Acting is something I love. It's a great craft that I have a lot of respect for. But I don't think it's any greater challenge than teaching 8 year olds or any other career. In my life, I try not to make it more important than it is and I just hope that rubs off on the people around me.
Becoming a father, I think it inevitably changes your perspective of life. I don't get nearly enough sleep. And the simplest things in life are completely satisfying. I find you don't have to do as much, like you don't go on as many outings.
Being on Broadway is the modern equivalent of being a monk. I sleep a lot, eat a lot, and rest a lot.
I have a terrific marriage, but unlike a lot of relationships where they ebb and flow, no matter what happens you fall deeper and deeper in love every day. It's kind of the best thing that can happen to you. It's thrilling.
I have a wife and a son, but the gay rumors have started. I guess it's a sign that I'm moving up the ladder.
I have shocking teeth... I'm being a little facetious-I just went to the dentist the other day, and he looked at my teeth and went, 'Oh, my God, you've got gray teeth.'
I just love making a fool out of myself. I made my living as a clown at kids' parties for about three years.
I'm a big goofball, you know. Don't tell anyone that, but I'm a big goofball. In Australia we call it a dag.
I'm an actor who believes we all have triggers to any stage of emotion. It's not always easy to find but it's still there.
I'm not a kid. You don't get in this business for anonymity. It's not like I have posters of myself on the wall, but at the same time, I'm kind of ready for a little bit of it, but I worry for my little one, and my family - their privacy. That's what I'm more protective of.
It dawned on me that acting was what I wanted to do with my life. Nothing had ever touched my heart like acting did.
My agent said to me five years ago, 'Hugh, I can see one day you... if I had to plan a goal for you, it's for you to have the kind of career that Sinatra had.'
My friends say, 'Man you're going to have kids sleeping on pillowcases with your face on it! You're going to be on toothbrushes and magnets and stuff.' I guess now that I'm a dad, I'm thrilled about that.
My private life is actually pretty dull. I'm incredibly happily married. Mine is a one-story story, so I don't think I'm going to be hounded about my private life.
Now I meet people with full-color Wolverine tattoos on their backs. Thank God I did okay, because I think if I hadn't, they'd spit on me in the street.
Sometimes you have to go places with characters and emotions within yourself you don't want to do, but you have a duty to the story and as a storyteller to do it.
There was a whole display set up of all the X-Men paraphernalia. My wife couldn't resist telling this 5-year-old boy that I was Wolverine. The little kid looked up at me and he was staring at me.
We feel that there are so many kids who need adopting. We thought we'd do it after having a couple of our own, but we just changed our mind.
(On turning down the chance to play Richard Gere's character in the Harvey Weinstein-produced film Chicago) "I thought I was too young for the role. You have some 34-year-old guy up against Catherine Zeta-Jones and Renée Zellweger and it becomes a different movie. At one point, Harvey was telling me they were thinking of Kevin Spacey, and I told him, 'That's exactly right. You should hire him.' Then I was in New York when the movie opened and the queue was around the block. I sat down and thought that I had probably made the biggest mistake. But I still honestly think that it was the right thing to do. I still think I was too young for that part."
Finally something my family can be proud of
Now I meet people with full-color Wolverine tattoos on their backs. Thank God I did okay, because I think if I handn't, they'd spit on me in the street." - on his role of Wolverin
There is something very secretive about the way they cast that role. I've never had an official call asking: 'Are you interested or not', but there's no guy I know who wouldn't want that role - and that includes me. Anyone who says otherwise is lying." [on the now [Nov. 2004] opened spot for the next James Bond
I never read comics as a kid, and when I was slipped the comics under my trailer door, Bryan Singer didn't want us to read them. He was very frightened that we would come out with these 2D characters, and I was amazed at how helpful they were, the images more than the story. The images, and how they capture emotion or an action sequence in just, say, three images - I have to say I used them as inspiration for some of the fighting stances or techniques. The way Wolverine stands and how he looks." - [on Comic books
I didn't do the motion capture work; I didn't do any of that. I don't know if they've used my voice or not, they probably have.. I did a lot of recordings on the first movie for dolls and videogames, so they probably just used the same stuff." - [on Wolverine videogame
People can stick pins in it, put in the freezer. It's far more dangerous than a videogame." - [about his action figures
The character I play is actually only 1.6 meters [5' 3"]. Before I had any kind of acting profile I was encouraged to lie about my height. I was told to say I was about six foot [1.83m] tall. I was worried about it when I first had my audition because pleasing fans of the franchise is important. My height was brought up on the Internet. They didn't think it was right. A lot of people who never met me think I'm very short. Jimmy Marsden (Cyclops), who's only 10cm [4 inches] shorter than me, was put on boxes and platforms in our scenes together. You'll notice that every character in X-men looks taller than me.
I've always felt that if you back down from a fear, the ghost of that fear never goes away. It diminishes people. So I've always said 'yes' to the thing I'm most scared about. The fear of letting myself down -- of saying 'no' to something that I was afraid of and then sitting in my room later going, 'I wish I'd had the guts to say this or that' -- that galvanizes me more than anything.
For Sunset Boulevard (as Joe Gillis), he won a Variety Club, a Mo and a Green Room Award as best male actor in a musical. He was nominated for a Laurence Olivier Award in 1998 as Curly in the Royal National Theatre's Oklahoma!.
Adopted a son, Oscar Maximillian Jackman, in May 2000 (b. 15 May 2000).
Met wife while co-starring in the Australian TV series "Correlli" (1995).
Chosen as one of People magazine's "50 Most Beautiful People in the World" 5 years in a row, 2000-2004.
He was one of the presenters at the 2002 Academy Awards, but says he'll think twice about attending again. He says, "I slept for about an hour and I'd have liked a little bit of sushi to come down. There'll be a lot of drunken parties back home and people betting and that's usually what I'm at, so getting up there in a suit and talking for a little bit is kind of bizarre."
He sang "People Will Say We're in Love" from "Oklahoma!" with Shirley Jones, when they reprised their respective roles of Curly and Laurie, at the opening of Fox Studios in Sydney.
He was a last-minute addition to the X-Men (2000) cast. Dougray Scott was originally cast as Wolverine, but Mission: Impossible II (2000) required two extra months of shooting.
According to the comic books, Wolverine stands 5-feet-3-inches in height. Jackman, who plays Wolverine, stands a whole foot taller than his character.
Has starred in four movies with Halle Berry: X-Men (2000), Swordfish (2001), X2 (2003), and X-Men: The Last Stand (2006).
He was nominated for a 1999 Laurence Olivier Theatre Award for the 1998 season for Best Actor in a Musical for his role in "Oklahoma".
Was offered the role of "Captain William Gordon" in The Rising: Ballad of Mangal Pandey (2005).
While filming Van Helsing (2004), he accidentally broke an extra's hand.
Favorite curse word is "bullshit".
Voted one of "The 50 Most Beautiful People in the World" by People magazine [2003]
Named Best Actor in a Musical by Drama Desk in New York for his portrayal of Peter Allen in "The Boy From Oz" (April 2004).
Won Broadway's 2004 Tony Award as Best Actor (Musical) for his portrayal of Australian singer/songwriter Peter Allen in "The Boy From Oz". Jackman also served as host for the televised ceremony for the American Theatre Wing's annual Antoinette Perry (aka Tony) Awards in 2003, 2004 and 2005.
Before attending WAAPA (Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts), he did a year acting program called "The Journey" at the Actors Centre in Sydney
His parents separated when he was 8. His mother then moved to England, leaving his father to raise him and his four siblings by himself in Australia.
In the X-Men movies, he plays Wolverine; in Van Helsing (2004), he goes after a monster called The Wolfman.
He is terribly near-sighted and has extremely blurry vision when he isn't wearing contacts. Even when hosting the Tonys and "Saturday Night Live" (1975), Jackman memorized almost everything he had to say so he wouldn't have to struggle to read.
His favorite food is sushi.
Once said in an interview with Jay Leno that he is a fan of the "Friday The 13th" film series, and he became an actor because he wanted to play Jason in one.
Favorite word is "panache."
Due to his committment to Van Helsing (2004), had to decline the offer to play Frank Castle in The Punisher (2004). Both films ended up receiving a "BOMB" rating from film critic Leonard Maltin.
Was listed as a potential nominee on the 2005 Razzie Award nominating ballot. He was listed as a suggestion in the Worst Actor category for his performance in the film Van Helsing (2004). However, he did not receive a nomination.
Expressed great fondness for the comic book character Superman. Ironically, Superman is owned by DC Comics, the rival company of Marvel Comics, which owns X-Men and Wolverine.
He admitted after X-Men (2000) that it was difficult to summon up the rage and darkness necessary for the character of Logan/Wolverine and it took weeks of work with Bryan Singer to find the right tone for the character. After that, however, it was relatively easy for him to play the angry character.
Has started his own movie production company, "Seed Productions", with his friend John Palermo. The first films they will be producing with this company are X-Men: The Last Stand (2006) and the Wolverine spin-off.
Adopted a girl, Ava Eliot Jackman (b. July 10, 2005), in July 2005.
Was School Captain during his final year of high school, a school also attended by Australian actors Adam Garcia, Andrew Johnston, Reg Livermore, Hugo Weaving, writer Stuart Beattie and radio host John Laws.
His two children have 'play time sessions' with Rupert Murdoch's younger children in New York.
Had to take stunt driving classes to prepare for his role in Swordfish (2001). .
His stunt double for Van Helsing (2004) and X-Men: The Last Stand (2006) was Richard Bradshaw, his brother-in-law (sister's husband).
He had never seen an episode of "Saturday Night Live" (1975) until he agreed to host the show. The producers sent him tapes of episodes so he could understand the format of the show. He later said that his favorite was the one hosted by Conan O'Brien.
Often his wife and, sometimes, members of his family stay with him while he is shooting on location.
His mother abandoned the family when he was 8 and moved back to England. His father, an accountant, brought up five children himself. The first 18 months of his life were actually spent with his godparents.
Fluent in German.
Doesn?t smoke in real life. He says he finds it horrible to smoke in movies.
Was among the guests at Nicole Kidman's and Keith Urban's wedding
Wants to produce and star in a film based on the life of "The Incredible Hulk" (1978) actor Bill Bixby.
Frequently gets offered roles based on comic books. He was offered The Punisher (2004), Daredevil (2003), Hulk (2003), Iron Man (2008), "Mr. Fantastic" in Fantastic Four (2005) and as "Jonathan Kent" in Superman Returns (2006).
He and his wife, Deborra-Lee Furness, suffered through two miscarriages, which they point to as the most difficult point in their lives. Both of their children are adopted.
Is left-handed, although often seen doing things right-handed (such as shooting, much like actor Keanu Reeves).
Upon meeting Olivia Newton-John (John Travolta introduced the two while he and Jackman were filming "Swordfish"), he confessed to her that under his desk in elementary school, there was a poster with Newton-John on it, and he would kiss the poster every day.
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