Profile of the Day: Hugh Jackman

Happy birthday to Hugh Jackman! Today the actor turns 54.

Image: Hugh Jackman / Eva Rinaldi, Flickr (CC BY-SA 2.0)

Jackman was born on October 12, 1968 in Sydney, Australia to Grace McNeil (Greenwood) and Christopher John Jackman. His parents were English and had come to Australia as part of the “Ten Pound Poms” immigration in 1967. Implemented after World War II, the immigration program was an effort to increase the population of Australia. Emigrants were charged only ten pounds sterling to migrate to the country. Jackman’s great grandfather, Nicholas Isidor Bellas, was Greek and born in Constantinople in the Ottoman Empire.

After getting his start on Australian television, Jackman got his big break when he was cast as Wolverine in X-Men. Since then, Jackman has reprised his signature character multiple times throughout the X-Men franchise as well as headlined his own series of Wolverine films. He’s found success in both the big screen and on the stage. He earned a Tony Award for his role in The Boy from Oz and an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor for his portrayal of Jean Valjean in the film Les Misérables.

What’s your favorite Hugh Jackman movie? 

View Hugh Jackman’s Geni Profile