Hugo Weaving facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Hugo Weaving AO
Weaving in 2018
Born	Hugo Wallace Weaving (1960-04-04) 4 April 1960 (age 65) Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria
Nationality	British
Education	National Institute of Dramatic Art (BFA)
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1980–present
Partner(s)	Katrina Greenwood (1984‍–‍present)
Children	2, including Harry Greenwood
Relatives	Samara Weaving (niece)

Hugo Wallace Weaving is a famous British-Australian actor. He was born on April 4, 1960. He has won many awards, including six AACTA Awards in Australia. He has also been recognized as an Honorary Officer of the Order of Australia. Hugo was born in Nigeria when it was a British colony, but he has lived and worked in Australia for most of his life.

Hugo Weaving became well-known for playing Agent Smith in The Matrix movies. He also played Elrond in The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit films. You might also know him as the main character in V for Vendetta or as Red Skull in Captain America: The First Avenger. Besides live-action roles, he has used his voice for characters like Rex the sheepdog in Babe and Megatron in the Transformers movies.

Early Life and Education

Hugo Weaving was born in Ibadan, Nigeria, on April 4, 1960. His parents were English. His mother, Anne Lennard, was a tour guide and teacher. His father, Wallace Weaving, studied earthquakes. His grandmother was Belgian.

When Hugo was one year old, his family moved back to the United Kingdom. They lived in different places there, and also in Melbourne and Sydney in Australia, and Johannesburg in South Africa. They returned to the UK again later.

While in the UK, Hugo went to The Downs School and Queen Elizabeth's Hospital. In 1973, he acted in one of his first plays, The Thwarting of Baron Bolligrew. His family moved back to Australia in 1976. He went to Knox Grammar School in Sydney. In 1981, he finished his studies at the National Institute of Dramatic Art in Sydney.

Acting Career

Early Roles (1984–1998)

Hugo Weaving's first TV role was in the 1984 Australian series Bodyline. He played the English cricket captain, Douglas Jardine. He also appeared in other Australian TV shows like The Dirtwater Dynasty and Bangkok Hilton with Nicole Kidman.

In 1991, Hugo won an award for "Best Actor" for his role in the film Proof, where he played a blind photographer. He also played a drag queen named Mitzi Del Bra in the 1994 movie The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert. He lent his voice to Rex the sheepdog in the popular family film Babe (1995) and its sequel Babe: Pig in the City (1998). In 1998, he won another "Best Actor" award for his role in The Interview.

International Fame (1999–2010)

Hugo Weaving became famous around the world when he played the villainous Agent Smith in the 1999 film The Matrix. He played this role again in the sequels, The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions, both released in 2003.

Hugo Weaving at The Matrix Revolutions premiere in 2003

He also gained a lot of praise for his role as the half-elf lord Elrond in Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings movies, which came out between 2001 and 2003. In 2005, Hugo played the main character, V, in the film V for Vendetta. This movie was written by the Wachowskis, who also created The Matrix.

Hugo Weaving also voiced Megatron in the 2007 live-action Transformers movie. He continued to voice Megatron in the sequels. He has said that he didn't know much about the Transformers movies when he took the role, but he did it because the director asked him.

Hugo Weaving at The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King premiere in 2003

In 2009, Hugo starred in a play called God of Carnage in Melbourne. He also returned to the stage in 2010 in Uncle Vanya with Cate Blanchett. In 2010, he played a role in the film Oranges and Sunshine, which was about British children who were sent to Australia in the 1950s. He also voiced two owls, Noctus and Grimble, in the animated film Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole.

In 2010, Marvel Studios confirmed that Hugo Weaving would play the villain Red Skull in the superhero movie Captain America: The First Avenger. He finished filming his part in September 2010. He has mentioned that he prefers not to do too many "blockbuster" films and likes to try different kinds of roles.

Recent Work (2011–present)

Hugo Weaving at Sydney Film Festival in 2013

In 2011, Hugo Weaving returned to New Zealand to play Elrond again in Peter Jackson's The Hobbit movies, which are prequels to The Lord of the Rings. He was also part of the cast for the movie Cloud Atlas, which came out in 2012.

In 2012, Hugo focused more on his theater work. He starred in a new play called Les Liaisons Dangereuses in Sydney. He also performed in Uncle Vanya in New York City with Cate Blanchett.

He appeared in several Australian films in 2012, including the thriller Mystery Road, the prison drama Healing, and a segment of the film The Turning. In 2013, he starred in the play Waiting For Godot with Richard Roxburgh.

In 2013, Hugo Weaving briefly played Agent Smith again for a General Electric TV commercial. From July to September 2014, he played the main role in the Sydney Theatre Company's production of Macbeth. His performance was highly praised.

In 2015, he joined the cast of the film Jasper Jones. In 2018, he starred as Thaddeus Valentine in Mortal Engines and appeared in the TV series Patrick Melrose with Benedict Cumberbatch.

In 2020, Hugo starred in the play The Visit. Since 2021, he has been starring as Glen Mathieson in the Australian TV series Love Me. In 2024, he played Frank Harkness in season 4 of Slow Horses.

Other Activities

Since 2004, Hugo Weaving has been an ambassador for Voiceless, an Australian group that helps protect animals. He supports their work and helps them choose who receives their yearly grants.

As of 2022, Hugo Weaving is on the board of the Adelaide Film Festival.

Personal Life

When Hugo Weaving was 13, he was diagnosed with epilepsy, a health condition. It rarely affected him and stopped when he was in his early 30s. Because of this, he chooses not to drive.

He has been with his partner, Katrina Greenwood, since 1984. They live in Sydney and have two children: Harry Greenwood, who is also an actor, and Holly Greenwood, an artist. Their children use their mother's last name.

Hugo has a brother and a sister. His niece, Samara Weaving, is also an actress who has worked in Australia and America. Both Hugo and Samara appeared in the 2013 Australian film Mystery Road. His younger niece, Morgan Weaving, has also acted on the Australian TV show Home and Away.

Awards

• 1991 – Australian Film Institute Awards, Best Actor in a Lead Role: Proof
• 1998 – Australian Film Institute Awards, Best Actor in a Lead Role: The Interview
• 2005 – Australian Film Institute Awards, Best Actor in a Lead Role: Little Fish
• 2007 – The Constellation Awards, Best Male Performance in a Science Fiction Film: V for Vendetta
• 2011 – Sydney Theatre Award, Best Supporting Actor: Sydney Theatre Company's Uncle Vanya
• 2012 – Helen Hayes Award, Best Supporting Performer: Sydney Theatre Company's Uncle Vanya
• 2018 – Helpmann Award for Best Male Actor in a Play, for Arturo Ui in the Sydney Theatre Company's The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui
• 2018 – Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actor – Series, Miniseries or Television Film: Patrick Melrose
• 2020 – Fargo Film Festival, Best Actor: Hearts and Bones
• 2020 – Honorary Officer of the Order of Australia
• 2024 – AACTA Award for Best Lead Actor in a Television Drama: Love Me
• 2024 – AACTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role: The Rooster

Filmography

Film

Television

Video games

Theatre

See also

In Spanish: Hugo Weaving para niños