David Jude Law was born on December 29th, 1972 in London, England to parents Peter and Maggie Law. Peter and Maggie (who were both school teachers) also had another child: Jude's older sister, Natasha. Jude was named after both the Beatle's song "Hey Jude" and the novel Jude the Obscure by Thomas Hardy (he has confirmed both on two different talk shows). By the time he was 12, Jude became very involved in acting with The National Youth Music Theatre. But soon, that wasn't enough to satisfy his acting desires. When Jude was 17, he dropped out of high school completely and devoted himself to acting by joining the cast of the UK soap opera Families in 1990.
In the Spotlight...
After being exposed to the world of show business, Jude soon started landing parts on stage in plays (Pygmalion, The Fastest Clock in the Universe). Soon to follow these plays came The Snow Orchid, Live Like Pigs, Death of a Salesman, and Ion. And then came the most memorable moment for Jude in his stage career. Cast in the play Les Parents Terribles, Jude needed to perform a scene which required him to take a bath on stage--in the buff.
On His Way...
Jude had now been exposed to television (on shows in the UK as well as in the US), and had experienced life on stage. Now it was time to hit the silver screen. In 1992, Jude made his film debut as the lead in The Crane, a short film made for the British Film Institute. Two years later in 1994, he starred in the critical and box office bomb, Shopping, where he also met his future wife, fellow British actress Sadie Frost. Jude's career in film seemed somewhat bleak at this point, but he bounced right back with his later films I Love You, I Love You Not (1996), Gattaca (1997), Wilde (1997), Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil (1997), and Music From Another Room (1998). Although most of these movies were not blockbusters at the box office, Jude was gradually gaining critical acclaim. After completing a film in 1998 (Final Cut), brought to the silver screen by his very own production company Natural Nylon, he continued his pursuit for challenging roles. Soon, Jude landed a role in David Cronenberg's eXistenZ (1999), co-starring Jennifer Jason Leigh.
Hitting it Big...
Christmas of 1999 rolls around the corner. The newest thriller by director Anthony Minghella hits theaters across the country: The Talented Mr. Ripley. Jude starred as rich playboy Dickie Greenleaf; the object of Tom Ripley's (Matt Damon) obsession. The film hit it big with viewers as well as with the critics. Jude not only received a BAFTA award for his performance, but also nabbed other nominations, including Oscar and Golden Globe nominations for Best Supporting Actor. Although Jude had been a well known actor in the UK well before his performance as Dickie, it was the first time that the US had caught sight of him and started considering him "the next big thing" in Hollywood. But Jude wasn't (and still isn't) concerned in the least about his image in Hollywood and what's to be expected of him in the years to come; he's still in his pursuit of new and challenging roles.
Jude's Life as of Today...
In 2001, Jude carried the war epic Enemy at the Gates, which received mixed reviews and was only a moderate success at the box office. But it didn't stop Jude from continuously being propelled into the spotlight. Later in the summer of 2001, Steven Spielberg's highly anticipated A.I. Artificial Intelligence hit theaters, once again receiving mixed reviews and reactions, but nevertheless, Jude charmed all with his performance as lover robot Gigolo Joe. In July of 2002, Jude starred as press photographer Harlen Maguire who moonlights as a hitman in 1930's Chicago in Sam Mendes' critically acclaimed Road to Perdition, which also starred Hollywood heavyweights Tom Hanks and Paul Newman. Jude's most recent film to date is Cold Mountain, a project that allowed him to collaborate with director Anthony Minghella once again. It opened Christmas Day of 2003 and ended up leading the 61st Annual Golden Globe Awards ceremony with the most nominations (8) than any other film that year, including Best Picture - Drama and Best Actor - Drama for Jude. Unfortunately, Jude did not walk away with the Globe that year --it went to Sean Penn for his performance in Mystic River. However, the accolades did not stop there. The 76th Annual Academy Awards rolled around in February of 2004 and Jude received his second Oscar nomination for his portrayal of the Confederate soldier, Inman. Once again, Jude lost out to Sean Penn.
As for Jude's upcoming projects, he has quite a few on his plate. In fact, a lot more than what is considered usual for him. He's got the starring role in the 1966 remake of Alfie (2004), a small part as Errol Flynn in Martin Scorcese's eagerly anticipated The Aviator (2004), a lead role as Joseph Sullivan in Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow (2004)--a never before attempted sci-fi/action flick that filmed all its actors entirely against a blue-screen, a lead role in the existential comedy I Heart Huckabee's (2004), a lead role in Closer (2004), a drama adapted from the stage with a cast that includes Julia Roberts, Natalie Portman and Clive Owen, and finally a voice-over/narrator type role in Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events starring Jim Carrey and Meryl Streep. There is one other project, however (which is currently in limbo) entitled Tulip Fever. The project is currently tied up in a tax situation with the British government, along with several other British films in production. Its future is uncertain at this point in time. And already lined up for 2005 is Dexterity, which has Jude marked down for a producing credit as well.
You may have noticed that Jude has a lot more time on his hands since he is doing so many films that have release dates all in the same year (this coming from a man who used to do one film a year). It is a fairly good assumption that he has been so busy because of his recent divorce from his wife of 6 years, actress and fashion designer Sadie Frost. It was quite a public break-up and it became a very difficult time for Jude and his family. But he is seemingly on the mend, because it is reported that he is involved in a romantic relationship with his Alfie co-star, 22-year-old Sienna Miller.
With almost eight films in the works and both Golden Globe and Oscar nominations for his stellar and heart-breaking performance in Cold Mountain, Jude is surely on the unyielding rise to super-stardom. Whether or not he wants to play the Hollywood leading man game, however, is an entirely different story altogether.
