CAIRO – 12 October 2017: It is the 49th birthday of Hugh Jackman, the rugged Australian actor best known for portraying “X-Men’s” Wolverine amongst other roles. The Wolverine is even known for singing, being a producer, and dancer.
Born in 1968 in Sydney, Australia, Jackman was acting since he was only five years old, starring as a young King Arthur in a play adaptation of Camelot. After graduating from the University of Technology with a degree in communications, Jackman continued to act on stage, starring in musicals and supporting his acting career on the side with various jobs.
His first role on TV came with the 1995 series “Correlli,” a prison-drama that saw Jackman play a dangerous inmate bad boy named Kevin Jones, who arrives at prison beaten into Amnesia. He seeks the help of the prison psychologist, played by his future wife Deborra-Lee Furness, but both of them come under danger from Kevin’s enemies.
Jackman would first receive international attention in 1998, when he played the lead role of Curly in the play “Oklahoma!”
Come 2000 and Jackman would shoot into superstardom with the release of 2000’s “X-Men,” the first in a series of films adapting the popular comic book characters into the big screen. There he played Wolverine, the rugged beastlike man able to grow metallic claws, whose grizzled exterior hid a noble heart.
For his role in the film, Jackman won the Saturn Award for Best Actor in 2001. Now a beloved heartthrob in America, Jackman was enlisted to star in several other roles, including 2001’s “Swordfish,” and the romantic comedy “Kate and Leopold,” which showcased his excellent acting range, making him popular amongst both male and female audiences.
Jackman returned to “X-Men” with 2003’s “X2,” and also debuted in Broadway that same year in the musical "The Boy from Oz," which proved to be a hit amongst American audiences and won Jackman the Tony Award of 2004.
The year 2006 proved to be a busy year for Jackman, starring in “The Fountain,” “The Prestige,” the third installment of “X-men,” “X-Men: The Last Stand,” and a Woody Allen mystery comedy titled "Scoop." He even voice acted for “Happy Feet.”
Come 2008, Jackman would star alongside fellow Australian Nicole Kidman for the epic romantic-drama "Australia." Unfortunately, the film was not much of a critical success as it flopped in the Box Office. Still, Jackman never fell out of the public’s good grace, and was named People Magazine’s "Sexiest Man of the Year."
The next year had Jackman serve as the host for the 2009 Academy Awards, and the popularity of Wolverine as a character ensured he got his own film, “X-Men Origins: Wolverine,” which of course featured Jackman returning to reprise his most famous role. Come 2012, Jackman would combine his love of theatre and the big screen with the movie adaptation of “Les Miserables,” co-starring alongside Anne Hathaway and Russell Crowe. Jackman was nominated for the Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role Oscar and won a Golden Globe award.
Later in 2012, Jackman was awarded with a star at the Hollywood Walk of Fame. He would continue his role as Wolverine in 2013’s “The Wolverine” and in 2014’s “X-Men: Days of Future Past,” and possibly played Wolverine for the last time in 2017’s “Logan.” His upcoming roles include playing P.T. Barnum in the biopic musical “The Greatest Showman,” set for a release in December.
An unstoppable talent, Jackman proves time and time again that he has got something for everyone.
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