Best-known for his lead roles in 1990s to 2000s films, Jude Law is an English film, television and theatre actor born on December 29, 1972. At the age of 12, he started acting in the National Youth Music Theatre and at 17, he dropped out of school completely. He received his first TV role in a movie based on Beatrix Potter’s The Tailor of Gloucester in 1989. The decision to leave school was based on his choice to star in Families, a 1990 daytime TV soap. Throughout London, his performance in a variety of plays earned him a nomination for the Laurence Olivier Award as “Outstanding Newcomer.” He moved from London to Broadway after playing the same role in Indiscretions with Kathleen Turner. This won him a Tony nomination for “Outstanding Supporting Actor.” After which, he was awarded the Theatre World Award.
In 1997, Jude Law won the Evening Standard British Film Award as “Most Promising Newcomer” for his role as Lord Alfred “Bosie” Douglas in the biopic Wilde. This was followed by a part in a Hollywood sci-fi movie, Gattaca, also starring Uma Thurman and Ethan Hawke. Jude Law was also in Clint Eastwood’s Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil in 1997. His next starring role was as Dickie Greenleaf in the 1999 thriller The Talented Mr. Ripley, for which he was nominated for an Academy Award as Best Supporting Actor. In 2001 he played a robot in A.I. Artificial Intelligence alongside Haley Joel Osment. Jude is also in Sam Mendes’ drama Road to Perdition.
Jude Law was nominated for an Academy Award once again, this time in 2003, for his role in Cold Mountain. He also portrayed the lead role in Alfie in 2004, as well as the Sky Captain in the computer-enhanced Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow. In 2006, he starred in the romantic comedy The Holiday, alongside Kate Winslet and Cameron Diaz. Jude has also lent his voice as Lemony Snicket in the children’s movie Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events in 2004.
On March 1, 2007, the French government honored him with the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres and named him Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres, due to his contribution to World Cinema Arts.