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Orlando Bloom
Orlando Bloom 2024.jpg
Bloom in 2024
Born
Orlando Jonathan Blanchard Copeland Bloom

(1977-01-13) 13 January 1977 (age 48)
Canterbury, Kent, England
Education Guildhall School of Music and Drama (BA)
Occupation
  • Actor
Years active 1994–present
Spouse(s)
(m. 2010; div. 2013)
Partner(s) Katy Perry (2016–present)
Children 2

Orlando Bloom (born 13 January 1977) is a famous English actor. He became well-known for playing Legolas in The Lord of the Rings movies (2001–2003). He also played Legolas again in The Hobbit movies (2013–2014).

Orlando Bloom is also famous for his roles in exciting adventure films. He played Will Turner in the Pirates of the Caribbean movies (2003–2007, 2017). Other big roles include Paris in Troy (2004) and Balian de Ibelin in Kingdom of Heaven (2005).

He has acted in many different types of movies. These include the war film Black Hawk Down (2001) and the romantic comedy Elizabethtown (2005). In 2020, he was praised for his role in the war drama The Outpost. He also starred in the TV series Carnival Row (2019–2023).

Besides movies, Orlando Bloom has performed on stage. He made his first professional theater appearance in London in 2007. In 2013, he starred as Romeo in William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet on Broadway. He is also a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, helping children around the world.

Early Life and Education

Orlando Bloom was born in Canterbury, Kent, England, on 13 January 1977. He was named after a composer from the 1500s, Orlando Gibbons. He has an older sister named Samantha.

When he was young, Orlando thought his father was Harry Bloom, who passed away when Orlando was four. Later, at age thirteen, his mother told him that his biological father was actually Colin Stone. Colin Stone was a family friend and became Orlando's legal guardian.

Orlando's mother, Sonia, was born in India. Her family had lived in places like Tasmania, Japan, and India. They were originally from England.

Orlando grew up attending schools in Canterbury. He found out he had dyslexia, which means he learns differently. His mother encouraged him to take art and drama classes. In 1993, he moved to London to study drama, photography, and sculpture. He also joined the National Youth Theatre.

Before going to drama school, he had small TV roles in shows like Casualty and Midsomer Murders. He made his first film appearance in Wilde (1997). After this, he studied acting at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London.

Acting Career Highlights

Orlando Bloom's first movie role was a small part in the 1997 film Wilde. Just two days after finishing drama school in 1999, he got a huge role. He was cast as Legolas in The Lord of the Rings movie series (2001–2003). He had actually tried out for a different role, but the director, Peter Jackson, saw him as Legolas. During filming, he broke a rib but recovered and kept working.

At the same time, he also had a small role in Ridley Scott's war film Black Hawk Down. In 2002, he was named one of the "25 Hottest Stars Under 25" by Teen People magazine. The cast of The Lord of the Rings movies won an award for Best Ensemble Acting in 2003. Orlando has also won other awards, like the European Film Awards and Teen Choice Awards.

Orlando Bloom at Venice Festival
Bloom at the 2005 Venice Film Festival

After The Lord of the Rings, Orlando starred in Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003). He played Will Turner alongside Keira Knightley and Johnny Depp. This movie was a huge success. Next, he played Paris in the 2004 film Troy, with Brad Pitt.

In 2005, he starred in Kingdom of Heaven and Elizabethtown. In 2006, he appeared as himself in the TV show Extras. He played a funny, exaggerated version of himself who was jealous of Johnny Depp.

He returned as Will Turner in the Pirates of the Caribbean sequels: Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006) and Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (2007). Dead Man's Chest was a massive hit, earning over $1 billion worldwide. After these films, Orlando said he was done with the Pirates series for a while.

In 2007, he acted in a play called In Celebration in London. He played one of three brothers returning home for their parents' anniversary. In 2009, he was part of the film New York, I Love You, which was made up of 12 short films.

Orlando-Bloom cinema for peace
Bloom at the 2010 Cinema for Peace gala in Berlin, Germany

In 2011, Orlando Bloom appeared in The Three Musketeers. He also came back as Legolas for the second and third The Hobbit movies. These films were prequels to The Lord of the Rings.

He made his first appearance on Broadway in August 2013. He played Romeo in Romeo and Juliet. A theater critic from The New York Times praised his performance. He said Orlando showed how Romeo changed from a young man in love with love to someone who found real love.

Orlando also made a brief return as Will Turner in the fifth Pirates of the Caribbean film, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, released in 2017. In 2018, he starred in the play Killer Joe.

He is currently starring in the Amazon Prime TV show Carnival Row. In 2020, he joined his Lord of the Rings co-stars for a special online reunion. This event raised money for charities.

In July 2020, Bloom starred in the war film The Outpost. In 2023, he played Danny Moore in Gran Turismo, a sports film based on a true story. In 2024, he starred in and produced the boxing film The Cut. For this role, he lost 35 pounds to look like a boxer preparing for a fight.

Personal Life and Interests

Orlando Bloom 2015 (cropped 2)
Bloom at the 2015 British Fashion Awards

Orlando Bloom tries to live a normal life as much as possible. While filming Kingdom of Heaven in Morocco, he adopted a dog named Sidi. Sidi was a black Saluki mix.

In 2004, he became a member of SGI-UK, which is a Buddhist group. He is also involved with Global Green, an environmental organization. He has made his London home more eco-friendly by using solar panels and recycled materials.

Orlando has been a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador since 2009. He visits schools and villages in different countries to support education and sanitation programs. He has visited Nepal and Ukraine to help children affected by war. In 2023, he met with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

He has had several injuries over the years. He has broken his left arm, cracked his skull three times, and broken his nose playing rugby. He also broke his right leg skiing and his left leg in a motorbike crash. He even broke his back after falling three floors from a friend's house.

UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Orlando Bloom 3
Appointed UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador in 2009, Bloom speaking to a schoolboy in Ukraine in 2016

Orlando has a tattoo of the Elvish word "nine" on his right wrist. This tattoo is a reminder of his role in The Lord of the Rings. Most of the other actors who played the Fellowship of the Ring got the same tattoo.

In 2009, he helped raise money for victims of the Australian bushfires.

Relationships

Orlando Bloom and Katy Perry at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival (cropped)
Bloom and Perry at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival

Orlando Bloom dated American actress Kate Bosworth from 2003 to 2006.

In late 2007, he started dating Australian supermodel Miranda Kerr. They got engaged in June 2010 and married the next month. Their son was born in January 2011. In October 2013, they announced their separation and were divorced by the end of that year.

In 2014, he was in a relationship with French actress Nora Arnezeder.

Orlando Bloom began dating American singer and songwriter Katy Perry in January 2016. They broke up in February 2017 but got back together in February 2018. They became engaged on Valentine's Day in 2019. In March 2020, it was announced they were expecting their first child together. Their daughter was born on 26 August 2020.

Achievements and Recognition

On 13 July 2010, Orlando Bloom received an honorary degree from the University of Kent in his hometown of Canterbury. This was a special recognition for his contributions.

For his work in the film industry, Orlando Bloom received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on 2 April 2014. His star is located at 6927 Hollywood Boulevard.

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Notes
1997 Wilde Rentboy
2001 Black Hawk Down PFC Todd Blackburn
Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, TheThe Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring Legolas
2002 Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, TheThe Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
2003 Ned Kelly Joseph Byrne
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl Will Turner
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King Legolas
2004 Calcium Kid, TheThe Calcium Kid Jimmy "The Calcium Kid" Connelly
Troy Paris
Haven Shy Also co-producer
2005 Kingdom of Heaven Balian de Ibelin
Elizabethtown Drew Baylor
2006 Love and Other Disasters Hollywood Paolo Cameo
The Armenian Genocide Auguste Berneau Documentary
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest Will Turner
2007 Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End
Everest: A Climb for Peace Narrator Documentary
2009 New York, I Love You David Cooler Segment: "Shunji Iwai"
2010 Sympathy for Delicious The Stain
Main Street Harris Parker
2011 The Good Doctor Dr. Martin E. Blake Also executive producer
Fight for Your Right Revisited Johnny Ryall Short film
The Three Musketeers George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham
2013 Zulu Brian Epkeen
The Bling Ring Himself Archived footage
Romeo and Juliet Romeo Theatrical release of the Broadway play he starred in
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug Legolas
2014 The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies
2015 Digging for Fire Ben
2017 Unlocked Jack Alcott
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales Will Turner Cameo
Romans Malky
S.M.A.R.T. Chase Danny Stratton
2020 The Outpost Captain Benjamin D. Keating
2021 Billie Eilish: The World's a Little Blurry Himself Documentary
Needle in a Timestack Tommy Hambleton
2023 Gran Turismo Danny Moore
2024 Red Right Hand Cash
Peppa's Cinema Party Mr. Raccoon Voice role
Wizards! TBA Post-production
The Cut The Boxer

Television

Year Title Role Notes
1994–1996 Casualty Noel Harrison Episodes: "Care in the Community", "Another Day in Paradise", "Made in Britain"
2000 Midsomer Murders Peter Drinkwater Episode: "Judgement Day"
2006 Extras Himself Episode: "Orlando Bloom"
2011 LA Phil Live Romeo Episode: "Dudamel Conducts Tchaikovsky"
2016 Easy Tom Episode: "Utopia"
2017 Tour de Pharmacy Juju Peppi Television film
Stairway to Stardom Himself 3 episodes
2019–2023 Carnival Row Rycroft Philostrate Main role; also executive producer
2021 The Prince Prince Harry (voice) Main role
CBeebies Bedtime Story Himself Reading Littlest Dreamer: A Bedtime Adventure by Suzanne Smith
2024 To The Edge Himself Main role; also executive producer

Theatre

Year Title Playwright Role Venue
2007 In Celebration David Storey Steven Duke of York's Theatre, West End
2013 Romeo and Juliet William Shakespeare Romeo Richard Rodgers Theatre, Broadway
2018 Killer Joe Tracy Letts Joe Cooper Trafalgar Studios 1, West End

Video games

Year Title Voice role Notes
2002 The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers Legolas (voice)
2003 The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King archive sound
2004 The Lord of the Rings: The Third Age
2012 Lego The Lord of the Rings
2014 Lego The Hobbit
2015 Lego Dimensions
2016 Disney Magic Kingdoms Will Turner

Awards and Nominations

Year Award Category Nominee Result
2001 Phoenix Film Critics Society Awards Best Cast The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring Won
Empire Awards Best Debut Won
MTV Movie Awards Best Breakthrough Performance Won
Saturn Awards Face of the Future – Male Nominated
Screen Actors Guild Awards Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture Nominated
Teen Choice Awards Choice Breakout (Male) Nominated
Phoenix Film Critics Society Awards Best Cast Black Hawk Down Nominated
2002 Online Film Critics Society Awards Best Cast The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers Won
Phoenix Film Critics Society Awards Best Cast Won
Screen Actors Guild Awards Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture Nominated
2003 MTV Movie Awards Best Trans-Atlantic Performance Nominated
Australian Film Institute Awards Best Actor in a Supporting Role Ned Kelly Nominated
Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards Best Cast The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King Won
National Board of Review Awards Best Cast Won
Phoenix Film Critics Society Awards Best Cast Won
Screen Actors Guild Awards Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture Won
Empire Awards Best British Actor Nominated
Teen Choice Awards Choice Movie Actor – Drama/Action Adventure Nominated
Hollywood Film Festival Breakthrough Acting – Male Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl Won
Teen Choice Awards Choice Movie Chemistry Won
Choice Movie Liplock Won
2004 MTV Movie Awards Mexico ... Hero Won
MTV Movie Awards Best On-Screen Team Nominated
2005 Jameson People's Choice Award Best European Actor Kingdom of Heaven Won
Teen Choice Awards Choice Movie Liplock Nominated
2006 Teen Choice Awards Choice Rumble Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest Won
Choice Liplock Won
Choice Actor: Drama/Action Adventure Nominated
2007 Teen Choice Awards Choice Movie Rumble Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End Nominated
National Movie Awards Best Performance by a Male Won
Teen Choice Awards Choice Action Movie Actor Won
Golden Raspberry Awards Worst Supporting Actor Nominated
2014 MTV Movie Awards Best Fight The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug Won
Best On-Screen Transformation Nominated
2015 Britannia Awards Britannia Humanitarian Award Honorary
2017 Teen Choice Awards Choice Liplock (shared with Keira Knightley) Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales Nominated

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Orlando Bloom para niños

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