Eric
Bana (born August 9, 1968 in Melbourne, Australia) is
an Australian actor. He was born Eric Banadinovic to
a German mother and a Croatian father. He originally
dreamed of becoming a car mechanic and tried his hand
in odd jobs, including tending bar, where he also did
stand-up comedy.
Eric Bana began his career as a comedian,
first coming to national attention in Australia the
comedy sketch series Full Frontal. Later, he was the
star and/or anchor for two short-running TV shows;
the TV show Eric (1996), a sketch comedy show that
he wrote, co-produced and starred in, and The Eric
Bana Show Live (1997), a variety show. His most enduring
character from his early career is "Poida",
a typical Aussie male "bogan".
Aside from a small role in the Australian independent-hit
The Castle in which he played a kickboxer, Bana disappeared
from Australia's entertainment screens for several
years, only to make a re-appearance in the gritty
black comedy Chopper in 2000, about the infamous Australian
underworld figure, Mark Brandon Read. Chopper garnered
world-wide attention, and won three Australian Film
Institute awards, including a "Best Actor"
award for Bana.
After this, his international reputation
grew, and he played a supporting role in Ridley Scott's
Black Hawk Down and took the title role in Ang Lee's
2003 movie Hulk He also played prince Hector in the
epic Troy (2004), based on Homer's Iliad. Bana will
next be seen in Curtis Hanson's Lucky You, and was
reported as being one of several actors under consideration
to play James Bond after Pierce Brosnan retires from
the role. The part of James Bond would eventually
go to British actor Daniel Craig. Bana is also starring
in Steven Spielberg's upcoming controversial film
Munich. He has also signed on to star in Romulus,
My Father which is due out in 2006.
Bana is married to Rebecca Gleeson,
a former publicist with the Seven Network (the home
of the TV series "Full Frontal"). Together
they have a son, Klaus and a daughter, Sophia. They
currently reside in Melbourne, Australia. Bana is
a motor racing enthusiast and often races in his home
country
Selected Filmography
Hulk 2 (2007)
Romulus, My Father (2006)
Lucky You (2006)
Munich (2005)
Troy (2004)
Hulk (2003)
Finding Nemo (2003)
The Nugget (2002)
Black Hawk Down (2001)
Something in the Air (TV) (2000-2001)
Chopper (2000)
The Castle (1997)
Eric (TV) (1997)
Full Frontal (TV) (1993)
source from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki
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