Eric Bana was born Eric Banadinovich on August 9, 1968, in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. He is the younger of two brothers. His father, named Ivan Banadinovic, came from Zagreb, Croatia, and worked as a manager for Caterpiller Inc. His mother, named Eleanor Banadinovich, came from a German family and was a hairdresser.

Young Bana grew up in suburban Melbourne. He was popular among his schoolmates for his talent of making comic impressions of his teachers. At that time he was fond of Mel Gibson in Mad Max (1979) and also decided to become an actor. He moved to Sydney; there he studied acting at National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA), and worked odd jobs to support himself. In 1991 he began a career as a stand-up comedian, while working as a barman at Melbourne's Castle Hotel. In 1993 Bana made his television debut on Steve Vizard's Tonight Live talk show, then joined the 'Full Frontal' TV-series. He gained popularity for making impressions of Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sylvester Stallone, Tom Cruse, and Colombo. In 1996 he started his own show titled 'Eric', then launched a comedy series titled 'The Eric Bana Show'. The show was canceled for the lack of substantial audience, however, in 1997, Bana received the Logie Award for "Most Popular Comedian" for his work on 'The Eric Bana Show' (1997).

He made his film debut in 'The Castle' (1997), in a supporting comic role. That same year he was cast to portray Read, the notorious Australian underworld figure. For the role, Bana gained 30 pounds, by eating junk food; he also spent a few days with Read in prison, in order to perfect his mimicry. Bana completely transformed himself into a bald, fat, disturbed criminal. He would arrive on the film set at four in the morning, spending several hours in makeup, being tattooed exactly like Read. Chopper became an international success and won three Australian Film Institute Awards. Bana won the Best Actor at the 2000 Stockholm Film Festival and also the AFI 2000 Best Actor Award. Then he co-starred in Black Hawk Down, then starred in Hulk. In 2002 he was cast as a Trojan Prince Hector in the historical epic Troy, after being recommended by Brad Pitt, who admired Bana for his work in Chopper. In 2005, Bana co-starred with Daniel Craig and Geoffrey Rush in the political drama Munich directed by Steven Spielberg.

In 1995 he began dating Rebecca Gleeson, a publicist and daughter of Australian High Court Chief Justice, Murray Gleeson. The following year he was named "Bachelor of the Year" by Cleo Magazine, and won a trip for two to the United States. He invited Gleeson, and proposed to her during that romantic trip. In 1997 the two were married; their son, Klaus, was born in 1999, their daughter, Sophia, was born in 2002. He currently resides in Melbourne with his wife and their two children. Bana is a passionate supporter of Australian football.
He chose Hulk over several other Marvel Comics movie adaptations that were offered to him. His deal for Hulk includes an option for two sequels, with substantial salary raises for each film. Is the second Australian actor to play a Marvel Comics superhero on the big screen (Hugh Jackman was the first as Wolverine in X-Men). Hates guns. Admitted to eating junk food for four weeks to put on the extra weight needed to play Chopper. He gained 30 pounds for the role. Underwent weight and fight-training for his role as Hector in Troy. Has said that Sam Elliott and Nick Nolte are two of his favorite actors, and got to work with both in Hulk. He made his motorsport debut in 1996's Targa Tasmania, driving that same 1974 Ford Falcon XB Coupe. Other competitions include the 2002 and 2003 Classic Adelaide. After wrapping Hulk, he spent nine months at home with his family. First jobs: Washing cars at a service station, pushing trolleys at Coles New World, barman at Melbourne's Castle Hotel in 1991. Siblings: Anthony (brother, banker) is three years older. In an ironic twist, Mark Brandon Read, who was portrayed by Bana in the movie Chopper, has a small role in the film Trojan Warrior; which he plays a guy named "Erik Bana". This is not to be confused with Troy which also stars Bana and features a Trojan horse. He loves racing both bikes and cars in Australia He had never ridden a horse before Troy, and had to start from scratch without a saddle. Two of his characters previously appeared in television movies starring John Rhys-Davies before Bana came into the roles. Rhys-Davies played Wilson Fisk, A.K.A. The Kingpin, in The Trial of the Incredible Hulk, which starred Bill Bixby as Dr. Banner, a role later played by Bana. Rhys-Davies also played King Priam in Helen of Troy. Priam is the father of Hector, played by Bana in Troy. Has two children with wife Rebecca: Klaus (b. August 1999) and Sophia (b. April 2002). Tall by almost any standards at 6' 3", he is actually medium-sized or small by his family's standards. For instance, his brother stands 6' 8". Prior to Troy, Bana had worked with Orlando Bloom in Black Hawk Down. Had the option of playing several different characters in Troy when he was approached for the project. He chose Hector because he thought Hector "was such a great bloke." Brad Pitt personally requested Bana as a co-star for Troy because he was a huge fan of Chopper. Father-in-law is High Court Chief Justice Murray Gleeson. First car was an old 1974 Ford Falcom XB Coupe, purchased for $1000 at age 15. First job was washing cars at a service station. Supports St. Kilda Australian rules football team. A picture of his wife and child was used in Black Hawk Down for the scene where helicopter pilot Mike Durant is captured by Somalis. The prop department had forgotten to grab a picture of a wife and child for the shot, so they asked Bana's wife, who was traveling with him, if they could use a picture of her and their child for the shot and she agreed. Was the first choice to play Xander Cage in xXx, but turned it down to do The Nugget. Shares a birthday with his Hulk co-star Sam Elliott. When asked in 2005 who his idols are, he named Richard Pryor, Paul Newman and Barry Humphries. No fewer than three of his theatrical films are remakes of, or share the same source material with, a television movie. The Incredible Hulk comic book series was filmed as the television movie and series The Incredible Hulk, and the theatrical film _Hulk (2003)_. Homer's Iliad was filmed as _Helen of Troy_ on television, and the theatrical film Troy. George Jonas's book Vengeance was filmed for television as Sword of Gideon, then remade by Steven Spielberg as Munich. Is of Croatian and German descent, but was born and raised in Melbourne, Australia. His father is originally from Zagreb, Croatia. One of his most admired actors is Rade Serbedzija. His children's names are Klaus and Sophia. Has declined to reprise his role as Bruce Banner/the Hulk in an 'Incredible Hulk' sequel. (July 5, 2006) Invited to join AMPAS in 2006. Began as a stand up comedian. He has no formal acting training.