Eric Bana biography
Eric Bana (born Eric Banadinovich; 9 August 1968) is an Australian film and television actor. He began his career as a comedian in the sketch comedy series
Full Frontal (TV series) before gaining critical recognition in the Biographical film
Chopper (film) (2000). After a decade of critically acclaimed roles in Australian television programs and films, Bana gained Cinema of the United States's attention by playing the role of American Delta Force Sergeant Norm 'Hoot' Gibson in
Black Hawk Down (film) (2001) and the lead role as Hulk (comics) in the Ang Lee directed film
Hulk (film) (2003).
An accomplished dramatic actor and comedian, he received Australia's highest film and television awards for his performances in
Chopper,
Full Frontal and
Romulus, My Father (film). Bana performs predominantly in leading roles in a variety of low-budget and major studio films, ranging from Romantic comedy film and drama to science fiction and Action movie thrillers. His most popular films include
Black Hawk Down (film) (2001),
Hulk (film) (2003),
Troy (film) (2004), and
Munich (film) (2005).
Biography
Early life and family
Eric Bana was born in Melbourne, Australia, the younger of two children. His Croats father, Ivan, was a logistics manager for Caterpillar, Inc, and his Germany-born mother, Eleanor, was a hairdresser. Bana grew up in Melbourne's Tullamarine, Victoria, a suburban area on the western edge of the city, near the airport.
Showing acting skill early in life, Bana began doing impressions of family members at the age of six or seven, first mimicking his grandfather's walk, voice and mannerisms. In school, he mimicked his teachers to get out of trouble. As a teen he watched the Mel Gibson film
Mad Max (1979), and decided he wanted to become an actor.
1993-1997
In 1993, Bana made his television debut on Steve Vizard's late night talk show,
Tonight Live with Steve Vizard. This success led to his own television special titled
Eric in 1996. The show, a collection of sketches featuring everyday characters, prompted him to launch a sketch comedy series
The Eric Bana Show. The series, written and performed by Bana, featured skits, stand-up and celebrity guests, but failed to attract a substantial audience and was cancelled after only eight episodes due to low ratings. Even so, in 1997, he received a Logie Award for "Most Popular Comedian" for his work on the show.
For the role, Bana shaved his head, gained thirty pounds, and spent two days with Read to perfect his mimicry. The real Chopper suggested that he have his ears cut off in order to capture his true personality; Bana declined. During filming he arrived on set at four in the morning and spent five hours being covered in Read's trademark tattoos. In spite of the film's limited release outside of Australia, Bana's performance received positive reviews. United States film critic Roger Ebert complimented Bana, stating that "in a comedian named Eric Bana the filmmakers have found, I think, a future star. He has a quality no acting school can teach you and few actors can match. You cannot look away from him". In the film he played Sergeant First Class Norm 'Hoot' Gibson, an elite Delta Force soldier, who fights his way out of a battle in Mogadishu, Somalia after a mission to capture two top lieutenants of a renegade warlord goes awry. Bana shed the weight he had gained for
Chopper and began an exercise regimen months before filming began. He also trained with Delta Force operators at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, learning to fire weapons and clear rooms. The film was met with positive reviews and was number one at the American box office for three weeks after it opened.
Bana's next project was the low-budget Australian film
The Nugget (2002). A comedy, the film portrays the effect of instant wealth on three working class men and was released with moderate success in Australia. Bana read the script after filming
Chopper in 2000 and was drawn to it because it reminded him of his childhood and because he found its characters amusing and likable. While filming
The Nugget, Bana was offered the lead role of Bruce Banner in the film adaptation of the popular comic book series
Hulk (comics). Only after learning of director Ang Lee's involvement in the project did he consider the role. He said he was drawn to the film because "the character of Bruce Banner had dramatic potential" and was "a fairly non-traditional superhero". Bana earned an Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films nomination for "Cinescape Genre Face of the Future" for the film.
In 2004, Bana co-starred with Brad Pitt in the big-budget film
Troy (film). In the film he played Hector, leader of the Troy forces battling against the Ancient Greece warrior Achilles. Director Wolfgang Petersen offered him a role in the film after meeting with Brad Pitt, a fan of
Chopper. The film was an international success, grossing United States dollar364 million. In North America however, it earned considerably less, grossing less than US$133 million.
2005-present
After the commercial failure of
Hulk the previous year and the American box office disappointment of
Troy, critics questioned Bana's bankability in big-budget films. He responded in
Empire (magazine): "It's not like it Hulk was a flop. When you're on a long shoot it is a long personal investment. If I wasn't happy with the end result I'd be bloody upset, but in every case so far I've been happy.
Troy could take $50 and I wouldn't regret it."
In 2006, Bana was invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
Lucky You (film), a Romantic comedy film on which Bana worked before filming Munich, was released in early 2007. In the film, he plays Huck Cheever, a professional poker player who must overcome his personal problems to win a high stakes tournament in Las Vegas, Nevada. His next film was the Australian drama
Romulus, My Father (film) (2007). The film, based on Raimond Gaita's memoir of the Romulus, My Father, portrays a couple and their struggle in the face of adversity to raise their son. The film was a critical success, and Bana's performance earned him a second Australian Film Institute Award for Best Actor.
Bana recently appeared in
The Other Boleyn Girl (film), a historical drama in which he plays Henry VIII of England opposite Scarlett Johansson and Natalie Portman. He will also star as the villain Nero in the film
Star Trek (film) and as Henry DeTamble in the film adaptation of
The Time Traveler's Wife (film). In June 2008, it was announced that Bana will co-star in Judd Apatow's third directorial feature about stand up comics entitled
Funny People that will also feature Adam Sandler and Seth Rogen.
Personal life
In 1995, while working on the television series
Full Frontal (TV series), Bana began dating Rebecca Gleeson, a publicist with the Seven Network and daughter of then Chief Justice of New South Wales, and later Chief Justice of Australia, Murray Gleeson. Bana and Gleeson have two children, a son Klaus (born July 1998), and a daughter Sophia (born April 2001). Since the birth of his son, Bana has limited his work to one film per year so he can spend time with his family at their home in Melbourne. Bana purchased his first car, a Ford Falcon (Australia) coupé, at the age of fifteen for AU$1100 and driving it made his motor sport racing debut in 1996's Targa Tasmania, a week-long race around the island state of Tasmania. In 2004, Bana purchased a Porsche 944 to compete in Australia's Porsche Challenge. Competing throughout 2004, he often finished in the top ten and in November, finished fourth at the Sandown 500, a personal best. On 21 April 2007 Bana crashed his 1974 Ford XB Falcon Coupe in the Targa Tasmania rally. Neither he nor his co-driver were injured.
Bana is also a prominent supporter of Australian rules football. His love of the sport began at a young age when his godfather took him to games to see the St Kilda Football Club, his favorite team.
Charitable work
Bana is an advocate for the Mental Illness Fellowship Victoria, which works to increase the awareness of mental illness in Australia. In 2004, he appeared in several high profile advertisements for the fellowship. Bana is also active in campaigns with the Australian Childhood Foundation and the Bone Marrow Donor Institute. Since 1995, he has participated in the Motorcycle Riders Association Toy Run in Melbourne, which raises money and toys for needy children at Christmas.
In 2005, Bana narrated the documentary
Terrors of Tasmania about the endangered Tasmanian Devil. The film followed the life of a female Tasmanian Devil called Manganinnie and discussed the incurable facial cancer which threatens the survival of the species. He has also worked with the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, donating money to animal shelters in Berlin while filming
Troy (film) in 2004.