Hugh Michael Jackman, who became immortalised due to his portrayal of Wolverine in films, has turned 49 on October 12. The Australian actor, singer and producer was born in 1968.
Though, Jackman’s popularity reached its peak through his near perfect portrayal of Wolverine, a beloved comic book anti-hero, he has also starred in a number of critically acclaimed movies in his career.
Showtime has decided to feature seven of Jackman's notable films, other than the hugely popular X-Men series, to a pay tribute to James Howlett Logan aka the Wolverine on his birthday.
Kate & Leopold (2001)
While Jackman had gained considerable acclaim in his native county by 2001, the American audiences only knew him as the Wolverine. Kate & Leopold, a textbook example of a romantic comedy, was his first opportunity to show his excellence in other genres. Two mismatched lovers cross paths, and transition from loathing one another to falling passionately in love, and encountering all sorts of quirky pitfalls along the way. The movie had Meg Ryan starring opposite to Jackman.
The Prestige (2006)The Prestige adapted Christopher Priest's novel about two 19
th Century magicians in rivalry with each other. Jackman played the showman Robert Angier, while Christian Bale starred as a less successful but more technically skilledmagician Alfred Borden. While Bale earned most of the acclaim in this film, Jackman was incredible in the role of a man who lost everything and looking for revenge. The Prestige is considered one of Christopher Nolan's most critically acclaimed movie.
Scoop (2006)Scoop is an American-British romantic comedy crime film written and directed by Woody Allen. The story of the film revolves around an American journalism student in London who finds a big scoop, and begins an affair with an aristocrat as the film moves forward. The movie did not break any records, but it gained popularity with the fans.
The Fountain (2006)
The Fountain is a memorable collaboration between Jackman and director Darren Aronofsky. The Fountain is a beautiful and tragic drama about a man and a woman linked across time in a seemingly doomed romance. Aronofsky, who also directed The Requiem for a Dream, initially wanted Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett in the lead roles for this big budget science fiction, but Pitt's withdrawal and cost overruns led Warner Brothers to shut down his production. The director rewrote the script to be sparser, and was able to resurrect the film with a lower budget with Hugh Jackman and Rachel Weisz in the lead roles.
Les Misérables (2012)Director Tom Hooper based the film specifically on Claude-Michel Schonberg and Alain Boublil's stage musical of Victor Hugo's famous novel. The actors had to perform their musical numbers while filming rather than dubbing them later. So, the film has a raw quality to it, which is rarely seen in movie musicals. Jackman expertly handled the role of Jean Valjean and we came to know about his pretty swell singing voice.
Prisoners (2013)The drama centres around two small-town families whose pleasant Thanksgiving gets turned into a nightmare, when their daughters go missing. Jackman plays Keller Dover, a simple, honest carpenter who takes matters into his own hands. Jake Gyllenhaal plays Detective Loki, the officer in charge of the investigation. Jackman has been highly praised for his performance in this movie.
Eddie The Eagle (2016)It is a biographical sports comedy-drama film directed by Dexter Fletcher. The movie is about life of Eddie Edwards, the notoriously tenacious British underdog ski jumper who charmed the world at the 1988 Winter Olympics. Jackman did not play the lead but he most certainly left a mark with his performance as Bronson Peary.
While Jackman had gained considerable acclaim in his native county by 2001, the American audiences only knew him as the Wolverine. Kate & Leopold, a textbook example of a romantic comedy, was his first opportunity to show his excellence in other genres. Two mismatched lovers cross paths, and transition from loathing one another to falling passionately in love, and encountering all sorts of quirky pitfalls along the way. The movie had Meg Ryan starring opposite to Jackman. The Prestige (2006)The Prestige adapted Christopher Priest's novel about two 19th Century magicians in rivalry with each other. Jackman played the showman Robert Angier, while Christian Bale starred as a less successful but more technically skilledmagician Alfred Borden. While Bale earned most of the acclaim in this film, Jackman was incredible in the role of a man who lost everything and looking for revenge. The Prestige is considered one of Christopher Nolan's most critically acclaimed movie. Scoop (2006)Scoop is an American-British romantic comedy crime film written and directed by Woody Allen. The story of the film revolves around an American journalism student in London who finds a big scoop, and begins an affair with an aristocrat as the film moves forward. The movie did not break any records, but it gained popularity with the fans.The Fountain (2006)
The Fountain is a memorable collaboration between Jackman and director Darren Aronofsky. The Fountain is a beautiful and tragic drama about a man and a woman linked across time in a seemingly doomed romance. Aronofsky, who also directed The Requiem for a Dream, initially wanted Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett in the lead roles for this big budget science fiction, but Pitt's withdrawal and cost overruns led Warner Brothers to shut down his production. The director rewrote the script to be sparser, and was able to resurrect the film with a lower budget with Hugh Jackman and Rachel Weisz in the lead roles.Les Misérables (2012)Director Tom Hooper based the film specifically on Claude-Michel Schonberg and Alain Boublil's stage musical of Victor Hugo's famous novel. The actors had to perform their musical numbers while filming rather than dubbing them later. So, the film has a raw quality to it, which is rarely seen in movie musicals. Jackman expertly handled the role of Jean Valjean and we came to know about his pretty swell singing voice.
Prisoners (2013)The drama centres around two small-town families whose pleasant Thanksgiving gets turned into a nightmare, when their daughters go missing. Jackman plays Keller Dover, a simple, honest carpenter who takes matters into his own hands. Jake Gyllenhaal plays Detective Loki, the officer in charge of the investigation. Jackman has been highly praised for his performance in this movie.Eddie The Eagle (2016)It is a biographical sports comedy-drama film directed by Dexter Fletcher. The movie is about life of Eddie Edwards, the notoriously tenacious British underdog ski jumper who charmed the world at the 1988 Winter Olympics. Jackman did not play the lead but he most certainly left a mark with his performance as Bronson Peary.