Orlando Bloom

Born on January 13, 1977 in Canterbury, England, Orlando Bloom's plans of becoming an actor developed quite early when he realized that the characters on TV and in the movies weren't real, that they were actors. Orlando spent two years at the National Youth Theatre before getting a scholarship to train with the British American Drama Academy. His first memorable appearance, a cameo in the critically acclaimed movie Wilde in 1997, earned him various film offers, which he all turned down in favor to play theatre. After Wilde, Orlando attended the Guildhall School of Music and Drama for 3 years. On stage, he appeared in plays like "The Seagull", "Twelfth Night", and "Trojan Women".

Orlando's first major movie role was in The Lord of the Rings trilogy, playing the ethereal elf Legolas Greenleaf, a role he received only days before graduating drama school in London. Two years later, when The Fellowship of the Ring premiered, audiences were in instant awe of the blonde haired, blue eyed elf with killer cheek bones, who was also handy with a bow and arrow. It didn't take long for Orlando to become a full fledged teen heartthrob, hailed by magazines as "The next big thing".

A walking miracle, Orlando seemed to be on the road to mega-stardom. Released shortly after the The Fellowship of the Ring was the gritty war drama, Black Hawk Down, directed by Ridley Scott. Orlando played Private First Class Todd Blackburn, and showed the enthusiasm, excitement and nervousness of an 18 year old soldier new to the world of war in Somalia.

He also stared in Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, alongside his idol, Johnny Depp, while romancing the film's heroine played by Keira Knightley. In 2004 came another period action movie, Troy.

Orlando's first starring role in a major production was in Kingdom of Heaven, Elizabethtown and Pirates of the Caribbean titled Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest.

Public Name: Orlando Bloom
Birth Name: Orlando Jonathan Blanchard Bloom
Date of birth: 13 January 1977
Place of birth: Canterbury, Kent, England, UK