"Wolverine": Through The Years With Hugh Jackman

Born October 12, 1968 in Sydney, Australia, Hugh Jackman always had an interest in theatre, but never imagined he would turn his hobby into a career! It wasn't until graduating from the University of Technology in Sydney with a degree in Communications that Hugh would begin to see acting as a potential career path. Deciding to pursue acting professionally, Hugh enrolled in acting courses and it wouldn't take long for the budding star to start his climb! 

Hugh Jackman would start his rise on stage in Australia, eventually making his way to London's West End where he starred in the acclaimed stage production Oklahoma!. While Hugh would make his big break into Hollywood in 2000, he continued to perform on stage and one of his most celebrated performances to date would come in 2003 when he starred in the Broadway production of The Boy from Oz. Winning the Tony Award for Best Actor, Hugh Jackman has proven he is a force to be reckoned with both on stage and on the big screen! 

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Hugh Jackman's big-screen break and the role that would define him for years to come would come in 2000 when he took on the part of "James Howlett" aka "The Wolverine". While the part was originally written for Russell Crowe, Crowe was the one to insist the part should go to Jackman. Jackman would originally receive resistance from his wife about taking on the part, but eventually, Jackman accepted the role and boy are we glad he did! 

While Hugh Jackman would continue to star in the X-Men films throughout the years, he also took on other roles in hit films like The Prestige (2006) and The Fountain (2006). Both films were hugely successful, even though The Fountain would be one of Hugh's toughest roles to date because of both the emotional and physical difficulties of the part! Hugh Jackman was even considered for the part of "James Bond" before it would go to Daniel Craig! 

Perhaps one of Hugh Jackman's lesser-known roles would come in 2011 when he played a retired boxer that starts to train robots to box! While Real Steel sounded a bit ridiculous on paper, Jackman and producers managed to blow critics away with the unexpected complexity and emotion of the film!

2012's film adaptation of musical Les Misérables is one of our favorite Hugh Jackman films that isn't X-Men related! Making use of both his on-screen talent and musical theater background, Hugh Jackman is absolutely thrilling to watch in the role of "Jean Valjean"! The film would earn Hugh his first Academy Award nomination for Best Actor and also win him a Golden Globe! 

Hugh Jackman's role as "Wolverine" was so popular in the X-Men series that over the years "Wolverine" has had its own spin-offs with 2009's X-Men Origins: Wolverine and 2013's The Wolverine. While the former was a disappointment for many fans, the latter made up for it giving "Wolverine" more complexity than just appearing shirtless all the time! 

2013 would also bring another big film for Hugh Jackman, thriller Prisoners. Truly a thriller with its complex characters and intricate plot, Prisoners is Taken on another level! 

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Hugh Jackman has continued to impress critics and audiences in recent years, most notably in 2016 Olympic drama, Eddie the Eagle. Co-starring with Taron Egerton, Hugh Jackman and Egerton's on-screen chemistry helped to make the film a huge success! 

One thing we can't live without are Hugh Jackman musical dramas! With a voice that can melt even the coldest of hearts, Hugh Jackman as showman P.T. Barnum in 2017's The Greatest Showman is a film not to be missed for its spectacular musical ensembles! Critics and audiences alike fell in love with the film and it would win a Grammy Award for Best Soundtrack and earn Hugh a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actor!