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David Jude Law (born 29 December 1972) is an English film, television, and theatre actor who is best known for his lead roles in 1990s and 2000s films. He began acting with the UK National Youth Music Theatre in 1987, and had his first TV role in 1989. In 1997, his role in the Oscar Wilde biopic Wilde garnered him the Evening Standard British Film Award as "Most Promising Newcomer". Plagued with being called a heartthrob and a Golden Boy, British actor Jude Law managed to develop into a respected actor known for tackling challenging and often flawed characters. Though he struggled a bit early in his career to make a name for himself, Law finally burst onto the scene full force with his Oscar-nominated performance in “The Talented Mr. Ripley” (1999). From there, he was suddenly everywhere onscreen, playing a Russian sniper battling a Nazi sharpshooter during the Battle of Stalingrad in “Enemy at the Gates” (2001), a scarred assassin fond of photography in “Road to Perdition” (2002), and a Confederate soldier presumed dead and struggling to make in home in “Cold Mountain” (2003). Though he was often the subject of tabloid fodder – due in large part to his on-again, off-again relationship with starlet Sienna Miller – Law nonetheless maintained his composure – for the most part – on his way to becoming one of the top draws at the box office. In the late 1990s, Law moved to Hollywood. After starring in films directed by Andrew Niccol, Clint Eastwood, and Sam Mendes, he was nominated for an Academy Award in the 2000s; as Best Supporting Actor for his performance in The Talented Mr. Ripley in 2000, and then again as Best Actor in a Leading Role for Cold Mountain in 2003, both directed by Anthony Minghella. He also won a BAFTA Award for his role in The Talented Mr. Ripley. He is on the Top Ten List from the 2006 A-list of the most bankable movie stars in Hollywood, based on the criteria set out by journalist James Ulmer in his Ulmer Scale. On March 1, 2007, he was honored with the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres conferred by the French government, in recognition of his contribution to World Cinema Arts. He was named a "Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres". In 2009, he will return to the theatre stage to perform the title role in Shakespeare's play Hamlet, under the direction of Kenneth Branagh. Law was born in Lewisham, South London, to teachers Maggie and Peter Law, who named him after both The Beatles song Hey Jude and Thomas Hardy's central character in his novel Jude the Obscure. His parents now run their own drama school in France. Natasha, his sister, is a well-regarded illustrator and artist, living in London. He grew up in Blackheath, a village in the Borough of Lewisham, and he was educated at John Ball Primary School in Blackheath and Kidbrooke School in Kidbrooke, before attending the Alleyn's School in Dulwich. Law was the son of schoolteachers who encouraged their son to act at an early age. When he was 12 years old, Law began performing with the National Youth Music Theatre. A leading role in "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" led to his TV debut in a musical based on Beatrix Potter's "The Tailor of Gloucester" (1990). That same year, Law dropped out of school for the British soap, "Families.” Fourteen months after his debut, Law left the series and returned to the stage, touring Italy as Freddie in "Pygmalion" and making a splash in London in "The Fastest Clock in the Universe.” In 1994, Law made an impression on theatergoers in both London and New York as a young man coping with his suffocating parents in "Les Parents Terrible,” particularly for an extended bathing scene in the second act which required complete nudity. Making enough of an impression, he was the only member of the English production invited to reprise his role on Broadway and was honored with a Tony Award nomination for his effort. He married Sadie Frost on September 2, 1997. He is the father of four children: Finlay Munro (stepson of Law, born September 20, 1990), son Rafferty (born October 6, 1996), daughter Iris (born October 25, 2000) and son Rudy (born September 10, 2002). They divorced on October 29, 2003. On Christmas 2004 he became engaged to Sienna Miller, his co-star in Alfie. On November 12, 2006 Law and Miller announced their breakup. In 1987 Law began acting with the National Youth Music Theatre. He played various roles in the Edinburgh Fringe awarded The Ragged Child, and one of his first major stage roles was as Foxtrot Darling in Philip Ridley's multi-award-winning The Fastest Clock In The Universe. Law went on to appear as Michael in the West End production of Jean Cocteau's tragicomedy Les parents terribles directed by Sean Mathias. He was nominated for an Laurence Olivier Award for Outstanding Newcomer, and he received the Ian Charleson Award for Outstanding Newcomer. Following a title change to Indiscretions, the play was reworked and transferred to Broadway in 1995, where Law acted opposite Kathleen Turner, Roger Rees and Cynthia Nixon. This role earned him a Tony Award nomination and the Theatre World Award. Law's first film role – he played a passive car stealing street kid in "Shopping" (1994) –did little to propel him into the consciousness of American audiences. This set an unfortunate pattern for his early film career throughout much of the 1990s, during which he delivered strong turns in underperforming features. Often touted as the "next big thing,” Law would find himself quickly relegated to the "Who's he?" list after a string of disappointing films. In 1997 alone, he offered three diverse portraits: the spoiled Lord Alfred Douglas in the well-intentioned biopic "Wilde,” an alcoholic paraplegic in "Gattaca" and a bisexual hustler who ends up a murder victim in the based-on-fact "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil.” In each case, the actor brought energy and charisma to the screen, yet each film failed to find much audience support. His losing streak continued with the barely released "Music From Another Room,” with Jude starring as an artist who reconnects with a girl at whose he birth he assisted, and "The Wisdom of Crocodiles" (both 1998; the latter released in the USA in 2000), as a vampire-like predator. While many believed that David Cronenberg's sci-fi thriller "eXistenZ" (1999) might finally catapult Law onto the A-list, it proved too esoteric for mainstream audiences. Law finally caught a break when Anthony Minghella tapped him to play the decadent playboy Dickie Greenleaf who becomes an object of envy to Matt Damon's "The Talented Mr. Ripley.” Law was perfectly cast shading the character with –as Janet Maslin wrote in her New York Times review in December 1999 – "the manic, teasing powers of manipulation that make him ardently courted by every man or woman he knows. During the first half of the film, Dickie is pure eros and adrenaline, a combination not many actors could handle with this much aplomb." In 1989, Law got his first TV role in a movie based on the Beatrix Potter children's book, The Tailor of Gloucester. After minor roles in British television, including a two-year stint in the Granada TV soap opera Families and the leading role in the BFI /Channel 4 short The Crane, Law had his breakthrough with the British crime drama Shopping, which also featured his future wife Sadie Frost. He became more widely known with his performance in the biopic Wilde. Law won the "Most Promising Newcomer" award from the Evening Standard British Film Awards, for his role as Lord Alfred "Bosie" Douglas, the glamorous lover of Stephen Fry's Oscar Wilde. He subsequently moved to Hollywood, where he appeared in several films in different genres. In Andrew Niccol's science fiction film Gattaca, he played the role of a disabled former swimming star living in a eugenics-obsessed dystopia. In Clint Eastwood's Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, he played the role of the ill-fated hustler murdered by an art dealer (played by Kevin Spacey). He also played a mob hitman in Sam Mendes's 1930s period drama Road to Perdition. With talk of an Oscar nomination – which he indeed netted – Law finally seemed truly on the verge of fulfilling the predictions of his becoming a movie star, though he would take his time getting there, cultivating pet projects before stepping up the pace of his soon-to- skyrocket film career. Prior to the release of "Ripley,” he returned to the London stage and earned strong notices in "'Tis Pity She's a Whore," as well as making his directorial debut with a segment of the omnibus TV-movie "Tube Tales" (1999). Along with his wife Sadie Frost – with whom he had starred in "Shopping" – and best mates Johnny Lee Miller, Wean McGregor and Sean Pertwee, Law formed the production company Natural Nylon, with a slate of films in various stages of development. As predicted, Hollywood came looking for him again in 2001 to take on leading role in "Enemy at the Gates." His enigmatic performance soon led to an inspired turn as a gigolo robot in Spielberg's highly anticipated "A.I." From there, Law would soon become a highly coveted talent among Hollywood royalty. In 2002, he had a supporting role as a murderous photographer opposite Tom Hanks in "Road to Perdition,” before coming into his own as a leading man in 2003 when he took over the lead role from Tom Cruise in director Anthony Minghella's "Cold Mountain," opposite Nicole Kidman and Renee Zellweger in the adaptation of Charles Frazer's bestselling Civil War melodrama. Playing Confederate Army deserter Inman, who flees his unit to return to his beloved Ada (Kidman) at Cold Mountain and faces incredible hardship on his long, harrowing journey back, Law was an utterly believable and compelling screen presence. The actor's work was rewarded with a spate of critical recognition, including an Academy Award nomination as Best Actor, as well as a Golden Globe nomination. Of course, his was also subject to some of the prices of fame, which included intense media scrutiny of the gradual, messy breakup of his marriage to Frost. He has been nominated for an Academy Award twice; once as Best Supporting Actor for his performance in The Talented Mr. Ripley in 2000, and then again as Best Actor in a Leading Role for Cold Mountain in 2003, both directed by Anthony Minghella. For the former film, he learned to play saxophone and earned a MTV Movie Award nomination together with Matt Damon and Fiorello for performing the song Tu Vuo' Fa L'Americano by Renato Carosone and Nicola Salerno. He learned ballet dancing for the film Artificial Intelligence: AI (2001). He portrayed the title character in Alfie, the remake of Bill Naughton's 1966 film, playing the role originated by Sir Michael Caine. He took on another of Caine's earlier roles in the 2007 film Sleuth adapted by Nobel Laureate in Literature Harold Pinter, while Caine played the role originated by Sir Laurence Olivier. Law, an admirer of Olivier, used the famous actor's image in the 2004 film Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow. Using computer graphics, footage of the young Olivier was merged into the film, allowing Law to appear to act alongside Olivier. Law's next big-screen entry was the retro-yet-original action-adventure "Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow" (2004) opposite Gwyneth Paltrow and Angelina Jolie, in which he played the titular character, a daring aviator in an Art Deco New York, battling giant robots and searching for missing scientists. "Sky Captain" was the first in a succession of Law-headlined films in that were released in late 2004: He next appeared in the ensemble of writer-director David O. Russell's "existential comedy" "I [Heart] Huckabees" as Jason Schwartzman's rival, an executive climbing the corporate ladder at retail superstore Huckabees, whose seemingly perfect life is explored by a pair of existential detectives. Law had nearly dropped out of the film in favor of a Christopher Nolan project until Russell reportedly ran into Nolan at a Hollywood party, got him in a headlock and demanded he release Law. To the surprise of none, the following day the actor called to discuss his "Huckabees" role with no mention of the incident. Law then took on the titular caddish rogue with a comeuppance coming (originally played by Michael Caine) in a remake of the 1960s British comedy, "Alfie.” – this version, however, attempted to make the womanizing Alfie more palatable by recasting him more as a cuddly commitment-phobic. Despite a valiant effort by Law the movie was ultimately devoid of meaning or relevance – though he did meet his first important post-divorce girlfriend onset, a young up-and-comer, Sienna Miller. Their tempestuous union would make her a star and would soon shed an unfortunate “Alfie”-like light on Law. He next appeared in the Mike Nichols-directed drama "Closer" opposite Julia Roberts, Natalie Portman and Clive Owen as a pair of couples whose relationships become messily intertwined – the performance was Law's best of the busy year. The actor also gave his all when he had a cameo as the suave but debauched Hollywood superstar Errol Flynn in Martin Scorsese's Howard Hughes biopic, "The Aviator." He closed the year as the voice of the title role in the children's fantasy "Lemony Snicket's Unfortunate Series of Events." At the 2005 Oscar ceremony, Law's now notable ubiquitous visage was notoriously skewered by host Chris Rock, who wondered who Law was to get so many roles, prompting über-serious Sean Penn – who was filming "All the King's Men" with the actor – to defend Law's talent from the stage. Later that year more unwanted publicity ensued when Law released a statement apologizing to his then-fiancé, Miller, for having an affair with his children's nanny three months into their seven-month engagement. The British and American tabloids had a field day. The couple attempted to reconcile, but ultimately called it quits – but not for lack of trying. In “All the King’s Men” (2006), Steven Zaillian’s botched rehash of Robert Penn Warren’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, Law joined a promising cast that included Sean Penn, Kate Winslet, Anthony Hopkins, Patricia Clarkson and James Gandolfini. Unfortunately, talent could not make up for bad production all around, as the respected original film turned out to be a laughing stock of a remake that was plagued by bad Southern accents, weak acting and a poorly-conceived script. Law next starred in a more palpable film, “The Holiday” (2006), a romantic comedy centered on two women – one British (Kate Winslet); the other American (Cameron Diaz) – whose torn love lives prompt them to cross the ocean and switches houses for the Christmas holiday. Meanwhile, Law collaborated again with director Anthony Minghella for “Breaking and Entering” (2006), playing a partner at a thriving architecture firm who embarks on a quest of self-discovery and ultimately redemption when he hunts for the burglar that broke into his office – not once, but twice – and stole all his company’s high-tech equipment. In another remake, “Sleuth” (2007), a play by Anthony Shaffer turned into a 1972 film starring Michael Caine and Laurence Olivier, Law played Milo Tindle (Caine’s character in the original film version), a hairdresser being set up by Andrew Wyke, an older, but wealthy society man (Caine assuming the Olivier role) determined to exact revenge on Tindle for stealing his wife. In 2006 he co-starred with Cameron Diaz and Kate Winslet in the romantic comedy The Holiday. In My Blueberry Nights, he appeared with Norah Jones in her first feature film role. In 2009, he will appear opposite Forest Whitaker in the dark sci-fi comedy Repossession Mambo. Law is on the Top Ten List from the 2006 A-list of the most bankable movie stars in Hollywood, following the criteria of James Ulmer in The Ulmer Scale. On March 1, 2007, he was honored with the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres conferred by the French government, in recognition of his contribution to World Cinema Arts. He was named a Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres. In 2009, Law will return to the London stage to portray Prince Hamlet in Shakespeare's play Hamlet, under the direction of Kenneth Branagh, at the Donmar Warehouse. Law will be one of three actors taking the place of the actor Heath Ledger in Terry Gilliam's film The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus. Along with Law, actors Johnny Depp and Colin Farrell will portray the "three separate dimensions in the film." Since 2005, Law has represented British-based men's luxury goods maker Dunhill as an "apparel ambassador" in Asia.[28][29] In 2008, he became the international face and appears in the worldwide spring/summer advertising campaign, apart from TV commercials in North America. In 2002, he directed a Respect for Animals anti-fur cinema commercial. The commercial used music composed by Gary Kemp, and included appearances by pop singer Mel C, Helena Christensen, Sadie Frost, Supergrass's Danny Goffey, Chrissie Hynde, Rhys Ifans, Jude Law, Sir Paul McCartney, Stella McCartney, George Michael and Moby. In 2007, Law recorded a video message for The Big Ask March of the Friends of the Earth /The Big Ask campaign, asking British Government to take action against Climate change. In spring 2007 he filmed a video at Borough Market, South London to support the Tate Modern's The World as a Stage exhibition. The first and only performance, by the Polish artist Pawel Althamer, held at Borough Market on November 30, 2007. "Pawel Althamer, the artist behind the project, is interested in the way real life and the fictional world of cinema intersect. In preparation for Jude's real life performance he commissioned a genuine movie trailer that was shown in cinemas to advertise the event." In 2004, Law launched a campaign to raise £2.5 million towards the Young Vic Theatre's £12.5 million redevelopment project. He is currently Chair of the Young Vic committee and has said that he is proud to help make the Young Vic "a nurturing bed" for young directors. He is an enthusiastic soccer fan and a supporter of the English football club Tottenham Hotspur. In 2006, he joined Robbie Williams in the "Soccer Aid" celebrity football match to benefit UNICEF. Law also does charity work for organizations such as Make Poverty History, the Rhys Daniels Trust, and the WAVE Trauma Centre. He supports the charity Make-A-Wish Foundation and the Pride of Britain Awards. He is the chair of the Music For Tomorrow Foundation, to help rebuild Katrina-devastated New Orleans. In 2006, he starred in an anthology of Samuel Beckett readings and performances directed by Oscar-winning director Anthony Minghella. With the Beckett Gala Evening at the Reading Town Hall more than £22,000 was donated for the Macmillan Cancer Support. Also in 2006, Frost and Law directed a Shakespeare play in a South African orphanage. He traveled to Durban, South Africa, with Frost and their children in order to help children who have lost their parents to AIDS. In July 2007, as patron of the charity, he helped kick off the month-long tour of the AIDS-themed musical Thula Sizwe, by The Young Zulu Warriors. In July 2007, Law and Jeremy Gilley were in Afghanistan over a period of 10 days to document peace commitments and activities there for an upcoming film and for marking the UN International Day of Peace. Accompanied by UNICEF Representative Catherine Mbengue, they traveled and filmed in treacherous areas of eastern Afghanistan with a film crew, interviewing children, government ministers, community leaders and UN officials. They also filmed at schools and visited various UNICEF-supported programmes inside and outside the capital. These efforts of Peace One Day are coordinated in celebration of the annual International Day of Peace, on September 21. |
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