If you automatically think of the famous Beatles' song "Hey, Jude" and the 19th century novel Jude the Obscure by Thomas Hardy, when you hear of new "it" boy Jude Law, you aren't far off. Law's parents chose his original name from the inspiration they found from the song and the novel. One would think that with debonair good looks and charm reminiscent of Cary Grant, Jude Law would have been playing leading roles in Hollywood, rather than the more obscure roles he has chosen.
Jude was born December 29, 1972, and grew up in Southeast London with his parents and older sister. Jude started acting at the age of 12 with the National Youth Music Theatre. At 17, he landed a recurring role on the popular British daytime soap Families, after having dropped out of school to pursue a fulltime acting career. Several years later, Law was touring Europe doing stage performances.
He toured Italy in a stage production of Shaw's Pygmalion, was praised for his performance in Euripides' Ions, and played Michael in Cocteau's Les Parents Terribles. When the play was exported to Broadway and renamed Indiscretions in 1995, Law was the only member from the original cast to be exported as well. His role as Michael earned him a Tony nomination.
In 1996, Law began appearing on the big-screen, starting with a role opposite Claire Danes in I Love You, I Love You Not. A year later he began to take on more supporting roles, including the role of Alfred "Bosie" Douglas, Oscar Wilde's lover in the biopic Wilde; a genetically engineered man in the science fiction film Gattaca; a bisexual murder victim in Clint Eastwood's Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil; and most recently, as Dickie Greenleaf in The Talented Mr. Ripley. His role as the spoiled and arrogant Dickie earned him a Best Supporting Actor Oscar nomination.
It was his role in the 1994 British film Shopping, which could be considered his life altering one, as he was cast opposite actress Sadie Frost, who he married in 1997. The young couple live with their son Rafferty, and Findlay, Frost's son from a previous marriage, in London's posh Primrose Hill.
In addition to their parenting responsibilities, they are also partners in the production company Natural Nylon. They founded the company with fellow actors Ewan McGregor (The Phantom Menace, Trainspotting), Jonny Lee Miller (Trainspotting) and Sean Pertwee (Shopping). They already have eXistenZ under their belt and have several future projects under development.
Keeping with the Beatles' tradition, Law has the line "You came along to turn on everyone, sexy Sadie" from the Beatles' song "Sexy Sadie" tattooed on his arm, in honor of his wife.
Law will soon be seen in The Wisdom of Crocodiles, and starts shooting Enemy of Gates, co-starring Ed Harris and Joseph Fiennes in early 2000.
