Hugh Jackman

Overview

Born
October 12, 1968 · Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Birth name
Hugh Michael Jackman
Height
6′ 2″ (1.88 m)

Biography

Family

Spouse
Children
Parents
Relatives

Trademarks

Ruggedly handsome features
Renown for his persuasive American accent
The role of Wolverine in the live-action X-Men films
Muscular physique
Deep resonant voice

Trivia

Hugh credits his good friend Russell Crowe with catapulting his career into super stardom. After Crowe turned down the lead in X-Men (2000), he personally recommended Jackman to director Bryan Singer for the part.
He is terribly near-sighted and has extremely blurry vision when he isn't wearing contacts. Even when hosting the Tonys and Saturday Night Live (1975), Jackman memorized almost everything he had to say so he wouldn't have to struggle to read.
Started his own movie-production company, Seed Productions, with his friend John Palermo. They produced Deception (2008), X-Men: The Last Stand (2006) and The Greatest Showman (2017).
Frequently gets offered roles based on comic books. He was offered Daredevil (2003), Hulk (2003), Iron Man (2008), Mr. Fantastic in Fantastic Four (2005), and Jonathan Kent in Superman Returns (2006).
He undergoes intense physical training each time he's played Wolverine. When in peak physical condition, he can bench press well more than 300 pounds.

Quotes

On turning down the chance to play Richard Gere's character in the Harvey Weinstein-produced film Chicago (2002): I thought I was too young for the role. You have some 34-year-old guy up against Catherine Zeta-Jones and Renée Zellweger and it becomes a different movie. At one point, Harvey was telling me they were thinking of Kevin Spacey, and Ivtold him, 'That's exactly right. You should hire him.' Then I was in New York when the movie opened and the queue was around the block. I sat down and thought that I had probably made the biggest mistake. But I still honestly think that it was the right thing to do. I still think I was too young for that part.
Finally something my family can be proud of.
Now I meet people with full-color Wolverine tattoos on their backs. Thank God I did okay, because I think if I handn't, they'd spit on me in the street. - on his role of Wolverine.
There is something very secretive about the way they cast that role. I've never had an official call asking: 'Are you interested or not?' but there's no guy I know who wouldn't want that role -- and that includes me. Anyone who says otherwise is lying. [on the now (Nov. 2004) opened spot for the next James Bond]
[on comic books] I never read comics as a kid, and when I was slipped the comics under my trailer door, Bryan Singer didn't want us to read them. He was very frightened that we would come out with these 2-D characters, and I was amazed at how helpful they were, the images more than the story. The images, and how they capture emotion or an action sequence in just, say, three images. I have to say I used them as inspiration for some of the fighting stances or techniques. The way Wolverine stands and how he looks.