Born in Sydney of English parentage, and the youngest of 5 children, Jackman has a Communications degree with a journalism major from the University of Technology Sydney. After graduating, he pursued drama at the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts, immediately after which he was offered a starring role in the ABC TV prison drama Correlli, opposite his future wife Deborra-Lee Furness. Several TV guest roles followed, as an actor and variety compere. An accomplished singer, Jackman has starred as Gaston in the Australian production of Beauty and the Beast. He appeared as Joe Gillis in the Australian production of Sunset Boulevard. In 1998, he was cast as Curly in the Royal National Theatre's production of Trevor Nunn's Oklahoma. Jackman has made two feature films, the second of which, Erskineville Kings, garnered him an Australian Film Institute nomination for Best Actor in 1999. Recently, he won the part of Logan/Wolverine in the Bryan Singer- directed comic book movie X-Men. In his spare time, Hugh plays piano, golf and guitar and likes to windsurf.
For Sunset Boulevard (as Joe Gillis), he won a Variety Club, a Mo and a Green Room Award as best male actor in a musical. He was nominated for a Laurence Olivier Award in 1998 as Curly in the Royal National Theatre's Oklahoma!. Adopted a son, Oscar Maximillian Jackman, in May 2000 (b. 15 May 2000). Met wife while co-starring in the Australian TV series Correlli. Chosen as one of People magazine's "50 Most Beautiful People in the World" 5 years in a row, 2000-2004. He was one of the presenters at the 2002 Academy Awards, but says he'll think twice about attending again. He says, "I slept for about an hour and I'd have liked a little bit of sushi to come down. There'll be a lot of drunken parties back home and people betting and that's usually what I'm at, so getting up there in a suit and talking for a little bit is kind of bizarre." He sang "People Will Say We're in Love" from "Oklahoma!" with Shirley Jones, when they reprised their respective roles of Curly and Laurie, at the opening of Fox Studios in Sydney. He was a last-minute addition to the X-Men cast. Dougray Scott was originally cast as Wolverine, but Mission: Impossible II required two extra months of shooting. According to the comic books, Wolverine stands 5-feet-3-inches in height. Jackman, who plays Wolverine, stands a whole foot taller than his character. Has starred in four movies with Halle Berry: X-Men, Swordfish, X2, and X-Men: The Last Stand. He was nominated for a 1999 Laurence Olivier Theatre Award for the 1998 season for Best Actor in a Musical for his role in "Oklahoma". Was offered the role of "Captain William Gordon" in The Rising: Ballad of Mangal Pandey. While filming Van Helsing, he accidentally broke an extra's hand. Favorite curse word is "bullshit". Voted one of "The 50 Most Beautiful People in the World" by People magazine [2003] Named Best Actor in a Musical by Drama Desk in New York for his portrayal of Peter Allen in "The Boy From Oz" (April 2004). Won Broadway's 2004 Tony Award as Best Actor (Musical) for his portrayal of Australian singer/songwriter Peter Allen in "The Boy From Oz". Jackman also served as host for the televised ceremony for the American Theatre Wing's annual Antoinette Perry (aka Tony) Awards in 2003, 2004 and 2005. Before attending WAAPA (Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts), he did a year acting program called "The Journey" at the Actors Centre in Sydney His parents separated when he was 8. His mother then moved to England, leaving his father to raise him and his four siblings by himself in Australia. In the X-Men movies, he plays Wolverine; in Van Helsing, he goes after a monster called The Wolfman. He is terribly near-sighted and has extremely blurry vision when he isn't wearing contacts. Even when hosting the Tonys and Saturday Night Live, Jackman memorized almost everything he had to say so he wouldn't have to struggle to read. His favorite food is sushi. Once said in an interview with Jay Leno that he is a fan of the "Friday The 13th" film series, and he became an actor because he wanted to play Jason in one. Favorite word is "panache." Due to his committment to Van Helsing, had to decline the offer to play Frank Castle in The Punisher. Both films ended up receiving a "BOMB" rating from film critic Leonard Maltin. Was listed as a potential nominee on the 2005 Razzie Award nominating ballot. He was listed as a suggestion in the Worst Actor category for his performance in the film Van Helsing. However, he did not receive a nomination. Expressed great fondness for the comic book character Superman. Ironically, Superman is owned by DC Comics, the rival company of Marvel Comics, which owns X-Men and Wolverine. He admitted after X-Men that it was difficult to summon up the rage and darkness necessary for the character of Logan/Wolverine and it took weeks of work with Bryan Singer to find the right tone for the character. After that, however, it was relatively easy for him to play the angry character. Has started his own movie production company, "Seed Productions", with his friend John Palermo. The first films they will be producing with this company are X-Men: The Last Stand and the Wolverine spin-off. Adopted a girl, Ava Eliot Jackman (b. July 10, 2005), in July 2005. Was School Captain during his final year of high school, a school also attended by Australian actors Adam Garcia, Andrew Johnston, Reg Livermore, Hugo Weaving, writer Stuart Beattie and radio host John Laws. His two children have 'play time sessions' with Rupert Murdoch's younger children in New York. Had to take stunt driving classes to prepare for his role in Swordfish. . His stunt double for Van Helsing and X-Men: The Last Stand was Richard Bradshaw, his brother-in-law (sister's husband). He had never seen an episode of Saturday Night Live until he agreed to host the show. The producers sent him tapes of episodes so he could understand the format of the show. He later said that his favorite was the one hosted by Conan O'Brien. Often his wife and, sometimes, members of his family stay with him while he is shooting on location. His mother abandoned the family when he was 8 and moved back to England. His father, an accountant, brought up five children himself. The first 18 months of his life were actually spent with his godparents. Doesn´t smoke in real life. He says he finds it horrible to smoke in movies. Was among the guests at Nicole Kidman's and Keith Urban's wedding Wants to produce and star in a film based on the life of The Incredible Hulk actor Bill Bixby. Frequently gets offered roles based on comic books. He was offered The Punisher, Daredevil, Hulk, Iron Man, "Mr. Fantastic" in Fantastic Four and as "Jonathan Kent" in Superman Returns. He and his wife, Deborra-Lee Furness, suffered through two miscarriages, which they point to as the most difficult point in their lives. Both of their children are adopted. Is left-handed, although often seen doing things right-handed (such as shooting, much like actor Keanu Reeves). Upon meeting Olivia Newton-John (John Travolta introduced the two while he and Jackman were filming "Swordfish"), he confessed to her that under his desk in elementary school, there was a poster with Newton-John on it, and he would kiss the poster every day. He was a last-minute addition to the X-Men (2000) cast. Dougray Scott was originally cast as Wolverine, but Mission: Impossible II (2000) required two extra months of shooting. Has 2 older brothers - Ian and Ralph and two older sisters - Sonya and Zoe. Also has a half sister from his mother's side of the family.