Orlando Bloom
Orlando
Bloom became a star and instant heart-throb as elfin warrior Legolas
in the Lord Of The Rings trilogy – not bad for someone who got the
role just 48 hours before finishing his drama degree. "One minute
I'm in school, the next I have my own action figure," says the star,
who cites Christopher Reeve's Superman as his inspiration to act.
"It's awesome."
Named after the 17-century composer Orlando Gibbons - rather than
the Virginia Woolf novel, as is so often reported - Orlando Bloom
was born in Canterbury, England, on January 13, 1977. As a
youngster, Orlando believed South African lawyer and anti-apartheid
activist Harry Bloom was his father. A friend and colleague of
Nelson Mandela, Harry died in 1981 when Orlando was just four years
old. It was later revealed, however, that Colin Stone, a family
friend long-thought to be only Orlando's guardian, was in fact the
actor's father.
Raised by his mother along with elder sister Samantha, he left
Canterbury's St Edmunds school aged 16 to pursue his dream with the
National Youth Theatre. One year after receiving a scholarship to
attend the British American Drama Academy in London in 1995 he
entered the city's Guildhall School of Music and Drama. In 1999, he
graduated – and at the same time scooped a starring role in Peter
Jackson's Lord Of The Rings trilogy.
His career soared following the high-profile part, but Orlando's big
break actually came after his memorable 1997 feature film debut as a
"rent boy" in Wilde, the Oscar Wilde biopic. The part was only one
line, but his on-screen charisma drew a flurry of film and TV
offers. However, the aspiring actor had other plans. "I wasn't
influenced," he says. "I always planned to go to drama school. I
suppose I could have trained in the industry more; but, instead, I
chose an environment that would be more conducive to experimenting."
Later, during the filming of Lord Of The Rings the self-described
"adrenalin junkie" would do some experimenting of his own, using his
spare time to learn surfing, skydiving, white-water rafting and
bungee jumping. He also courted danger on-set, cracking a rib during
a stunt on horseback. However, the injury wasn't exactly a new
experience; he's also broken his back, ribs, nose, both legs, arm,
wrist, finger and toe, as well as fracturing his skull – three times
– in past incidents. "I'm rather accident-prone, I have to admit,"
he says in an understatement.
Superman aside, Orlando confesses to "getting into acting 'cos of
the women" – the screen hunk has been linked with celebs such as
Jemma Kidd and Christina Ricci – and freely admits to being a
romantic. "I once flew to Dubai just to hang out with a girl," he
recalls. "Another time I had a crush on this girl and sent her an
airline ticket from Ireland to London so she could come and visit
me." The tale comes to an unsurprising conclusion. "She came," he
says.
After Lord Of The Rings wrapped, Orlando moved on to 2003's big
budget flick Pirates Of The Caribbean also featuring Johnny Depp,
Ned Kelly with Geoffrey Rush and Troy, in which he stars alongside
Brad Pitt and Peter O´Toole. And with so much work in the pipeline,
the handsome daredevil likes to take it a bit more easy these days
when he's away from the set. "When I'm not working, I prefer to sit
and do nothing," he says. "Go to a beach, go for a walk. The simple
things have suddenly become more enjoyable."
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