Jude Law

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Jude Law

Birth name David Jude Heyworth Law
Born December 29, 1972 (age 34)
Flag of United Kingdom Lewisham, London, UK
Spouse(s) Sadie Frost (19972003)
Notable roles Jerome Eugene Morrow in Gattaca
Dickie Greenleaf in
The Talented Mr. Ripley
Harlen Maguire in
Road to Perdition
W. P. Inman in
Cold Mountain
Dan in
Closer
Academy Awards
Nominated for Best Actor:
2004 Cold Mountain
Nominated for Best Supporting Actor:
1999 The Talented Mr. Ripley
BAFTA Awards
Best Actor in a Supporting Role
1999 The Talented Mr. Ripley

David Jude Heyworth Law (born December 29, 1972) is an Academy Award nominated English actor.

Contents

Law was born in Lewisham, South London, England to teachers Peter and Maggie Law, who run a drama school in France. His sister Natasha is a well regarded illustrator and artist. He was educated at John Ball Primary School in Blackheath and Kidbrooke School in Kidbrooke then Alleyn's School in Dulwich. He started acting with the National Youth Music Theatre at the age of 12 and, at 17, he dropped out of school completely. He trained at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, in 1992 he began his stage career.

Law's first major stage role was as Foxtrot Darling, the sexually ambiguous and manipulative teenager in Philip Ridley's The Fastest Clock In The Universe. Law went on to appear as Michael in the West End production of Indiscretions, an imaginative re-working of Jean Cocteau's tragicomedy Les Parents Terribles directed by Sean Mathias, a role he subsequently played on Broadway opposite Kathleen Turner, Roger Rees and Cynthia Nixon. After minor roles in British television, including a two year stint in the Granada TV soap opera Families, Law had his breakthrough with the British ram-raiding drama Shopping which also featured his future wife Sadie Frost. He shot to fame in Britain upon the release of Wilde, in which he played Lord Alfred Douglas, the glamorous lover of Stephen Fry's Oscar Wilde.

Law subsequently moved to Hollywood; his performances include Gattaca, as a frustrated Olympic medalist bound by a wheelchair, in Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil as the ill-fated lover of Kevin Spacey's character, in Road to Perdition as a sadistic hitman in a critically-praised performance. 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 early 2003.

Law's career suffered a major decline during 2004. The remake of Alfie was a box-office flop, earning only about half of its estimated $60 million budget.

Law's career woes dogged him through the rest of the year. Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow, and I ♥ Huckabees were box office failures, even while obtaining modest critical praise. Law was famously the butt of a joke by Chris Rock at the 2005 Academy Awards.

Law is a fan of the graphic novel Watchmen, by Alan Moore, so much so he has a tattoo of the Rorschach character. He has maintained an interest in being involved in a feature film production of the series, especially if it were directed by Darren Aronofsky. He has said that he would most likely play the character Ozymandias. He was, at one point, courted to play either Batman or Superman in Batman Begins, Batman vs. Superman, and/or Superman Returns.

In addition, he was asked by Superman Returns director Bryan Singer to play General Zod, but the character was eliminated from the script.

In 2005, he was one of many actors rumored to be a possible choice to assume the role of James Bond, as MGM decided not to renew Irish actor Pierce Brosnan's contract. Law decided against auditioning for the role, stating that he did not feel he was fit for the part and would prefer to play a villain in the popular franchise. The role would eventually go to fellow Englishman Daniel Craig.

Law married Sadie Frost on September 2, 1997. They have three children together: son Rafferty (born October 6, 1996), daughter Iris (born October 25, 2000) and son Rudy (born September 10, 2002). For a time Frost and Law were central to the so-called 'Primrose Hill set' of young British actors.

They finalized their divorce on October 29, 2003. In 2005, Frost and Law reached a divorce settlement after nearly two years of negotiations. Sadie Frost kept the couple's £2million London house in Primrose Hill, and she received a £4million payment and £15,000 a month, according to reports.

Law became engaged to Sienna Miller, his co-star in Alfie. On July 18, 2005, he issued a public apology to his fiancée for having an affair with his children's nanny. Law and Miller reconciled. Reports from May 29, 2006 stated that Miller and Law were "working things out". On November 12, 2006 Miller and Law made public their relationship was over.

  • A song by the band Brand New is titled "Jude Law and A Semester Abroad".
  • Law is a fan of the legendary English stage and screen actor Sir Laurence Olivier. It was his idea to use archive footage of Olivier (who died in 1989) in Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow so the deceased actor could "play" the film's villain.
  • Jude Law was honored with the César Award (César d'honneur 2007) for his film work on February 24th, 2007.
  • Jude Law was awarded l'Ordre de Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres by the French Government on Thursday, March 1, 2007 in recognition of his contribution to World Cinema Arts.
  • Appears in the remakes Alfie and Sleuth. In both films, he plays a role originally played by Michael Caine. In the latter films, he works with Caine, who this time takes over Laurence Olivier's role.

Year Title Role Notes
1989 The Tailor Of Gloucester (TV) Mayor's Stableboy
1990 Families (TV) Nathan Thompson
1991 The Casebook Of Sherlock Holmes (TV) Joe Barnes
1993 The Marshal (TV) Bruno
1994 The Crane Young Man 1
Shopping Billy
1996 I Love You, I Love You Not Ethan
1997 Bent Stormtrooper
Wilde Lord Alfred "Bosie" Douglas
Gattaca Jerome Eugene Morrow
Midnight In The Garden Of Good & Evil Billy Carl Hanson
1998 Music From Another Room Danny
Final Cut Jude
The Wisdom Of Crocodiles Steven Grlscz
1999 eXistenZ Ted Pikul
Presence Of Mind Secretary (Cameo)
The Talented Mr. Ripley Dickie Greenleaf Nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor
Nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role
Won a BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role
2000 Love, Honour & Obey Jude
2001 Enemy At The Gates Vassili Zaitsev
AI: Artificial Intelligence Gigolo Joe Nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role
2002 Road To Perdition Harlen Maguire
2003 Cold Mountain Inman Nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor
Nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama
Nominated for a BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role
2004 I ♥ Huckabees Brad Stand
Sky Captain & The World Of Tomorrow Sky Captain / Joseph Sullivan
Alfie Alfie
Closer Dan
The Aviator Errol Flynn (Cameo)
Nominated for a SAG award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events Lemony Snicket (Voice / Cameo)
2006 All the King's Men Jack Burden
Breaking & Entering Will Francis
The Holiday Graham
2007 My Blueberry Nights Jeremy
2008 Sleuth Milo Tindle (Filming)

Year Title Role Director Playwright Theatre
1992 The Fastest Clock In The Universe Foxtrot Darling Jo Bonney Philip Ridley Hampstead Theatre
Pygmalion Freddie George Bernard Shaw
1993 The Snow Orchid Blaise Joe Pintauro
Live Like Pigs Col Kate Mitchell John Arden Royal Court Theatre
Death Of A Salesman Happy Matthew Warchus Arthur Miller West Yorkshire Playhouse
1994 Les Parents Terribles Michael Sean Mathias Jean Cocteau National Theatre (Lyttelton)
1995 Indiscretions Michael Sean Mathias Jean Cocteau Broadway (Ethel Barrymore Theatre)
Ion Ion Nicholas Wright Euripides Barbican Arts Centre (The Pit)
1999 'Tis Pity She's A Whore Giovanni David Lan John Ford Young Vic Theatre
2002 Doctor Faustus Doctor Faustus David Lan Christopher Marlowe Young Vic Theatre
2006 Samuel Beckett Gala Evening Excerpts Anthony Minghella Samuel Beckett Reading Town Hall


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