Biography
A stage and screen actor of remarkable versatility, Australia-born Hugh Jackman had the unusual honor of being named one of People magazine's "Sexiest Men Alive," while also maintaining fandom among legions of comic book enthusiasts for portraying famed X-Men character Wolverine. After receiving his start in film and on television in his native Australia, Jackman was catapulted to stardom as the edgy, violence-prone Wolverine in the blockbuster hit "X-Men" (2000), a role he reprised over the course of his career in sequels like "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" (2009) and "X-Men: Days of Future Past" (2014) before closing the books on his performance in the R-rated finale "Logan" (2017). In between, he earned critical acclaim for his performance in the romantic comedy "Kate & Leopold" (2001), played a computer-hacking criminal in the thriller "Swordfish" (2001) and cut down vampires as "Van Helsing" (2004). After starring in Christopher Nolan's "The Prestige" (2006) and Darren Aronofsky's "The Fountain" (2006), Jackman joined fellow Aussies Nicole Kidman and Baz Luhrmann for the romantic epic "Australia" (2008). A veteran of the musical stage, Jackman was a natural fit to serve as host of the Tony Awards and Academy Awards, while also starring in the long-awaited adaptation of "Les Misérables" (2012) and appearing as Blackbeard in the Peter Pan reimagining "Pan" (2015) and P.T. Barnum in the musical drama "The Greatest Showman" (2017). Because of his rugged charm and diversity of talent, Jackman capably alternated between great displays of theatricality and calculated reserve while becoming one of Hollywood's favored leading men.
