Hugo Weaving

Hugo Weaving (born 4.4.1960)

Hugo Weaving is an English-Australian actor, possibly best known for his role as Agent Smith in the Matrix trilogy and for playing Elrond in the Lord of the Rings trilogy.

Hugo Weaving: Childhood

Hugo Weaving was born in Ibadan, Nigeria to Anne and Wallace Weaving. His mother is a tour guide and a former teacher and his father is a seismologist. When Hugo was around a year old, the family moved to England, where they lived in Bedford and Brighton. They later relocated to Melbourne and Sydney in Australia, followed by a move to Johannesburg in South Africa.

Whilst he lived in England, Weaving attended Queen Elizabeth's Hospital boarding school. In 1981, whilst in Australia, he graduated from Australia's National Institute of Dramatic Art.

Hugo Weaving: Acting Career

Hugo Weaving's first major acting role came in 1984, in the Australian TV series Bodyline, playing the English cricket captain Douglas Jardine. He also appeared in the miniseries The Dirtwater Dynasty in 1988. The following year, he starred opposite Nicole Kidman in Bangkok Hilton.

Hugo Weaving won the Best Actor award at the Australian Film Institute, for his performance in the low-budget film Proof, which also featured Russell Crowe.

Two years later, he also played the role of Sir John in the comedy Reckless Kelly.

The first taste of international success for Hugo Weaving came with Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, in 1994. The global hit comedy also starred Guy Pearce and Terence Stamp.

In 1998, Weaving's performance in The Interview earned him the Best Actor award at the Montreal Film Festival. His professional stature grew further with his role in the 1999 blockbuster film The Matrix, starring Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne and Carrie-Ann Moss. The role was reprised in The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions.

Hugo Weaving then also landed a role in Peter Jackson's big-screen adaptation of The Lord of the Rings. Also starring in the films were Sir Ian McKellen, Elijah Wood, Liv Tyler, Orlando Bloom, Sean Bean.

Hugo Weaving then landed the lead in the 2004 film Everything Goes, with Abbie Cornish. The following year, he starred in the independent Australian film, Little Fish, alongside Cate Blanchett. Then, in 2006, Weaving took the title role in V for Vendetta.

When Michael Bay directed the 2007 live-action remake of Transformers, he chose to use Hugo Weaving's voice for the Decepticon leader Megatron, rather than using the original version of the character's voice, created by the actor Frank Welker.

Weaving then went on to star alongside Benicio del Toro in The Wolfman and when filming had finished, he headed home to Australia to take a role in Last Ride, directed by Guillermo del Toro.

In 2010, Hugo Weaving took on another high profile voice role; this time in Legend of the Guardians, a computer-animated fantasy/adventure which also featured the voices of such actors as Anthony LaPaglia, Helen Mirren, Miriam Margoyles and Geoffrey Rush.

Hugo Weaving: Personal Life

At the age of 13, Hugo Weaving was diagnosed with epilepsy.

Weaving is married to Katrina Greenwood and they have two children together, Harry (b. 1989) and Holly (b. 1993).

As the primary ambassador of Australian animal rights charity Voiceless, Hugo Weaving attends events and promotes the charity through interviews.