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Eric Bana Profile |
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Birth Date: August 9, 1968
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Birth Place: Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
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Birth Name: Eric Banadinovich
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Height: 6'3"
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Biography |
Born to a Croatian father and German mother in Melbourne,
Australia, on August 9, 1968, Eric Banadinovich grew up a
performer. Though in childhood and adolescence he never
really realized it could become a career, Eric spent much of
his time outside of school entertaining his family with
jokes and impressions.
bana does comedy
In 1991, Bana was coaxed by friends to finally put his money
where his mouth was and give a go at real comedy. One night,
on one of his days off as a barman at Melbourne's Castle
Hotel, Bana stepped up onstage and did his thing. After a
fairly successful shtick, he realized he could make money
doing what he naturally did best and so, he quit his job and
worked on comedy.
bana in full frontal
Two years working the Australian comedy circuit paid off, as
he took TV execs up on an offer for a steady gig on Full
Frontal, a sketch comedy TV show. Bana stayed with the show
until 1996, when he branched out to do Eric, another comedy
series featuring a slew of popular Australian actors.
Audiences appreciated Bana's humor so much that he was given
his own comedy/talk show in 1997, called The Eric Bana Show
Live. Though the program only lasted eight episodes, it was
clear that Eric was a comedic force.
In fact, he won a Logie (an Australian Television Award) as
the country's Most Popular Comedy Personality.
eric bana in the castle
He continued doing the humor thing in his film debut as Con
Petropoulous in the Australian comedy The Castle, released
in 1997. His career as a stand-up comic was revived
thereafter, as Eric took up live shows, stopping only to
appear infrequently in the Aussie drama All Saints in 1999
and 2000.
bana becomes mark read in chopper
Save for avid fans who had followed his career thus far,
Eric's next appearance, in 2000, seemingly came out of
nowhere. He was cast as Mark Brandon "Chopper" Read, a cult
figure in Australia and an infamous murderer. In the film
Chopper, based on Read's writings, Eric blossomed,
completely transforming himself physically and
psychologically into a bald, fat, disturbed killer.
Worldwide acclaim from critics followed, and a buzz in
Hollywood about a man named Eric Bana began.
eric bana does black hawk down
Eric first set foot onto the international scene later that
year, playing Delta Force operative Norm "Hoot" Gibson in
Ridley Scott's 2001 hit Black Hawk Down. After shooting for
the big-budget film wrapped up in Morocco, Bana flew back to
Australia to star as the lead in the 2002 comedy The Nugget.
To do this relatively small-time film, Bana turned down
millions to play Xander Cage in the action-packed XXX, a
role that later went to Vin Diesel.
bana morphed into the hulk
Certainly, Bana did not regret this decision, as he would
experience his fair share of blockbusters in the future.
First, he did voiceover work for several characters in the
hugely popular 2003 release Finding Nemo (for the film and
video game version).
More notably, he took on the role of Bruce Banner in Ang
Lee's Hulk, a film with a huge budget, which was harshly
criticized by most media types and audiences themselves.
Still, Hulk gave Bana much press and thrust him into the
limelight as tabloids, paparazzi and magazines clamored to
get his picture and an interview.
bana is hector in troy
The role of Hector in Troy -- another blockbuster -- would
follow in 2004. Bana, in part, has Brad Pitt (who starred as
Achilles in the film) to thank for part, as Pitt remembered
the Aussie from Chopper and mentioned his name to director
Wolfgang Peterson.
Eric has two exciting projects on tap for 2005 and 2006, and
certainly shows no signs of letting up. Lucky You puts Eric
in the lead as a poker player determined to win the World
Championship in Las Vegas. The film, set for a late 2005
release, also features Drew Barrymore, Debra Messing and
Robert Duvall.
Bana's second project is the still-unnamed story of the 1972
Munich Olympics hostage taking of Israeli athletes by
Palestinian terrorists -- the film is the brainchild of
director Steven Spielberg.
bana is married with children
When not taking part in yet another Hollywood blockbuster,
Eric, who's been married since 1997, rests at home in
Melbourne with wife Rebecca Gleeson and young children Klaus
and Sophia. To let loose, the adventurous Bana races cars
and motorbikes. |
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Other
Information |
He chose Hulk (2003) over several other Marvel Comics movie
adaptations that were offered to him.
His deal for Hulk (2003) includes an option for two sequels,
with substantial salary raises for each film.
Is the second Australian actor to play a Marvel Comics
superhero on the big screen (Hugh Jackman was the first as
Wolverine in X-Men (2000)).
Hates guns.
Admitted to eating junk food for four weeks to put on the
extra weight needed to play Chopper (2000). He gained 30
pounds for the role.
Underwent weight and fight-training for his role as Hector
in Troy (2004).
Has said that Sam Elliott and Nick Nolte are two of his
favorite actors, and got to work with both in Hulk (2003).
He made his motorsport debut in 1996's Targa Tasmania,
driving that same 1974 Ford Falcon XB Coupe. Other
competitions include the 2002 and 2003 Classic Adelaide.
After wrapping Hulk (2003), he spent nine months at home
with his family.
First jobs: Washing cars at a service station, pushing
trolleys at Coles New World, barman at Melbourne's Castle
Hotel in 1991.
Siblings: Anthony (brother, banker) is three years older.
In an ironic twist, Mark Brandon Read, who was portrayed by
Bana in the movie Chopper (2000), has a small role in the
film Trojan Warrior (2002); which he plays a guy named "Erik
Bana". This is not to be confused with Troy (2004) which
also stars Bana and features a Trojan horse.
He loves racing both bikes and cars in Australia
He had never ridden a horse before Troy (2004), and had to
start from scratch without a saddle.
Two of his characters previously appeared in television
movies starring John Rhys-Davies before Bana came into the
roles. Rhys-Davies played Wilson Fisk, A.K.A. The Kingpin,
in The Trial of the Incredible Hulk (1989) (TV), which
starred Bill Bixby as Dr. Banner, a role later played by
Bana. Rhys-Davies also played King Priam in Helen of Troy
(2003) (TV). Priam is the father of Hector, played by Bana
in Troy (2004).
Has two children with wife Rebecca: Klaus (b. August 1999)
and Sophia (b. April 2002).
Tall by almost any standards at 6' 3", he is actually
medium-sized or small by his family's standards. For
instance, his brother stands 6' 8".
Prior to Troy (2004), Bana had worked with Orlando Bloom in
Black Hawk Down (2001).
Had the option of playing several different characters in
Troy (2004) when he was approached for the project. He chose
Hector because he thought Hector "was such a great bloke."
Brad Pitt personally requested Bana as a co-star for Troy
(2004) because he was a huge fan of Chopper (2000).
Father-in-law is High Court Chief Justice Murray Gleeson.
First car was an old 1974 Ford Falcom XB Coupe, purchased
for $1000 at age 15
First job was washing cars at a service station
Supports St. Kilda Australian rules football team
A picture of his wife and child was used in Black Hawk Down
(2001) for the scene where helicopter pilot Mike Durant is
captured by Somalis. The prop department had forgotten to
grab a picture of a wife and child for the shot, so they
asked Bana's wife, who was traveling with him, if they could
use a picture of her and their child for the shot and she
agreed.
Was the first choice to play Xander Cage in xXx (2002), but
turned it down to do The Nugget (2002).
Shares a birthday with his "The Hulk" co-star Sam Elliott.
Graduated from the National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA)
in Sydney
When asked in 2005 who his idols are, he named Richard
Pryor, Paul Newman and Barry Humphries.
No fewer than three of his theatrical films are remakes of,
or share the same source material with, a television movie.
The Incredible Hulk comic book series was filmed as the
television movie and series The Incredible Hulk, and the
theatrical film Hulk. Homer's Iliad was filmed as Helen of
Troy on television, and the theatrical film Troy. George
Jonas's book Vengeance was filmed for television as Sword of
Gideon, then remade by Steven Spielberg as Munich.
Shares a birthday with Gillian Anderson |
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