craig raised over $1.5 million for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS in 2009. Hugh continued to support this charity in 2011, raising nearly $1 million more.
He also narrated a documentary about global warming called The Burning Season in 2008. He is an ambassador for World Vision, a charity that helps children and communities.
In 2011, Hugh started his own coffee company called Laughing Man Coffee. He opened two cafes and sells coffee online. All the profits from Laughing Man Coffee go to the Laughing Man Foundation. This foundation helps with education and community projects around the world. Hugh started the company after meeting a fair trade coffee farmer in Ethiopia.
Personal life
Hugh Jackman married Deborra-Lee Furness on 11 April 1996. They met while working on the Australian TV show Correlli. Hugh designed an engagement ring for Deborra-Lee. Their wedding rings had a special Sanskrit message that means "We dedicate our union to a greater source."
Deborra-Lee had two miscarriages, so they decided to adopt two children. Hugh and his family live in New York City. In September 2023, the couple announced that they had separated.
Hugh was raised as a Christian. He meditates every day. He says it helps him stay calm and happy in his busy life. He also helps the David Lynch Foundation teach meditation to people, including those with PTSD.
In 2013, Hugh announced that he had basal-cell carcinoma, a type of skin cancer, removed from his nose. He had more removed in 2014. He has had several procedures to remove skin cancer. He always tells people to wear sunscreen to protect their skin. In 2015, he had to cancel some stage shows because of a vocal cord injury.
Other interests
Hugh Jackman loves sports. In high school, he played rugby union and cricket. He also did high jumping and was on the swimming team. He enjoys basketball and kayaking. He supports the Norwich City F.C. football club in England. In Australia, he supports the Port Adelaide Football Club in Australian Rules Football. He also supports the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles rugby league team. He even sang the Australian national anthem at the 1999 NRL Grand Final.
Hugh is also a multi-instrumentalist. He plays the guitar, piano, and violin. He also does yoga.
Hugh Jackman has been the face of several well-known brands. He is a global ambassador for Montblanc. He is also the brand ambassador for R. M. Williams, a famous Australian clothing company.
Awards and achievements
Hugh Jackman has received many awards for his acting and singing. These include an Emmy Award, a Grammy Award, two Tony Awards (one was a special honorary award), and a Golden Globe Award. He has also been nominated for an Academy Award and a BAFTA Film Award.
In 2001, he was nominated for a Golden Globe for his role in Kate & Leopold. In 2004, he won the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical for his performance in The Boy from Oz on Broadway. The next year, he won an Emmy Award for hosting the Tony Awards.
For his role as Jean Valjean in the 2012 film Les Misérables, he won a Golden Globe. He was also nominated for an Academy Award and a BAFTA. He received his third Golden Globe nomination for playing P.T. Barnum in The Greatest Showman (2017). The soundtrack for this film won him a Grammy Award in 2019. In 2022, he received his fourth Golden Globe nomination for his role in the film The Son.
Hugh received a Special Tony Award in 2012. He was nominated again for the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical in 2022 for his role in The Music Man.
Among his many achievements, Hugh Jackman is one of only four Australians to be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor. He is also one of the few artists to be nominated for all four major American entertainment awards: an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony (EGOT). He has won an Emmy, Grammy, and Tony, meaning he is just an Oscar away from achieving the full EGOT!
Images for kids
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Hugh Jackman's signature
See also
In Spanish: Hugh Jackman para niños
