Hugh Jackman, Wolverine, Pictures, Bio, Fan Sites, Wallpaper

MAIN Art & ... Pop Culture Actors Hugh Jackman

Born October 12, 1968 in Sydney, Australia, Jackman was born the youngest of five children to parents who had moved from the U.K. to Australia before his birth.

The future actor, singer, showman and film heartthrob - best known for his film role as Wolverine in X-Men, and a bravura performance on Broadway in The Boy from Oz - was a naturally gifted performer who would persue an acting career throughout his younger years, though he later majored in journalism at the the University of Technology, Sydney.

Soon after graduation, his dream of a show business career continued to tug at Jackman, who decided to return to acting and enrolled at the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts. Graduating in 1994, at age 20 Jackman had his first leading role in the Australian television prison drama, Corelli in 1995, where he met his future wife, actress Deborra-Lee Furness.

Minor film roles followed, including stage work as Gaston in the Australian production of Beauty and the Beast and as Curly in the London production of Oklahoma! demonstrating his talent as a singer as well as an actor.

The actor's big break finally came in 2000 when he was a last-minute addition to X-Men, the hit action movie based on Marvel Comic series, as the hero Wolverine. His Hollywood career was launched, leading to starring roles in Someone Like You opposite Ashley Judd, as a computer hacker in Swordfish alongside John Travolta and Halle Berry, and as a 19th century duke transported to 21st century New York in the romantic comedy, Kate & Leopold, opposite Meg Ryan.

X-Men Origins: Wolverine Movie Teaser Trailer

In 2003, Jackman became Broadway's biggest star with his Tony award-winning performance as Australian singer Peter Allen in The Boy from Oz. He also has appeared on the silver screen to lukewarm reviews in the lead role of the vampire hunter, Van Helsing.

His national U.S. appearance on American television as host at the annual 2005 Tony Awards in New York garnered the actor an Emmy Award for Best Individual Performance in 2005.

The actor has also appeared on the silver screen in a reprise of his Wolverine role opposite Halle Berry in X-Men 3 and alongside Scarlet Johansson in Woody Allen's Scoop.

In 2007, Jackman began his first foray into American television co-starring with Ripley Holden and Melanie Griffith in the pilot for Viva Laughlin, a musical version of a popular UK series, Viva Blackpool!. The show met with almost universal disdain by TV critics and was cancelled after a short two-week run.

Next up, the Aussie actor appears in The Tourist starring with Ewan McGregor; in the historical screen drama Australia opposite Nicole Kidman; and in the long-awaited next film in the X-Men franchise, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, slated to open in May 2009.

Inside the Actor's Studio - Hugh Jackman - The Bravo Channel's official site with a brief bio of the actor plus a video clip from his interview with host James Lipton.

Hugh Jackman Multimedia - Extensive collection of images viewable online plus downloadable movie trailers, audio and video clips, wallpapers, screensavers, plus brief bio, filmography, related links, news and updates, and a very active message board.

All About Hugh Jackman - Major fan site featuring news, bio, quotes, fan surveys and picture galleries chronicling his career in such roles as Van Helsing, X-Men, The Boy from Oz, Oklahoma! and others, plus family photos, magazine scans, public appearances and miscellaneous images.

Jackman's Landing - More fan adulation with the latest news, rumors and career gossip, wallpapers, audio files, and extensive photo galleries depicting Jackman's film, TV and stage appearances, along with screen caps, magazine scans and candid shots.