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Orlando Bloom

Born 1977-01-13 in Canterbury, Kent, England
An Actor

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In Brief:

Orlando Jonathan Blanchard Bloom (born January 13, 1977) is an English actor. He came to fame in the early 2000s, after playing Legolas in The Lord of the Rings films, and subsequently established himself as a lead in Hollywood films, including Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, Troy, Elizabethtown, and Kingdom of Heaven. Bloom's most recent release is the sequel Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest.

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Bio:

Bloom was born in Canterbury, Kent, England. His mother, Sonia Constance Josephine Copeland, was born in Calcutta, India, the daughter of Betty Constance Josephine Walker and Francis John Copeland, a physician and surgeon; Bloom's maternal grandmother's family has lived in Tasmania, Australia and India, and are of English descent, some of them having originally come from Kent. Bloom had thought that his father was South African-born Jewish lawyer Harry Saul Bloom, but during his teenage years, Bloom's mother revealed to him that his biological father was actually Colin Stone, a family friend. Bloom's parents and Stone agreed that Stone would father their children, as Harry Bloom was physically incapacitated during the time. Bloom, who is named after the 17th century composer Orlando Gibbons, has one sister, Samantha Bloom, who was born in 1975.

Bloom attended St Edmund's School in Canterbury, but struggled due to his dyslexia. In 1993, he moved to London and joined the National Youth Theatre, spending two seasons there and earning a scholarship to train at the British American Drama Academy.

Bloom began acting professionally with a television role in an episode of Casualty, and subsequently made his film debut in Wilde (1997), opposite Stephen Fry, before entering the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London, where he studied acting, sculpture and photography. In 1998, he broke his back in a three story fall, and it was briefly feared that he would not regain the ability to walk. However, he made a complete recovery and was able to walk within thirteen days. Bloom had steel plates inserted into his backbone to support it, which have since been removed, except for a single screw. He regularly performs yoga and Pilates to strengthen his back.

Shortly after graduating in 1999, Bloom was cast in his first major role, playing Legolas in The Lord of the Rings trilogy (2001–2003). While shooting a scene, he broke a couple of ribs, but fully recovered and continued shooting. The success of the trilogy transformed Bloom from an unknown actor into one of world's best-known celebrities. In 2002, he was chosen as one of the Teen People "25 Hottest Stars Under 25" and was named People's hottest Hollywood bachelor in the magazine's 2004 list.

All members of the cast of the Rings movies were nominated for Best Ensemble Acting at the Screen Actors Guild Awards for three years in a row, finally winning in 2003 for the third film, The Return of the King. Bloom has also won other awards, including Empire Awards and Teen Choice Awards, and has been nominated for many others.

Bloom next starred opposite Keira Knightley and Johnny Depp in Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, which was a blockbuster hit during the summer of 2003. He subsequently played the lead roles in Kingdom of Heaven (gaining 15 to 20 lb of muscle by eating six times a day and lifting weights during filming) and Elizabethtown (both 2005). Both films were box office failures in the United States (although the former was a box office and critical success in Europe and the rest of the world).

Bloom's latest film is the sequel Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, which was released on July 7, 2006. He is currently filming the third of the series, Pirates of the Caribbean 3, which is to be released on May 25, 2007. His independent thriller, from Yari Film Group, (the Producers of "Crash"), Haven, will make its theatrical debut in the U.S. on September 15, 2006. Bloom will subsequently appear in the Great Depression-themed independent film drama, Seasons of Dust, which will also star Kate Bosworth. The film will be directed by Tim Blake Nelson, and will begin filming in mid-July 2006 in New Mexico and Oklahoma.

In 2004, Bloom became a full member of Nichiren Buddhism, a religion that he has long associated himself with. He is a Manchester United fan and lives in London. During filming in Morrocco for Kingdom of Heaven, Bloom rescued and adopted a dog, Sidi (a black Saluki mix with a white mark on his chest).

Bloom is currently dating actress Kate Bosworth; the two met outside a coffee shop and were later introduced to each other by a mutual friend, before meeting again at the premiere of The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. The couple separated in 2005 but have since resumed their relationship.

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Filmography:

• Season of Dust (2007)
• Pirates of the Caribbean 3 (2007)
• Love and Other Disasters (2006)
• Haven (2006)
• Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006)
• The Calcium Kid (2005)
• Elizabethtown (2005)
• Kingdom of Heaven (2005)
• Troy (2004)
• Ned Kelly (2004)
• The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
• Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)
• The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)
• Black Hawk Down (2001)
• The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
• Wilde (1998)

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