Star Facts
- Orlando’s first acting job was in an episode of Casualty
- He is named after the 16th century composer Orlando Gibbons
- Orlando is a practicing Buddhist
- Accident-prone, he has to date broken his back, ribs, nose, arm, finger, and both of his legs
Orlando Jonathan Blanchard Bloom Quotes
“Elves are cool, man”
Biography:
Perennial costume epic star Phwoooaar-lando Bloom has done a phenomenal amount of theatre training, studying drama at Hampstead Fine Arts College, the British American Drama Academy, National Isa Youth Theatre and the Guildhall School of Music and Drama.
Before Orlando hit the big time he starred on the telly, popping up in Casualty and Midsomer Murders! His breakthrough role was also his film debut, playing opposite national treasure Stephen Fry in the hit Oscar Wilde biopic Wilde in 1997.
Spotted in a theatre school play by Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson, Peter invited Orlando to audition for the role of elf-prince Legolas. Orlando successfully won the role, just two days after he graduated from acting school in 1999! Talk about a lucky break.
The Lord of the Rings franchise catapulted him to superstardom, and after starring in the acclaimed Black Hawk Down, Orlando struck Hollywood gold again, landing the role of Will Turner in the smash hit Pirates of the Caribbean movie franchise.
He’s now become Hollywood’s go-to guy for costume epics and historical fantasies, with starring roles in Kingdom of Heaven and Troy alongside Brad Pitt. As well as The Hobbit, Orlando’s also set to play one of the Three Musketeers in the forthcoming blockbuster.
Now an international heartthrob, Orlando had an on/off relationship with the beautiful Kate Bosworth from 2002 to 2006. He is now married to Aussie supermodel Miranda Kerr, with their son Flynn Christopher Blanchard Copeland born in January 2011.