Biography

With his dark brown hair, souul dark eyes and chiseled cheekbones, actor Orlando Bloom may at first seem an odd choice to play the Elven warrior Legolas in Peter Jackson's adaptation of the J.R.R. Tolkein classic "The Lord of the Rings." Wearing a blond wig and appropriately costumed, though, he cut a dashing and charismatic figure. Born and raised in Canterbury, England, Bloom joined the National Youth Theatre at age 16 and spent two years honing his aft before winning a scholarship to London's British American Drama Academy. He went on to make his film debut as an attractive rent boy in "Wilde" (1997), the biopic of Irish playwright Oscar Wilde before furthering his training at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama.

Shortly after his 1999 graduation, Bloom was cast in the star-making part of Legolas in the Tolkein trilogy that was filmed over a two-year period (1999-2000). Rolled out over three consecutive years, the films, "Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring" (2001), "Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers" (2002) and "Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King" (2003), solidified the young actor's standing as a rising talent. For his first follow-up part, he was seen in the ensemble of the Jerry Bruckheimer-produced, Ridley Scott-directed war drama "Black Hawk Down" (2001). Bloom further came into his own as a star presence when he starred opposite Johnny Deep in another Bruckheimer effort, 2003's "Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl," loosely based on Disney's beloved theme park ride, playing the romantic, swashbuckling secondary lead Will Turner. Thanks largely to Gore Verbinski's inventive direction and Depp's outrageously inspired performance, the film became a blockbuster hit, and Bloom returned for two sequels filmed back-to-back in 2005. Bloom next took on the role of the legendary warrior Paris in Wogang Petersen's "Troy" (2004), the film adaptation of Homer's epic poem.

Bloom next appeared in the little-seen Australian western, "Ned Kelly" (2004), in which he played the best friend of an outlaw (Heath Ledger) who goes on the lam after killing three police officers sent to arrest him on trumped up charges. Despite Bloom, Ledger and Naomi Watts in the cast, "Ned Kelly" failed to ack six figures at the box office, let alone seven. The following year, he appeared in the epic historical drama, "Kingdom of Heaven" (2005), which took place in the relative calm between the 2nd and 3rd Crusades of the 12th century. Bloom played a French blacksmith who, while mourning the loss of his wife and questioning his faith, is called upon by his long-lost father (Liam Neeson) to defend Jerusalem from Muslim invaders. Directed by Ridley Scott, the film provoked little outrage for its subject matter despite a post-9/11 world and treated Muslims—usually easy bad guy fodder for Hollywood—with fairness, but failed to draw a wide audience.

Bloom's next project tested his range and his appeal, eschewing the swords, horses and action that had characterized his roles up to that point in favor of character and comedy. As Drew Baylor, the lead in writer-director Cameron Crowe's "Elizabethtown" (2005), Bloom played a failed golden boy who becomes suicidal after the "fiasco" of his failed shoe design, but is forced to deal with the sudden and unexpected death of his father. Traveling to his heretofore unfamiliar hometown of his father to handle the details of his memorial, he rediscovers the intrinsic joys of life through his eccentric family and, particularly, a relentlessly upbeat flight attendant (Kirsten Dunst) who captures his heart. Though the film was a touch uneven and Bloom's character was more reactive than active, the actor equated himse well as a contemporary romantic lead. Bloom next revived the love-torn Will Turner for "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest" (2006), a harrowing, energetic and worthy addition to the swashbuckling franchise. Bloom starred opposite a swaggering—albeit effete—Johnny Depp and a charismatic Keira Knightley in a story that pitted the three against undead pirate Davey Jones—and sometimes themselves—in a quest to find a valued treasure that will allow its possessor to control the undead. "Dead Man's Chest" went on to break several box office records, including biggest single-day gross and biggest opening weekend ever, paving the way for the third installment, "Pirates of the Caribbean 3," which was shot simultaneously with the second.