Orlando Bloom

Orlando Bloom (DOB 13th January 1977) is an English actor who had his break-through role in the early 2000s as the elf-prince Legolas in The Lord of the Rings and blacksmith Will Turner in the Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy of films. Since then he has established himself as a lead in Hollywood films, including Troy, Elizabethtown and Kingdom of Heaven.

He was not academic or athletic as a child, and managed to struggle through school despite his dyslexia. He then joined the National Youth Theatre, spending two seasons there and earning a scholarship to train at the British American Drama Academy.

Bloom began acting professionally with television roles in episodes of hospital drama Casualty and Midsummer Murders, and subsequently made his film debut in Wilde (1997).

Career

Bloom's first appearance on the screen was a small role as a rent boy in the 1997 film Wilde. Starring alongside Stephen Fry, the story of the life and times of Oscar Wilde was the first real break for Bloom.

Two days after graduating from Guildhall in 1999, he was cast in his first major role, playing Legolas in The Lord of the Rings (2001-2003). He had originally tried out for the part of Faramir, who doesn't appear until the second movie but the director, Peter Jackson, cast him as Legolas instead.

The success of the trilogy transformed Bloom from an unknown actor into one of world's best known celebrities.

In 2001 Bloom also appeared in Black Hawk Down, the story of the US Battle of Mogadishu amongst an all star cast including British actors Ewan McGregor, Jason Isaacs and Ioan Gruffudd.

Bloom next starred opposite Keira Knightley and Johnny Depp in highly popular and successful Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, which was a blockbuster hit during the summer of 2003.

After the success of Pirates, Bloom next took to the screen as Paris, the man who effectively started the Trojan War, in the 2004 Spring blockbuster, Troy opposite Brad Pitt and Peter O'Toole.

He subsequently played the lead roles in Kingdom of Heaven and Elizabethtown (both 2005). In 2006, Bloom starred in sequel Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, and the independently made Haven, for which he was executive producer.

As of May 2007 and at the ago of just 30, Orlando Bloom has appeared in four of the top 15 highest grossing films of all time.

Bloom, who had intended to become a stage actor after graduating, had stated that he would like to leave films for a time and instead appear in stage roles.

So during the summer of 2007, he appeared in a London revival of 'In Celebration', a play by David Storey

Coming in 2009, Orlando Bloom will be one of many stars to be in 'New York, I Love You', which contains twelve short films in one, each having a similar romantic theme. Also featuring the likes of John Hurt, Natalie Portman and Christina Ricci, the film is already attracting a lot of interest.

Personal life

In 1998, he fell three stories while trying to reach the roof of terrace of a friend's house, and was told he would not regain the ability to walk. However, he made a recovery and was able to walk out of the hospital on crutches within twelve days.

Bloom had steel plates inserted into his backbone to support it, which have since been removed, except for a single screw.

Bloom has also been a part of Global Green, an environmental company, since the early 2000s. As part of his environmental involvement, he has renovated his London home to use solar panels, incorporate recycled materials, and utilize energy efficient lightbulbs. Bloom has been approached by UNICEF to act as an international ambassador.

Bloom has a tattoo of the Elvish word "nine" on his right wrist, written in the Tengwar script, a reference to his involvement in the Lord of the Rings and the fact that his character was one of the nine members of the Fellowship of the Ring. The other actors of "The Fellowship" (Sean Astin, Sean Bean, Billy Boyd, Ian McKellen, Dominic Monaghan, Viggo Mortensen, and Elijah Wood) got the same tattoo with the exception of John Rhys-Davies whose stunt double got the tattoo instead.

Bloom also has a tattoo of a sun on his lower, left abdomen, which he got at the age of 16 after moving to London.

Bloom is a practising Buddhist.