Jackman was born inSydney, New South Wales, to English parents Grace McNeil (née Greenwood) and Christopher John Jackman (1936 - Sep 5 2021),[2] aCambridge-educated accountant.[3][4] His parents moved to Australia in 1967 as part of the "Ten Pound Poms" immigration scheme.[4] Thus, in addition to hisAustralian citizenship, Jackman holdsBritish citizenship by virtue of being born to UK-born parents.[5][6] One of his paternal great-grandfathers, Nicholas Isidor Bellas, was Greek,[7][8] from theOttoman Empire (now in Greece).[9][10] His parents were devout Christians, having been converted by EvangelistBilly Graham after their marriage.[4] Jackman has four older siblings and was the second of his parents' children to be born in Australia.[11] He also has a younger half-sister, from his mother's remarriage.[12] His parents divorced when he was eight, and Jackman remained in Australia with his father and two brothers, while his mother moved back to England with Jackman's two sisters.[4][13][14] As a child, Jackman liked the outdoors, spending much time at the beach and on camping trips and school holidays all over Australia. He wanted to see the world, saying, "I used to spend nights looking at atlases. I decided I wanted to be a chef on a plane. Because I'd been on a plane and there was food on board, I presumed there was a chef. I thought that would be an ideal job."[15]
After obtaining his BA, Jackman completed the one-year course "The Journey" at theActors' Centre in Sydney.[11] About studying acting full-time, he stated, "It wasn't until I was 22 that I ever thought about my hobby being something I could make a living out of. As a boy, I'd always had an interest in theatre. But the idea at my school was that drama and music were to round out the man. It wasn't what one did for a living. I got over that. I found the courage to stand up and say, 'I want to do it'."[22] After completing "The Journey", he was offered a role on the popular soap operaNeighbours but turned it down[23] to attend theWestern Australian Academy of Performing Arts ofEdith Cowan University in Perth, Western Australia, from which he graduated in 1994.[24]
Jackman has said he "always loved acting but when I started at drama school I was like the dunce of the class. It just wasn't coming right to me. Everyone was cooler, everyone seemed more likely to succeed, everyone seemed more natural at it and in retrospect, I think that is good. I think it is good to come from behind as an actor. I think it is good to go into an audition thinking, 'Man I've got to be at my best to get this gig.'".[25]
Jackman became known outside Australia in 1998, when he played the leading role of Curly in theRoyal National Theatre's acclaimed stage production ofOklahoma!, in London'sWest End.[11] The performance earned him anOlivier Award nomination for Best Actor in a Musical. Jackman said, "I totally felt like it can't get any better than this. On some level that production will be one of the highlights of my career."[26] He also starred in the1999 film version of the same stage musical, which has been screened in many countries.
2000–2004: Breakthrough with Wolverine and theX-Men
Wolverine was tough for Jackman to portray because he had few lines, but much emotion to convey in them. To prepare, he watchedClint Eastwood in theDirty Harry movies andMel Gibson inMad Max 2. "There were guys who had relatively little dialogue, like Wolverine had, but you knew and felt everything. I'm not normally one to copy, but I wanted to see how these guys achieved it."[33] Jackman was adamant about doing his own stunts for the movie. "We worked a lot on the movement style of Wolverine, and I studied some martial arts. I watched a lot ofMike Tyson fights, especially his early fights. There's something about his style, the animal rage, that seemed right for Wolverine. I kept saying to the writers, 'Don't give me long, choreographed fights for the sake of it. Don't make the fights pretty."[34] Jackman also had to get used to wearing Wolverine's claws. He said, "Every day in my living room, I'd just walk around with those claws, to get used to them. I've got scars on one leg, punctures straight through the cheek, on my forehead. I'm a bit clumsy. I'm lucky I didn't tell them that when I auditioned."[15]
Jackman signing autographs forThe Boy from Oz outside Broadway in 2003
At 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m), Jackman stands 11 in (28 cm) taller than Wolverine, who is said in the original comic book to be 5 ft 3 in (1.60 m).[35][36] Hence, the filmmakers were frequently forced to shoot Jackman at unusual angles or only from the waist up to make him appear shorter than he actually is, and his co-stars wore platform soles. Jackman was also required to add a great deal of muscle for the role, and in preparing for the fourth film in the series, he bench-pressed over 136 kg (300 lb).[37]
Jackman starred as Leopold in the 2001 romantic comedy filmKate & Leopold, a role for which he received a Best ActorGolden Globe nomination.[11] Jackman plays aVictorian Englishduke who accidentally time-travels to 21st-century Manhattan, where he meets Kate (Meg Ryan), a cynical advertising executive. In 2001, Jackman also starred in the action/dramaSwordfish withJohn Travolta andHalle Berry. This was the second time Jackman worked with Berry, and the two have worked together thrice more in theX-Men movies. He hosted an episode ofSaturday Night Live in 2001.
In 2002, Jackman sang the role of Billy Bigelow in the musicalCarousel in a special concert performance atCarnegie Hall with theOrchestra of St. Luke's. In 2004, Jackman won theTony Award and theDrama Desk Award for Outstanding Actor in a Musical for his 2003–2004Broadway portrayal of Australian songwriter and performerPeter Allen in the hit musicalThe Boy from Oz, which he also performed in Australia in 2006.[11] In addition, Jackman hosted the Tony Awards in 2003, 2004, and 2005, garnering positive reviews. His hosting of the 2004 Tony Awards earned him anEmmy Award for Outstanding Individual Performer in a Variety, Musical or Comedy program.
After 2003'sX2, Jackman played the title role of monster killerGabriel Van Helsing in the 2004 filmVan Helsing.[11] Jackman and the film were noted in Bruce A. McClelland's bookSlayers and Their Vampires: A Cultural History of Killing the Dead.
Jackman was asked to consider taking on the role ofJames Bond beforeDaniel Craig was chosen to play the character, but turned it down due to other commitments. Speaking to the British Press Association in 2011, Jackman said: "I was about to shoot X-Men 2 and Wolverine had become this thing in my life and I didn't want to be doing two such iconic characters at once."[42]
AlongsideChristian Bale,Michael Caine, andScarlett Johansson, Jackman starred inThe Prestige (2006), a mystery thriller fromChristopher Nolan. Jackman portrayed Robert Angier, anaristocratic magician who builds up a rivalry with contemporary Alfred Borden (Bale) in an attempt to one-up each other in the art of deception. After reading the script, Jackman expressed interest in starring in the film, and Nolan believed that the actor had the qualities of the character.[43] Jackman based his portrayal of Angier on 1950s-era American magicianChanning Pollock.[44]The Prestige was acclaimed and a box-office success.[45][46]
Jackman portrayed three different characters inDarren Aronofsky's science-fiction filmThe Fountain: Tommy Creo, aneuroscientist, who is torn between his wife, Izzi (Rachel Weisz), who is dying of abrain tumor, and his work at trying to cure her; Captain Tomas Creo, a Spanishconquistador in 1532Seville; and a future astronaut, Tom, travelling to a golden nebula in an eco-spacecraft seeking to be reunited with Izzi. Jackman saidThe Fountain was his most difficult film thus far due to the physical and emotional demands of the part.[citation needed]
Jackman also starred inWoody Allen's 2006 filmScoop oppositeScarlett Johansson. That year he also reprised the role of Wolverine inX-Men: The Last Stand. He rounded out 2006 with two animated films:Happy Feet, directed byGeorge Miller, in which he voiced the part of Memphis, anemperor penguin (singing "Heartbreak Hotel"); andFlushed Away, where Jackman supplied the voice of a rat named Roddy who ends up being flushed down a family's toilet into the London sewer system (Jackman's fourth film co-starring withIan McKellen).[citation needed]
Hugh Jackman at the Sydney premiere forReal Steel in September 2011
In 2008, directorBaz Luhrmann cast Jackman to replaceRussell Crowe as the male lead in his much-publicisedepic film,Australia, which co-starredNicole Kidman. The movie was released in late November 2008 in Australia and the U.S. Jackman played a tough, independent cattledrover, who reluctantly helps an English noblewoman in her quest to save both her philandering husband's Australiancattle station and themixed race Aboriginal child she finds there. Of the movie, Jackman said, "This is pretty much one of those roles that had me pinching myself all the way through the shoot. I got to shoot a big-budget, shamelessly old-fashioned romantic epic set against one of the most turbulent times in my native country's history, while, at the same time, celebrating that country's natural beauty, its people, its cultures... I'll die a happy man knowing I've got this film on myCV."[48] That year,People Magazine named Jackman its 2008 "Sexiest Man Alive".[49]
Jackman had a one-man show at theCurran Theatre in San Francisco from 3–15 May 2011.[51] The production was a mixture of his favourite Broadway and Hollywood musical numbers, backed by a 17-piece orchestra, from shows includingOklahoma! andThe Boy from Oz. The show had a run-time of approximately 100 minutes, and also included slide shows of Jackman's youth, family, and work, as well as some one-on-one interaction with the audience. Jackman was backed by fellow musical theatre veteransMerle Dandridge andAngel Reda.[52][53] He later returned to Broadway in a new show,Hugh Jackman: Back on Broadway at theBroadhurst Theatre, which began performances on 25 October 2011 and concluded on 1 January 2012.[54]
2012–2018: Awards success, retiring Wolverine and film musicals
Jackman had an uncredited cameo as Wolverine in the 2016 filmX-Men: Apocalypse.[68] In 2017, he reprised the character for what was intended to be the final time in the third Wolverine film,Logan.[69] Jackman's performance and the film were critically acclaimed and it is regarded as one of thegreatest superhero films of all-time.[70] For his 17-year spanning long performance as Wolverine, Jackman toppedThe Hollywood Reporter's Greatest Superhero Movie Performances of All Time list.[71] That year, he also starred asP. T. Barnum in the musicalThe Greatest Showman.[72] He received a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy nomination for the film, his third Golden Globe nomination, and also received aGrammy Award forBest Soundtrack Album.[73]
In 2018, he starred as American senatorGary Hart inJason Reitman's political drama filmThe Front Runner, which chronicled the rise of Hart as a Democratic presidential candidate in 1988, and his subsequent fall from grace when media reports surfaced of his extramarital affair. In 2019, he voiced the character Sir Lionel Frost in the animated filmMissing Link.
2019–present: Concert tour,The Music Man and reprising Wolverine
In 2019, Jackman went on his first world tour calledThe Man. The Music. The Show. to perform songs from the album,The Greatest Showman: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack, and Broadway/Hollywood musical numbers.[74] Comprising 88 shows, the tour visits North America, Europe, and Oceania. It began in May 2019, in Glasgow, Scotland and concluded in October 2019, in San Antonio, United States.[75] In the2019 Queen's Birthday Honours, Jackman was appointed aCompanion of the Order of Australia for "eminent service to the performing arts as an acclaimed actor and performer, and to the global community, particularly as an advocate for poverty eradication."[76][77]
He returned to Broadway in a revival ofThe Music Man, playing Harold Hill, which began previews in December 2021 and played from February 2022 to January 2023.[81] For his performance, Jackman received his second nomination for the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical.[82] The revival received mixed reviews but was a success at the box office.[83]
About training to reprise his Wolverine role, Jackman said "I was thrilled. My body was a little sore at the beginning, but I was thrilled that my body was still responding. And I realized how good it is for your brain. But the hardest bit – the food. I have to eat a lot. For me, for my body type, I'm naturally skinny. To get the size on, that's the hardest bit. That's the bit that does my head in."[86]
Other ventures
Production company
In 2005, Jackman joined with longtime assistant John Palermo to form a production company,Seed Productions, whose first project wasViva Laughlin in 2007. Jackman's wifeDeborra-Lee Furness is also involved in the company, and Palermo had three rings made with a "unity" inscription for himself, Furness, and Jackman.[87] Jackman said, "I'm very lucky in the partners I work with in my life, Deb and John Palermo. It really works. We all have different strengths. I love it. It's very exciting."[88]
Philanthropy
Jackman is a longtime proponent ofmicrocredit – the extension of very small loans to prospective entrepreneurs in impoverished countries. He is a vocal supporter ofMuhammad Yunus, microcredit pioneer and the 2006Nobel Peace Prize winner.[89] On 14 April 2009, Jackman posted on his Twitter page that he would donate $100,000 to one individual's favourite non-profit organisation.[90] On 21 April 2009, he revealed his decision to donate $50,000 toCharity:Water and $50,000 toOperation of Hope.[91][92]
Jackman is a global advisor of theGlobal Poverty Project, for which he narrated a documentary.[93] Jackman hosted a preview of the Global Poverty Project Presentation in New York withDonna Karan, Lisa Fox, and his wifeDeborra-Lee Furness.[94] Jackman supports The Art of Elysium[95] and the MPTV Fund Foundation,[96] and he and Furness are patrons of the Bone Marrow Institute in Australia.[97]
In December 2009, during the 21st annual Gypsy of the Year competition, it was announced that Jackman and fellow actorDaniel Craig had raised $1,549,953 forBroadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS from six weeks of curtain appeals at their hit Broadway drama,A Steady Rain.[98] Jackman continued his support of Broadway Cares in 2011, raising nearly $1 million during his run ofHugh Jackman: Back on Broadway.[99]
Jackman also narrated the 2008 documentary about global warming,The Burning Season.[100] He is also aWorld Vision ambassador and participated in the climate week NYC[101] ceremony on 21 September 2009.[102][103]
Jackman launched the Laughing Man Coffee company in 2011. He founded two cafés inLower Manhattan, and also sold the coffee online, before it also became a brand forKeurig. Jackman founded the company after a trip to Ethiopia in 2009 for World Vision, where he met a fair trade coffee farmer named Dukale. All profits from Laughing Man Coffee go to the Laughing Man Foundation, which supports educational programs, community development, and social entrepreneurs around the world.[104][105]
Personal life
Jackman marriedDeborra-Lee Furness on 11 April 1996, at St. John's inToorak, Victoria, a suburb of Melbourne.[106] They met on the set of Australian TV showCorrelli.[107] Jackman personally designed an engagement ring for Furness, and their wedding rings bore theSanskrit inscriptionOm paramar mainamar, translated as 'We dedicate our union to a greater source'.[107] Furness had two miscarriages,[107] after which she and Jackman adopted two children.[108][109][110] Jackman and his family live inNew York City. In September 2023, the couple announced that they had separated.[111][112][113] Furness filed for divorce in May 2025, and it was finalised a month later.[114] As of 2025, he is in a relationship withThe Music Man co-starSutton Foster.[115]
Jackman was raisedChristian, attending multiple revivals during his childhood. In a 2015 interview, he identified as Christian[116] but says his version of faith differs from his father's: "He takes his religion very seriously and would prefer I go to church," "We've had discussions about our separate beliefs. I just find the evangelical church too, well, restrictive."[117] He meditates daily and incorporates teachings from the spiritually eclecticSchool of Practical Philosophy.[16]
In November 2013, Jackman announced he hadbasal-cell carcinoma removed from his nose.[118] He had a second carcinoma removed from his nose in May 2014, tellingAssociated Press that he expects to have future recurrences.[119] This resulted in Jackman attending the various worldwide premieres ofX-Men: Days of Future Past with a bandage on his nose and urging his Instagram followers to wearsunscreen.[120] In April 2023, Jackman shared in a social media update that his biopsy results had all returned negative. He had tests taken as a precaution after his doctor observed symptoms that, according to the doctor, "could be or could not be" basal-cell carcinomas. Jackman has undergone multiple procedures to remove skin cancer. He has continued to stress the significance of wearing high-SPF sunscreen regardless of the season.[121]
On 18 March 2015, Jackman revealed that he had to cancel stage performances in Turkey because he had a leftvocal cordhaemorrhage.[122][123]
Jackman has been a practitioner ofTranscendental Meditation since the age of twenty. He said "Nothing has ever opened my eyes like Transcendental Meditation has. It makes me calm and happy, and, well, it gives me some peace and quiet in what's a pretty chaotic life!". He now helps theDavid Lynch Foundation to "bring meditation to everyone fromPTSD sufferers to inner-city kids".[137][138]
Jackman has been the face of several high-profile brands. He is a global ambassador forMontblanc.[139] He is also the brand ambassador ofR. M. Williams since March 2019.[140]
^"Jackman: I'm an honorary Brit!".BelfastTelegraph.co.uk. 13 January 2013.ISSN0307-1235.Archived from the original on 23 July 2019. Retrieved23 July 2019.The Les Miserables star, who won a Golden Globe for best musical or comedy actor, was born in Sydney to English parents and now counts himself as a Brit, despite living in Australia.
^Χιου Τζάκμαν: "Στις φλέβες μου κυλάει ελληνικό αίμα" [Hugh Jackman: "Greek blood runs in my veins"].Star Channel. 24 May 2014. Archived fromthe original on 9 December 2014. Retrieved9 December 2014.It is true, I have Greek origins. Bellas was the family name two generations back... I feel like I'm part Greek and I am actually by blood.
Harvey Fierstein / Marco Paguia, David Oquendo, Renesito Avich, Gustavo Schartz, Javier Días, Román Diaz, Mauricio Herrera, Jesus Ricardo, Eddie Venegas, Hery Paz, and Leonardo Reyna / Jamie Harrison, Chris Fisher, Gary Beestone, and Edward Pierce (2025)
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